Housepets: Matt

What do you call a fic that's not a fic

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valerio
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by valerio »

Oh wowowow! I SO LOVE THIS FILLER! :D :D
As usual, you are giving us the most detailed nuances of this weird relationship. It never gets boring! Keep the great job going, man! :mrgreen:
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Russiarules1
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Russiarules1 »

BUAHAHAHAHHAHAH!!! Geezus, that was hilarious!
Reminds me a lot of some local jokes :lol:
Doing dumb things is what makes us normal humans.
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Barkeron
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Barkeron »

It it just me or is this is a love-hate relationship between those two. I not saying that is the case, however. But still the fiter, win!
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valerio
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by valerio »

Barkeron wrote:It it just me or is this is a love-hate relationship between those two. I not saying that is the case, however. But still the fiter, win!
this.^^
They just won't admit they need each other. :lol:
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Barkeron
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Barkeron »

valerio wrote: They just won't admit they need each other. :lol:
Which I don't see happening anytime soon :lol:
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Karl
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Karl »

You know, just by reading your comments, I want to update so badly :)
But unfortunately, I still need to write the chapter before it's completed xD
Too bad no one invented a machine that helps you in these matters. Some kind of helm that you put on your head, it reads your mind and it instantly spits out papers with freshly written text.
But before anyone will invent something like that, I can only count on my fingers :) Just hope you won't have to wait for update, because another exam is coming. From chemistry this time.

By the way... since I'm writing, I was thinking again on a beta reader who would help in correcting my grammar. Although people were telling me that my grammar is improving and my speeling mistakes aren't disturbing, still I feel it would be better if grammar will be clean.
Still have to think on that.
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Karl
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Karl »

Well... unfortunately I wasn't able to update yet. I was really busy with preparing to exam and doing photos for check up.
And the exam I was supposed to have in Monday was moved to Friday. So I'm afraid that my nose will be stucked between papers for a little longer.
I would like to warn you that updates can now take some time to complete. School year is ending soon and I need to wrap everything - complete all of my portfolios, make sure I wrote all exams, prepare prints, make copies in black room and buy frames for pictures.

But there is something else I would like to tell you.
Obbl agreed to become a beta reader of Housepets: Matt. He will be checking is text written properly in english. I'm very glad that he agreed. I won't be too scared about grammar anymore. And I believe he will help me to improve in writing in english.
Also, Obbl will be checking the old updates, and will correct them if he will find any error. I hope I'm not giving you too much trouble with this, Obbl :) And thank you very much for agreeing on becoming the beta. It means a lot to me.

So have all a little more patience. I just need some free time to complete the update. And it will be enjoyable, as I promised :)

(By the way, for those who are curious how went my test from large fromat camera... I got A =D )
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Karl
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Karl »

24. Tomorrow’s the big day



When evening came, the whole Sternfeld family took their traditional seats at the table and ate their last meal before going to sleep. Dad, mom, son, and their new family member - dog.

Mrs. Sternfeld as always did everything she could to provide her boys with the richest menu possible. On the table covered by a handmade cloth was a fresh salad with various vegetables, bushy bread, creamy butter, a jam-jar, and some sweets that should not be there, but Mrs. Sternfeld could never resist spoiling her boys just a little bit.

The biggest fan of Mrs. Sternfeld’s culinary skills was her husband. He believed that whatever she served on the table, it would always be tasty. That’s why he was the one who always ate the most, because he always had to try everything. The results of his habit could be seen with the naked eye.

Matt, however, did not always enjoy what his mom prepared, mostly because she preferred healthy food for the final meal. And Matt hated vegetables to the core. He was never able to get them into his mouth and chew them. His instant reaction was always to spit them out, like he was allergic to them. That’s why he almost always ate something he had prepared by himself. This time, it was two burgers, with ham, cheese and spicy ketchup. From time to time, he took a sip from a glass filled with some dark liquid.

Bino also had his food. He was eating dry food from his bowl with his bare hands. Since he was sitting close to Matt, the boy had to cover his dish sometimes since Bino was spitting crumbs everywhere.

Matt still couldn’t get used to it. The idea of a dog sitting with the family at the table and eating… it was just wrong. A dog was supposed to have his own corner and eat from his bowl there. A pet should be just a pet in his opinion. Not a family member.

While everyone was eating, no one was saying anything, nor bringing up any conversation. Only the sounds of forks scrapping the dish and Bino’s loud chomps could be heard in the kitchen.

Before Bino was adopted, all the evening meals were mostly like that. Everyone ate quietly, and even when some conversation started, it always resulted in an argument between Matt and his father, as Bino had already witnessed on his first day in the Sternfeld house.

But today, it turned out to be a little different…

Mr. Sternfeld speared a piece of feta cheese with his fork. He looked at his son who was taking a bite of his burger and started to wave the fork near his cheek.

“So, Matt,” Mr. Sternfeld started. “Tomorrow’s the big day.”

Bino’s ears perked up in interest and he stopped eating. He turned his head to Matt and glanced at him.

Big day?” he thought to himself. “What could that be? Some special event? Perhaps Dad will take us to the amusement park?” He licked his muzzle which was completely covered in crumbs.

When Matt heard his dad’s words, he slowed his chewing. Then, he simply shrugged and swallowed. He didn’t seem to be amused.

“Why ‘big day’? I don’t see anything special about it,” Matt replied with a lazy expression, not looking at his dad even once. Then, he took another bite of his burger and continued eating.

Matt’s reply only increased Bino’s curiosity. He didn’t know what he and Mr. Sternfeld were talking about, and he really wanted to find out.

He doesn’t seem to be happy about it,” he judged. “It must be something unpleasant for him.” Then, a smirk appeared on his face. “I know. Maybe they want to take him to the dentist. Yes, that would be really enjoyable, seeing him squirming in that chair…” He took a piece of dry food with his fingers and chomped it.

Mr. Sternfeld grinned. He leaned closer to his son.

“Oh, come on… don’t tell me you’re not happy to go,” he said, teasing with Matt.

Matt grunted.

“Why should I be? No one likes to go to a place where your youth is drained to the last drop and your brain is turned into minced mash.” Matt squeezed his burger with his hand. “Besides, no one even asked me if I wanna go there…”

Mr. Sternfeld sighed. He rested his back in the chair and put the piece of feta cheese in his mouth.

“You know how important it is for your life. You can’t-”

“It’s important for you. Not for me.” Matt suddenly cut off his dad, giving him a cold glare. “You want me to go there because you want, but you don’t care if I want.”

The atmosphere was starting to heat up. Bino switched his glance from Matt to Dad, and from Dad to Matt. From the looks of their pupils and their expressions, he could see another argument coming up.

But still, he didn’t know what they are talking about. What was so special for Mr. Sternfeld? And why did Matt hate it?

He hoped they would give him the answer by simply talking to each other, but it seemed like it would take ages before he would find out what the thing was about.

Therefore, there was only one thing he could do in that case.

“Dad, what’s the big day?” Bino asked Mr. Sternfeld.

Suddenly, Matt placed his burger on dish and clenched his fists.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Matt said with a hard tone. “Since when are you allowed to refer to my dad like he was your parent, eh?!”

Bino immediately turned his head towards Matt and his pupils grew wide. Then, his glance slowly started to turn into a glare.

Mr. Sternfeld stretched out his hand.

“Matt, easy,” he said, gesturing with his hand to calm down. “I let him call me ‘Dad’ since it’s a custom here that pets refer to their owners as parents.”

Matt loosened his fists.

“Tsk, stupid ‘pet friendly’ customs and rules,” Matt said with disdain. “A pet is supposed to be just a pet and obey his master. Not be treated like some kind of family member. What’s the use of that? They’re not people. Just animals. Furry property that is mainly bought for one’s own egoistical needs.”

Bino was gnashing his teeth. He couldn’t stand Matt’s point of view on pets. He wanted to grab him by his neck and yell directly to his face what he thought about his words, to prove to him that he was not just… property for egoistical needs.

Mr. Sternfeld frowned and shook his head in disagreement.

“I would tell you what I feel about your arrogant attitude,” Mr. Sternfeld said with a stern voice. “But since Bino is with us, I don’t want him to feel more upset than he probably is already. We’ll talk about it when you come home from school tomorrow.”

Matt glared at his father for a moment, but since he did not care at all what his old man was saying to him, he lowered his head and let out a quiet “hmph”. Then, he picked up the unfinished burger in his hand and took a bite.

Bino forgot about the situation that had happened a few moments ago. When he heard the word “school”, he directed his attention to Mr. Sternfeld.

“School?” Bino asked in astonishment. “Matt goes to… school?”

Matt stopped eating again. His expression became dark.

“Yes. I go to school…” He said with a gloomy voice. But after a few seconds, a mischievous smirk appeared on his face. “But on the other hand, who says I’m going anywhere.”

Mr. Sternfeld placed his fork on the table.

“Don’t even think about it,” he said, pointing his finger at Matt. “I don’t want a repeat from Chicago. I’ve already had enough of your truancies and calls from the principal. You won’t skip any classes, you hear me? I want you to study and bring home good grades.”

Matt frowned.

“Who says I have to go to school, eh?” Matt replied arrogantly, clenching his fist that was on table. “And what if I don’t want to go to school? Maybe I don’t need it?!”

“Matt, what are you talking about?” Mr. Sternfeld also frowned. “School is important if you want to get an education and be someone prominent in this world. You can become a lawyer, engineer, doctor… and achieve something. Otherwise, do you want to end up as a simple guy who’s part of the gray masses and dig ditches for rest of your life?”

“Hmph. Look who’s talking.” Matt smirked. “If in your opinion education is so awesome and important, then why are you just a plumber.”

Mr. Sternfeld felt cornered. He didn’t know what to say. He started to breathe faster through his nose and swallowed.

“Because… because…” Mr. Sternfeld stammered. “Because I had no possibilities when I was your age.” He finally spit it out. “Times are different now and you have way more possibilities to get a proper education than I had. So it’s easier for you to not follow in my footsteps.”

Matt grabbed the glass with his drink, leaned back and supported himself on the chair.

“Heh, lol. Same old argument.” He flashed his father a smile and took a sip of the back liquid. “Because technology progressed and other blah blah. Well, I’ll tell you something, Dad.” He pointed at his father with his finger. “I don’t believe in such things. Maybe times are changing, but I still believe everything is the same. Only the surroundings change. Besides, you’re only telling me that because you want me to achieve something you didn’t when you were young. But you forgot that my likes might be different than yours. And maybe I want to be someone else, not someone you want me to become.”

Mr. Sternfeld let out a quiet growl and lowered his head.

Bino was trying to understand what the two were talking about. He knew that humans went to school and studied some things there. But still, he didn’t know what was so scary there that made Matt hate it. And most importantly - why he must attend.

“I don’t understand all of this,” Bino spoke.

Matt turned his head to Bino and looked at him with eyes filled with disdain.

“Of course you don’t understand, stupid mutt,” Matt said arrogantly. “You’re just an animal. What would you know about stuff like school and other junk?”

Bino felt that his dignity had just been wounded. Not only was he called a mutt, but Matt treated him like he was an airhead.

“For your information, I also attended school.” Bino raised his head and placed his hand on his chest. “I finished obedience school and I had the best results in my group!”

Matt almost laughed loudly, but he did his best to stay calm. Instead, he smirked.

“Silly mutt. You compare obedience school to high school? Hah! You’re more stupid for a dog than I expected.”

Bino showed his sharp teeth.

“And what’s the difference!” he said with anger. “Both of those are schools, right?!”

Matt leaned closer to Bino, almost making the dog fall out of his chair.

“The difference is, you spend many hours in high school, writing all the time, sticking your nose in books, trying not to die from boredom during one of the lectures given by your phlegmatic teacher and making nerds feel on their skin and understand why they’re the lowest caste there. It requires a lot of work to survive all of those conditions. And all you, dogs, do in obedience school is learn to serve the human race. So guess now, which of us is better?”

Matt was pushing at Bino. His smirk became wider when he saw Bino’s fists trembling. He was gaining the advantage over him, and that was satisfying to him.

“I… I worked hard in school too!” Bino said desperately.

Matt didn’t care about Bino’s words. He only leaned back, and his expression became stern.

“Besides, best grades in your group? Hard to believe,” Matt said. “If that were true, you would obey your master, meaning me, like every pet should.”

Matt’s words were getting on Bino’s nerves. His dignity was being stomped on by a heavy boot. At this rate, he was close to grabbing his bowl and throwing it directly into Matt’s face and walking out miffed.

“But on the other hand, if there were an option to send impolite sons to obedience school, I wouldn’t mind doing it.” Mr. Sternfeld’s voice came all of a sudden.

Bino and Matt turned their heads to Mr. Sternfeld, who was taking a sip of his tea. When he and Matt made an eye contact, he smiled and winked to him.

At first, Matt’s eyes were big from surprise. Then, his ears started to turn red.

“W-what?!” Matt said in anger, slowly clenching his fist. “Dad, you dare compare me to a pet?!”

Mr. Sternfeld chuckled.

“Oh, I was just thinking out loud,” Mr. Sternfeld said with a smile, brushing his moustache with his fingers. “And it wouldn’t be a bad idea to… tame you a bit.” He winked again.

“Dad, that’s not funny!” Matt placed his fists on the table. Then, he turned his head to his mother. “Mom, say something to him!”

Mrs. Sternfeld stopped eating her salad and looked up at Matt.

“Well, it would also be good if they had dorms,” Mrs. Sternfeld said, making Matt’s eyes grow wide from surprise. “Oh, and if they had school uniforms like in Harvard, you would look so cute.” She placed her elbows on the table, rested her chin on her palms and smiled cheerfully.

The last sentence made Matt almost fall out of his chair. He lifted his hand and grimaced, like he just seen a nasty scene in a horror movie. Then, his cheeks started to turn red from embarrassment.

Bino noticed his red cheeks and snickered.

Ghhh, mooooommm…” Matt said with disgust, feeling the burning shame in his body. Then, he placed his hand on burger and squeezed it hard.

*spat!*

“Aghhh!” Matt covered his right eye as red ketchup struck it.

A laugh filled the kitchen as everyone watched this scene.

Laughing the loudest was Bino, who was very satisfied because Matt got what he deserved after the insults he had said to him.

For Matt, it was not funny at all. He hated when everyone laughed at him. He took a napkin and wiped the ketchup from his eye forcefully, hardly keeping control over his anger. At first, he wanted to say something to silence everyone. But all he did was place his cheeks on his knuckles and he looked down, with his ears crimson red.

Mr. Sternfeld calmed down his laugh and looked at Matt.

“Matt. Please try to understand me,” Mr. Sternfeld said. “It’s not that I want to torture you or anything. It’s for your own good. A good education will open many paths for you. It will be easier for you to find a well-paid job. And people respect those who gained a good education from school. So don’t think that your old man is picking on you. I’m trying to help you.”

Matt looked away and took the glass in his hand. He didn’t care at all what his father was saying to him. For Matt, it was one of his stupid and boring sermons.

Yeah, right. For my own good,” Matt muttered under his breath and took a sip of his drink. “Maybe I actually want to be stupid instead of turning into a four-eyed pencil geek…

“Stupid?” Bino’s voice cut in.

Matt turned his head to Bino and looked at him with wide eyes.

“Huh?” Matt said in astonishment.

Bino was looking at Matt with a stern glance.

“You just said it. You’re stupid?” Bino repeated.

“Uh, what do you mean?” Matt was now looking at Bino suspiciously.

“You just admitted it!” Bino’s pupils grew wider. “You said you’re stupid!”

It took few seconds for Matt to realize what Bino was talking about.

“No, it’s not like that!” Matt frowned. “I was just-”

Bino’s green eyes flashed and he grinned evilly.

“You are stupid!” Bino recited those three words and pointed his finger at the teen’s nose. “You need to go to school because you’re stupid!”

Blood veins appeared on Matt’s eyeballs.

“I’m not stupid!” Matt shook his fist. “Stop calling me that!”

“You’re stupid!” Bino leaned closer to Matt and his evil smile became wider.

“If you don’t stop-“

“Stuuuupid.” Bino narrowed his lips and said it directly to Matt’s face.

Matt was close to a rampage. He could feel the blood veins near his temples pulsing, and drops of sweat started to appear on his forehead.

Stop it!” Matt said loudly.

You’re stupid!” Bino said as loud as Matt did.

I am not!” Matt looked directly into Bino’s eyes, like he was trying to knock him off with his cold glare.

Bino was now excited deep down in his heart. He knew he was now on the upper ground, and dominating over Matt. There was no way he would let him go now. Just watching him get angry and making him pay for being a jerk was already providing him a lot of joy.

Yes you are!” Bino kept pushing at Matt.

Honestly, dog! If you don’t quit at once, I will-

You’re stupid!” Bino continued to repeat like a parrot.

I’m not stupid!!” Matt started to loose his patience as white foam started to appear at edges of his lips.

You are!!” Bino said this time with a devilish grin and sparking irises

NO!!!

YES!!!

At this moment, when Matt was close to the edge of insanity, and his head could blow like a nuke anytime, he had two options to solve this awkward situation.

The first option seemed to be very simple. It required him to grab the neck, squeeze it tight and shake violently. The best one to release his whole wrath and get rid of the anger that had accumulated in his entire body.

But Matt also knew that the first option had a big flaw. He was still in the kitchen and his father would be very displeased if he even dared to lay a finger on this poor and annoying to no end dog. Probably it would also have a bad influence on his allowance.

So at this rate, the first option seemed to be unfeasible due to current conditions.

The second option was different. It required him to turn to the person that currently held the ultimate power over the surrounding environment and request aid in settling peace.

Bad sides of the second option? Asking Dad for help, which was a stab to his dignity.

Matt slowly turned around. He closed his eyes for few seconds, gathering all his strength to speak those words that were so hard for him. Then, he slowly opened his eyes and took a breath.

Dad. Tell him to stop making fun of me or something will get into me,” Matt said those words as calm as he could, but anger could be clearly noticed in his voice.

When Matt asked his dad for help, Mr. Sternfeld was taking a sip of his tea. When he finished, he placed the mug on table and looked at his son with stern expression.

“Matt. Bino is your dog and it’s your job to take care of these matters,” Mr. Sternfeld said and took another sip of his tea.

Matt felt like someone had just stabbed him directly in his heart. His lips started to move, like he was about to spit something out.

Mr. Sternfeld placed the mug again on the table, and he smiled this time.

“But you must admit, he got you good,” He pointed his finger at Matt.

Matt couldn’t believe in what was happening. Now there were two of them.

Dad…” Matt said through his gritted teeth, placing his fists on table and squeezing them hard.

Then, Mr. Sternfeld started to giggle. He covered his mouth with his hand to stop, but it wasn’t helping at all. His shoulders were jerking, and his face became pink.

That was it. Matt had no chance against this coalition. All he could do was to concede to their superiority. He stood up and proceeded to walk away.

Mr. Sternfeld noticed that Matt was leaving the kitchen, stone faced with his eyes piercing the floor.

“Don’t forget to set your alarm clock,” he said, smiling and lolling out his tongue.

I won’t…” Matt replied in a voice filled with venom.

Bino was smirking as he watched Matt leave the kitchen.

“You’re stupid!” he said for the last time.

As Matt exited, he shot Bino a cold glare. Then, he disappeared.

An enormous joy and satisfaction was almost bursting Bino’s body. He won. He was on top. He had proven to be superior over Matt. He made him leave the kitchen, and that was a show of capitulation and defeat. Nothing could be better for Bino than the feeling of defeating someone and claiming the victory. He puffed out his chest and grinned mischievously.

“HA!” He clenched his fist and shook it in a gesture of triumph. “He couldn’t stand it anymore! His will was too weak against mine, and he had to accept his defeat! I won against him! HAAA HA HAAAH!!

And Bino laughed, showing how satisfied he was with his little victory over Matt.

But as he was laughing, he noticed how Mr. and Mrs. Sternfeld were staring at him with their eyes wide open.

Bino suddenly stopped laughing, as he realized he was drawing too much attention. Mr. Sternfeld had his fingers on the handle of his mug, and Mrs. Sternfeld’s fork was still stuck in the salad. Both of them continued to stare awkwardly at Bino.

Bino felt self-conscious as he felt their stares prickling his skin. He put his hand behind his head and began to pull at his fur, thinking how to get himself out of that uncomfortable situation.

“Em… uh… heheh…” Bino smiled innocently and looked around. Then, he noticed Matt’s unfinished burger. “So, umm… you don’t mind if I finish this? It’d be such a waste, eheh…” He pointed his finger at the burger and tried to give his best smile.

Mrs. Sternfeld smiled at Bino’s reaction.

“Aww, he’s so cute. Right, teddy?” Mrs. Sternfeld turned her head and smiled at her husband.

But Mr. Sternfeld continued to stare awkwardly at Bino. He blinked a few times and thought to himself - did what he think he heard just a few moments ago really happen or was he really starting to get old?

- - - - - - - - - -

It wasn’t too long before Bino had finished his meal after Matt left the kitchen.

When his bowl was empty, he stood up from his chair and proceeded to exit.

Of course, he didn’t bother to take his empty bowl and wash it. His dad had always done that, so he believed it was a human’s duty to do it.

Just when he was close to the exit, Bino lifted his hand.

“I’m off. Bye-bye,” Bino said shortly, not even looking back.

“Bino, wait for a moment.” Bino heard Mr. Sternfeld’s voice behind his back.

Bino stopped and froze. What could it be? Had he done something wrong?

Maybe it was because of his bowl?

Yes. It must be because of the bowl. What else it could be?

Bino turned around. He could see Mrs. Sternfeld picking up the dishes and Mr. Sternfeld glancing at him with serious expression.

“Come here.” Mr. Sternfeld gestured to him with his hand.

Bino felt a bit of anxiety as Mr. Sternfeld gestured for him to come closer. He was taking small steps as he approached the man. He stopped when he got close enough, making sure to keep some distance.

“Come closer.” Mr. Sternfeld gestured to him again.

The anxiety started to grow bigger inside of Bino’s mind. He clasped his hands together and came closer.

Mr. Sternfeld placed his arm on Bino’s shoulders and pulled him closer to himself, causing the dog’s heart to pump faster.

“Bino,” Mr. Sternfeld started, moving his face closer to Bino. “Do you remember my conversation with Matt about school?”

Bino felt a slight relief. So it wasn’t about the bowl. He still didn’t need to wash it. And even if it had been, he’d just seen Mrs. Sternfeld taking it.

But still, he was feeling anxious. There must be a reason why Mr. Sternfeld was keeping him so close. And what did that have to do with Matt’s school?

Bino looked away and rubbed his arm.

“Yeah…” he said shyly.

“Can you look at me please?” Mr. Sternfeld said to him.

Bino swallowed. He took a breath and turned his face to Mr. Sternfeld.

When they made eye contact, Mr. Sternfeld’s face became more peaceful.

“It’s very important for Matt to go to school tomorrow. It’s for his own good, but he doesn’t realize how important it is. Do you understand me?”

Bino did not understand anything Mr. Sternfeld had tried to tell him. But he nodded anyways, afraid to upset the man.

Mr. Sternfeld leaned in closer to Bino’s dangling ear.

“That’s why I would like to ask you to keep an eye on him tomorrow,” Mr. Sternfeld explained. “He… might try something funny.”

Bino blinked in surprise.

“What do you mean… Dad?” Bino asked.

Mr. Sternfeld looked directly into Bino’s green eyes and squeezed his arms slightly.

“He might try to run away,” Mr. Sternfeld said in a low voice. “That’s why I need you to prevent that from happening. Matt must get up tomorrow morning and you must make sure he doesn’t stay in his bed or try to run away when going to the bus stop. Please, can you do this for me?”

Bino looked for a moment at Mr. Sternfeld with big eyes and his mouth slightly open, as his brain was analyzing the words he had just heard.

And after his brain had faithfully analyzed the words, only one answer could come out.

“No,” Bino said, frowning.

Mr. Sternfeld was caught totally off guard.

“But why?” he asked astonished.

Bino took Mr. Sternfeld’s big hands off his arms and turned around.

“Because he’s a stupid fathead and I won’t bother helping him.” He crossed his arms and stuck out his pink tongue. “He can do it by himself!”

Mr. Sternfeld placed his hand on his forehead and continued to stare at Bino.

“D-don’t call him that…” Was all he could say, because he didn’t know how he should answer that properly.

Bino only shrugged. After few seconds, he started to walk away.

Mr. Sternfeld had to think of something fast. It seemed that Bino did not yet respect Matt as his owner (what a surprise…) and there was no way to convince him to help the teen go to school.

Unless…

Mr. Sternfeld hated to use this method. But his experience in dealing with his two sons told him it might be the only way.

“I’ll pay you a dollar if you’ll keep your eye on Matt tomorrow,” Mr. Sternfeld said with desperation in his voice.

Bino stopped and stood in place.

A smile appeared on Mr. Sternfeld’s face. He believed he had succeeded.

But his smile vanished as Bino turned around and shot him a glare.

“Who do you take me for, huh?” Bino said with anger in his eyes. “You think you can just bribe me? Well, you are wrong, mister! I’m a dog of the people, therefore it is my duty to show all dogs how a good dog should behave with my example! Only bad dogs do something for money! So don’t even think that you can bribe me with money!” When he had finished, he turned around again and started to walk away.

Just when he was going to go though the exit, he heard a weak voice:

“Two dollars.”

For those words Bino had been waiting. The rate had successfully been raised as he planned. He grinned and rubbed his hands together. Then, his mischievous grin was replaced by a friendly smile and he turned around.

“Well, Dad, if you insist…” Bino said happily, causing a wide smile to appear on Mr. Sternfeld’s face. “I’ll watch over Matt.”

“Very good.” Mr. Sternfeld nodded. “Now go get some sleep. You’ll have to get up with Matt to keep an eye on him.”

And just when Bino wanted to walk out…

“Wait, Bino. One more thing.”

When Bino turned his head to Mr. Sternfeld, the man’s head was lowered and he had a stern expression.

“Matt must go tomorrow to school,” he said in a low tone. “At any cost…

- - - - - - - - - -

When Bino entered the room, it was dark inside and Matt was already in bed, wrapped in his blankets.

He went inside silently and carefully closed the door so as not to wake his young owner up. Then, he quietly proceeded to the corner where his basket was, not making a single sound as he placed his foot on the carpet.

*startle*

Yowl!

Bino immediately lifted his foot as he felt something sharp impaled in his black pad. He totally forgot that there were various items and trash on floor.

The pile of quilt moved a bit.

Hey, I’m trying to sleep here…” Matt said with a sleepy, yet annoyed voice.

Bino massaged his foot for a couple of seconds and tried not to lose his balance as he stood on one leg. When the pain had almost faded, he carefully placed his foot back on carpet, making sure to not step on something sharp again.

“I’m sorry…” Bino replied back, feeling a bit irritated. “It’s not my fault that you made a mine field here.”

Bino heard a grumble.

Whatever. Go to sleep already and don’t make any noise. Or you’ll end up outside.

Bino grimaced. He wanted to say something more to Matt, but he felt tired and he already wanted to get to his warm and comfortable basket.

When he was about to take another step, he remembered something.

“Did you set your alarm clock?” Bino asked as he turned his head in the direction where Matt’s bed was.

He heard another grumble.

Not your business.” Bino heard an arrogant reply. “Now stop bugging me and go to sleep!

All Bino could do was to clench his teeth and pretend that everything was fine.

It took him some time before he reached his basket, as he tried to make his way through the dangerous traps on the floor and not make too loud a noise at the same time. When he reached his destination, he quickly jumped into the basket, wrapped himself in his blankets and snuggled the pillow with his face.

“Good night,” Bino said quietly as he closed his eyes.

The only reply he got was a deep silence.

Bino sighed and placed his hand under the pillow.

Tomorrow’s gonna be a big day. And a hard one…



(A/N)

I would like to deeply apologize to everyone for not updating for so long. But like I said earlier, I was finishing semester and I had a horrible amount of work before all my photos could be examined by commission. I had like… 23 large photos to prepare. So you can imagine how much I was waiting for vacations when I was in front of my PC, fighting with Photoshop and urge to sleep.
I know I said that I’m going to give you something special. Truth is, imagination can modify your ideas. So you have to wait a little longer, but I’m sure you already know that this something special already is ; ) . I bet you can’t wait now to see how Matt goes to school.
Since Obbl is my beta Reader, I must say he’s doing an outstanding job. He helps me a lot, and cooperation with him is really nice. This current chapter was checked by him so after reading it, feel free to share your opinion.
Also, Obbl is also correcting old chapters. For now, chapter 1 and 2 is revised.
And since you’ve been waiting so long for update my dear readers, I think I should compensate you during those vacations. How do you think? ; )
Waiting for your opinions on chapter 24. And feel free to tell what’s on your mind.
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Kondog »

Absolutely wonderful update! I am definitely glad you're back I was starting to worry that you might leave us hanging on such a wonderful story. you have such a great talent for engaging character dialogue and believability. ( I'm actually quite envious i wish i could do that) - the relationship that Matt has with his parents is extremely well done in this update. I found there Dinner argument in particularly well-finished and kept thinking to myself this is how real families argue ( you must have some experience hahaha) Bino and matt's relationship is so unorthodox it's actually impossible to guess what happened next chapter - I love it! - I can't wait to see where you take this next chapter. You indeed Rock!

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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by valerio »

delightful update!
It's stuff like this that makes Bino all the more interesting character, both deserving justice and being annoyed for being...well, what he is.
Fantastic!
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Karl »

Kondog wrote:Absolutely wonderful update! I am definitely glad you're back I was starting to worry that you might leave us hanging on such a wonderful story. you have such a great talent for engaging character dialogue and believability. ( I'm actually quite envious i wish i could do that) - the relationship that Matt has with his parents is extremely well done in this update. I found there Dinner argument in particularly well-finished and kept thinking to myself this is how real families argue ( you must have some experience hahaha) Bino and matt's relationship is so unorthodox it's actually impossible to guess what happened next chapter - I love it! - I can't wait to see where you take this next chapter. You indeed Rock!
Sorry about that. But when semester is coming to an end, and you have final exams, there's no way you can have free time. I had to prepare my entire portfolio, correct everything and set up porportions that were required by commision, print photos that were taken by digital camera, scan those that I made by traditional way and archive everything on disc, in JPEG and TIFF formats and segregated in folders by subjects. I had to make sure that my entire work from half year will be presented in full glory. And I was sleeping like 2 - 3 hours.
But I must say that my hard work paid off. I was actually worried about my photos, because I felt that not everything went as I planned. But commision was very pleased with my work. They said that my photos are very interesting and I showed progress. So for whole my work, I got A :) And my teacher, who was teaching us this semester (changes each semester), said that he's very satisfied with my photos. And that means a lot to me because he's a type of a guy who is hard to satisfy.

Talent? I'm just trying to let out what forms in my mind =^^=
And I try to do my best to wrote as good as it is possible. I just imagine being there, right at the kitchen table. Also, I wear the character's skin and I take his personality, so I can know what he would think, say or do, depending on situation. It's easier when you create your own characters :) Harder when you take a canon character and you try to show him as he appears in strip.

Yeah, you can say I have some experience with dealing with parents :) Especially that I still live with them.

It may be impossible to guess what will happen in next chapter. But you may still wonder how it will look like ;)
valerio wrote:delightful update!
It's stuff like this that makes Bino all the more interesting character, both deserving justice and being annoyed for being...well, what he is.
Fantastic!
Indeed :) He can be loved or hated, depending from situation. That's why he intrigues me and works on me like a magnet. In my opinion, Mr. Griffin actually puts a lot of effort into his personality, behavior and expressions.
But the way you said that... about my work and this character... I really appreaciate it, Valerio. Thank you very much :)

Now I will have to make next update really enjoyable, seeing such expectations :) Now I really feel responsible for providing you joy and fun :)
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by valerio »

And we are responsible for keeping you doing your best *evil laugh*
And CONGRATULATIONS for your grades! :D :D :D
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by The Moon Howler »

Hah, now that is one heck of an update, Karlos! Keep it up this good all the time!
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Karl »

valerio wrote:And we are responsible for keeping you doing your best *evil laugh*
xD
valerio wrote:And CONGRATULATIONS for your grades! :D :D :D
Thanks :)
Sindorei wrote:Hah, now that is one heck of an update, Karlos! Keep it up this good all the time!
I can't help it xD I won't finish writing chapter before I'll feel that it's completed xD
I'll keep it :) I will probably work during those vacations, but I will be updating for sure :)
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Russiarules1 »

Great update, as always! I would like to see how Matt manages to stay away from school.
And congratz for finishing your job and stuff. Duty first!
Thank you for this "Vacation Start" present :)
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Karl »

Russiarules1 wrote:Great update, as always! I would like to see how Matt manages to stay away from school.
And congratz for finishing your job and stuff. Duty first!
Thank you for this "Vacation Start" present :)
Thank you :)
How he manages to stay away from school? I'm sure he has some methods ;)
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Barkeron »

What methods will Matt use to either cut class or get out of school. This should be interesting. Ah man this battle over dominance between Matt and Bino is at best hilarious, if not a bit sad. I say, Karlos you really did do a great job creating Matt and his personally. It was as if Bino and Matt actually "matched" in terms of their characters.
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Karl »

Barkeron wrote:What methods will Matt use to either cut class or get out of school. This should be interesting. Ah man this battle over dominance between Matt and Bino is at best hilarious, if not a bit sad. I say, Karlos you really did do a great job creating Matt and his personally. It was as if Bino and Matt actually "matched" in terms of their characters.
This fight is like between Rebelious Teen vs. Untamed Dog =D
I think both of those are worst nightmare of parents who desire a peaceful and loving family.

Thank you, Barkeron :) Your words mean really lot to me.
You will learn a bit more about Matt soon.
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Barkeron »

Karlos wrote:
This fight is like between Rebelious Teen vs. Untamed Dog =D
:lol: This ^.

Karlos wrote:Thank you, Barkeron :) Your words mean really lot to me.

No problem.
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by copper »

Just got caught up! I am amazed at how well you are doing! This is really good!

Mr. Sternfeld has no idea how to handle kids, huh? :lol: Matt and Bino will never stop, it seems.


Can't wait to see how Bino tries to stop Matt.
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Re: Housepets: Matt

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copper wrote:
Mr. Sternfeld has no idea how to handle kids, huh? :lol: Matt and Bino will never stop, it seems.

This. ^
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Karl »

copper wrote:Just got caught up! I am amazed at how well you are doing! This is really good!
Welcome back, copper :) I'm glad you could make it ;) And thank you for your compliments.
copper wrote:Mr. Sternfeld has no idea how to handle kids, huh? :lol:
I guess he forgot he was young too ;p





So about the update... I have vacations now, but I still had problems with concentration. I was trying to start writing since last tuesday, but somehow my mind was blocked. I had everything planned in my head and I knew what to write on blank paper in word document. But I just couldn't spit it out. I was like spending 4 hours on it, and only 1 page wrote. I hoped vacations will help me, but I was actually feared because of this uncomfortable situation.
Luckily, I finally broke free from this awkward spasm. You know it was? Imagine a crane that is blocked by a small plug. Water is turned on and the crane is shaking violently from pressure. But the plug holds strongly and only few drops leak out. And then BOOM! The plug suddenly fells off and a stream of freed water launches from crane. That's how I've broke though my block. I just started to write normally. I just kept going and going, stopping only to rethink on something and return to work. I felt so relieved. I was finally able to write normally like I used few moths ago. Amazing feeling, really. Now I know that everything is going to be okay =)
So I've finally completed the newest update. Today proofreaded it and corrected few things. Now it's in hands of my wonderful Beta who helps me so much. And I believe he will do his job nicely as always ;)
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Karl »

25. I hate mondays



Bino always loved to sleep.

It was one of the rare moments when he felt really good.

The feeling of warmth and softness from his blankets, and the pillow he could snuggle as much as he wanted.

Peace… Silence… Rest…

That’s why he always slept as long as possible. To get as much rest as he could. To extend laziness to the core. To make all those wonderful feelings he had during his sleep last.

For him, laziness had no limits. It did not require any effort to achieve. It was very simple: just stay in bed, snuggle in the blankets and keep changing positions. And it always was pleasurable.

Sleeping was always for Bino the first priority. So what if he slept till noon? So what if he wasted almost half of the day? Nothing could compare to sweet laziness. Everything else that was less important could wait.

But there was also another reason why Bino loved to sleep.

Dreams…

The part of your mind where everything was possible. The area where your every desire could be fulfilled. The place where you had your own world and you could become whoever you wanted.

Trees with blue leaves. Caramel rivers. Singing and dancing flowers. Flying ability. All of this was just a particle of the possibilities that could occur in dreams.

And Bino knew that best. That’s why he tried to remain in his land of dreams to the last.

Wearing shining armor, holding a gold longsword in his hand and with a fancy shield with an engraved B attached to his back, he was on a mission to defeat the monstrous dragon that threatened the entire kingdom and its inhabitants, and save the beautiful princess who was held captive in his castle.

The way to the dragon’s castle was not easy. Bandits attacked him every time he was deep in the forest and he always had to save the day in each town he visited.

But whatever dangers he encountered, nothing could defeat him.

Bandits couldn’t even stand a chance against his awesomeness. Each time he defeated them, he took the loot they had gained by robbing people and gave everything to the poor and needy.

Many towns and villages were saved by him - from raging fire, evil tyrants, ugly monsters or cat mercenaries who came from the enemy kingdom to cause chaos.

That’s how our brave knight in shining armor, Sir Binogald, gained popularity throughout the entire kingdom. He was recognized everywhere his foot stepped. Innkeepers fought each other just to take him to their inn and host him with all honors. Every pup wanted to be as noble and brave as him. When they played pretend outside their clay houses, they engraved a capital B on their wooden boards and yelled his famous quotes when they swung their wooden swords.

Many ladies dreamed of landing in his arms. They always surrounded him when he was in town, placing daisy chains on his neck and looking at him in amazement. And they always squealed when he sent them a kiss or said something charming to them. There were also accidents when a lady fainted with a smile of joy when he delicately touched her.

Sir Binogald really appreciated their adoration and favors. He was always a gentledog for the woman. However, he already had the lady of his heart…

The princess of the kingdom was kidnapped by the King of Dark Dragons and taken to his castle of purest darkness. The dragon did that to blackmail the king to gain valuables, and bring chaos and destruction upon the entire kingdom.

The king, who was in grief because of the loss of his beloved daughter, princess Sashelle, put his entire faith in his most trusted and bravest knight and sent him on a mission to rescue her from the claws of the dragon.

Each time Sir Binogald thought of the princess and her torments, he felt something icy in his chest and his heart slammed like a hammer. He wanted to get to the dragon’s castle as fast as possible and take her back home.

Only he, the bravest of the brave in this kingdom, could save the princess and settle peace.

After a long march and many days that seemed to be like weeks for him, he finally reached his destination.

The Castle of Pure Darkness. The lair of the King of Dark Dragons. The place where no one ever wished to be.

Placed in the land of volcanoes that were constantly leaking out magma, eternal ashes that resembled a gray desert and where the crimson sky was covered all the time by soot.

The walls of the castle were black like a coil. All towers looked like they were twisted, each in a different direction and ended with spiked roofs. The defensive walls were decorated with gargoyles who stuck out their long tongues and the entrance to castle looked like the mouth of a sharp-toothed monster. And to make the castle harder to capture, it was surrounded by a moat of hot lava.

Sir Binogald stood in front of the moat and looked at the black castle. Despite its terrifying appearance, it was not affecting him and no fear was in his heart.

And then… he saw her.

On top of the highest tower, on the balcony stood the princess. She was wearing a pink dress and a pointed hat with a white veil. Her fur was mostly white, except for her ears and muzzle that were brown.

“Help me, Sir Binogald!” Princess Sashelle yelled with fear and despair in her voice, her hands clasped together. “You’re the only one who can save me!”

Sir Binogald’s heart started to pump faster. He strained his muscles and raised his head in pride.

“Don’t worry my precious lady!” Sir Binogald’s voice echoed. “I will defeat this evil dragon who terrorizes your father’s kingdom and I will take you away from this dark place!”

At this moment, the ground started to shake strongly and dust felt from the walls of the castle. Then, a powerful roar tore the sky.

Sir Binogald looked up.

Something pierced violently through the black soot that covered the sky. Sir Binogald could see the silhouette of a huge creature with long and wide wings.

It was a matter of seconds before the dragon landed in front of the brave knight, making a strong earthquake as he placed his feet on the ashen ground and made a powerful gust with his wings.

The King of Dragons had a terrifying appearance. His body was very long and he was even taller than his own castle. Each time he breathed, he made powerful winds. But what was most surprising was that he actually looked more like a dog. Instead of scales, he had tri-colored fur - brown in most regions of his body, black on top and white under. He had a long muzzle, with two long fangs and a big, black nose. On top of his head ears stuck up long and big like a bat’s and between them were two horns. His irises looked like a cobra’s, sparkling like a ruby. He had eight white, short and chubby legs and a long, thick tail, ending with a metallic spike.

The King of Dark Dragons lowered his head to look closer at the knight who was like a tiny insect to him. Then, he took a long sniff, vacuuming up almost everything, except the knight who just stood there. The dragon kept looking at Sir Binogald for few seconds and then it let out a powerful roar, making the ground and the castle walls shake.

Anyone else in Sir Binogald’s place now would have screamed like a terrified girl and run away, leaving a cloud of dust behind him. But this brave warrior didn’t even make a single move. He still kept his stern expression, not making anything of the dragon’s attempts to scare him. When the dragon stopped roaring, he puffed his manly chest and slid down the visor of his helm on the bridge of his muzzle. He took his shield off his back, pulled out his golden longsword from its black sheath and directed its tip in front of the dragon’s face.

He was ready and steady for action.

The beast opened his jaw and fired a stream of flames right at our noble knight.

Sir Binogald hadn’t time to think while the flames were rapidly getting closer to him to cook him alive. Just when the fire was going to hungrily consume him, he covered himself with his shield.

A large fireball was made when the flames impacted with Sir Binogald’s silver shield. The dragon kept firing for a long period of time before he stopped. When he closed his jaws, grey smoke escaped from his lips and nose.

A dark cloud covered the place where the knight was standing. When it started to fade away, a figure started to slowly appear.

The dragon raised his eyebrows when he saw Sir Binogald still standing behind his shiny shield, not believing that he had actually survived the blazing inferno.

It angered him that this pest dared to stay alive after he treated him with his flames. He let out a roar and quickly shot his head down, aiming for Sir Binogald with his opened jaws.

The knight jumped high, avoiding the dragon’s fangs. When he was high in air, the dragon dug into the ground with his fangs, making another earthquake and a huge amount of dust.

Sir Binogald spun his body and landed near the dragon.

The dragon slowly lifted his head and started to look for his enemy.

“I’m right here you ugly excuse for a lizard mutt!” Sir Binogald yelled.

The dragon immediately turned his huge head in the direction where the voice had come from. When he noticed the little insect near his long tail, he didn’t hesitate one moment to swing it.

Sir Binogald had good reflexes. Just when the tail was going to hit him, he ducked to avoid impact. When it came back to strike again, he jumped above it. And that repeated for several times. Each time the dragon tried to sweep him with his thick tail, Sir Binogald ducked or jumped above it.

The dragon was pushed to the limit of his patience. His swings were getting faster and faster as he missed.

Sir Binogald knew he couldn’t keep dodging the gigantic tail forever. When the next assault came, he ducked again, but this time he gripped the dragon’s fur with his hand and jumped on his tail.

The brave knight dashed forward, running across the monster’s back. He jumped on the bridge of his muzzle, ran to the tip of his nose and hopped down on the ground, finding himself again in front of the massive dragon.

The dragon looked for a moment at Sir Binogald with surprise. The knight used this occasion. He covered himself with his shield and reflected the sunbeam into the monster’s eyes.

The dragon immediately closed his eyes shut when the sunbeam started to blind him. When he felt that he could stop shutting his eyes, he opened them and his eyes grew wide as Sir Binogald was flying in his direction.

When the dragon had his eyes closed, Sir Binogald had jumped in his direction. Once he was close enough to his black nose, he stretched out his fist and punched it.

The dragon roared as Sir Binogald punched him in nose. When the knight landed safely on ground, the dragon’s nose turned red and it started to pulse. Soon, tears appeared in his eyes and he folded his huge ears, letting out a whimper. Then he curled up, spread his wings and started to fly away.

Sir Binogald lifted his visor and watched as the dragon escaped, hiding his weapon back in its black sheath.

Another successful monster defeat to note in his list of glorious achievements. He could only imagine what the people throughout the kingdom would be saying about his victory over the King of Dark Dragons. As he was thinking about that, he puffed his chest in pride and raised his chin high.

Then, something shiny caught his attention.

In the place where the King of Dark Dragons had been just few moments ago, something silver was lying.

Sir Binogald came closer to the object and took it into his hand.

The object was actually a key with a handle that was shaped like a chess piece.

It was probably the key to the door where the princess was imprisoned.

Sir Binogald started to move forward to the castle gates, making metallic sounds with each step.

The sky turned from red to blue and the black soot disappeared, revealing the big and warm sun. The erupting volcanoes turned into green hills and snowy mountains, and colorful flowers started to grow behind Sir Binogald.

The lava that was circulating around the castle had turned into water. When Sir Binogald got closer to castle, the walls slowly began to turn white and the twisted towers magically turned straight. The drawbridge dropped before him, letting him walk over the moat. When he was in front of the gates, they automatically opened and he was able to enter.

Sir Binogald walked up the tower stairs to where the princess was locked. When he was in front of the massive brazen door, he slid the key into the hole. The loud sound of a click echoed down the tower. He pushed open the heavy door and entered.

The princess was standing on a balcony, wind blowing her pink dress. Sir Binogald stood for a moment in one place, looking at her and capturing every moment. Then he placed his sword and shield at a nearby wall and walked outside.

When he was on the balcony, the princess was still turned backward to him. He placed his hands on his helmet and when he took it off, the wind blew his headfur in an epic style.

“My lady. Here I am before you, not worthy of your attention, to take you into my arms and carry you home,” Sir Binogald said as the wind was waving his bushy headfur and brown ears.

The princess slowly turned her head, showing her beauty to him. She looked at him with her pink eyes that were glittering and a warm smile was on her brown muzzle.

Sir Binogald blushed as he looked at this precious being, but his face remained calm. There was no prettier lady in this kingdom than her.

“My knight in shining armor!” the princess said with soft voice, stretching her hands to his face. “My Hercules! My Romeo!”

Her soft fingers sank in the fur that was on the knight’s cheeks and she was almost touching his nose with hers. Such close contact almost made Sir Binogald’s heart flare up.

“I was waiting for you in this tower, thinking about you every day and night,” she said, resting her head on his armored chest and closing her eyes. “I counted all the days and I couldn’t wait until we would finally unite. And you are finally here, my noble knight…” She lowered her hands from his cheeks to his neck.

Sir Binogald placed his finger under her chin and gently raised her head up.

“Have no fear my lady,” Sir Binogald said as he looked deeply into her dreamy eyes. “I have defeated the dragon who imprisoned you in this tower (and it was a piece of cake) and now I will take you into my arms and carry you home, not even letting you touch the dirty ground with your precious feet. And… I want to marry you.” When he said that, he nuzzled her nose with his.

Princess Sashelle blushed deeply and her smile grew wide as she heard the knight’s proposition. She squeezed his neck tighter.

“And you will become a king, and I will be your queen at your side…”

Sir Binogald wrapped his arms around her waist and moved her closer to his body. Then, his right hand moved to her floppy ear and stroked it gently

“And we will have lots of puppies and we will live long and happily…”

He closed his eyes and started to move his muzzle closer…

And closer…

Closer…

“Beep beep!”

Sir Binogald suddenly opened his eyes.

“Beep beep!”

His eyes went to the princess who was in his arms.

The warm smile had disappeared from the princess’s face and her eyes weren’t glittering anymore. Instead, she was frowning and a grimace was spread across her muzzle.

“My lady?” Sir Binogald asked surprised, raising his eyebrows.

“Beep beep! Beep beep!” Princess Sashelle said with a cold tone, glaring at the knight.

The blue sky suddenly turned dark and everything that was surrounding them started to shake violently. Dust and small pieces of rubble started to fall off the castle walls and a few towers were slowly collapsing.

Sir Binogald was scared. The most beautiful moment of his life had started to turn into nightmare.

My lady!” Sir Binogald squeezed the princess tighter, like he was trying to snap her out of her trance.

“Beep beep!” the princess repeated, this time wrinkling the bridge of her muzzle and showing her sharp fangs.

The mountains that were surrounding the land suddenly started to crack and they turned into pieces of glass that floated into darkness.

The cracking continued to spread and it wasn’t long before it reached the grassy fields. All the beautiful flowers that had grown and bloomed after Sir Binogald defeated the dragon started to whither. The field shared the fate of the mountains and it also turned into pieces.

When the castle also started to degenerate, Sir Binogald felt like something was pulling the princess forcefully. He tried to keep her with his firm grip, but the princess flipped from his arms and started to float away.

“Beep beep! Beep beep! Beep beep!” the princess kept repeating as she went farther and farther into void.

*BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP*

The strange sound echoed all the time as the dragon’s castle turned into pieces and completely vanished. Darkness surrounded everything and only a spot of light was shining upon Sir Binogald.

Sir Binogald desperately stretched out his arm in the direction where the princess was flying away. He tried to yell something, but suddenly the armor that covered his arm shattered and its pieces were consumed by darkness

In a few seconds, his armor completely shattered and his true body was now uncovered.

Bino fell to his knees and looked at his bare hands, not believing what was happening.

*BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP*

The annoying sound was painfully piercing deep into his ears. He tried to cover them, but it was helpless. The sound was getting louder and louder…

*BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP*

Bino raised his head high, still desperately covering his ears, and yelled at the top of his lungs:

NNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

- - - - - - - - - -

*beep beep* *beep beep* *beep beep* *beep beep*

Bino had no idea where he currently was or what was going on. Everything was a blur and seemed strange to him.

All he knew was that he was wrapped in some soft material and it was almost impossible to breathe. His head felt like it was packed with iron and his throat and tongue were dry.

He felt so old and heavy. His body was like it was not his own. He tried to make some movement, but it was so hard because he couldn’t feel his limbs.

After few moments of trying to take control of his body, he moved his hand across his head and then he started to rub the soft material he was wrapped in, trying to find out what it was by touch.

*beep beep* *beep beep* *beep beep* *beep beep*

Bino could barely blink because his eyelids seemed to be glued shut and every object that was near the soft thing he was in was still smudgy. But as his eyelids broke free from this sticky thing, his eyesight started to get sharp.

He slowly started to regain his memory. He realized that he was in his basket and he was wrapped in his warm blankets. He recognized the wooden wardrobe that was near his basket and when he looked at the other side, he recognized the window that was now covered by red curtains.

He was so thirsty. He felt like the Sahara Desert was in his throat. He tried to lick his lips to wet them, but his tongue was too swollen dry. He instinctively looked around with his sleepy eyes for some bottle or anything that contained fresh water. But there was nothing. Only tons of rubbish and clothes that covered the carpet.

Bino blinked a few times, trying to fight the urge to close his burning eyes. He rolled out his tongue and started to pant.

Even breathing was a problem. The air was so thick and stiff that it could even cause loss of consciousness.

*beep beep* *beep beep* *beep beep* *beep beep*

The strange sound finally caught Bino’s attention. The dog barely lifted his heavy head and started to look around for the source of the noise.

Some objects that were far from his place of sleeping were still too smudgy for him. But as he kept looking for a couple of seconds, he spotted a green, flashing light.

*beep beep* *beep beep* *beep beep* *beep beep*

Bino narrowed his eyes to see what this light actually was. And when his eyes gained sharpness on it, he read:

7:10 AM

Bino’s eyes slowly rolled up. When his head landed back on pillows, he let out a scruffy moan.

Now he fully regained his orientation.

He was back in Matt’s paradise of chaos and disorder called his room.

Ten past seven in morning… he was not used to waking up so early! He always slept till noon, getting as much sleep as he could to feel the bliss of laziness, warmth of blankets and softness of his pillow when he was snuggling it. But morning… so early… It was way too horrible for him.

And when he thought about this, a wave of sadness filled his mind.

He had had such a wonderful dream. There, he was a knight who had cool gear and awesome abilities. Everyone adored him, especially the beautiful ladies. He was able to defeat a dog hybrid dragon with a single punch. He rescued the beautiful princess.

He was supposed to marry her and become the king of the entire kingdom!

A king for Santa’s sake! A dog with a golden crown who is worshipped by thousands of peasants! The top dog of the kingdom!

In this dream he was a knight with super strength, quick reflexes and charm.

He was epic there!

But it was all stolen by a stupid alarm clock that was constantly yowling…

Stupid alarm clock…” Bino whispered to himself as his head rested on his pillow, with his eyes half lidded.

If they would let him sleep till noon, this wonderful dream would last much longer. He would become a king, with Sasha as queen at his side. He would fight more monsters, not even breaking a sweat… or without a single pant in this case. And people would praise him for his heroic actions.

*beep beep* *beep beep* *beep beep* *beep beep*

Bino gripped his headfur with both of his hands and let out an annoyed growl. The constant beeping sound was starting to get on his nerves. It was beeping over and over, not stopping even once. He tried to cover his head with his pillow, turning from side to side, but he still could clearly hear the cacophonic sound.

Bino took the pillow off his head and gnashed his teeth, rubbing his right eye. It seemed there would be no end to this sound if he didn’t do something about it.

As he took off the blanket that was covering his body, he suddenly felt oddly cold. For a moment, he wanted to cover himself back up with his blanket, but the beeping sound reminded him that it would be impossible. All he could do was grit his teeth and somehow come to terms with this nasty situation.

As he adjusted to the unfriendly coolness, he slowly rolled over and got on all fours. Then, his arms stretched across his bed and the lower region of his body went back, causing his spine to let out three popping sounds. After his back was realigned, his body moved forward, stretching his legs this time, and yawned widely, lolling out his tongue and rolling the tip of it. As he finished yawning, he loudly closed his muzzle and shook his head.

Bino snuffled a few times and he looked again at the alarm clock. He blinked a few times and started to crawl out of his basket.

“Ahh!”

Bino shook his hand as he felt something painfully piercing his skin. He tried to stand up…

“Ack!”

This time, he felt a stab under his foot.

It really made him angry. The same thing had happened to him last night when he was walking toward his basket in the darkness. Now when he had just gotten up, he had to step on something again.

All because everything lay on the floor as it pleased!

Bino started to unload his anger on the objects that were in his way. Whatever was on the carpet, he simply kicked it in various directions.

He didn’t care anymore if Matt would yell at him for this or not. He had had enough of this and he didn’t want to step on anything again.

As he reached the alarm clock that was still blinking and beeping, he glared at it like he was about to bully someone without any mercy.

*beep beep* *beep beep* *beep beep* *beep beep*

Bino raised his fist…

*beep beep* *be-* *SMACK!*

The black device went silent as Bino hit the wide, grey button with his fist. The room was suddenly filled with complete silence. Only some seconds later the quiet sounds of singing birds from outside could be heard.

The alarm clock’s display stopped flashing. Bino looked at the green sign again.

7:15 AM

Bino’s head started to tilt as the feeling of tiredness returned to him. He looked back at his basket with a lazy expression and raised shoulders. As he thought about the softness and warmness that was still there, he muttered sadly under his breath.

He wanted to go back there so much. Wrap in the blankets and warm up his fur. Close his heavy eyelids to rest his eyes.

But…

Bino raised his eyebrow.

He felt that something was not right here…

He turned around and looked at the huge ball that was on Matt’s bed.

The red, soft ball was rhythmically growing and getting smaller. Fragments of black hair were sticking out from it and soft, muffled snores were coming from inside.

Bino’s mouth dropped and his sleepy eyes grew wide.

I can’t believe this!” He thought to himself. “How could he not wake up to this annoying alarm?! I barely managed to not tear apart this piece of plastic junk!

Bino realized one thing.

Matt sure was a litter bug who just loved when his stuff was kicked around, but he had to admit that he was a real master of deep sleep.

Bino continued to look at Matt curled up in a red quilt with his jaw open, still trying to understand how he could resist this annoying, beeping sound instead of suddenly grabbing the alarm clock with his hand and throwing it out the window, breaking the glass in the process. But as he was watching him breathing peacefully under this quilt, his raised eyebrows started to turn into frown.

How dare Matt keep sleeping while he was forced to wake up and get out of his comfortable and warm bed?? How could he make fun of him like that??

This was a flagrant mockery!

Oh no… he wouldn’t let Matt sleep delightfully. Bino had to make him pay for such a horrible offence. If he couldn’t sleep as long as he wanted and have awesome dreams, Matt couldn’t either…

Then he remembered that his two dollars were actually sleeping under the red quilt. So there was no way he would let this bad teen go.

Bino placed his hand on the soft pile and gripped it.

“Hey you! Wake up!” He shook the snoring pile.

The strange sound of a muffled grunt and chomp came from the inside of the quilt. After some time, soft snores could be heard again.

Bino snarled.

Are you deaf?! I told you to wake up!” Bino said angrily, this time shaking the quilt stronger.

The quilt vibrated as Bino shook it forcefully and something inside moved.

Get lost…” A sleepy and annoyed voice came from it.

Bino froze and stared at the pile of quilt for long minute. Then, he slowly removed his hand from it.

He barely could keep his mouth from opening and yelling something loudly. His eyebrow was twitching and his fists were shaking. Blood veins appeared on his eyeballs and his white fangs were flashing dangerously.

He simply couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

He was dozy.

His eyelids were heavy and sticky.

His brain was working on slow revs.

He was very thirsty.

He was prohibited from sleeping as long as he wanted.

He was forced to get out of his warm and comfy bed because of the annoying alarm clock.

He dream was brutally cancelled.

And he was supposed to get lost??

The anger that was invoked by Matt’s reply had mixed with his tiredness, making an explosive concoction. His pants became heavy and his black claws flashed dangerously.

He gripped the red quilt and rapidly tore it off Matt’s body, causing the boy to scream from the sudden shock.

And there was the king on his bed, his royal apparels torn off. Matt was lying on his bed, clothed in his black shirt and boxers and his back turned to Bino. He was curled up, with his head covered by his hands, and his body was trembling from the shock of the sudden change in temperature.

Matt didn’t say anything. He was just lying there, curled up and trembling.

His right hand went under his pillow and he gripped it tight with his left, like he was trying to hold onto a life line.

Bino observed this with a stern expression and cold glare. He was not going to show Matt any mercy. The pillow was going to share the same fate as quilt. And so, he grabbed the edge of the pillow with his hand and pulled it out forcefully from Matt’s grip.

To not give the boy any chances, he also pulled the bed sheet.

GET UP!” Bino yelled angrily in Matt’s ear.

Matt curled into a tighter ball and gripped his hair.

“Noooo…” Matt whimpered.

Bino only snarled and grabbed him by his ankles.

When Matt felt Bino grip his legs and start to pull him, he waved his arms and placed his hands on the wooden bars of his bed.

“NO!” Matt said desperately, gripping the bars tighter. “I WILL FIGHT!”

Bino was pulling Matt with all his might, wrinkling the carpet with his feet. He made a few strong pulls to make Matt lose his grip on the wooden bars and get him off his bed. But Matt was holding on to his bed firmly, doing everything to not make Bino’s job easy.

Bino gave up as he realized that he would not be able to get Matt off his bed. The boy was holding on to those bars too tightly. So he let go of his ankles and landed on floor on his butt.

He panted a few times, moving his hand across the fur on his head, thinking what to do.

He was thinking very intently. If he didn’t get him off that bed and Matt missed school, he wouldn’t get his two dollars.

Matt must go tomorrow to school.” Mr. Sternfeld’s voice echoed in his head. “At any cost…

Hate to admit, but… there’s only one desperate move left,” Bino thought to himself. “And it has to work. There’s no way anyone can resist THIS.

Matt’s current position was awkward. He was still desperately gripping the wooden bars, but his legs were off of his bed.

As he felt that Bino was not pulling him anymore, he raised his head to find out what the current situation around him was.

He saw Bino approaching the covered window. When the dog took the curtains into his fingers, his eyes suddenly opened wide.

NO!” Matt yelled, stretching his open hand out in Bino’s direction. “YOU WILL-

It was too late. Bino uncovered the window that was at the side of Matt’s bed and everything became pure white.

The light that came through the window was so powerful that it made Bino cover his eyes with his arm and the dog fell on the ground.

AHHH!! I’M BURNING!!!” Matt screamed as the light blinded him, making him fall heavily from his bed to ground.

Bino tried to open his eyes, but the light that was coming from window and lighting the entire room was still pricking his eyes. So he just lay there on floor, squirming and covering his eyes.

He knew this would happen. But since he was not able to force Matt to get up, he had to go for the most drastic method.

He slowly started to open his eyes, trying to adjust to the light. Everything was still white, but he could see some contours.

He wasn’t sure, but he thought he had just seen something moving. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then he heard a scream and a sound like something heavy falling downstairs…

- - - - - - - - - -

Mr. Sternfeld was reading a newspaper and drinking coffee at the counter in the kitchen when he heard something falling downstairs. When he went out to the living room, he saw Matt lying with his face on the floor near the stairs.

Mr. Sternfeld approached Matt to help him.

“I see you woke up,” Mr. Sternfeld said with a cheerful tone as he pulled Matt by his arm to help him stand up. “And I was just thinking of paying you a visit in your room. Just in case,” he added as Matt supported himself on his arm.

Matt was holding on to Mr. Sternfeld, rubbing his face. He was still in shock of what had just happened to him.

That was probably the most horrific wakey in his life. And he wondered how on earth he was able to fall from upstairs.

“Beats me…” Matt said with a sleepy voice. “I don’t know if what I just experienced happened for real or if it was just a quick nightmare…”

Mr. Sternfeld waited until Matt was able to keep his balance. As they both were standing near the stairs, Mr. Sternfeld saw Bino walking down, keeping his hand firmly on the rail and rubbing his eyes intensely.

Then Mr. Sternfeld looked at his watch.

“You have to hurry, Matt,” Mr. Sternfeld said to his son, patting his shoulder. “You only have one hour until your school bus arrives. So wash yourself quickly and eat breakfast or you’ll be late.”

Mr. Sternfeld ruffled Matt’s black and thick hair playfully, gaining a groan in response. Then he let go of his son and returned to the kitchen.

Bino stood near Matt as he walked down, still rubbing his sore eyes. When he stopped, he blinked a few times for adjustment and looked at the teen.

Matt was not paying any attention to the dog. He was just standing in one place, staring at something and blinking slowly from time to time. Under his eyes were purple bags and his nose was red from his rough meeting with floor.

The teen slowly started to turn around like a robot. Then, slouching and swinging his arms to the left and right, he began to walk towards the bathroom.

Bino followed him.

Matt reached the bathroom door and opened it. When he went inside, Bino wanted to go in too but he suddenly stopped when a finger landed on his forehead.

“I still don’t know exactly what’s going on and I’m still trying to turn my brain on…” Matt said with an emotionless tone, gazing at Bino with senseless eyes. “…but I can tell you for sure that this is the place where I go in alone.”

Bino stared at Matt for a moment.

“Why?” Bino asked.

Matt’s gaze was still like he was somewhere else, but a frown appeared on his face.

“Because I’m not a dog and I don’t run around naked and be happy because of it.” Matt said with a slightly stronger voice and pushed Bino’s head a bit with his finger.

Bino raised his hand and tried to say something, but Matt stepped back inside and slammed the door in front of his face.

Bino slowly lowered his hand, trying to understand what had just happened. As he stared at the door for some time, he heard the sound of a shower.

In this situation, all he could do was sigh and wait in front of the door. So he crossed his arms, moved his feet closer to each other and waited patiently.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited…

Minutes started to feel like hours for Bino. On his face was a grimace now and he started to feel an urge to sit on something.

And just when he was about to go back to the stairs and sit on a step, a familiar, unpleasant feeling returned to him.

Black spots started to appear in front of his eyes and his eyelids were becoming heavy again. His head started to tilt and his crossed arms started to loosen.

He still was thirsty. But something else was bothering him more.

His stiff body demanded to return to his warm and comfortable bed.

He tried his best to fight those urges. But in his mind pictures started to appear where he was in his basket, snuggling in his warm blankets and smiling cheerfully.

It was so warm in his basket… and so nice and soft…

He could go back there and feel those wonderful delights…

He wanted to go back to his basket so much…

And Bino decided to give up. He wouldn’t be torturing himself anymore just for two dollars. It was early in the morning and sleeping in a comfortable basket was way more important than bothering about Matt.

What were two dollars compared to the warmth and softness of his bed?

So Bino only waved his hand to the bathroom door and turned around to leave, scratching his back and hanging his head low.

Just when he placed his hand on the beginning of the rail and was about to place his foot on the first step of the stairs, he heard a female voice:

“Oh no! Matt is taking a shower, but there’s no towel for him in there.”

Bino turned his head and saw Mrs. Sternfeld standing at the entrance to the kitchen with a blue towel in her arms.

Mrs. Sternfeld looked at the bathroom door with a worried expression on her face. She felt that Bino was looking at her and she turned her face to him.

“Good morning, sweetie.” She gave Bino a warm and friendly smile. “Can you give Matt this towel? He doesn’t have anything to dry himself off with in there.”

Mrs. Sternfeld didn’t even wait for Bino’s answer. She simply approached him and gave him the towel. Then she planted a kiss on the staring dog’s forehead and walked away.

Bino looked at the blue towel that was now in his hands, then looked up where Matt’s room was. He wanted to go back to his bed and sleep again, but it seemed it would be impossible. So he looked back at the towel and let out a long sigh.

He returned to the bathroom door. He could still hear the shower and steam was now coming from underneath the door.

He knocked a few times. But no one replied. He knocked again, harder this time. Nothing changed. Steam was still escaping from the bathroom and the shower was still turned on.

Bino wondered what to do in this situation. Go tell Mom that his mission had to be aborted and get back to sleep? Because what else could he do when he couldn’t give the towel to Matt?

While he was thinking, he looked at the brown door intensely. And then, from the corner of his eye, he saw the silver handle was somehow damaged.

Bino rubbed his lips with his finger as he wondered why the handle was damaged. It looked like someone had used a screwdriver on it to open the door, but the person did it so badly that the whole handle was skewed, and the small screws were almost all out of their holes.

Bino instinctively placed his hand on the damaged handle and pushed it. The door opened and a thick steam escaped from inside, hitting his face.

He coughed and waved his hand to dispel the steam. With his eyes narrowed, he took a breath and entered.

“Hey, Mom told me to give you-”

AAAAAAHH!!!!!!!!



(A/N)

Believe me. You really don’t want to be wake up like that. But it’s totally different when you wake up someone like that.
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Russiarules1
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Russiarules1 »

I can relate to Mat in this kind of situations... A LOT.
Doing dumb things is what makes us normal humans.
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Re: Housepets: Matt

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I stopped worrying over getting up since I turned a morning zombie.
braaaaiinnz...
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Kondog »

Wow what a great update! I liked the part with Bino's Dream you did a great job with that, and theirs nothing as annoying an alarm clock to ruin the best of dream. Sir Binogald Vs. the King of Dark Dragons Awesome! Great work! :lol: .
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Karl »

Russiarules1 wrote:I can relate to Mat in this kind of situations... A LOT.
Someone is also waking you up by suddenly tearing off your quilt and pillow? :)
valerio wrote:I stopped worrying over getting up since I turned a morning zombie.
braaaaiinnz...
"Braaaaiiinnnzzzz"? I thought morning zombies are saying "ccccooooffffeeeeee" :lol:
Kondog wrote:Wow what a great update! I liked the part with Bino's Dream you did a great job with that, and theirs nothing as annoying an alarm clock to ruin the best of dream. Sir Binogald Vs. the King of Dark Dragons Awesome! Great work! :lol: .
Dreams can be so weird. Bino Sir Binogald was lucky because he was able to easily defeat the dragon. I, on the other hand, had a dream where my punches against bullies pathetically weak. So at this case I'm jealous for Bino xD
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Re: Housepets: Matt

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No more coffee, what with the crisis.
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Russiarules1 »

Karlos wrote:
Russiarules1 wrote:I can relate to Mat in this kind of situations... A LOT.
Someone is also waking you up by suddenly tearing off your quilt and pillow? :)
Yup. Don't forget the water.
Doing dumb things is what makes us normal humans.
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by copper »

:lol: Matt just can't catch a break, can he!? I am starting to feel bad for the guy.

Even in his dreams Bino is all about the glory... :roll:
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Russiarules1 »

Now that I look at it, Bino and Matt's life are like that song from The Beatles called "Maxwell's Silver Hammer".
Or cake.
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Luna werewolf »

awesome
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Forever bored,
Forever excited,
Forever in love,
Forever lonely,
Forever understood,
Forever misunderstood,
Forever bad,
Forever good,
We are everything.
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Karl »

26. Metal soul



Matt was in his room, standing in front of the window near his bed.

Life was slowly starting to come back to the streets of Babylon Gardens. The skies were clear and the sun was shining brightly. Green trees were delicately being blown by the breeze, making calming rustling sounds. People were walking out of their houses, some of them accompanied by their pets who were walking them to their cars and hugging them goodbye. Birds were flying everywhere, doing their game of tag in the air, and somewhere could be heard happy laughter. It seemed that today should be a good day for everyone.

Except for Matt who was looking at all of this with a lackadaisical gaze and a stoned expression.

Already freshened and clothed up in his black denim jeans, heavy boots and T-shirt with a white skull surrounded by flames on the front, Matt tried to bring his thoughts into order.

When he had had enough of looking at what was happening outside in the early morning, his gaze went to his reflection in the window.

“Okay. Everything is under control. There’s no need to be worried,” he calmly said to his reflection. “It’s just a normal morning, like every morning. You woke up. You went downstairs. You said “hi” to Dad. You went to the bathroom. You took a shower and washed yourseNO!” Matt placed his head in his hands and gripped his hair as memories of what had occurred in the bathroom suddenly struck him. “Delete all of this! DELETE!!” He started to wave his hand in front of his forehead.

He couldn’t believe that this day had to begin so drastically. All he remembered was that his bedsheets were pulled off his body so suddenly that he thought his house was being bombarded. And when he tried to figure out what was happening, he was blinded by a beam of powerful light and he fell down the stairs.

But that was not all. The worst was when Bino entered the bathroom while he was taking a hot shower.

It was a moment when Matt wished to not exist where that awkward situation was taking place. The only reason he was still alive after that incident was because of the white curtain that was attached above the bathtub.

Matt tried his best to get rid of that horribly embarrassing moment from his memory. That’s why he was telling himself lies to make his brain turn it into truth. But the memory of his privacy being violently abused didn’t want to give up so easily.

Matt clenched his eyelids tighter and panted a few times, trying to calm down. He focused strongly to silence the intrusive memories. Then, he opened his right eye and looked again at the window.

He glanced for a moment at his reflection. He could see himself slouched, with his fingers deep in his bushy hair and his face grimaced from concentration.

Then, he looked deeply into his eyes, whose color was so light blue that it alluded to cold ice.

Matt took a deep breath as he continued looking at his reflection. Then, he slowly let go of his head and stretched his back.

“You’re starting to lose your mind because of that dog, Matt,” the boy said to his reflection in the window. “You’re letting him dominate you and ruin your life. If you keep this up, you’ll end up in the laughing academy, except you’ll be crying there for days and nights instead of laughing.”

Matt’s reflection hadn’t said anything in his defense. It just stood there in place, looking at Matt with a calm, but cold stare.

“Since he showed up in your house, you haven’t done anything to make him understand that everyone has to stay out of your way,” Matt continued scolding his reflection. “So what happened to your attitude, nabster? Why don’t you just show him that no one can mess with you?”

The reflection was still silent. He only lowered his head and started to glare dangerously at Matt.

“Dad brought him home because he thinks you need to get a life. Hmph,” Matt continued. “Because he thinks I need to have a… friend. But I don’t need friends. I don’t need people who you can’t count on and will betray you when they get a chance to achieve something at your cost. I’m friends only with myself. I can handle things on my own.”

The street outside was starting to get more crowded. Some people were walking in a hurry, looking at their watches to check how much time they had left before work. A blue van with a painted cow appeared on the road, driving fast and being chased by a crowd of cats. It was the milkman who was trying to make the daily delivery, but it looked like he was trying to lose the mob of milk-lusting cats first.

“Besides, a dog? Please,” Matt said with scorn. “Like an animal can replace a human being. It only causes problems. But since he never quits with his weird and stupid ideas, at least he could get one that is trained to obey his master politely. Not a little demon who likes to stick his nose where he shouldn’t…”

Matt gnashed his teeth as he remembered all the awkward and annoying situations that had happened to him since Bino showed up at his house. How he had to swallow the fact that he slept in his room, totally ruining his only place of privacy. How he was forced to walk Bino, despite the fact that he hated going out, and almost ended up as a ritual sacrifice. How he was knocked out and woke up with his body entirely surrounded by wet and cold soil.

But worst of all was that the dog was being snarky. Each time Matt tried to cow him so he would shut up and leave him alone, Bino always had something to say in response.

For Matt, scaring others did the job. It allowed him to not be bugged by some random people and he could be alone. His arrogant attitude closed mouths and put off any ideas of conversation, and his outfit was already enough to show that he was dangerous and dealing with him could end up badly.

So why did it work on others, but not on Bino? Why, despite his effort to make him flee, did it only attract him more?

Why did Bino resist?

As Matt was thinking about that, he looked once more into his reflection’s cold irises.

“I know,” Matt said to himself. “I worry about it too much. There’s no need to bother with it. As long as I avoid all of this, he will finally give up and leave me alone. I cannot show him any weakness or he will use it against me. All I need is to be strong and patient. And then, everything will return to normal.”

Matt turned his head to the left side of his room and his glance went to his desk. Between the columns of unwashed dishes and leftovers of highly caloric bars he could see his leather bracelets with spikes.

Slowly lifting his legs because of the weight of his heavy boots, he started to move in the direction of his desk, moving all the objects and trash that was on the floor aside with his feet.

As he reached his desk, he took the bracelets into his hand and examined them.

Both bracelets were equally the same - black, with silver spikes all around their surfaces and so tight that it was impossible to pull his hand through them.

Matt started to slowly go back to the window, hanging his head down and shaking the bracelets with his hand.

Then he looked at the walls of his room. Posters hung everywhere with people who looked scary, some of them even screaming something. They were his favorite rock singers and bands. Many of them with long hair, rings hanging on their ears, clothed in shorts and boots like him, all looking at Matt like they were very angry at him. In other words - guys who are not well welcomed in dreams.

For many normal people, such guys were weird, dangerous and all they could do was stand on the stage and yowl in inhuman languages. But for Matt, they were an example of total freedom of mind and words. They empowered him, and Matt loved to listen to their music whenever he had free time to gain their strength.

Matt was once again in front of his window. As he looked at the street, he heard a couple of laughs and shouts, and soon he could see the same cats who had been chasing the blue van, running this time in the opposite direction with bottles of milk in their hands. A few seconds later, Matt could see a guy in a blue uniform chasing them, yelling and swinging his fists around.

Matt sighed and shook his head as he watched the scene. It only proved to him more that pets were nasty pests.

He looked at his reflection once more, giving it a stare. Then, he opened the snap of one of his bracelets and lifted his right hand.

As he put the bracelet on his wrist and started to turn it for adjustment, another scene outside caught his attention.

From a distance, he saw a pair of humans kneeled down to a dalmatian dog who had brown spots. When they stretched out their arms to him, the dog hugged them tightly, almost sitting on their knees and wagging his tail speedily.

“Mom? Dad?” Matt said as he gazed at the scene. He closed the snap on his bracelet, but he didn’t put down his hand. “What’s this about? Why are you letting an animal get so close to you? A pet is just an object…”

It seemed the dalmatian didn’t want to let go of his parents, but after his dad patted him on his back few times, he finally let go of them both. The parents stretched up and the dog looked at them and smiled widely, still wagging his tail at the same speed as when he was hugging them. Then, his dad ruffled the fur on his head and both humans walked away to their car. The dalmatian waved them goodbye, and ran to his house with a smile on his muzzle.

“And like every object, it can break.” Matt slowly lowered his hand. “And then, what will you do? Replace it of course, knowing you. So what’s the point of this if what you show is actually fake?”

Matt looked into the eyes of his reflection, who still had the same stern glance and expression. Without taking his gaze from him, he lifted his left hand to put the other bracelet on it.

“At least you agree with me. That’s why I trust only you. Only myself.”

Matthew!!

Matt froze just when he was about to clip the bracelet. His father’s voice reminded him of what situation he currently was in.

But as he promised to himself, he didn’t bother himself with it. His expression hadn’t changed, and with a light push of his fingers, his bracelet was clipped.

“Yeah, I know!” Matt replied loudly, knowing that his father had called him downstairs to bundle him out the door.

His reflection suddenly glared at him, like he was about to do something bad to him. In response, Matt only moved his fingers across his hair to somehow engulf it. He never used a comb for it since he believed his fingers were enough. As he moved some hair out of his eyes, he glared back at his reflection.

Then, one of the edges of his lips moved up.

“If he thinks I will go to school, then he is wrong,” Matt said to himself with a light smirk on his face. “No one will be telling me where I should go.”

Matt kept exchanging glares with his reflection for a couple of seconds. Then, he proceeded to the door of his room.

As he placed his hand on the door handle, he stopped for a moment.

“And especially… a dog,” he said coldly and then he pushed the handle.



(A/N)

I wanted to try something new. It’s some kind of psychological portrait.
And as you see, he’s a teen with difficult character.
I know it’s not comedic this time. But that’s the style of this fic =)

How is my life? Well… I can’t say everything is going as I wanted. I’m actually in one place and time still flies. I was supposed to get a job month ago, but they required some papers to make. But it was difficult. I had to wait for most things to be made at agency. And they always do it soooo slowly. Well, bureaucracy and other fairy tales being told by machine-like clerks. And just when I had everything ready, they already hired someone on my place. Since it was taking me to make those papers so long, they couldn’t wait. All plans I made are ruined now. So for now, Photoshop and own shiny tripod have to wait for me in shop longer. I don’t know yet will I look for some other job. Maybe I should actually throw myself to traditional photography and realize my project as I promised myself.
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kurowolfe
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by kurowolfe »

Comedy is still there, if you ask me. The milk van scenario is quite hilarious, even if it's just a side event! XD

Huh, being someone who sometimes shuns myself from public in favour of staying alone, I can relate to Matt somehow. Though Matt should feel lucky that Bino's stubborn as he is and stayed close. I don't have anyone that close to me anymore...

Aaanyway, I like how you portray Matt's monologue with his reflection, makes the whole scene more effective and easier to follow.

I'll be waiting in anticipation to see how Matt's and Bino's day go! :D
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Karl »

kurowolfe wrote:Comedy is still there, if you ask me. The milk van scenario is quite hilarious, even if it's just a side event! XD
I couldn't resist. The milkman deserved to get robbed by cats. I don't know why, but he deserved it :)
kurowolfe wrote:Huh, being someone who sometimes shuns myself from public in favour of staying alone, I can relate to Matt somehow. Though Matt should feel lucky that Bino's stubborn as he is and stayed close. I don't have anyone that close to me anymore...


Matt may have reasons to alienate himself. Probably that's why he feels uncomfortable that Bino is so close to him now. Question is, will it have an influence on his heart that is covered by thick layer of ice he created himself.
kurowolfe wrote:Aaanyway, I like how you portray Matt's monologue with his reflection, makes the whole scene more effective and easier to follow.
I was doing such thing for the first time. I was kinda worried about how other people will react on it, because it's easy to stumble when you bring the character's psyche a bit closer. You need to do it properly, just as you designed your character's personality. But I think it came out pretty well. So maybe there will be more to play on your minds a bit :)
kurowolfe wrote:I'll be waiting in anticipation to see how Matt's and Bino's day go! :D
I would like to also welcome you aboard, new reader :) And I can assure you it will be a long day ;)
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by copper »

A very successful experiment at that! It was good.

I like how you paired the comedic milk chase with the deep psychological turmoil of Matt to keep things from getting too dark. It was a good thing.


And the whole way through you developed a dark and conflicted character! Bravo!!! *begins clapping*
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Karl »

copper wrote:A very successful experiment at that! It was good.

I like how you paired the comedic milk chase with the deep psychological turmoil of Matt to keep things from getting too dark. It was a good thing.


And the whole way through you developed a dark and conflicted character! Bravo!!! *begins clapping*
Idea came from one of the conversations with Valerio about Matt. I've decided to bring this character a little closer to a reader so people can speculate on his behavior, point of view on the Gardens and in some way guess what motives he might have.

And I remember from old cartoons some situations with milkman who was doing a ritual delivery at morning. Those memories returned to me when I was writing this chapter and describing what happens at morning. Besides, normal days in Babylon Gardens are absolutely impossible :)

Thanks, Copper :) I will think on doing similar things in future.
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Re: Housepets: Matt

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27. It’s just breakfast



As Matt went into the kitchen, the strong scent of roasted coffee beans hit his nose and he could hear the news report about cycling coming from the radio that was sitting on a counter near the window.

It was not a surprise for him to find his father sitting at the table, hiding behind a big newspaper and taking a mug filled with hot coffee in his hand from time to time. As far as Matt’s memory reached to his days of youth, he remembered it was his dad’s routine each morning - freshly made, aromatic coffee and a wide newspaper with tons of information. Matt even wondered sometimes if his dad even remembered later what news was in his newspaper.

Matt just passed the table, hearing his dad was turn the page. He approached the fridge and opened it. As he looked at the shelves, he couldn’t find what he was looking for. He grumbled and leaned closer, moving aside the cold objects that were inside with his hand.

~ “…nded with a draw. And now some hot news, folks. The speculations that were circling around about the transfer of the season have finally been confirmed. The Detroit Pistons have come to an agreement with the Orlando Magic about transferring their left wingman, Nash Seiville. The final agreement for this young and very talented player is twenty million dollars. For a nineteen year old, it sure is a lot. The contract is valid for one year with the option of extension. Sam Walt, who is the current coach of the Orlando Magic team and was complaining about team shortages, hopes that Seiville will add some dynamism to the team and will be able to replace Howard Logan who has had several knee injuries resulting from contusions. However the Pistons fans can’t believe that the same person who said he was “from the same neighborhood” and would never leave the team where he took his first steps, has decided to play for someone else, and now they are planning to manifest their discontent under his window in Detroit. That’s all the news from the world of sports, I wou…”

Matt finally found the object he was looking for. He grabbed the bottle of milk and took it out of the fridge.

“They say anything about volleyball?” Matt asked as he closed the fridge and turned to his father.

Mr. Sternfeld took the mug of coffee in his hand, still keeping his eyes on the newspaper.

“Nope. Nothing,” Mr. Sternfeld replied. Then he took a sip of his hot coffee, doing it loudly in the process.

Matt grimaced.

“I know we were supposed to play yesterday to get into semi-finals of the World League. But if they haven’t said anything about the match, then it seems they’ve lost…” he said in disappointment.

Matt moved closer to table and placed the carton where he was going to sit soon. Then, he went back to the kitchen cabinets. He started opening them and stretching his arm out to look for a bowl.

There were various types of dishes on the shelves, all of them new and pure white. Wide and small. Circular and square. Flat and deep. But despite all the various choices, Matt couldn’t find the one he needed in order to eat his breakfast.

It was annoying for Matt. He knew that there must be a set of bowls in one of those cabinets, but he couldn’t find them. Since he and his family had moved, he still didn’t know what was where in that house. Especially in the kitchen where his mom kept a lot of stuff, some of it not even having been used for ages.

“Matt, hurry up,” Mr. Sternfeld said as he turned the page of his newspaper.

Matt clenched his teeth and he even felt the urge to grunt in annoyance. But he still remembered that he promised himself in his room to not bother himself with such things. So he shook off the feeling of anger and kept looking.

But no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn’t find a bowl. He looked in every cabinet hanging on the wall. He even searched in those with things other than dishes. But still nothing.

“Dad, do you know where bowls are?” Matt turned his head to his father, with his hand placed on the shelf of the cabinet and his left leg raised. “I just can’t find the dang thing.”

Mr. Sternfeld hadn’t even exposed the tip of his nose from the newspaper.

“Mom will know,” he replied.

Matt turned his head in the direction where the entrance to the kitchen was.

“Mom!” Matt said loudly. “Where are the bowls?!”

He didn’t have to wait long for the reply.

In the cabinet on the left side of the ventilator!” Mrs. Sternfeld’s voice came from the depths of the house. “Lower shelf!

Matt looked at the cabinet his mother had told him about. He frowned and turned his head to the entrance again.

“But I searched in that one! It’s not there!” Matt said again.

They’re in the corner! Right behind the soup-plates!

Matt raised his eyebrow and turned to the cabinet again. He could see on the lower shelf two columns of deep plates. He tried to move the columns carefully, afraid that they would shake if he pushed them too fast. When some space was opened, he could see a set of six bowls, deep in the corner of the cabinet.

Too bad you didn’t push them even deeper…” Matt thought sarcastically to himself.

Matt reached deep into the corner of the cabinet with his hand. He had difficulties grabbing the bowl he wanted, so he had to get on his toes to reach it. As he finally placed his fingers on the edge of the bowl, he took it out carefully so as not to touch the other columns with it.

The bowl he needed was finally in his hand. As he was looking at it, he wiped the sweat off his forehead.

Everything else went easier. He opened the other cabinet that had only one opening. Between the packages of tea and sugar he found a colorful box of cereal. Then he opened one of the drawers and took out a spoon.

With a bowl, spoon and box of cereal in his arms, Matt walked to the table and placed his stuff on it. Then he took a seat where he had earlier placed the bottle of milk, right in front of his dad, or rather his wide newspaper.

Matt pulled the bowl toward himself and picked up the box of cereal. As he was trying to open it, he accidentally looked at his dad’s newspaper and a grey image caught his eye.

The photo looked like it was made in a hurry. There were two pairs of animal feet standing out from the edge, and in the centre was something that looked like a humanoid monster. When Matt took a closer look, the figure looked like it was leaking something muddy. It looked like it was angry, judging from the arms in the air and a widely open mouth. The caption under the photo was: “Horrifying golem appears from nowhere.”

Haa haa. Very funny…” Matt sarcastically thought to himself as he tore off the edge of the box to make a hole.

“Matt, hurry up or you will be late,” Mr. Sternfeld urged Matt again, with the same tone as before.

The right edge of Matt’s lips twitched.

“I know, dad. I just have to eat first,” Matt tried to reply calmly.

The boy tilted the box and gold pieces of honey flavored cereal spilled like a fountain right into the bowl, filling it almost to the edge.

Matt then reached for the bottle of milk. And just when he was about to open it… he felt something… strange.

Matt looked in the direction where his father was sitting. But Mr. Sternfeld was still busy with his newspaper.

Then, he got goosebumps on the right side of his body. He instinctively turned his head in that direction.

He almost chocked on his own saliva and fell from his chair when he saw Bino glaring at him with his emerald eyes sparkling dangerously.

Matt’s mouth was slightly open as he looked with big eyes at the dog who was now sitting next to him. From his angle, Bino seemed to be small. Yet, his deep gaze and the fact that he wasn’t blinking were creeping him out.

It took some time before Matt was able to get out of his shock from seeing Bino looking at him weirdly. He closed his mouth, placed both of his hands on table and glared at the dog.

“Can’t believe you still have the nerve to show up in front of me after what you’ve done,” Matt said arrogantly. “Better scram before I decide to show you what I think about all of this.”

Bino didn’t make a single move. He still kept glaring at Matt like he wanted to attack him at any moment.

Matt and Bino just kept exchanging glares at each other. Only one time there could be heard a rustle of the paper being turned.

Matt thought that Bino was trying to challenge him to a glaring contest. At first, he wasn’t even thinking about giving up. But time was passing and Bino was still glaring at him in the same way as when Matt first spotted him. And he wasn’t even blinking.

Matt started to feel an urge to blink and a sweatdrop appeared on his temple. He realized he couldn’t take it any longer. Bino’s glare was way too powerful for him.

“Dude, what’s your problem? Stop gawking at me like that,” Matt said, moving his body a little back and showing apprehension. “Don’t you have anything more interesting to do than staring at me like that?”

No reaction. Bino’s eyes were still trying to kill him.

Matt didn’t show it on the outside, but the way Bino was staring at him was starting to really freak him out.

“Dad, he’s gawking at me!” Matt complained as he turned his head to his father and pointed his finger at gawking Bino. “Tell him to stop!”

Mr. Sternfeld didn’t even move.

“Matt, we discussed this so many times when you used to tell on Mike for making funny faces. Just ignore it and enjoy your meal.”

“How can I eat when he sits next to me and gawks at me like he wants to murder me??” Matt’s complains turned into a whine of frustration.

Mr. Sternfeld didn’t say anything. He just continued to read the newspaper.

Matt clenched his fist and grunted. He looked at Bino with disgust and apprehension for a moment and then looked at his bowl filled with cereal.

Ignore… right,” Matt thought to himself. “He’s doing this on purpose to annoy me. But I won’t grant him this satisfaction…

Matt took the bottle of milk into his hand. He unplugged the cap and slowly started to soak the golden cereal with white liquid.

He was trying his best to concentrate his eyesight only on his bowl. But the feeling that Bino was right next to him and gawking at him weirdly was seducing him to look right into the dog’s eyes. He couldn’t see Bino’s green irises at that moment, but they were still magnetizing him.

For Matt, filling the bowl with milk seemed to take ages before it reached its right capacity. The liquid was still going and going lazily, and the bowl was still not filled as he wanted.

Drops of sweat started to appear on his forehead. He could barely resist the urge to look at Bino, who was surely still staring at him in the same way. His curiosity demanded him to check it out.

But still, looking at Bino would mean failure to ignore and falling for his trap.

Look or not look? Keep ignoring or check if Bino is still gawking?

Matt bit his lip. The bowl was still not filled.

He broke.

He wanted to give a quick peek to see, despite his feelings telling him that he may regret his decision.

Matt dared to look.

Just when he made an eye contact with Bino, his eyes grew and he suddenly froze. Bino still kept his glare. But this time, Matt couldn’t take his glance off of him.

What does he want? Why does he keep staring at me like that so creepily?” Matt thought as he was looking deeply into Bino’s hypnotic eyes. “What is he trying to… ah!

Matt noticed just in time from the corner of his eye that the milk was going to leak out of the bowl. He quickly lifted the opening of the bottle, but milk was already floating at the edge of the bowl, making an island from the cereal. One second later and Matt would have made a little white pool on the table. The boy sighed in relief.

“That was close…” Matt said to himself as he carefully placed the almost empty bottle on the table. Then he turned to Bino once more and gave the weird dog a warning glare. But it made no impression on Bino whose eyebrows didn’t even twitched.

Matt grabbed the spoon and picked a bit at the pile of floating cereal with it. When he was sure it was stable, he carefully scooped up come cereal on the spoon so as not to spill the milk and put it in his mouth. Then he started to chew it slowly, making crunching sounds as he enjoyed the honey flavor.

“Matt, hurry up,” Mr. Sternfeld warned him again to make haste.

Matt at this moment wanted to throw his spoon into the bowl forcefully and walk outside miffed. It was the third time his dad had told him, and he could barely stand it any longer.

“Let me eat. Please,” Matt said impatiently as he swallowed his food. Then he took another scoop of cereal and began to chew it in the same slow motion.

And that’s how Matt was eating. Chew after chew, the cereal was slowly disappearing. Matt didn’t want to hurry. He just kept eating at his tempo, relaxing and enjoying the taste of his breakfast.

“Faster.” A voice came from his right side.

Matt turned his face to Bino with a spoon in his mouth.

“Hmm?” Matt lowered his left eyebrow. He was impressed that Bino had decided to say something.

“Faster. Eat faster,” Bino said with a gloomy voice, keeping his dangerous glare.

Matt took out the spoon out his mouth.

“I will eat as fast as I want.” Matt waved the spoon in front of his face. “Go stick your nose into something else.”

Matt returned to eating his cereal. He glanced at the radio’s display with a corner of his eye to check what time it was. He still had some time to eat his meal peacefully and without worry.

“Eat faster,” Bino said to him again.

Matt pretended not to hear. He continued to eat at the same tempo as he had started.

“Faster.” Matt heard Bino’s voice again.

Matt stopped eating and turned to Bino.

“What do you want, dog?” Matt asked him with complaint.

“Eat faster.” Bino kept saying with the same tone.

Matt looked at his dog suspiciously.

“Weirdo,” Matt commented on Bino’s strange behavior and put another piece of cereal in his mouth.

Bino was not going to stop. Just when Matt was trying to get another portion of cereal, Bino spoke again:

“Faster.”

Matt grunted. Bino sure knew how to get annoying. However, not even realizing, his movements started to get a little faster.

“Faster, Matt.”

And faster…

“Eat faster.”

And more faster…

“Faster!”

Really fast…

Faster!

Matt wasn’t just taking scoops from the bowl anymore. He was literally paddling with his spoon. Drops of milk were spilling around the bowl as Matt was inserting the spoon into milk each second.

He wasn’t even swallowing his food anymore. He just kept stuffing his mouth and his cheeks were now puffed.

FASTER!

But there was a moment when Matt’s mouth said: no.

GAK!” Matt suddenly grabbed his throat with his hand as he felt something block it. He started to cough violently.

Bino observed this and his glare faded away. He saw that Matt needed help. So he leaned closer to him, placed his hand on his shoulder and gave him a strong smack on his back.

*SPLAT!*

The smack was so powerful that it made Matt’s face land directly in the bowl.

Matt lay there for a moment with his face in the milk and cereal, letting out bubbles. After some time, he slowly lifted his head. When he blinked a few times, he looked at Bino evilly.

“Hey, what do you want?” Bino crossed his arms as he looked at Matt’s face that was dripping with milk. “I only wanted to help.”

“Matt, you will be late for the bus,” Mr. Sternfeld spoke again.

Matt lost all of his patience.

That’s it! I’m getting out of this madhouse!!!” Matt stood up so fast that he accidentally made the chair fall over. The noise made Mr. Sternfeld peek over his newspaper.

Matt didn’t care anymore about Bino, his dad, school or any other things in the world. All he cared about was getting outside as soon as possible. Just to get away from there.

Just when he was storming through the entrance to the kitchen, he wiped the milk and pieces of cereal off his face forcefully. It was just a moment until he was in the foyer and was taking his leather jacket off the hanger and was about to put it on.

“Sweety, wait!” Matt heard just when he was pulling his arm through the sleeve.

The teen saw in the living room his mom who was holding in her hands some small bundles.

“Mom, I need to get out!” Matt said in annoyance as he quickly zipped his jacket.

“I made you some sandwiches for school.” Mrs. Sternfeld exposed the bundles to him as she came closer to the entrance to the foyer. “Take them so you won’t be hungry.”

Matt frowned.

“Mom, I still have my allowance. I can buy myself some food there…” Matt said in discountenance. Then he stretched his hand out to take his gloves from the shelf of the hanger.

Mrs. Sternfeld became sad.

“But I made them especially for you,” she said in sad voice.

Just when Matt was putting his black gloves on his hands, he couldn’t stand his mom looking at him with those sad eyes. It was embarrassing for him to take sandwiches to school, but he didn’t want to disappoint his mother either.

Matt sighed.

“Oh, fine…” Matt gave up and came closer to his mother.

The sadness magically vanished from Mrs. Sternfeld’s face and now there was a warm smile. When Matt approached her, she gave him two sandwiches wrapped in white paper.

“I made them with egg paste and salad leaves,” Mrs. Sternfeld said proudly as Matt put the sandwiches into one of the pockets of his jacket.

Eww…” Matt thought to himself in disgust as he zipped the pocket. “I’ll throw them into some bin when I’ll get out of here finally.

Matt turned around and proceeded to the exit. Now he could finally get out of the house.

But just when he placed his hand on the door handle, he heard a sigh filled with grief.

Matt rolled his eyes as he realized what this sigh was about. He returned to his mother and planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Yes, I love you mom…” he muttered to his mother who was smiling at him. “Bye and take care.”

“You too,” Mrs. Sternfeld said with a warm tone as she watched Matt going to the exit. “Have fun on your first day of school, honey.”

But Matt was not planning to have any fun. Not in school for sure.

Now there was nothing that could stop Matt from walking outside. He placed his hand again on the handle and opened the door.

“I love you too, mom.” Matt heard behind him when he was had one foot on the porch.

When he turned to see what was going on, he saw Bino hugging Mrs. Sternfeld.

Just when she was stroking his head gently, Bino slowly turned his head and smirked mischievously at Matt.

Matt glared.

Just wait. I’m not done with you yet…” Matt thought to himself and slammed the door behind him.
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by copper »

They sure do sweat alot. That is a crazy house for sure.... Bino needs some shock treatment, and Matt is pretty submissive for a pet owner! :lol:


Great update as always! Wonder how Matt will handle this all. Also kind of wonder if Bino will ever get his punishment for being such a horrible pet...
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Re: Housepets: Matt

Post by Russiarules1 »

All I could think about was the Cereal Guy meme. Weird...
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