It wasn't enough for Max to have Alex around. No, his cave was his temple. And there was no place for one single thing in his temple.
Something Alex had left there droplets of cocoa powder still at the bottom.
A dirty mug!
Max knew that taking the megaphone for the first offense was not to be done. After all, he had to show Alex that he trusted in the fact that the man was a responsible adult and could clean up after himself.
Max waited ten minutes. Alex still slept soundly next to him.
"I see," the dragon said, turning into a human and then going towards the sink with the dirty mug. "So, you have chosen… a rude awakening?"
It was still dark outside. There weren't even birds chirping yet. Max took his megaphone and began to croak like a rooster.
Alex jumped in bed, looking around.
The sight of the wonderful man in his leather leggings should have made Alex relax. Maybe even smile, for he knew that what the leggings covered was going to be his, one day.
But the only thing he could see was the dirty mug in the sink.
He knew that he had messed up.
"I'm sorry. I will wash it right away." Alex stood, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and then headed to the sink.
He honestly didn't understand the drama. After all, the only thing he had wanted was to get some hot cocoa milk in himself at night so he could go back to sleep.
Was it really that much to ask?
"Alex," Max said, his man bun whipping around his hair like a halo. The former policeman could not shake the fact that the dragon could have been a model if he had just applied himself in acting rather than, well, burning down hamlets. "It all starts with one mug. Then a pan joins it in the sink. Then a dirty lasagna tin!"
Alex thought that Max was making things bigger than they were, but for some reason he did not want to stop the man from venting.
The human took the sponge, placed some soap on it, and then began to wash his mug.
"You know, the world won't end at one mug," Alex tried to defend himself.
Little did he know Max had heard this argument before.
The dragon narrowed his eyes.
"The world won't end at one mug, you say?" Max asked as Alex kept on washing the mug. "And if I had not woken you up, would you have done the same thing the morning after?"
"I would have washed my mug the morning after," Alex tried to defend himself, only to get a snort.
"No. You are a human. Humans don't wash their mugs quickly enough! No, they leave them to catch mold! To… break under the dirt!"
Alex knew that this was beyond dishes by this point. He decided not to argue.
After all, the dragon had lost most of his family to the world traveler. Who knew? Maybe Nikola even left his dirty dishes behind, and not just red pepper flakes?
"I'm sorry," Alex said as he finally finished washing the cup. "I won't do it again."
Max nodded. He pointed at the cave's exit.
"I'm going to do a quest today," the dragon said so, as if it was the most natural thing for a dragon to do. "And not just that, but I am going to make sure that the Big Capybarians have real sausages. From poultry!"
Alex nodded. It was about time someone did that. After all, Max was the last dragon, and he wasn't the biggest. There was no way that he could keep on feeding the Big Capybarians until the end of time.
"Would you like to come with me?" Max asked as he smiled at Alex.
Alex weighed his options.
He could stay in the cave, with nothing to do, and then wait for Max to come home.
Probably having slept through the entire day and not feeling tired enough to sleep through the night.
Or he could go with Max and end up getting himself mixed up in something that might or might not be illegal.
On the one hand, Alex wanted to rest. Max had woken him up at 3:33, which in Alex's books meant that he needed coffee or to sign himself up in the Zombie Registry.
But on the other hand, if he let Max do illegal things too often, he was going to be held accountable.
And he didn't want that.
"I'll come with you!" Alex said, as he thought about all that he was going to lose if he did not. Like his good name and his credit score.
If he had not lost the last one after he had been laid off, that was.
Max nodded. The mug was placed on the dryer. Harmony was restored.
Alex watched as Max just put on a robe over his body, his leather pants still in full display.
Max and Alex went out, left the trash to be collected, and then Max called his teleportation rune up.
"I needed to do my flying today," the dragon said, who was always conscious of his figure. "But I think that I can skip it for one day."
Alex saw his chance. He was still more than a little angry about being woken up at 3 in the bloody morning!
"Oh, really?" Alex asked as he looked Max up and down. "If you want to turn into an apple, sure. But, you know, I will be there when you need to lose weight!"
Max blinked, looking at his massive body. He pinched his left bicep.
It felt hard to him, but maybe Alex was seeing something that he wasn't?
"Hop on!" The dragon shifter turned into a dragon and waited.
Alex smiled.
If he really needed to be the soulmate of a neat freak of a dragon, then the least he could get out of it was a majestic free ride on said dragon's back!
He regretted his manipulations moments later, when he needed to hold on for dear life, as Max began to race the wind on his way to Big Capybara!