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A Bad Dog Needs a Good Owner

Summary:

Dennis gets into trouble and is temporarily suspended from performing field work for the Magnus Institute. Now, having to work alongside him in the office for a week, Charlie is quickly finding out that Dennis might be more fond of him than he realized. After all, why does he seem so comfortable serving him and no one else?

In other words
I think not enough people are playing around with Dennis' obvious praise kink and desire to be obedient and that's a travesty I intend to fix.

Notes:

PLEASE READ

This fic requires some context as it’s set in an AU I haven’t found the energy to write out properly.

All you need to know is that this is set in an alternate universe of the Magnus Archives where the aftermath of the “Eyepocalypse” went a bit differently. The New York gang of Malevolent were sent over in the midst of the Eyepocalypse with the assistance of the Manager and given a trinket that could stall the end of the world for a little longer and give them an alternate way to defeat the Fears. That leads to when this story takes place, with the Malevolent crew working towards helping the Magnus Institute to save their universe. One of the things required to accomplish this is “capturing” the avatars of all of the Fears *alive*.

I believe that’s all the context necessary. Hope you enjoy <3

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Charlie had become utterly infatuated with the idea of getting Dennis Collins on his knees. Of course he cared for the man more than just that, but the fantasy had been plaguing him longer than he'd dare admit. 

Their mutual arrangement of “just sex” had been going on for a while now. Maybe just under a year? God, had they really been in this universe for that long? Charlie shrugged the thought off, refocusing his self reflection as he scrubbed at the dirty dishes. 

He'd learned a lot about Dennis in those months. Learned how he spent his free time, where he went to clear his mind, the kinds of thoughts that ran through his head on a chilly night, staring off the balcony, Charlie's stolen cigarette in hand that he almost didn't mind giving up. He finished a dish and moved it to the drying rack, trying not to show how taken he was with the memory. ‘Focus,’ He reminded himself. ‘There's a point to this.’

Charlie had learned a lot about Dennis but there was one thing that had been brought to his attention the very first time they ever met. The man didn't take well to failure. It was exploiting this weakness that led to his capture after all. This was only proven further now that he was working with a team where failures and mistakes were much more noticeable than when he worked alone. It also explained why he disliked The Eye so much and why he always seemed ready to break Mr. Sims' neck at the slightest sign he'd been ‘pokin’ ‘round places he didn't belong.

The other thing Charlie learned quickly was that Dennis seemed perfectly content with being told what to do by someone he ‘liked.’ Usually his favor could be won over by money, but money didn't buy his loyalty, it only bought his services. Charlie, however, had found other means of gaining the man's affection, real affection. Shocker of all shockers, it only took a patient ear and a charming smile. And now, after all his hard work… god, the number of times Dennis called Charlie a pretty boy was enough to make him blush. 

“I think that dish is as clean as it's gonna get.” Oscar said, jolting Charlie from his thoughts. Reality came back into view and sure enough, there was a spotless dish in his hands that he didn't remember scrubbing. He chuckled tiredly and nodded, putting the dish aside to dry. 

“Sorry, angel. Just uh… a little lost in thought.” Charlie said with a smile. 

“Aye, you don't have to tell me what I can see with my own eyes.” Oscar teased. “You comin’ to bed soon?” A soft arm wrapped around Charlie's middle as Oscar rested his chin on his shoulder. His shirt was damp but Oscar didn't seem to mind. 

“Yeah, don't worry. Just a few more minutes and I'll join you.” Charlie replied, leaning his head against Oscar's. The Scotsman made a noise of approval but didn't move to leave. Charlie supposed he would finish this line of thought later. It felt weird to continue thinking about Dennis with Oscar wrapped around him like this. God, he wished the two could get along. Maybe then Dennis would actually join him in bed instead of staying cooped up in the damn ‘guest room’ all the time. 

The last dish was set aside and Charlie turned around to kiss Oscar's forehead. “Alright, ready to go to bed, now.” He said with a smile. 

----------

That night played out oddly. Charlie was a notoriously light sleeper so any time Dennis came home from a job late at night, he usually woke up. He never told Dennis this because he worried it would make the man self conscious. He seemed so relaxed when he thought he wasn't being observed and Charlie didn't want to ruin that for him. 

Usually he'd be humming ever so softly, rummaging around for leftovers in the fridge. After eating, he'd shower, change, check all the locks in the house, and then finally go to bed in the ‘guest room’ (which was really just Dennis’ room but he refused to claim it).

Tonight, however, there was a heaviness in his step, a roughness in his movements and a distinct lack of humming, seemingly replaced with muttered curses. It took everything inside of Charlie not to crawl out of bed and check on his partner. Something had clearly happened and it was going to affect them all if it didn't get resolved soon. That being said… it might be better to resolve the problem in the morning. They all struggled to sleep and didn't need Dennis causing problems at a time where everyone would be too grumpy to give him the benefit. 

So instead, Charlie pulled Oscar a bit closer and kept an ear out for Dennis. If he got too violent with their stuff or woke someone else up, then all bets were off. He dearly hoped it wouldn't come to that… Dennis ate quickly and shuffled off to shower. So far, so good, the routine hadn't changed. When the shower shut off and Dennis was dressed, he began his regular security check. The man was as paranoid as the rest of them and for good reason. Charlie fully expected him to go to bed right after and leave his moodiness for them all to deal with tomorrow, but no. That wasn't what happened. 

Instead, after a long moment of dreadful, unusual silence, Dennis turned and walked to Charlie and Oscar's room. The door creaked open and careful footsteps moved inside. Charlie fought the urge to grab a weapon. He didn't know what kind of mood Dennis was actually in and a cold fear gripped him that something inside the man had snapped. He tried to even out his breathing, hoped that the semi retired hitman wouldn't notice he was awake and leave. 

Charlie felt the bed dip next to him and heard the creak of Dennis’ weight on the frame. Almost instantly, he calmed as he realized that the other man wasn't planning on killing him in his sleep, thank God, but rather getting comfortable in his bed. It probably wasn't healthy to be this afraid of someone you cared for but… well, it had been a long while since Charlie knew what healthy was. For right now, he was riding the sleepy high of knowing that Dennis, for whatever reason, had finally come to share a bed for a night. 

----------

Dennis was gone by the time Charlie woke up. He must've slipped out quieter than when he came home which was more than a little disappointing. He'd really been looking forward to waking up next to a half asleep Dennis for a change. 

Oscar was still sound asleep, face pressed into his chest and arm wrapped around his waist. Curly hair stuck up and knotted into a mess atop his head as he slept. Charlie took it all in, wondering if he really wanted to shatter this perfectly serene moment. The sound of clattering dishes in the kitchen was enough to convince him. 

Groggily, Oscar began to stir as Charlie gingerly pulled himself out from under him. He let out a small dramatic whine, clinging weakly to his wrist to pull him back in.

“What time is it?” Oscar asked, squinting at Charlie through tired, blurry vision. 

“8am. Time to get up.” Charlie replied. He smiled as Oscar finally freed him to go get dressed. 

A few minutes later and Charlie was walking past Dennis. The man was sat at the kitchen table, working through a plate of scrambled eggs and ham as he read the newspaper. Charlie only caught a glimpse of the sour mood he suspected the other to be in before it quickly changed. The second Dennis knew he was being observed was the second he was putting on a smile, eyes locking onto whoever was watching. 

“Sleep well last night?” Charlie asked casually as he pulled over the pan Dennis used for his own breakfast, now cleaned. 

“Slept fine enough.” Dennis responded, eyes not leaving him.

“Just fine enough? Gotta say, hurts me a little to hear you say that.” Charlie flashed a cheeky grin back at Dennis whose easy smile turned strained.

“Got somethin’ t’ say, lad?” Dennis’ tone was dangerous, an unspoken threat lacing his words. 

“Nothing at all.” Charlie grabbed the eggs out the fridge and turned on the stove top, waiting for the pan to heat back up. “Ya know, you coulda made us all some. Already had the pan going and everything.” 

Dennis rolled his eyes and went back to his paper. Sighing, Charlie decided he might as well approach the problem now rather than let it fester. 

“So, how'd it go yesterday? Your uh… expedition?” Charlie asked.

“What? The peepin’ Tom not told you, yet?” Dennis asked bitterly. 

“Wha- Mr. Sims?” Charlie asked, putting the nickname together quickly. He chuckled and shook his head. “No, no. I uh, haven't checked yet. Was kinda hopin’ t’ hear from you first.” Dennis let out a frustrated grumble as he turned the page roughly. 

“Fecked the job up somethin’ fierce.” He admitted, shame boiling up to the surface and turning vitriolic. “Won't happen again, though. I'll make sure of it.” It was clear Dennis wanted the conversation to end there. Charlie really wanted to let it. 

“What happened, doll?” Charlie's tone softened, hoping to soothe the angry beast across from him. “I'm sure it wasn't anythin’ too bad.”

“I killed the avatar of the hunt.” Dennis snapped. The room fell silent. Charlie caught a glimpse of Oscar, right outside Dennis’ view, clearly debating whether he should hide back in his room until this blew over. 

“That's uh… fuck, Dennis. That's…” Charlie weighed his options here. If he tried to blow it off, Dennis would just call him out for placating him. If he openly acknowledged it, that might trigger something else altogether. “Look, Doll, I ain't gonna sugar coat it. That is pretty bad.” He settled on being blunt in the gentlest tone he could manage. “But look, we'll figure it out, okay? We'll talk to Mr. Sims, figure out how to fix this, and it'll be water under the bridge, a'right?” 

Dennis was scowling the entire time Charlie spoke. Holding his breath, Charlie waited and prepared for a fight. It never came. Instead, after a moment or two, Dennis let out a weary sigh and returned to skimming his newspaper. “Fine. Jonny boy's been blowin’ up my phone since I woke. Was considering blocking him but… well, he'd just figure out another way to reach me, wouldn't he? Fuckin’ stalker.” 

“I know you don't like it, but in his defense, he's got a decent reason for wantin’ to keep an eye on us. Ya know… bein’ what we are ‘n all.” Charlie tried to convince Dennis several times to just give Mr. Sims a chance. Unfortunately, the Butcher and the Eye did not mix, no matter how cordial Sims tried to be (which was always a horribly awkward attempt. The man's people skills needed a lot of work.) 

“Look, I'll go in with you, so don't worry. I'm sure we can figure something out.” Charlie said with a warm smile, coffee now in hand. He cracked open an egg into the pan and watched it sizzle. A small shard of egg shell sat mocking him atop the yoke. 

Today was going to be dreadful.

----------

It wasn't even noon and already, Charlie was developing a headache. He'd need a cigarette or three after this meeting was over. 

“You cant fuckin’ do this to me!” Dennis shouted, slamming his hands on Sims’ desk and getting in his face. “You need me out there, you know you do.” 

Sims tensed and backed into his chair as Dennis got close. He was a scrawny thing, clearly never having won a fight without the power of the Observer on his side, so Dennis found him easy to intimidate. Or he would be, if the new head of the Magnus Institute didn't get a set of gifts from his own Patron. Even so, he didn't enjoy pain no matter how quickly he'd bounce back from it.

Remembering this, Sims attempted to recollect himself, sitting upright once more. “Look, Mr. Collins. I understand your frustration with… all of this. But I assure you this isn't meant to be a punishment.”

“Bullshit.” Dennis spat. Sims flinched, face pulled tight in his own barely restrained anger. He wiped the spit from his face and continued. 

“You need a break. Mr. Dowd has been insisting I enforce longer down times between your jobs and I've been disregarding him at your insistence. Now I see he was right.”

Charlie met Dennis’ glare with a shrug. If looks could kill, Charlie would've been 6 feet under in seconds. 

“My fuck up has nothin’ to do with me needin’ rest.” Dennis argued. “I don't need more rest. What I need is to get back out there and clean up my mess and goddammit if I am the only one who can.” He slammed his fist on the desk, knocking off some of the clutter. “Who else is gonna find the new avatar? You gonna send the one armed Father out there? Or maybe the blind man and his clumsy pet? Oh! Or maybe you'll send out the detective whose list of Opposeds is greater than his body count.”

Charlie sucked in a breath, face gone red. He tried not to let Dennis get to him when he was in this sort of mood, eager to throw insults and low blows to get back his own footing. Still, when he hit, he hit hard. 

Charlie didn't do great with field work, only having a slim number of Fears he could actually deal with. 10 years with the King meant he'd obtained nearly every phobia in the book. The fears would use him as a chew toy if they got their hands on him. He never went on an expedition alone for that very reason. As for his body count, he'd really have to ask which one Dennis was talking about. 

“You will be put back on the Hunt's case, Mr. Collins. You're right, no one could handle it better than you. But you need time to figure yourself out. You're clearly in no position to-”

“Figure myself out? The fuck is that supposed to mean?” 

“It means you are officially suspended from field work for the next week.” 

Sims pushed his chair back to try and avoid the incoming attack but he was too slow. Dennis grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, hauling him up with ease, intent on throwing him over the desk. What he would do after that was anyone's guess.

“None of that, Dennis. Drop him.” Charlie barked, tone sharper and meaner than he usually used. To everyone's shock, Dennis immediately let go. Even he seemed surprised for a moment before pulling back and trying to brush it all off. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, sneering at Sims. 

“I ain't doing paperwork.” Dennis huffed petulantly before storming out. He could be unbearably childish sometimes. 

“I am so sorry, Mr. Sims. I'll talk some sense into him, promise.” Charlie said anxiously, hoping Dennis hadn't managed to find the one way to get himself fired. 

“If anyone could, it would be you.” Sims sighed, leaning down to pick his fallen stuff off the floor. 

“Appreciate the confidence, sir.” Charlie chuckled as he went to leave. 

“I mean it, Mr. Dowd. Out of everyone in this institute, even of your own division, you're the one he clearly respects the most. Had anyone else tried to give him orders like that, I'm certain they would've ended up more bruised than me.”

Charlie wavered at the door, thinking over his words. He wasn't wrong. How much shit had he managed to get away with in regards to Dennis? He nodded tersely before leaving and shutting the door behind him. 

----------

Convincing Dennis to give office work a try was like pulling teeth. Oscar and Charlie were usually the ones working the archives while Arthur and John would only be in the institute between jobs, trying to track down the next Fear. Not Dennis, though. He avoided the Magnus Institute like the plague.

He was in the break room right now, burning holes in a stack of papers with his eyes whilst holding a coffee in his free hand (more creamer than coffee if Charlie had to guess.) 

“Those… are financial documents, doll.” Charlie chuckled, plucking the stack from Dennis’ grip. “Don’t need you handling those. Did Oscar show you where the statements are stored? Little storage closet back there, full of tapes and drawers full of unread statements.”

“Tch. I thought classifying those was Sims’ job.” Dennis scoffed. 

“It is and those aren’t what you’ll be dealing with. Nah, what I actually want you working on is a set of drawers at the bottom. Those are the ones with loose threads we still need to look into.”

Dennis furrowed his brows, a brief look of hope in his eyes. “You… want me to go out and find ‘em?”

“Not all of those loose threads are people. Most of them aren’t, in fact. You’ll probably be sitting at one of those computer boxes researching history and newspapers on various buildings, events, and people for most of the day.”

In an instant, Dennis’ mood dropped all over again, grimacing. “Christ. I think I’d rather throw myself to the Flesh.”

Charlie patted Dennis’ shoulder sympathetically. “It’s just a week, doll. It’ll go by slow as hell but you’ll get through it, I know ya will. And once you do, you can pick up right where you left off. Hell, maybe you’ll find some clues in here.”

Letting out a grunt, Dennis thought it over before pushing past Charlie to get back to the main office. “I’m not gonna make this easy on ya, I hope you know that.” Was all he said before shutting the door behind him. 

Charlie didn’t doubt that for a second. 

The first three days were miserable. Dennis was consistently losing his temper at the ‘confounding technology’ (None of them could blame him) and threatening to break the computer at even the slightest inconvenience. He downloaded a virus on the first day which filled the office with incessant siren sounds that wouldn’t shut up until John pulled the plug. The second day was all about cursing out the printer and then simmering in silent rage after Oscar showed him how to use it. And the third day was borderline hysteria. Dennis would constantly go out on a smoke break or scratch at his skin as he glared at the computer (those scars along his body always seemed to itch when he was stressed.) All it took in the end was his software crashing while working on a document and finding that it hadn't saved in over an hour after booting it back up. Charlie had barely managed to catch him before he ripped the computer out of the wall to throw it out the window. 

The fourth day… he seemed to finally calm the fuck down. Dennis was still visibly miserable but he’d learned to make peace with his fate in some way or another. It was this day that office work didn’t feel like working alongside a raging bull and for that, everyone was grateful. Still, despite all of that, Charlie couldn’t help feeling sympathetic. It was like forcing an old street cat to suddenly live in a house.

John and Arthur left midway through the day to catch a train to their next job. They’d likely be gone for a week trying to track down their latest pet project. Oscar was half doing this job and half working his other, taking phone calls regarding an upcoming church event between scheduling statements. That left Charlie and Dennis working through most of the paperwork. 

The sound of a clicking pen drew Charlie’s attention to Dennis, glaring blankly at the screen. His eyes looked glazed over and Charlie couldn’t help wondering when the other man had last taken a break. 

“Hey, doll.” Charlie crooned with a pleasant smile, snapping the other out of his trance. “Think you could grab me a coffee?” He held out his empty mug. He fully expected a sarcastic retort, maybe rile the man up a little, but instead, Dennis just sighed and nodded. Standing from his seat, he grabbed the mug and went to the breakroom, leaving Charlie and Oscar staring at him in confusion. 

“Wha… he never does that for me!” Oscar huffed, indignant. “I ask him t’ grab me some extra paper from the store room and he has t’ give me attitude but you ask him for a cuppa coffee and he just… does it?

“I’m uh… just as surprised as you.” Charlie muttered, still staring at the door of the break room. A few minutes later and Dennis returned, mug refilled and placing it on the desk. He didn’t say anything else before going back to his own computer and getting back to work. Charlie reluctantly took a sip and let out a pleased hum. He swore he saw a prickle of pride in Dennis’ face at the noise. 

Charlie’s curiosity was officially piqued.

From that moment on, he’d consistently find something for Dennis to do. Oscar needed more paper for the printer? Charlie asked and it was there, plus some, in a minute. Needed the trash taken out? Charlie only had to smile with that sweet voice and Dennis was dragging every scrap of trash out to the bin. Dennis would even deal with plumbing issues if Charlie put on a nice enough tone (he didn’t really have to try.)

Oscar was flabbergasted and Charlie was just plain tickled. He wondered if Dennis even knew what he was doing. Oscar had tried asking for assistance a few times and was always left with an insult or brushed off entirely. But Charlie? Oh, he could ask for anything. 

The next two days went by in a blur after this revelation and Charlie was admittedly basking in the power he held over a man as volatile and ruthless as ‘the Butcher’. He kept wondering if his luck would give out but it never seemed to occur to the other man what was going on. 

Oscar was out for the fifth day which just left the two of them alone in the office. Dennis was just as compliant as ever and maybe it was the privacy of an empty office or something about the revelation but Charlie was feeling… perhaps a little scandalous today. How far could he push this? When would Dennis object? 

“Hey, doll. I need a refill on my coffee, think you can do that for me?” Charlie asked casually and, as usual, Dennis got up with a “Sure, thing,” and took his mug to the break room. While waiting, Charlie debated whether he was really going to do this. He had a silver tongue, sure, but there were times where you just had to make a dangerous gamble if you wanted something, a gamble where your charm can only go so far. If he miscalculated the situation, this could go south real fast. 

Dennis returned with a full mug of coffee, made the exact way that Charlie liked it, and turned to go back to his desk. But before he could, Charlie grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him down into a gentle but firm kiss. He felt the other tense up for a moment, face going red in surprise, before he released him. Dennis was searching Charlie’s face for an answer.

“What is it about me that makes an observant man like yourself so clueless?” Charlie asked with a grin. Dennis furrowed his brows, clearly confused.

“I don’t know what you mean.” He almost sounded defensive but there was a softness in his voice Charlie hadn’t heard him use with anyone else. 

“And that’s the problem, ain't it, doll?”

Dennis swallowed, face still red and eyes still darting around, trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces. 

“If Oscar asked you to make him a coffee, would you?” Charlie asked at last, one hand gripping Dennis’ tie while the other trailed down to grip his hip.

“What, he can’t make it himself?” Dennis scoffed but his face grew hotter. 

“What about Arthur? Or John?” Charlie continued. “Or what? Do you think I can’t make my own coffee or somethin’?” It took Dennis a moment to realize what was being communicated and the look of horrified realization flashed over his face in seconds. He swallowed, face beet red, and he looked… almost scared. Charlie nearly wanted to back out but he pushed on. 

Tugging Dennis’ tie and pulling him forward by the hips, Charlie had their faces inches apart in a second. “Get on your knees for me, doll.” He whispered in a low voice.

He felt Dennis’ body jerk and knees wobble, as if he was trying to fight the urge to obey. Charlie loosened his grip on the other man and pressed a kiss to his neck. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t wanna do. I’m not gonna make you.” He reassured. It seemed like that was all he needed as he finally, shakily, got to his knees. Charlie felt a breath catch in his throat. 

“Good boy.” He sighed and smirked at the breathy noise Dennis let out. He carded a hand through the other man’s hair and admired the pretty sight in front of him. Red faced and tenting pants, Dennis sat between Charlie’s spread legs and waited for instruction. “I think you’re smart enough to know what to do next.”

Dennis paused, as if asking himself if he was really doing this, before nodding. His hands quickly went to work on undoing Charlie’s belt and unzipping his fly. He looked almost desperate as he finally got Charlie’s half hard cock out. Grabbing a fistful of hair, Charlie kept Dennis from immediately taking him down his throat all at once. He’d try and he’d choke and it’d be a whole mess. Besides, it was more entertaining to tease. 

“Slow down, doll. Take a breath.” Charlie cooed before gently petting his head. Dennis kept a firm grip on the other’s thighs, visibly restraining himself. “Eager, huh? Don’t worry, I’ll give it to you, you just need to behave.” Dennis nodded and Charlie swore he heard a “Yessir.”

Gentle yet firm, Charlie guided Dennis to his dick. “Use your mouth and hands to get me hard first, okay? But don’t shove it in yet, not until I tell you.” A pitiful whine escaped Dennis’ throat but he didn’t argue. Instead, he opened his mouth and began to kiss and suck at the base, stroking Charlie all the while. He ran his hot mouth over every inch he could find, dutifully tending to his master. There was no more denying what this was and Charlie was only disappointed at how long it took for them to get here.

Charlie was… well endowed to say the least. Out of all of them, he was the largest and that was especially impressive considering John wasn’t even human. (None of them understood why John didn’t make his ‘disguised’ cock larger). Dennis was the only one who didn’t look scared the first time, just whistled in astonishment. Now he was sitting here, fighting the urge to try and fit 7 inches of dick down his throat like it was food for a starving man. Unable to hold off anymore, Charlie pulled Dennis’ head back until his lips were kissing the tip. 

Slowly.” Charlie said firmly and Dennis hummed out an agreement. Slowly, inch by inch, Dennis worked his way down deeper and deeper, tongue pressing into the underside and drool leaking past the corners of his lips. He had to keep coming up to swallow another lungful of air before going back down until finally he somehow managed to bottom out. “Christ, doll, do you even have a gag reflex?” Charlie asked, flushed and panting and unable to pull his eyes away. Dennis hummed a response and the vibrations made him groan. 

Coming up for air, Dennis looked utterly debauched and hazy, blown out pupils looking up at Charlie, so eager to please. Deciding he was nice and ready now and struggling to hold back any longer, Charlie grabbed a fistful of Dennis’ hair. After giving the other a moment to process, pulled his head all the way down, slamming his cock into the back of Dennis’ throat in one tug. He grunted, tears pooling in his eyes but he made no attempt to back out as Charlie fucked his throat. At first, he tried to make sure that his pet was getting enough air in his lungs, but it didn’t take long for his need to cum to take over. If Dennis needed up, he figured he could escape easy enough.

Charlie pressed a foot between Dennis’ legs and was pleased to feel him rutting against his shoe desperately. He sped up, harder and faster, seeking out only his pleasure now as he got closer to climax. 

“Fuck, doll, your throat is so nice and warm. God, you’re good at this. So fucking good, taking me so well. Good boy, good boy.” Charlie repeated over and over, flooding Dennis’ head with praise and affirmation as he filled his tight mouth. “Just… a little… more…” Charlie panted before finally stilling. With a drawn out “Fuuucckk,” he came down Dennis’ throat, hips jerking to draw out his climax. It took him a little too long to remember that the other man likely needed to breathe now until he finally pulled out. 

Dennis coughed, looking dizzy and punch drunk. Charlie swallowed thickly, finally getting his head back on right and moving to take care of the other. He helped Dennis to the breakroom and let him flop onto the couch before grabbing him a water from the fridge. He sat down next to the other man eventually, drinking down his coffee and catching his breath. After a moment of silence, Charlie spoke.

“Hah… I uh… sorry, I got a bit carried away.” Charlie muttered, looking a bit guilty now that it was over. How unprofessional was he? And even worse… had he somehow taken advantage of Dennis? Was he mentally well enough to understand he could’ve backed out? That question still lingered in the back of Charlie’s mind. ‘What is it about me?’ Charlie had gotten very good at manipulation over the years and a part of him worried he’d unintentionally tricked Dennis into… what? Being obedient to him? Into trusting him and wanting to please him? After all, Charlie was very aware of Dennis’ need for approval. Was he using that against him? “H-hey… I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have-”

“Shut up.” Dennis croaked, throat scratchy from the rough fucking. “Just… just shut up for a moment.” He swallowed down another gulp of water before taking a moment. “Okay… alright, what’re ya apologizin’ for?” He sounded genuinely confused. 

Charlie furrowed his brows. “I-I shouldn’t have done that. I… noticed that you were awfully uh… compliant… when it came to me. And I used that against ya. This is… god, this is a textbook HR violation and I wouldn’t put up a fuss if you decided to gouge my eyes out just to get me fired from this place.”

Dennis barked out a laugh, catching Charlie off guard. “What? Oh shut the fuck up, ya eejit. I mean… god I can’t believe ya did that either but it ain’t like I didn’t enjoy it too.”

“You’re… not upset then?”

“Upset? Fuck no! If anythin’, I think… I think I needed that.” Dennis’ face went a little red at the confession. “I’ll be honest if you will. So I’ll tell ya… I been wantin’ you to put me in my place for a while now.” Charlie nearly choked hearing that and Dennis smirked. “And I get the feelin’ you been wantin’ that too, huh?”

“I-uh… I mean… well… fuck, okay, yeah.” Charlie stammered out and winced at the toothy grin that Dennis was sporting. 

“Listen t’ ya. Never imagined I could get you so tongue tied.” Dennis teased. 

“Yeah? Well I never imagined I could get you on your knees.” Charlie shot back. Dennis just laughed. 

“Oh, you can do a lot more to me than I think you realize, boyo.” The words seemed to embarrass Dennis the second he said them, breath catching in his throat. 

The words went straight to Charlie’s head and he knew that the second they got home today, he wasn’t going to be able to keep his hands off of Dennis.

Notes:

I am kinda obsessed with Dollins, ngl. And this whole fanfic has been rattling around in my head for months. I only finally got around to writing it. Anyways, I wanna do more with this pair and this universe but I gotta get the motivation first. Hope yall enjoy this and hope I can write yall more in the future <3

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