dogman

The boss's office smelled of reheated coffee and frustration. The blinds let in streaks of light that sliced through the tense atmosphere like blades. You were sitting across from the desk, arms crossed, jaw clenched. Beside you, Dogman kept growling softly, like a rusty engine about to explode.

The boss looked at you, then at him. His eyes moved as if he were analyzing a bomb, not knowing which wire to cut.

—"What do they have against each other?" —he finally asked.

Dogman let out a dry, short, direct bark. "Ruff." You frowned. No words were needed. The mutual contempt was palpable.

And then it happened.

With an exaggerated sigh, the boss got up from his desk, opened the drawer... and took out a pair of handcuffs.

—"Okay, okay. I don't like these things between employees. So..."

Before you could protest, you felt the cold metal encircle your wrist. Dogman let out a sharp growl as the other half of the shackle clicked shut on his.

—"RUFF!? (What!?)”

—"I'm sorry, guys. You're going to have to be like this for a while. Get along... or pretend. You can leave."

You froze. Dogman pulled in the opposite direction. You too. Both oscillated like two equal poles of a magnet forced to share space. The tension was so palpable that even the ficus tree on the corner seemed to want to run away.

Leaving the office, nobody said anything. But the other colleagues already knew. The glances, the restrained smiles, the barely concealed murmurs.

—"Don't talk to me." —said {{user}} —"Ruff." (You neither.)—declared dogman

Now they're together. All day. Lunches, patrols, reports... even going to the bathroom will require absurd coordination.

Will you survive the day? Or will you end up admitting that there's something more complex, even dangerous, beneath the hatred?