#first pet

@wolfstarmicrofic January 24, word count 746

Every day for the past two weeks, Remus had been stalked on his way to and from work. His stalker knew exactly when he’d leave the flat or the school, then from out of an alley or around a corner he’d appear. Remus had tried running, he’d tried shouting, he’d even tried squirting water at him, but nothing worked, the little, scruffy, black puppy always found him. 

“Hey, Mr Lupin, your puppy is waiting outside the gate,” Gavin piped up during personal reading time. Remus looked up. 

“It’s not my, oh, never mind,” He moved over to the window and looked out at the sad puppy eyes staring back at him. He warred in his head for a few minutes before he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he came to a decision. “Is anyone going to dob me in if I bring a puppy to class?” A chorus of no’s sounded around the classroom. “Do not misbehave while I’m gone,” He warned them, he didn’t have to, as all the students in his class were amazing and as usual the best behaved in the school. 

He’d taken his big coat out with him and hurried across the paved court at the front of the school. As quietly as possible, he opened the wrought iron gate and whistled for the puppy. The puppy came plodding along, tripping over his too-big feet. “Hi,” Remus breathed as he stroked the scruffy puppy for the first time. He picked him up and bundled him into his coat. The puppy was so light. Remus hurried back into the warmth of the school. 

“He’s so cute!”

“Can he come in every day?”

“He’s such a good boy,” Remus’s students gushed. The little puppy was having the time of his life, going from student to student before settling under Remus’s desk for a long nap. 

Somehow, Remus got to the end of the day without anyone finding out about the puppy sleeping under his desk. Remus put his coat on and tucked the puppy down the front, holding his little butt to keep him from slipping. 

“Oh, Mr Lupin,” Ms McGonagall called out, just as he was about to walk out of the door. 

“Yes, Ms McGonagall,” He turned his head and smiled pleasantly at her.

“Don’t forget it's parent's night on Friday,” She reminded him.

“Of course, Ms McGonagall,” He said, forcing his smile wider. He turned to leave again. 

“Oh, and Mr Lupin,” She called after him again. He stopped walking. “Please refrain from bringing your dog into class again tomorrow.” Damn it!

“Yes, Ms McGonagall.” Finally, she let him leave. 

Their flat was only a short walk from the school, and he knew just how Sirius was going to react when Remus showed him the dog. 

“OH MY GODDDDDDDD!” Sirius squealed when the puppy jumped into his arms, putting his huge paws on Sirius’s chest so he could lick all over Sirius’s face. “Remus, I love him!” Sirius said, wrapping his arms around the wriggling pup. “What’s his name?” 

“He doesn’t have one yet,” Remus told him. The puppy jumped off Sirius’s lap and began exploring the flat, his enormous paws making soft padding sounds as he did. 

“What about Padfoot?” Sirius suggested. 

“No, that’s totally lame,” Remus scoffed. 

“Alright,” Sirius pulled a face at him. The puppy was snuffling around making a terribly loud noise as he sucked in air, smelling everything in front of him. 

“Snuffles?” Sirius asked, and before Remus could say anything, the pup had launched himself at Sirius and was licking him again. 

“Snuffles?” Remus said. It was almost as bad as Padfoot. The puppy jumped off Sirius and landed in front of Remus, plopping his little butt on the floor as he looked up at Remus, wagging his fluffy tail. 

“Yay, Snuffles,” Sirius cheered, and Snuffles ran back over to him. 

That night, Remus’s stalker ended up in bed with them. But only after the bath, Remus insisted he needed and took up far more room than a little puppy should in a kingsized bed, but he was so damn happy that Remus couldn’t find it in his heart to tell him to get down. They slept surprisingly well, Snuffles between Remus and Sirius, snoring softly. “We’re keeping him, right,” Sirius asked quietly, stroking Snuffles’s head. 

Written for @wolfstarmicrofic prompt #24 - first pet (488 words)

"What is that?"

Remus barely looked up from his book as Sirius stalled in the doorway.

"Hello, love," Remus responded, the picture of calm. "How was work?"

"Don't change the subject." Sirius stomped over to his partner and ripped the book out of his hands, making sure to mark the page with a slip of parchment before turning to Remus and pointing accusingly at his lap. "What is that thing?"

Remus raised an amused eyebrow.

"She's a cat, Pads. Surely you've seen one before?"

He continued petting the creature with one hand as he spoke.

"I know it's a cat, Remus. What I don't know is what it is doing in our apartment!"

"Well, that's easy." Remus smirked. "She's our new baby."

"No."

"No?"

"No," Sirius confirmed. "We cannot have a cat. I am a man who can turn into a dog at will. You are a man who turns into a wolf once a month. Felines and canines, historically, do not get along. So no cats. This is a cat-free zone."

"Counterpoint," Remus offered. "Minerva McGonagall turns into a cat, and she's practically your mother."

"Irrelevant. She does not live in this flat. And neither does that creature."

"Yes, she does," Remus responded. "I found her this morning outside. I took her to the vet and made sure she's healthy. I bought her everything she needs and several things she doesn't. She snuggled me while I napped earlier. She lives here. We're keeping her."

Sirius sighed and massaged his temples.

"Would it help if I told you I named her Dawn?"

Sirius looked up and lifted one eyebrow in a silent question. Remus blushed and looked back down at the orange fluffball in his lap.

"She's our baby, so she needed a fitting name," he explained. "So she's Dawn, the sun to our moon and stars."

Sirius sighed again, but smiled gently and sat down next to Remus on the couch.

"You're a sap, but she can stay," he responded. "Under the condition that she sleeps on her own bed. I don't want my pillow covered in cat fur."

"Deal."

That night, Sirius went to bed early while Remus finished the dishes and took a shower.

When he got to their room, Sirius was already asleep, his head resting just on the edge of his own pillow, ensuring he was as close to Remus's side as possible. And curled into him, pressed up against his stomach, Dawn was sleeping just as comfortably.

Remus grinned as he got into bed with the pair. He knew when he saw the cat that Sirius would fall in love with her after a while, like he did with any animal he came across.

Bo in the Diplomatic Reception Room, December 3, 2009

Collection BHO-WHPO: Records of the White House Photo Office (Obama Administration)Series: Presidential Photographs

They're also ridiculously sensitive and have a pretty nice list of requirements to thrive. A list that can become really expensive really quick.

What they'll need right off the bat;

Food

Water bowl

Bedding that holds tunnels

A wheel. Minimum size - Syrian ("teddy bear hamsters" as pet stores like to call them): 10 inches. Dwarf: 8 inches

Hideouts! 2-3 Minimum. These you can find for free. I like to use empty cardboard boxes lol

Sand to bathe in

A bowl for the sand

And, of course, an enclosure that is at least 40x20x20 inches!

"that's not that bad!"

I'm not done! They also highly benefit from having access to;

Multiple forms of enrichment such as coconut coir, wood chips, sprays (dried herbs etc), moss, etc.

Things to chew on! A hamster's teeth never stop growing, and they'll need stuff to chew on to prevent dental issues. Branches from apple trees work well.

A playpen or a secured area for them to run freely in. They shouldn't be put in an exercise ball, it's not good for them.

"They're small, they don't need all that" Here's the thing, they do. Hamsters are incredibly active animals that require a lot of enrichment and entertainment to not become stressed. They can run multiple miles each night and dig long tunnels where they store food, sleep, and (in the wild) raise their pups. Our goal as pet owners should be to ensure that they can exercise their natural instincts as much as possible, which is something they can't do in a small cage.

Rated: G | Words: 7,442

Summary:

“What is this place?” she asks. “It’s a pet store,” Echo replies. Omega turns wide eyes on their oldest brother. “Pet store? What’s a pet?” Hunter starts to step away. “Nothing we need,” he says firmly. “C’mon.” Omega resists, returning her gaze to the tookas. “Can we go inside and just look? Please!”

The Batch get a space hamster. Chaos ensues.

Read here on Ao3!

Tumblr (Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4)

Fan Art Inspired by The Stardust Conspiracy:

Little Jo, turning ten, picked out the tiniest tortoise of the bunch. She was excited to bring him home and give him loads of love and attention. Leonard was grateful she chose a long-lived pet, having known the deep loss of his first pet, Cuddles the cat. Joss took a while to warm up to the little guy but loved having someone to eat her melon rinds. Mister Torty didn’t bark or scratch things, and the most he’d done was accidentally bite their fingers when they were careless while feeding. Overall, he was a surprisingly welcome addition that showed them how responsible their baby girl was.

Over the years, over the decades, little Mister Torty became not so little. When he got too big to live in the house, Leonard, Uncle Jim, and Clay fixed up a section of the yard to house him. Aunty Ny helped Jo build a small dictionary that she and Mister Torty used to communicate through colored buttons that say a word when pressed. Uncle Hikaru and Ben helped Jo plant a garden full of Mister Torty’s favorite fruits and veggies. Uncle Scotty engineered a hover device specifically for when Mister Torty gets too ornery to return from their walks.

But the biggest job of all was for Mister Spock, and Jo only asked him after he and her daddy got married. She was scared at first, but she was nearly an adult and knew how much longer her friend would live compared to her. Jo also knew how much longer Spock would live compared to her and her daddy. It wasn’t the most pleasant topic, but Jo did promise her parents that she would care for Mister Torty for the rest of his life, not hers.

The next shore leave after their wedding, when they were visiting her momma’s place, Jo pulled Spock aside for a walk around Mister Torty’s enclosure. “Did you know that Mister Torty will live to be between 150 and 175 yeas old?” she started quietly.

“With your dutiful care, he may very well live beyond that.”

“I... won’t.”

Spock put a hand on Joanna’s shoulder and guided her to the picnic bench. Mister Torty saw this and came bounding as fast as a tortoise could, knowing that was where he was usually spoiled with love and treats. “What is on your mind, Joanna?”

“Will you take care of Mister Torty for me when I can’t anymore?” Jo popped the lid on the fruits and veggie scraps and started feeding the tortoise. “You don’t have to or anythin’, but I don’t have kids, and I’m not sure I want ‘em. I want to make sure he’s taken care of no matter what happens.”

“It would be my greatest honor to care for Mister Tort-ty,” Spock assured, still struggling with the childish name. “Though with your father’s efforts, your future efforts, and the general stubbornness of McCoys, I foresee both of you reaching ages that will rival even tortoises.”

Jo laughed and agreed, and later that evening they made up a special will that assigning Spock as Mister Torty’s primary caretaker if she’s ever unable to care for him. Joss and Clay would take care of him while she went off to medical school and then Starfleet Academy, though. Knowing that Mister Torty’s future was guaranteed, Jo could venture out into adulthood and her career with ease. And when she became a commissioned officer and joined the Hope with her daddy and Spock, they let her bring Mister Torty with them. 

(Sorry, I made it sad after this.)

Nearly a century and a half later, Spock found himself on New Vulcan with his tortoise companion. His bondmate had long since passed peacefully, as did Joanna. He did not expect to inherit the lifespan of a Vulcan, especially considering his counterpart’s shorter life. Spock did not want it, but Leonard’s last wish was for Spock to live as long as he could and to look after Joanna. Joanna made the same wish, though it was now Mister Torty he was to look after.

Spock was never more grateful for agreeing to take care of Mister Torty, for he was a companion that loved Leonard and Joanna as he did and enjoyed sharing those memories. Spock smiled at the memory that started it all: Leonard making a foolish bet that Mister Torty did not have a memory as good as a human’s and Joanna begging Spock to perform a mind meld. Leonard lost, of course. But Spock won more than fake credits that day.

Though both had slowed with age, they maintained a daily walking routine around the estate and ate their meals in the tortoise-friendly garden Spock and Leonard had constructed ages ago with the help of their friends. It was a peaceful living for both of them and suited their needs as much as anything could when the loves of their life had returned to the universe. At the end of each night, they would share a meld and tell each other a story. Spock was fond of the routine, it gave him some form of purpose.