Shelter

aka the puppy!kris fic

When the inevitable happens and someone adopts Kris, Adam handles the whole thing with grace. (If he sulks any more than normal—well. It doesn’t really count since no one can tell.)

It’s not really a surprise. Adam knew this day would come—sooner rather than later—because Kris is just too cute for anyone to resist, let alone the stupid, dog-loving children who drag their reluctant parents in here all the time. Adam shudders and licks his paws in irritation. He hates children. They are menaces, with their grabby hands and their squeaky voices; he’d much rather stay in his cage than go home with one of them.

They were about to be separated anyway, Adam consoles himself. His leg is almost completely healed, and Kris’ tail was good as new days ago; it was only a matter of time before the doctor checked their dressings and sent them back to their separate rooms. Which is something Adam should have been looking forward to! He’s been in and out of shelters all his life; he knows that it’s better to be in a room with a hundred other cats than to be stuck with one dog—but apparently it’s different when that dog is Kris.

Kris wins over everyone—with his stupid smile and his stupid eyes and his stupid soft fur. Not that Adam had much chance of touching the fur. They used to sleep snuggled close together, but there was always the wire mesh of their cages between them. Adam could have fit his paws through the holes—he knew he could have reached into Kris’ cage anytime he wanted—but he wasn’t dumb enough to actually do it. That would have given the stupid dog ideas, and Kris had enough delusional ideas to fill his head and spill out of ears without Adam’s help.

Like how he could find a home for the two of them. Adam snorts. Stupid dog.

He hobbles over to the back—the damned bandages on his leg make it harder to walk than the actual wound did—curls up facing away from Kris’ empty cage, and closes his eyes.

~

“Adam! Adam! Wake up!”

“Mrrrvvv.”

“Adam, come on!”

Adam opens his eyes slowly, ready to give Kris a piece of his mind, when he suddenly remembers…

“Kris?”

“Hello!”

Kris is jumping up and down in front of the cage, his tail wagging excitedly, his leash dragging behind him.

Adam walks closer. “What’re you doing here? I thought you were gone?”

“I was,” Kris says, grinning hugely with twinkling eyes.

“Did they bring you back? Oh, my God, Kris, tell me you didn’t bite anyone?”

Adam actually holds his breath until Kris shakes his head. Thank God. Humans really don’t like it when dogs bite them.

“I came to get you,” Kris says, placing his front paws on the cage below Adam’s.

“Don’t be—”

“Oh, there you are!” a woman says, running into the room to kneel next to Kris, who starts licking her hands happily. “Don’t run away like that!” the woman admonishes, taking hold of Kris’ leash and lovingly petting his head.

Adam sniffs a little. It’s probably because of the dust. They never air the place out. His allergies must be acting up. He’s totally happy that Kris found a good home; he definitely wouldn’t cry over it.

“And who’s your friend?”

The woman pushes two of her fingers inside the cage, and Adam sniffs at them instinctively. She smells like Kris. It smells like—like warmth and comfort and Kris’ sleepy growly voice. Adam finds himself leaning in to brush his face against the fingers, putting a little bit of his own smell on them, too. “Aww,” the woman says, and moves her fingers to pet Adam’s neck. From the corner of his eye, Adam sees Kris looking up at him, proud and happy and hopeful—and in a moment of insanity, Adam does something he’s never done before in his life.

He looks up into the woman’s eyes, puts on his most innocent face, and begs.

~

“I told you I’d find us a home.”

“Shut up,” Adam says, rolling his eyes. Smug is not a good look on Kris. It makes him look stupid—well, stupider than usual.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to admit I was right. But I was still right.”

Adam makes sure to step on Kris’ nose as he makes his way to Kris’ stomach, kneading Kris’ fur to—basically just to knead really, because Kris is always soft anyway. Kris growls a little, sounding sleepy and content as Adam snuggles close and makes himself at home—which he supposes this is now. It feels odd, after all these years. He has a home. And a dog. It’s going to take some getting used to.

“I was so right,” Kris mumbles.

Adam licks Kris’ stomach and falls asleep.

The End

January 10th, 2010