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ax_mainClint brings a puppy home to Caleb and Frumpkin, and they're delighted. Frumpkin most of all.
Clint had spent awhile in the infirmary, even after McCoy and Pike had managed to patch the puppy up. McCoy had a lot to tell him about what the puppy would need, and care, and meanwhile, had helped him get the pup all washed up, so he didn't look like a bloody mess. But after that, the pup fell asleep, and Clint carried him up to his room, juggling the bag of things the doctor had given him while trying not to jostle the little golden lump in his arms.
As he nudged the door open, he suddenly remembered Caleb, and Frumpkin, and kind of froze, half inside the room. “Uh."
Caleb and Frumpkin looked over in unison, and their eyes went wide. Frumpkin was the first to react, hopping off the bed and padding over to Clint to wind through his legs before planting himself at his feet. He meowed plaintively.
Eyes fixed on the tiny, golden bundle in Clint’s arms, Caleb closed his book and clambered off the bed. He moved over to Clint. “What is that?”
"It's uh," Clint glanced down at his arms, then kicked the door closed behind him. "It's um, a dog?”
Hesitantly, Caleb reached out to the sleeping puppy, and looked to Clint for permission. “Can I…?”
"I kind of molest your cat all the time, so I'm pretty sure you can touch my dog, no problem. I mean. That is, I kind of want it to be my dog, but I've gotta check with the head guy, and, you know, my roommate," Clint pointed out. "He's at least staying long enough to rest up and put some weight on." Just like he was.
Caleb’s expression melted as he gently pet the dog’s head. “Of course, he can stay. We would love another roommate, wouldn’t we, Frumpkin?” He looked down at Frumpkin who mewed in agreement, and smiled.
“What’s his name?” Caleb asked as his full attention returned to the little pup. He gave his irresistibly floppy ears a rub and his eyes went wide with wonder. They were so soft!
"Careful. He uh, he was in bad shape when I brought him in. One of the healers helped, though. And...I dunno. I mean. I didn't even mean to take him, but..." Clint shrugged gently.
“Poor, little hündchen,” Caleb murmured, a frown wrinkling his brow. Whatever had happened to him must have been horrible if he’d needed a healer. “He is lucky you found him.”
"Lucky, yeah." Clint carried the little bundle over to a discarded box he'd been using to carry books up to Caleb, and dumped the rest of the books out to start stuffing blankets and towels inside with one hand. "As lucky as you can be when it was mostly just me and Cal needing some time away from this place.”
“That is pretty lucky.” Caleb went over to Clint’s side and stuck his hands into the box to help arrange the blankets. “Right place, right time. It does not get more lucky than that.”
With a prrp, Frumpkin hopped up onto the desk and slowly crept up closer to Clint, eyes on the slumbering puppy in his arms. He rubbed against Clint’s arm, then lowered his head to sniff a floppy puppy ear.
Clint eyed Frumpkin thoughtfully. "Doesn't seem like he minds the pup…"
Caleb smiled at his cat. “No, he doesn’t.” He looked back at Clint and the dog he held. “I think we are both in agreement that he should stick around.”
Carefully, Clint lay the puppy in the bed he'd made in the box, then sat back on his heels, taking a deep breath. Then he grinned up at Caleb in thanks, and reached out to stroke beneath Frumpkin's chin. "Thanks. I mean he's. Kinda like us, right?”
Caleb looked at the puppy thoughtfully. He hadn’t made that connection, but now that Clint had pointed it out it was impossible not to see. “He kind of is,” he agreed with a small, bittersweet smile.
Clint watched as the puppy nuzzled down into the blankets and promptly fell back asleep, and he took a deep breath. "Lucky. Yeah. He sure as hell is. Might as well call him that while he's here. It's fitting. Lucky, like us.”
“That’s a good name.” Caleb attention was fixed on the puppy too, as was Frumpkin’s who had put his front paws on the edge of the box to peer down at him. “We should get him a name tag with your number on it.”
"Shit, like I'm, responsible and all?" That was heavy. Clint had never been responsible for anything in his life, and the puppy was so small, and looked so fragile. Should he be responsible for something like that?
Caleb smiled at Clint. “Why not? You took care of me.” For no reason, without even being asked.
“He will end up taking care of you as much as you take care of him.” He glanced to Frumpkin as he said this, but his cat’s attention was elsewhere. He hopped into the box and lay down with the puppy, with Lucky, curling around him.
Clint stared at the cat curling up with the puppy - his puppy, and a smile broke out on his face. He looked up at Caleb, unable to get rid of the smile and nodded. "Just as much as you take care of me.”
That was the nicest thing someone had said about Caleb in awhile. He smiled at it, and nodded. “Yes. As much as we take care of each other.”
Huffing a soft breath, Clint nodded, then rose to his feet. "Hey, can you and Frump watch him for a bit? I should go into town and hit the pet store.”
“Of course.” Caleb grabbed a book off his bed, then sat down on the floor beside the box and opened the book to the page he’d left off on. “I will be here."
Clint took another look at the puppy, unsure, but gave another nod before heading out the door. He trusted Caleb to watch him, and the doc had said he was going to sleep for awhile, so now was the perfect time to go. He just had to find some way to hitchhike into town. Damn, he needed a bike.
Clint had spent awhile in the infirmary, even after McCoy and Pike had managed to patch the puppy up. McCoy had a lot to tell him about what the puppy would need, and care, and meanwhile, had helped him get the pup all washed up, so he didn't look like a bloody mess. But after that, the pup fell asleep, and Clint carried him up to his room, juggling the bag of things the doctor had given him while trying not to jostle the little golden lump in his arms.
As he nudged the door open, he suddenly remembered Caleb, and Frumpkin, and kind of froze, half inside the room. “Uh."
Caleb and Frumpkin looked over in unison, and their eyes went wide. Frumpkin was the first to react, hopping off the bed and padding over to Clint to wind through his legs before planting himself at his feet. He meowed plaintively.
Eyes fixed on the tiny, golden bundle in Clint’s arms, Caleb closed his book and clambered off the bed. He moved over to Clint. “What is that?”
"It's uh," Clint glanced down at his arms, then kicked the door closed behind him. "It's um, a dog?”
Hesitantly, Caleb reached out to the sleeping puppy, and looked to Clint for permission. “Can I…?”
"I kind of molest your cat all the time, so I'm pretty sure you can touch my dog, no problem. I mean. That is, I kind of want it to be my dog, but I've gotta check with the head guy, and, you know, my roommate," Clint pointed out. "He's at least staying long enough to rest up and put some weight on." Just like he was.
Caleb’s expression melted as he gently pet the dog’s head. “Of course, he can stay. We would love another roommate, wouldn’t we, Frumpkin?” He looked down at Frumpkin who mewed in agreement, and smiled.
“What’s his name?” Caleb asked as his full attention returned to the little pup. He gave his irresistibly floppy ears a rub and his eyes went wide with wonder. They were so soft!
"Careful. He uh, he was in bad shape when I brought him in. One of the healers helped, though. And...I dunno. I mean. I didn't even mean to take him, but..." Clint shrugged gently.
“Poor, little hündchen,” Caleb murmured, a frown wrinkling his brow. Whatever had happened to him must have been horrible if he’d needed a healer. “He is lucky you found him.”
"Lucky, yeah." Clint carried the little bundle over to a discarded box he'd been using to carry books up to Caleb, and dumped the rest of the books out to start stuffing blankets and towels inside with one hand. "As lucky as you can be when it was mostly just me and Cal needing some time away from this place.”
“That is pretty lucky.” Caleb went over to Clint’s side and stuck his hands into the box to help arrange the blankets. “Right place, right time. It does not get more lucky than that.”
With a prrp, Frumpkin hopped up onto the desk and slowly crept up closer to Clint, eyes on the slumbering puppy in his arms. He rubbed against Clint’s arm, then lowered his head to sniff a floppy puppy ear.
Clint eyed Frumpkin thoughtfully. "Doesn't seem like he minds the pup…"
Caleb smiled at his cat. “No, he doesn’t.” He looked back at Clint and the dog he held. “I think we are both in agreement that he should stick around.”
Carefully, Clint lay the puppy in the bed he'd made in the box, then sat back on his heels, taking a deep breath. Then he grinned up at Caleb in thanks, and reached out to stroke beneath Frumpkin's chin. "Thanks. I mean he's. Kinda like us, right?”
Caleb looked at the puppy thoughtfully. He hadn’t made that connection, but now that Clint had pointed it out it was impossible not to see. “He kind of is,” he agreed with a small, bittersweet smile.
Clint watched as the puppy nuzzled down into the blankets and promptly fell back asleep, and he took a deep breath. "Lucky. Yeah. He sure as hell is. Might as well call him that while he's here. It's fitting. Lucky, like us.”
“That’s a good name.” Caleb attention was fixed on the puppy too, as was Frumpkin’s who had put his front paws on the edge of the box to peer down at him. “We should get him a name tag with your number on it.”
"Shit, like I'm, responsible and all?" That was heavy. Clint had never been responsible for anything in his life, and the puppy was so small, and looked so fragile. Should he be responsible for something like that?
Caleb smiled at Clint. “Why not? You took care of me.” For no reason, without even being asked.
“He will end up taking care of you as much as you take care of him.” He glanced to Frumpkin as he said this, but his cat’s attention was elsewhere. He hopped into the box and lay down with the puppy, with Lucky, curling around him.
Clint stared at the cat curling up with the puppy - his puppy, and a smile broke out on his face. He looked up at Caleb, unable to get rid of the smile and nodded. "Just as much as you take care of me.”
That was the nicest thing someone had said about Caleb in awhile. He smiled at it, and nodded. “Yes. As much as we take care of each other.”
Huffing a soft breath, Clint nodded, then rose to his feet. "Hey, can you and Frump watch him for a bit? I should go into town and hit the pet store.”
“Of course.” Caleb grabbed a book off his bed, then sat down on the floor beside the box and opened the book to the page he’d left off on. “I will be here."
Clint took another look at the puppy, unsure, but gave another nod before heading out the door. He trusted Caleb to watch him, and the doc had said he was going to sleep for awhile, so now was the perfect time to go. He just had to find some way to hitchhike into town. Damn, he needed a bike.
