Chapter Text
Charles sighed as he exited his fencing club, exhausted from the exercise after a full day of work.The sun had set a few hours of earlier, leaving the city sky a beautiful violet hue. The street was relatively quiet, with a few passers by walking around, since rush hour had long come and gone. As he headed towards his sleek black car, he heard a small whimper come from a well-groomed bush nearby. Though he was not an animal enthusiast, he still cared for and appreciated them, and would take the chance to help any animal may the need arise. He paused, turning and walking in the direction of the bush. In the shadow of the round shrub sat a small cardboard box which was barely visible by the dim glow of the street lights. On the side of the box, the word ‘FREE’ was written in all caps, in black permanent marker.
Charles kneeled down on the concrete so that he could more clearly see what was in the box, setting down his fencing bag. He pulled the box closer to him, so that he could get a better look of what was in the small container. When Charles peered into the box, he saw a small, brown ball of fluff. The animal, whatever it was, was slightly covered by an old newspaper. Charles was surprised that the paper hadn’t been ripped, as his experience with animals and paper consisted of them shredding the material to pieces. He tentatively reached out a hand and lifted the paper to see what the animal was, and gasped softly when it shifted and turned its face in his direction.
He was greeted by the face of a brown pomeranian puppy, seemingly well groomed and fed. The dog’s eyes were brown, and were looking back at Charles in a curious but shy manner. Already, Charles thought the dog reminded him of Samara, his lovely assistant. Maybe I should bring the dog home, Charles thought. I surely can’t leave the dog out in the streets. I’ll just bring her with me and decide on my next step.
“Let’s get you home, okay? It would be a pity for you to sleep out here on the streets tonight.” Charles slung his fencing bag over his shoulder and picked up the cardboard box. “I promise I’ll get you some better accommodations once we get home. And probably pick a name for you. Maybe I could ask for Samara’s help with this… after all, I haven’t had a dog since I was a child.”
~~
Charles walked in through the front entry of his penthouse, balancing all his belongings and trying to keep the dog steady. Finally, he made his way to the living room and set his items down. “I’ll sort these later. For now, I think I’ll focus on getting you situated.” He looked at the dog, pondering what he should do. Maybe I’ll call Samara. She has Bowser, so she could definitely help me care for a dog properly. And find a vet. We need to make sure that the dog doesn’t have any diseases or parasites. Yes, that’s what I think I’ll do. I’ll call Samara.
~~
“Hello? Charles?”
“Ah, hello, Samara. If it doesn’t inconvenience you, I would like to ask if you could help me shop for pet items? I rescued a stray this evening, and may need some guidance from a current dog owner to care for it properly.”
“Oh! Sure, Charles! U-um, would you be okay with picking me up? There aren’t any buses running, and I’m not sure where your apartment is.”
“It would be my pleasure, Samara. I don’t exactly enjoy you taking public transportation, anyways. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Okay! I’ll be waiting, then!”
~~
Sam squealed like an excited child when she saw the dog, bouncing up and down.
“Oh, Charles, where did you find her? She’s so adorable! I bet Bowser would be a great friend for her!” Sam gushed, nuzzling the puppy’s snout. The utter look of joy on Samara’s face made Charles extremely content with his decision to rescue the dog.
“Wait, you said the dog is a she?”
“Yes, silly. Normally owners who leave their dogs on the streets either don’t want to pay for a vet, or can’t afford it. So… um, y-yeah!”
Sam giggled nervously, avoiding eye contact with Charles by looking back at the dog. Charles smiled a little, appreciating the innocence of his bunty.
“Shall we head out then?”
“U-um, sure. That’s fine. A-and, um, about the vet’s, they sh-should be able to confirm… what I s-said.” Sam blushed pinker, hoping that Charles wouldn’t judge her for her immaturity.
“Alright, I’ll get everything in the car, and you can hold her.”
~~
They were both in the car, on the way to the vet’s office. Sam noticed that the dog seemed to enjoy the ride, but was a bit nervous and unmoving in her lap.
“Charles, have you picked a name for her?”
“Hmm? I—I guess not; after all, it has been quite a blur, with bringing her home and all. Do you have any suggestions, Samara?”
“Well, not exactly, but—nevermind.” Sam hesitated, worrying that Charles would tease her if she spoke her mind.
Picking up on Sam’s nervousness, Charles responded, “It’s alright, Samara. I won’t judge, laugh, or tease, no matter what you choose to say.”
“U-um, okay. Thanks, Charles. I guess I was just g-going to say that her personality kind of reminded her of m-me. I mean— she’s a bit shy, and her hair and eyes are the same colors as mine.”
Charles chuckled, delighted that it was not just him who thought the dog was like Samara.
“Hey! Charles, you said you wouldn’t laugh!” Sam’s lips turned into a pout, her brown eyes wide with shock, eyebrows tented.
“I wasn’t laughing at you, bunty. I had thought the same thing, when I found her. She even looks quite a bit like you, in a way. I was just happy that you had the same thought as I did. Though I was too afraid to express my thoughts, and you beat me there. I promise I was not teasing, Samara.”
Sam smiled at him, relieved, and the dog yipped at Charles, as if to thank him on Sam’s behalf.
“She is a little more confident than you, though. But we’re working on that, so one day you might be as confident as she is. We’ll keep thinking of a suitable name. Anyhow, we’re here.”
“Thank you for the ride, Charles.”
“Of course, it was only fair of me, after dragging you out on an errand in the evening.”
Sam giggled at Charles’ remark, opening the door and sliding out of the car. Charles was so caught up in the moment of watching her make her way across the empty parking lot with the dog cradled in her arms that he didn’t realize he hadn’t even helped her out of the car.