Work Text:
The air was crisp as it pricked at the skin on your face. You couldn’t help but let a smile spread across your face where it hid underneath your mask. Your right hand clutched the handle of the carrier while your left moved to adjust the beanie on your head. As you got closer to your car, you couldn’t help but put a little more pep in your step. It was an exciting day, after all.
As you slid into the driver’s seat in your car, you couldn’t help but peer over at the carrier in the passenger seat. A dog. You just adopted a dog. You just adopted a dog from a shelter for you and Rosé. Or, more accurately, you just adopted the dog Rosé had asked for weeks ago and were planning on giving it to her today, Valentine’s Day.
–– 2 weeks ago ––
“Please, Y/N, can we please just go in and look? Just this once?” Rosé pleaded with those eyes that you just couldn’t say no to. You walked past this shelter many times before, and each time she had asked you if you could take a trip inside “just to look, I promise.” Every time you would give in, not being able to deny yourself the happiness of seeing her hopping from kennel to kennel talking to each dog or cat as if they could understand her at all. It wasn’t that you didn’t want a dog, you did want to adopt one with Rosé at some point. It was something you talked about, but you had agreed that you just hadn’t found the right match yet.
Today was different. You could tell from the way her eyes zeroed in on a kennel toward the back corner and you followed behind as she beelined to it.
“Oh my god, Y/N, look at him!” She turned to you and pouted before turning back to look at the dog. He was very peaceful sleeping, his pointed ears sticking up making him look even more adorable.
A shelter worker came up behind you guys and asked if you needed anything and then told you this little guys’ story. They mentioned that he had been here for about a month already, no one really giving him a second thought, and he was just waiting for a forever home. You fell in love with him right then and there.
“Ok, thank you, I think we’ll think about it.” You were surprised about Rosé’s response, expecting her to ask to take him home on the spot, but after walking around a little longer, you left hand-in-hand not saying much else about him. The wheels in your head began turning.
-
A few days later, you made your way back to the shelter while Rosé was still at work. To your surprise, the same dog was still there. He was awake that day, and you couldn’t help but smile at the way his ears were extra perky or the way his tail seemed to be very happy at all times.
“Can I help you with anything?” a shelter worker came up behind you as you were lost in your thoughts.
“Oh, hi, I-uh, I was interested in adopting this little guy?”
“He’s a sweetie, let me check on some paperwork for you.”
You turned back to the dog and found yourself talking to him, saying things like “you’re going to love your new home,” or “your new family is going to spoil you so much.” You were wrapped up in this as much as you knew Rosé was, and you couldn’t help but be excited for this next step in your relationship.
The worker informed you that the dog, whose name was something like “coffee bean”, something generic that the shelter had given him when he got there, wasn’t going to be ready to go home until February 14. Although you weren’t going to make her birthday, Valentine’s Day was close enough as you knew she would be excited for him either way.
You filled out the paperwork and left smiling with a promise to come back in a few weeks to finally take him home.
–– 1 week ago ––
It was a struggle to keep your girlfriend away from that shelter, even for a short time. You were starting to run out of routes that would constitute as the “long way home”, or reasons why you had to stop places that were in opposite directions from the shelter on your way home. You were hoping she wouldn’t think anything of it. You wanted to keep this secret just a little longer after all. You weren’t sure if you could do that if she walked back in there.
“You know what, Y/N, I keep thinking about that dog.” This was a situation you weren’t exactly prepared for, sitting on the couch, watching a movie with Rosé’s head resting in your lap while you ran your fingers absentmindedly through her hair. It was a peaceful moment, but you felt your heartbeat pick up at her statement, wracking your brain for any excuse to change the subject.
“Oh? What about him?” You tried to keep your voice steady to not give away any ounce of anything.
“I just keep thinking that we should go back for him. He seemed like the one .”
You gave an affirmative hum.
“How about this? I’ll call tomorrow morning and if he’s still not been adopted, we can go get him?”
She shot up and looked you in the eyes, eyebrows raising in excitement.
“Wait, are you serious?”
You gave out a chuckle before responding, absolutely in love with the way her eyes shined with a childlike wonder.
“100%, baby.”
She wrapped herself around you so quickly and forcefully it knocked the breath out of you.
As she squealed into your ear and as your head rested on her shoulder, you couldn’t help but stiffen at the thought that you would be taking away this happiness temporarily.
-
The next morning you woke to the smell of coffee brewing in the kitchen. Figuring Rosé was already awake by the empty spot next to you in bed, you padded your way to the kitchen, stopping around the corner and taking a deep breath before entering.
“Good morning,” you greeted from the opposite side of the counter as you watched Rosé scramble some eggs on the stove.
“Good morning,” She said as she looked up and smiled at you before she walked around the counter to give you a peck and return to her eggs in the pan. You didn’t want to ruin her seemingly good mood, but you were already too deep in this lie. You laid in bed awake the night before going over what you would say over and over again. Lying wasn’t something you’ve ever successfully done before, and you were hoping she would buy this one.
“So...I just got off the phone with the shelter.”
She dropped the utensil she was working with, looking up at you with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.
“Yes? AND?”
“I have some bad news. They said he was adopted sometime last week. But he’s not going home until next week if you want to go take another look.” You shrugged, trying to seem somewhat sad that this was the outcome.
“Oh,” she paused, dropping her gaze and her smile and returning to her task at hand, “well, I guess it just wasn’t meant to be then.”
The conversation dropped at that, disappointment filling the air, and neither of you brought up the shelter since that day.
–– Today ––
You couldn’t believe this was happening. Finally. You glanced to the backseat where all of the supplies you had worked with the shelter to accumulate over the last two weeks sat. You had everything you needed to make sure he would have a comfortable home with you two.
You and Rosé had agreed on a nice dinner at home for Valentine’s Day this year since her schedule was pretty packed, which was perfect for the surprise you had planned. You returned home and got straight to work.
First, you set the dog up with his toys and his bed and his food, playing a little fetch with him before you moved to the kitchen to start dinner. An hour later, you were finishing up dinner and lighting some final candles when you heard your phone ding from the living room. Running over, you saw it was a text from Rosé, and you were happy she heeded your request to wait for you before coming into the apartment. You glanced over to the corner of the room, seeing that the dog was asleep in his bed, just as quiet and peaceful as the first day you had seen him together.
Rosé was leaning against the door frame as you opened it, and you walked out into the hallway with her for just a second to set up the surprise.
“Hello?” she questioned, and you didn’t respond, opting to give her a quick greeting kiss before telling her to close her eyes. As she did so, you brought your hands up to cover her eyes, ensuring that she wouldn’t be able to see anything until you wanted her to.
“Y/N, what did you do?” she asked, still confused as to what she was going to see on the other side of the door.
Soft r&b sounded through the apartment and you could feel her immediately relax as she passed the threshold inside. You led her to the living room, standing at just the entrance before removing your hands.
“Ok, baby, you can open your eyes.”
You watched as she did what she was told, scanning the room until her eyes landed on the dog in the corner of the room. She let out a shocked gasp as her hands covered her mouth, eyes impossibly wide.
“No way. No way, Y/N. NO WAY.”
“Yes, way.”
“You’re the one that adopted HIM???”
“Yep.” Your lips popped the p as you watched her freak out at this surprise. She turned and gave you a teasing slap on your shoulder that made you chuckle before she ran over to the dog.
“Oh my god, he’s so adorable! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” and she looked at you with those eyes that you loved, bright and glistening with happiness.
“I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“I love you so, so, so much.” She turned just enough to place another soft kiss on your lips before turning back to the dog.
“Wait, what’s his name?”
“The shelter said his name was like...coffee bean, but that he didn’t respond to that so we can change it if we wanted to.”
“Hmm…” Her eyebrows furrowed in thought as she brought the dog into her arms, “let’s name him Hank.”
You nodded, “I love that. Hank.”
“And I love you ,” she responded, placing another kiss on top of your nose this time. You couldn’t help but tease her back.
“And I love you , Rosie, Happy Valentine’s Day.” You wrapped an arm around her and Hank, your mind immediately going to all the memories you three would make together and you were excited for what this meant for the future of your relationship.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, baby.”