Chapter Text
Andy had no desire to get a dog or have anything to do with a dog. It didn’t fit his lifestyle and he didn’t want to give up his freedom to do whatever he wanted without having to worry about what some mutt thought. But if the last couple of years had taught him anything it was that life gives you stuff whether you want it or not.
He had been walking back to his place after picking up a sandwich from a shop nearby. He hadn’t tried their food before but, when he didn’t have plans for the rest of the day and found himself hungry, figured he might as well give it a shot. What was the worst that could happen? He gets food poisoning?
Actually, that sounded pretty bad. Not bad enough to stop him from eating it though since he had already paid for it and he’d be damned if he was gonna let Big Sandwich win. But the sandwich wasn’t the point. The point is that on his way home, something started following Andy King and wouldn’t stop.
Andy realized he wasn’t walking alone when he heard the little pitter patters behind him. It didn’t register in his mind at first that the sound was actually something alive, assuming that it was just a twig smacking against a window. But then the sound persisted and worry started to worm its way into Andy’s brain and burrow deep. The worry was mostly Errol’s fault since his nephew had become fixated on the local crime rates and used every opportunity to talk Andy’s ear off about the rise of carjackings. The possibility that a hooked madman was stalking behind him, plotting to off him and then steal all his good stuff and his sandwich, was low but not low enough. He steeled his nerves, balled his fist, and took a deep breath before spinning around.
No one was behind him. Or so he thought until he lowered his gaze and realized it wasn’t a person that was after him but a dog. There it stood, a little scraggly thing wagging its tail furiously and staring into Andy’s soul with big dark eyes. And as Andy stared back at that eager little face, he found himself utterly…
Annoyed. He just wanted to go home and unwind and enjoy his sandwich. But instead, he was being followed by some grimy guy. Its fur was matted and off-color everywhere, yellowish in places it would be white and grayish in places it would be black. Patches were missing in spots around the face. Its paws had clumps of dirt in them.
“Go on then,” Andy said. “Off you go, I guess.” He made a waving gesture to try and shoo it away.
The dog just tilted its head and wagged its tail harder.
Andy sighed and turned around, not willing to let that interrupt his day any longer. Even when the pitter-patter of little paws could immediately be heard resuming, he ignored it. He walked to his building and started to head into the entryway but the dog seemed to intend to follow him in. Clearly, the dog couldn’t take a hint.
“Go!”
…
Andy, although very bothered by it all, unwrapped his sandwich and plucked a slice of turkey from between the slices of bread and cheese. Then he tossed it over the dog and onto the sidewalk far enough that the little dog would have to run back to get it. And when the dog did, Andy went inside and pushed the whole thing out of his mind.
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Andy continued to ignore the dog, not engaging with it in any way and thinking about it as little as possible. A decent strategy at first, but it failed less than a week later when he was forced to do otherwise.
It was after dark when Andy returned home and it was already drizzling. It was later than he would have liked since it was predicted to storm heavily that night and Andy fancied not dying. But then he got out of his car and found someone watching him. The dog. With its big eager eyes staring into Andy with so much hope in them. So he had no choice in the matter, not really. He had to take that really dirty dog into his arms and into his home.
He had to sneak it in so that his landlord wouldn’t figure out that he had an animal in his place without registering it first and paying all the proper fees. It wouldn’t help his case either that the animal in question was a stray. Luckily no one was in the hallways or on the stairs as he ran to his door with a soggy lump wrapped in his arms. As soon as he was in his own place and had locked the door, checking it several times just to make sure no one could get in, Andy started to think his plan through and acknowledged all the many problems with it.
Problem #1: Andy didn’t have any supplies to take care of a dog or the knowledge to do so. No food, no bed for it to sleep in, nothing to bathe it with (and it needed a bath). It was just for a night though, so he could probably make do with what he had.
Solution #1: Andy got a can of cooked chicken chunks and put it out in a bowl as well as filled a separate bowl with water. The dog lapped it all up with a desperation that reminded him of himself in an uncomfortable way. He also put a towel down in a low-rise laundry basket for a bed and resigned himself to sharing a living space with a foul-smelling dog for a night. He wasn’t going to go back into a dark and stormy night to buy dog shampoo for a dog that wasn’t sticking around.
Problem #2: If he got caught with this dog there would be a chance of his landlord not being cool about it and possibly kicking him out. Andy suspected that his landlord probably wouldn’t understand his whole ‘just for a night’ thing.
Solution #2: Just lie. Not a great plan given that Andy had been trying to turn over a new leaf, but if on the chance that anyone came to the door and heard something then he could just blame the TV. And then he could smuggle the dog out without anyone catching on.
Andy settled in for the night, changing out of his jeans and brushing his teeth. He picked up the dog, who stared at him once more with blank eyes, and placed him in the makeshift bed. The dog circled a few times before flopping down with a sigh.
“Stay.”
More staring. Andy wasn’t sure what he had expected. He got into bed and fell asleep to the sounds of someone else’s breathing.