Sheltering Home: Apple Juice Part 1

Sheltering Home
Apple Juice (Dave X Reader)
Part 1

As soon as you had stumbled through the door, Beth hid behind a shelf and beckoned you over. You joined her, a confused frown creasing your face. She gestured for you to be quiet, then pointed through the shelf.

There, carefully stacking cans of pet food, was a boy. He was dressed in the Animal Shelter uniform and looked to be around Beth's age. After staring at him blankly for a minute, you turned to Beth.

She squirmed uncomfortably under your intense stare. "His name's Bart, and he's my new co-worker! He just showed up today and I don't know what to do around him!" she hissed.

You glanced back at the boy, before bursting into a fit of quiet giggles. Beth shoved her hand over your mouth. Apparently she didn't silence you soon enough, because a moment later Bart had appeared beside you.

He raised an eyebrow curiously. "Oh, hullo Beth. I didn't know your... friend was visiting. Sorry to intrude." he apologized.

Beth's face turned cherry red in an instant. "Oh, no! It's not like that! Not at all! {Name}'s just here to look at the new puppy! I-I thought she'd be the best mother for him! She's really good with animals! We were just... uh, looking for... some food for the little guy! Right, {Name}?" Beth babbled.

You stifled another fit of giggles and nodded. Beth's crush was obvious enough - you didn't need to embarrass her anymore. "Right, right. I'm just taking the pup and going. I didn't mean to disturb you."

Bart's clouded expression cleared and he smiled gently. "Oh, alright. I'll go get him. You just stay put!" he chirped.

As soon as he was out of the room, Beth collapsed. "How am I supposed to work with him if I can't even talk to him?" she whispered.

You shrugged and skipped over her. "Dunno. But at least he's cute." you teased.

Beth groaned and sunk deeper into her little ball of despair. A few minutes later Bart returned, a severely malnourished pup held carefully in his arms. He handed the little guy over to you and smiled.

"He needs a lot of food and a lot of love, but he's a sweetie. I'm glad Beth found someone to look after him." he said.

You thanked him and took the puppy, who attempted to lick you during the exchange. Beth handed you a bag of puppy chow and other stuff for the dog, before shoving you out the door with a muttered remark about how useless you were with boys.

You laughed and slipped into your car. The pup stayed on your lap the entire way home, occasionally licking your nose. You could already tell you were going to fall for him.

You nudged the door closed with your foot before releasing the little dog. He wobbled around your entry way for a minute, making you squeal at how adorable he was. "Aren't you just precious! Come on, let's get you some food, baby!" you cooed.

You scooped the puppy up and headed to the kitchen. An annoyed caw made you pause. Dave landed on your shoulder and glared at you. You raised an eyebrow, but continued on your way.

"What's wrong, Dave? You miss me?" you asked.

Dave snorted and nibbled on your ear, earning a whine of pain from you. Noting your distress, the puppy comforted you the best way he could - by licking your nose. You giggled and kissed his forehead.

"Thanks baby." you cooed. Dave squawked in annoyance and shoved his face into your hair. You sighed in aggravation. "Davey, what are you doing? Do you have to be so... jealous?" you demanded.

Dave scoffed at your accusation. He turned away from you in disgust, whacking your ear with his wing in the process. You rolled your eyes at his temper tantrum.

"This is really un-cool Davey. What's with you today?" you grumbled. You sat the pup down and bustled about making him some food.

Dave cawed in exasperation. Honestly, your nose must be broken to not be able to smell that weird cologne. Maybe it was a bird thing, but the smell was burning his nostrils. So he once again buried his face in your hair, basking in your sweet scent.