Project Amity

Puppy Love

Part 1 of many Christmas one shots 

This one is for a very good friend, Reina_de_Naipes thank you for always putting up with my shit. I didn't know if I'd ever be here since I'm so isolated, but thank you for pretty much just reaching out. I'll be forever grateful, and I really can't give back besides words. 

Your Latte one shot is ready, and half edited. It's long, like 5.2 k words. I'm sorry if it's not good. I tried.

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When Lance was a young by, he always wanted a dog, a fluffy companion. His parents never understood why, he had a big family and was almost never alone. Also, they just thought having a dog would just add a bunch of unneeded responsibility for him. But, he kept insisting, quite stubbornly in fact, he would always bring it up subtly dinner, or even just mention it in passing. Many of the people he knew owned a pet, whether it was a dog, cat, lizard, and he would watch as their eyes lit up in love or affection every time. Even his best friends had a pet, and they would bring up details of how cute they were, or what they did the evening before. Lance listened with interest, also with slight jealousy. He wanted to be a part of the fun. He wanted to brag about having a pet and how awesome they would be, he thought it would be fun to own a dog. He picked a dog because of the many stories he would hear, and all of the dog videos he watched on a daily basis. Even his abuelita told him stories about her old dog, a big Australian Shepard she found out was brought to Cuba but then abandoned. His eyes showed stars every time she told tales of how her dog would roam the streets but come back home, how he would guard the house, how big he was. It just made him want a dog even more, and she wasn't against the idea as much as his mother was. His dream always got shot down however, because his mother or father would lecture him on how much responsibility owning a dog would be. He sometimes tuned them out and daydreamed about playing with one. He just pouted when his latest attempt failed and retreat to his room in defeat.

Finally, on the special day of Christmas, he got his wish. He held his breath, as he waited for his father, eyes closed. Every single-family member watched and snickered with how still the boy was. He yelped feeling a weight upon his lap, and he opened his eyes. He found himself staring into black beady eyes. His lips formed the widest smile, as he held his new pet in his hands. A small corgi pup, looked to be smiling back at him as wide as he was. Lance brought his face for a closer look, just to make sure everything was real. And he felt the puppy lick his nose, and he laughed at the ticklish feeling. He wanted to cry, the pup looked too cute with his little black nose and beady eyes. He was golden brown, and to Lance the colors looked cool. He placed the puppy on the ground, and watched with amusement at how the puppy walked on its small legs and explored the tightly cramped room. The biggest joy washed upon him as he felt it, this was real. He looked towards his mother, so very grateful he was. She pets his head with a happy smile.

"After discussing this with your Papa, we have decided to let you have a dog. BUT, now you must look after him, think of him as a new family. He must be fed, walked, and most of all you must give him a lot of time. Can you do that?" She asked, giving him that strict tone she always does when he gets lectured. He nodded vigorously, really, he felt too excited to understand just how serious she was, but he understood. He went up to hug her, and then his dad very tightly, he couldn't have been happier.

"Does he have a name?" Lance asked.

"We negotiated with the adoption center, that we would come up with a name at home to put on the papers. Since he is your dog, you get to name him." Lance's father explained. Lance went into concentration mode, eyebrows furrowed, and lips pressed together into a tight line. What should he name him? He wanted the name to be unique, but cool at the same time. He only met the corgi for five minutes, but Lance knew HIS pet deserved an awesome name. He took a few minutes to go over names in his head, and mumbled to himself. His expression brightened, and his fingers snapped as he thought of, what he felt was, the best name ever.