Chapter Text
She scowled as she carried the bitty cage up the stairs to her apartment, when her sibling asked her to take this thing off their hands she hadn’t expected it to smell so bad. Looking down into the cage she could see the little bastard looking up at her, clinging to the bars of the cage closest to her. The Mutt bitty had been taller than the others, but seemed much less active. She was hoping that meant he would need less attention and care if he didn’t do anything most of the time. Sighing she set the cage on top of her dresser watching the bitty tumble over himself and scramble back towards the edge of the cage to where she stood. Mutt reached his arms up towards his new owner, wanting to be picked up. Someone had finally taken him home and he wanted nothing more than to cuddle like he saw other bitties be cuddled. Giving her a pathetic sad expression to which she rolled her eyes, he really did smell bad. Sighing to herself she opened the cage and grabbed the bitty, he whined and wriggled when she held him too tightly. “Mommy, too tight!” Mutt whimpered up at her, his sockets wide, this wasn’t what he had been hoping for at all. “Hush, you’re fine.” She told him as she carried him to the sink, turning on the tap. Tugging off his clothes and wrinkling her nose, they smelled really bad too.
Mutt whined and curled as his clothes were taken away and he was left bare, the air was cold and he was already missing his coat. So he tried to curl up down in her hand further for warmth, peering up at her. Maybe she just didn’t know how to handle bitties yet, surely she would get better at this. And then they could cuddle all the time, his little soul full of hope. All he’d ever wanted was to find a home where he would be loved, and could give his own love. He nuzzled her thumb as he was carried to the sink, looking at the water as she turned it on and waited. He got excited again thinking that he would have a nice bath and maybe after he would get to cuddle and play with her.
Holding him in one hand she ran hot water over the bitty, Mutt struggled when it got in his sockets and spluttered. That was not what he’d been expecting and the water was too hot. Mutt tried to cover his face with his arms, choking on some water that had gotten in through his nasal aperture. She ignored his cries and started scrubbing his bones clean, she didn’t have anything to wash him with except a dish sponge. She made a mental note to throw this away or only use it on the bitty, she didn’t want that filth on her dishes. The sponge was abrasive and he was trying to push it away. “M-mommy! Hurts!” Mutt whined up at her as he struggled, it was scraping his bones painfully and a few places began to seep marrow but the hot water washed it away. The too hot water made those spots ache and he trembled in her hand, this was the worst bath he’d ever gotten. “I told you to hush, you smell really bad.” She snapped at his feeble protests, making him whimper but be quiet. Rinsing him off she put him down beside the sink and started washing his clothes, maybe he wouldn’t stink so bad now at last.
Mutt huddled on the side of the sink shivering from the cold, whimpering quietly as he looked up at his owner. He scooted closer to her trying to cuddle up against her side for warmth, only for her to look down at him and push him away. Mutt whimpered louder as he was pushed away, he was cold and his bones ached from the rough scrubbing he’d received. “Stop that, you’re wet.” She hissed at him, wringing out his clothes and laying them on the counter to dry. There should be some extra ones in the bag her sibling gave her for him, sighing as she picked him up and grabbed a dish towel. Roughly drying him off, earning more cries as he tried to struggle. The abrasive towel only made the already sore spots on his bones worse, and he could feel the marrow starting to seep from the shallow abrasions. But at least the towel was warm, she placed him beside the cage still inside the towel and started rummaging through the bag. Thankfully there were some clothes and they didn’t smell bad, yet anyways.
Mutt peeked out from inside the towel at her, curling up to warm up. Until she pulled it away and dressed him, he’d stopped trying to wriggle since it didn’t do any good. But he did hug her thumb and nuzzle against her hand once he was dressed again, purring softly. He was hopeful that his new mommy would learn to hold him more gently, and maybe if he didn’t struggle so much she wouldn’t hold so tight. His cuddling was short lived as she put him back into the cage, shaking him off. Mutt tumbled across the bottom of the cage and whined softly, turning over to look up at her but she had already closed the door and was walking away. Whimpering he stood at the edge holding onto the bars again, watching as she left the room. He could feel his chest tighten and tears sting his sockets, why didn’t she want to cuddle him? Hadn’t he been a good boy for her? He’d tried his best to behave but…he sniffled softly and scrubbed his sleeve across his watery sockets. Mutt reminded himself that it could take time, his new mommy never had a bitty before, she just didn’t know. Surely their bond would grow and she would love him back.