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“No.” His voice wasn’t exactly harsh, but it was far from the loving and adoring tone he usually used with her.
“But Doctor!”
“No,” he repeated, but it was immediately followed by, “No no no, don’t, don’t do that.”
His wife was giving him the puppy dog eyes, so it was only a matter of Time before he caved. They both knew this, but The Doctor still made a (rather valiant in his opinion) effort to resist. He had a reputation to uphold, after all.
It didn’t help that an actual puppy was giving him the same eyes from her arms.
The little brown and white bugger had been wiggling in Rose’s hold for several Minutes, but he stopped licking her face to give The Doctor a pleading look of his own. He knew that the pup couldn’t possibly be doing this on purpose, but the sight tugged at his hearts.
Maybe he should try to find a way to weaponize that look. It could be tested the next Time they ran into Daleks. If that worked he’d move on to Jackie Tyler’s glare whenever he got bored and took apart her toaster.
But back to the matter of the dog.
The Doctor could admit to himself that he saw why Rose wanted to keep the puppy. He was cute, seemed to be even-tempered, and needed a home. Why not share theirs? It’s not like they didn’t have the room for him.
But their lifestyle was just not conducive to having a pet, and it wouldn’t be fair to the little guy to leave him alone in the TARDIS all Day. Or even several Days if they ran into a particular amount of trouble. Sure, the Old Girl would provide the pup with everything he needed, but he would lack interaction with other carbon-based life forms.
But Rose was giving him The Eyes.
The Doctor sighed, and Rose grinned knowing she was getting her way. Again. He really couldn’t say no to her, could he?
“Oh alright,” he said, drawing out the first word, “but you’re in charge of him. And no accidents, especially in the console room! There’s some circuitry that would not be able to withstand liquid damage.”
His Bond Mate gave him an unimpressed look and a raised eyebrow in response. “Then why do you drink tea half the Time that you’re under the grating?”
The Doctor sputtered out a response. “Wha— that’s different! The tea I drink is basic, not acidic. And therefore… Rose stop laughing!”
She had set the puppy on the floor before doubling over in giggles. The Doctor tried to put on an indignant or annoyed face, but it didn’t last very long. Instead, he settled for looking put out (no Rose, it was not a pout).
The Doctor watched the puppy as he sniffed around the console room. He didn’t want to admit it out loud, but the dog was rather adorable. His fur was white with patches in two different shades of brown. Based on his size, shape, and colouring, the puppy appeared to be a Shih Tzu around 12 Weeks old. He was rather tiny at about 5 pounds and just 6 inches tall.
The puppy — who would need a name now that they were keeping him — pounced on The Doctor’s trainer and batted at the laces. His frown immediately crumbled at the sight, and he leaned over to scoop the little fellow into his arms.
Pointedly ignoring Rose’s smug look, The Doctor lifted the puppy to his face, holding onto his torso behind the front legs and letting the back paws dangle. “Now,” he scolded, “you shouldn’t be doing that. Not only could you fray my laces, but you shouldn’t try and eat things that aren’t food. It’s not good for you. Do you understand?”
The puppy tilted his head, clearly not understanding but nonetheless appeared to be listening attentively.
Yup, this was a puppy from 21-Century Earth, alright. Tiny and adorable on a weaponisable level. Completely irresistible to all with a beating heart.
Rose giggled, drawing The Doctor’s attention back to her. She took a few steps to reach his side before gently extracting the puppy from his arms. Cooing at him, she started walking towards the corridor.
“I’m going to give him a bath,” she called over her shoulder. “Maybe the Old Girl can help with some food and other supplies for him. At least until we can get to a shop.”
The Doctor gave a noncommittal hum in response before she disappeared from view. Once he was alone, he sighed again before looking up the column of the Time Rotor.
“I’m so going to regret this later, aren’t I?”
His only answer was the telepathic equivalent of a laugh.
The Doctor looked at Apollo. Apollo looked back at The Doctor.
The Time Lord blinked a few times, but the image in front of him stayed the same.
It started when the 5-Month-old puppy wandered into the console room while he was doing some routine maintenance.
At first, The Doctor hadn’t looked over to their newest resident. Apollo had learned what he was and wasn’t allowed to play with after only a few Weeks, so The Doctor hadn’t worried for the safety of either the dog or his ship.
Then Apollo had let out a yip of excitement, and The Doctor stuck his head out from under the grating to see what had caught the little guy’s attention. The sudden movement had startled the puppy, which had resulted in the awkward eye lock the pair were in now.
That was when he noticed what Apollo was wearing.
The Doctor took a few Seconds to process what he was seeing before calling out to the only possible cause.
“ROSE!”
He heard running coming from down the hall, and soon his Bond Mate’s slightly worried face came into view. Apollo barked in delight at the sight of his favourite person and ran to Rose’s side.
“What’s wrong?” she asked in a concerned tone. “I don’t feel any distress from you, but you usually don’t shout like that.”
Rather than answer, The Doctor simply lifted a hand and pointed at their dog.
“What… what is this? Why is Apollo wearing that? Where did you even get that? How did you get that on him?”
Rose followed his gaze before bursting into laughter. Annoyed at being ignored for more than two Seconds, Apollo stood on his hind legs and put his front paws on Rose’s leg in the universal language for ‘pick me up!’ Of course, Rose obliged and bent over to scoop the puppy in her arms.
Apollo wiggled around and ended up on his back like a human baby before relaxing in Rose’s hold. He began playfully biting at the tiny white trainers on his back paws. Rose cooed at him before rubbing his belly, her hand bunching up the pinstriped cotton the puppy wore.
Yes, pinstriped cotton.
Somehow, Rose had gotten her hands on a puppy-sized dog suit that matched The Doctor’s own. It even had a dress shirt and tie. Paired with the aforementioned trainers, Apollo looked like a miniature version of The Doctor. Which was probably Rose’s goal, though where she had gotten the items was a mystery.
Rose crossed the room and sat next to the hole in the grating with her legs dangling down. “Cute, isn’t it?” she said with glee. “To answer your questions in order: dog clothes, he’s cute in it, Mum, and I put his head and legs through the appropriate holes.”
The Doctor gave his Bond Mate a deadpan look. Then he went over her words again before his expression turned to confusion. “Jackie? How in Rassilon’s name did Jackie Tyler get her hands on a pinstriped dog suit?!?”
Rose shrugged. “Mum said that the neighbour two doors down has a cousin whose wife makes custom dog clothes.” She twisted Apollo in her arms to show his stomach. “And look!” she said. “It’s not really a suit. They’re actually pyjamas, so he’s comfy in them.”
Sure enough, the suit wasn’t actually a suit. On closer inspection, The Doctor could tell it was a set of cotton dog pyjamas with the suit jacket and pants, shirt, and tie all dyed on. He had to admit, it was rather cute.
Not that Rose could Ever know. The Doctor was quick to lock the thought away, but the amused look his wife gave him told him she’d caught it over their Bond.
Bollocks.
Ignoring Rose’s smirk, he boosted himself out of the grating to sit beside her. Apollo wiggled out of her lap and into his. The Doctor automatically grabbed the dog’s body to steady him, earning himself a lick on the nose.
A giggle made him look up, and The Doctor wasn’t surprised to see Rose pointing her phone’s camera at the pair of them, clearly recording a video. In the two Months since they’d taken Apollo in, he’d had to expand her phone’s memory to accommodate all the photos she was taking of the puppy. Rose shut off the recording before setting her phone on the grating with a smile.
“My boys,” she joked.
The Doctor couldn’t help but grin back at her. Sure, he might have had a few reservations when Apollo first came into their lives, but Now he couldn’t imagine life without him. Besides, the little dog made Rose happy, and he’d do anything to keep a smile on her face.
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he pressed a kiss to his wife’s hair. He’d been planning on taking them to see the glistening seas of Mivad, but that could wait for another Day.
Instead, The Doctor mentally plotted out the coordinates for Aidma, a planet that was one giant dog park. Apollo had a new outfit that was just begging to be shown off. It was the pinnacle of style, after all.