Co-Adoption Is Ruff

Big Steps. They were taking very big steps. Sometimes when she thought about it they didn't feel so big, not considering everything that they had faced together. False Accusations, The Ministry and even Death. What's a little commitment in the face of all of that? Other times it felt terrifyingly huge, totally insurmountable. If she were capable about being rational about it when it felt scary then she would see it was totally silly to feel that way. Neither could imagine life without the other and they missed one another when they were too busy to visit and the mornings when they woke up together were the best. But still.. There was a hesitation. Things were finally good for them and she didn't want to mess them up by trying to make them better, so baby steps.

Baby steps happened to be cute and furry. Theo didn't seem as enthusiastic as she was about petting all of the things but he did look like he was enjoying himself. When Theo smiled it made her heart flutter just as it always had, even though he was smiling at a dog and not at her. It lit his face up in the perfect way and softened his angles turning him from intimidating (but attractive) troll into someone totally endearing. Mali gave the dog one last scratch, climbed to her feet and followed after Theo. He nearly stopped her in her tracks by looking back to smile at her but then she saw just past him at the little furry thing sitting at the kennel door. "Holy Hippogriffs!" She squealed, having never seen something so cute in her entire life. "It's so fluffy!" She sat cross legged next to him, fitting her hand between the bars. "He's very sweet." she agreed with a nod while laying her free hand on Theo's knee to give it an affectionate squeeze. "And he's got good taste, I think he likes you." The witch stroked along the dog's floofy back. "And his fur is so soft."

He was a little smaller than what she imagined their dog would be. They needed a small dog, though. Something that would fit in her apartment on the days she kept him. "We could put bows in it, or maybe tie little bandanas around his neck! Eoin and I could even paint his nails. He would be the best dressed in all of London. I'd do them in yellow with black stripes, because he seems like a Hufflepuff." Mali tilted her head to look at Theo "Doesn't he? He's literally a puff, the huffle seems to be a given. What d'you think? He's sad in here, I think. His eyes look sad. We've got to take him." As Mali was prone to doing when excited, she spoke a mile a minute while not allowing a word in edge wise. "Or maybe he's just a thinker and that's his intense focus look, he's thinking about how much he wants to come home with us. Or you, I think Greta might take a bit to get used to him. You think he likes cats? He sort've looks like one of those big fluffy white ones.. Persians, I think? How often d'you think he needs to be groomed?"

The pup was certainly well behaved, which was good. Mali wouldn't mind a dog that was chomping at the bit and jumping around for all their attention but considering the sensitive potion they were brewing at home and all the things a dog could get into it was certainly better to have one with a calm, even temperament... Plus, he was so fluffy. She was sure she'd never seen anything with near as much floof to them. "Like I said.." Mali gloated, moving to lace her fingers with Theo over his knee. "He's got good taste."

Mali would do this whole dog adoption thing every single day if it meant she could get cuddly with Theo. The familiar weight of his head on her shoulder made her feel tingly and pleasant inside and their hands always felt absolutely perfect intertwined together. She made plans to make the dog the most fabulous pup not only in London, but the whole wide wizarding world. Such a fabulous canine would need a name, though. "Theo!" Mali exclaimed without missing a beat. It was the first one to mind because it was always on her mind. Her favorite name in the whole wide world. "Theo, we'll name him Theo! Theodore Puppington Johar-Ashland, to be more specific. Not sure where Puppington came from but it looks like it fits, doesn't it? He looks very fancy, doesn't he? We'll call him Theo for short." Mali pulled her hand from between the bars to look at Theo with her own version of puppy dog eyes, free hand grabbing onto the sleeve of his shirt while her bottom lip poked out in a pout. "Please? He would be such a precious little Theo to match my precious big Theo."

"Fancy haircuts." She nodded her agreement. "We could add highlights to his fur to match the season. Something bright and fun for summer, red for Christmas, pink for Valentine's day." He was certainly going to be the brightest canine in the whole wide wizarding world with colorful color coordinated streaks in his fur. Theo, the wonderful person that he was, went to go get the dog let out so they could play with him. It was a formality, really, because she already knew that the newly crowned Theo Jr. would be coming home with them. Or one of them, they still had to work out who would keep him and when. She beckoned him over with a pat to her knee. "I wish I had a ball I could throw for him, when d'you think someone played with him last? There's a charming dog park down the block from my place. We could take him there on the days we manage to get free together." She occasionally visited that park to patpatpat the cute doggies, and now she'd have one of her own to bring.

Like father, like son. It was official, they were going to be dog parents. The best dog parents, too. The pair of them were full of love for each other with more than enough to spare for such a tiny, fluffy pup. Who knew how big the dog really was under all that fur. "Mm." she nodded, full to the brim with happiness. Mali even beamed up at Theo, temporarily ruining the pout. "You're definitely the fanciest troll I've ever seen." Mali dropped the smile the moment she felt it in her cheeks, wiping it off in favor of the most pathetic looking puppy dog face she had ever managed. It worked beautifully, too. It felt like Theo was going to play hard to get, but in the end he acquiesced fairly easily, even tapped her nose which she promptly wrinkled with a "Hey!" of faux indignance.

Theo, brilliant and fancy troll that he was, even had great suggestions like sweater knitting. "Probably." Mali admitted as the tall man stood up and worked on getting the dog let out. "We're going to plaaay with you!" she sing songed to the adorable dog. When Theo was back and on his knees Mali nodded along with him. "And the biggest kid to run around with. You think he'll like playing with Meg's dog?" If Meg would allow for such a thing, the woman seemed to have a special revulsion to all things Mali related, but even the big mean sister troll couldn't resist a dog as cute as this one, could she? "What d'you think his favorite toy is?"

She watched Theo tease the dog before beckoning the creature over so she could pet him some more. "No, I've never actually owned a dog." A tragedy for someone who loved all the furry creatures (and even some that weren't furry as long as they had at least two legs but no more than four.) "My dads had cats when I was little and they bought me fish, and a rabbit, a handful of gerbils. They're not terribly resilient creatures and they get lost really easily." There was the owl she got when she went off to school, but they were in muggle territory so she'd have to tell him about that later. "Greta was a sort've graduation present to myself and Eoin's got his cat clique. No dog. I like dogs, though. They seem friendlier. Cats only like you when they're hungry or bored." The witch leaned down to address Theo II, using a sugary sweet voice. "You'd like me all the time, wouldn't you? Even when your belly is full.. Oh, what d'you think his favorite food is?"