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A/N: Back when I wrote Stray Dog Man, AJ 2016 said Steve just had to keep the sea dog because he had the place for it. So, this is for you!
Steve tried. He really, honestly tried. Danny would never believe him, but he had, dammit. It wasn't his fault nobody wanted an Aquarian Sea Dog. Except, apparently, him.
He tried the rescues first. He knew it was a long shot, but he tried. None of them would help him, though. Most of them hung up immediately when they heard he was Danny's partner. Danny was notorious for taking in stray dogs, and if the local rescues took in every dog Danny found, they'd be flooded within a month. All of them. Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad. Danny took in a lot of dogs, and most of them ended up with Steve.
The rescues that did talk to Steve wouldn't take in a sea dog. They weren't equipped for alien dogs, they told him politely. They did, however, give him the name of a rescue specializing in alien pets.
Hopeful, Steve called them. They were very helpful, until he got to the part where it was a sea dog. Sorry, they said. They weren't equipped for a sea dog. It needed to be kept wet, and they just didn't have the facilities. It's New Hawaii, Steve had argued. There's beaches everywhere. Yes, but we just don't have access, they'd replied.
So Steve tried taking that excuse back to Danny.
Danny had just looked at him, incredulous. "You're kidding me, right?" He said.
"No, Danny," Steve replied. "He needs to be kept wet. He needs someplace with beach access."
Danny's incredulity didn't lessen. "And what do you call that large expanse of water behind your place?"
Damn. Steve knew that would come up. He knew it was a weak argument, but he had to try. He was not Danny's personal rescue, dammit. Except, apparently, he was. "I don't know if it's the right kind of water," Steve tried. "I don't know what he's used to on Aquarius 7a."
"Well, I suggest you find out," was Danny's advice.
So, Chin pulled up the specs for Aquairus 7a's ocean, and Eric ran tests on the water behind Steve's house, and they determined it was, in fact, a match. "There's a little more salt," Eric said, "and a little more nitrogen on Aquarius 7a, but he'll be fine."
So, Steve moved Salty (okay, he named it. So sue him. He couldn't just call it "dog", now could he?) from the bathtub where he'd been living, doused frequently with the shower head, into a shark cage in the water. He got a nice, big one, meant for up to four tourists, and Salty seemed ecstatic, paddling about happily. Steve went to visit him frequently. He couldn't let him get lonely, right?
In the meantime, Steve kept trying to find him a home, even though he was becoming more and more convinced Salty had found his home. Steve already had two dogs, though, and he wasn't sure how they'd react to a third. At least, that was his excuse. Ursa Major, Steve's Pegasian lizard dog, loved him and kept trying to get into the bathroom to visit while Salty was there. He'd even tried to swim out to the cage, but Pegasian lizard dogs, it seemed, didn't like water. Urse had gotten about two steps in and fled back to the beach, shaking himself vigorously and glaring accusingly at Steve like it was all his fault.
Fido, Steve's Boston terrier, was more reserved. At first, he barked at Salty. A lot. Salty, patient soul that he seemed to be, just ignored the excitable little dog. So, finally, Fido had quit. He still kept his distance, though. Fido didn't seem inclined to warm up to Salty any time soon, but Salty mostly stayed in the cage these days, so it wasn't really an issue.
So, Steve kept looking. His next try was his vet. The vet was very kind and offered to post a notice, even though Steve was pretty sure he was just as tired of Danny's strays as every one else. There was a continual influx of new patients, though, so you could never tell when one would respond to one of the ads. "I don't think it'll do much good," the vet warned. "There's just not much call for sea dogs. Too much special care."
Steve just sighed. He'd heard that line a lot. There went another possibility.
A month later, Steve finally admitted defeat. Besides, he wasn't sure he could give Salty up even if he did find someone to take him. He'd gotten kind of fond of the sea dog, and even Fido was coming to reluctantly like him. He still mostly hid behind Steve or Urse when the other dog was around, but he'd been known to creep out and lie beside Salty when the sea dog was sleeping.
Steve just had to break the news to Danny. He wasn't looking forward to that. Steve knew the other man would tease him mercilessly for taking in yet another dog. Not that Danny had any room to talk.
Steve was right. "Really, Steve? You're keeping him?" Danny said.
Steve sighed. "Yes, I'm keeping him. What's so wrong about that?"
"Nothing," Danny said. "I'm thrilled he'll have a good home. You've definitely got the layout for it."
Steve sensed a but. "But. . ."
"But, I'm wondering just who's the stray dog man around here," Danny smirked.
"You are," Steve said. "Definitely you. You've brought home far more dogs than I have, and I don't keep them."
"Except for these three," Danny pointed out.
"Yes, except for those three. They're good dogs," Steve defended himself.
Danny held up his hands. "Not saying they're not. Just pointing out you're as much as a softy as I am."
Steve didn't have anything to say to that, so they sat in their chairs on the beach, watching the three dogs play. Salty liked to splash around in the shallows while Fido and Urse stood on the shore and watched.
Danny broke the silence after a few minutes. "What are you going to call him."
"Salty."
Danny raised an eyebrow. "Really, babe? That's creative."
Steve flushed. "I can be creative. It just suits him."
"Creative, huh? Let's see, you have Fido and now Salty. Yeah, real original," Danny snarked.
"Hey, I named the lizard dog Ursa Major. That's creative," Steve protested.
"No, Steve, that's a bad pun," Danny shot back. "Bad puns are never creative, not even to your puerile mind."
"Whatever," Steve muttered. "I'm still going to call him Salty."
Danny patted his shoulder. "You do that." His voice softened. "I'm just glad he found a good home."
"Me, too, Danny," Steve replied. "Me, too."
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A/N: Art at h50xenofiles on FB.
A/N: So, this series was supposed to be more action-oriented. Instead, it seems to be just as cute and fluffy as my others. Oh, well. :)