Oh, Rats!
A/N: Just inspired by my Mischief of show rats and giving them their favorite treat. They really are this funny. charming, adorable and polite. Yes, Samuel, Raphael and Cupid are mine and they sometimes do the things written. Set before Pet Sitting.
Silly little piece to help get me back into finishing my Vulnerable story. Trying to get some inspiration.
And, to everyone that responded to my Author's Note to Vulnerable...THANK YOU. I didn't respond individually, but those responses of kindness and support meant the world to me.
"It's okay, Ziva. He knows what you have. Samuel is just being a little beggar. He'd never hurt you. He's just patting your ankles to let you know he's there and wants something. You're his newest mark," Donna, Ziva's next door neighbor said as her rat gently pawed at Ziva's bare ankle. "Give him a small taste and he'll let you finish."
"It is a little startling to feel a touch like that," Ziva said, handing a piece of green pepper to the cheerful rodent. He took it very delicately and politely from her fingers."He has manners!"
"My rats are polite. They don't snatch or grab. They know that there will always be enough for everyone. The boys do play the Stealing Game, but that's a dominance display more than anything and everyone eventually gets a fair share. It's a rat behavior. I won't stop them. No one gets hurt and there's a lot of yelling...kind of like some European families." Donna took all the cut vegetables over to both cages and filled the food dishes.
Ziva stopped to watch them eat; so dainty and delicate. They held reasonable pieces of food in their...hands...and ate rather...civilized. No cramming the food, but genteel, delicate bites, well chewed. How civilized. "I always thought rats were cunning and clever, but not so gentle."
Donna smiled at her. "Wait until they finish. Kisses will happen, kind of like dogs. I will warn you that Cupid goes overboard in affection. Don't let him get all gross up your nose or in your ears. He might get very amorous and try to French, although he's just saying he loves you. Don't be afraid to push him away. He just loves kissing. Why I named him Cupid."
Ziva watched them as they ate. They seemed to celebrate the food, taking their piece and running around with it in their mouths, like yelling "Yay!" before settling down and eating quietly, gently, charmingly. Amazing animals. "Donna, they are not what I ever expected.."
She shrugged, a many years owner, rodent mommy and showcase shower. "Nobody expects a rat to be like these. Anyone that takes the time to give them the love they deserve and the acceptance of who they are and then teach them, deserves them. They are special."
Samuel pat Ziva's leg to get her attention. She gave him a bit of mushroom. He took it in his tiny hands and sat, very tidy and trustingly, at her feet to eat it. "I think he thinks I am a good person."
Donna smiled at her. "Animals always know."
Samuel ate more from Ziva's hand, eventually climbing into her lap for the treats, occasionally giving her kisses along the way. Once Donna put Samuel back in the cage, she took out a straining Cupid. He took a snack from Ziva and then proceeded to cover her in kisses. Even holding him away from her face didn't deter him. He kissed her fingers wildly and the resumed his kiss attack on her face, grabbing at her with his tiny hands.
Donna pulled him off. "Not so strong with a new friend, Cupid. Take it easy on her." She put him back into a very bemused Ziva's lap.
Cupid strongly nudged Ziva's hand. When he gave it to him, he lavished it in kisses. "It is okay," she said through wildly affectionate kisses. "He is quite sweet."
Again, Donna made to pull him off her neighbor and new friend. "And he's being too friendly. I told you that they can be like little dogs sometimes. He's my kisser."
"No, he is a teacher. He shows that rats are not horrible disease-ridden vermin, but loving pets," Ziva said, still petting Cupid, whom started kissing her fingers again. "They are capable of love and that is something many people need to know." She said, picking Cupid up and kissing his belly. "They are intelligent, affectionate and curious. They are well worth our love."
Donna's eyes filled with tears because so many looked on her fancy rats as horrible vermin. "Thank you, Ziva. They love you. They can't get enough of you. Can you stay and play with them for a while?"
"Yes," Ziva answered. "I would love to."
Donna watched her play with the rats, allowing them to sit on her shoulders and rubbing their tummies. "Can I ask you a huge favor?"
Ziva scratched Remy's head. "Okay."
"The next time I have a rat show out of town, can I ask you to babysit? I can't take them all and I need to choose the two or three that will be the best for the judging," she explained. "The rest need to stay home. Normally I board them and I've been looking for a sitter for so long because most people don't-"
"Of course I will," Ziva said, tickling Raphael's tummy, making him wiggle. "They are cute and I like them and you have said they like me. They have not bit me or scratched me or hurt me in any way." She made her way over to the girls' cage and attempted to play with them. They were a little stand-offish. "Do they not like me?"
"You're female and so are they," her neighbor explained. "They'll be a little more cautious and shy around you until they get to know you better. They're pretty affectionate after that, although they do show a marked preference for men."
The Israeli smiled. "Ah, that explains why the boys took to me so quickly."
"Exactly."
"So,when is your next out of town rat show?"