Woohoo! Happy (late) Birthday to me! And school is right around the corner. We finished moving into our dorms, on my birthday I might add, and I am at a loss of what to do with myself until classes start. So I decided to write more of this story! I'm trying to decide what happens next, and I have a few ideas! Mwuahahahaha! So, before we begin, ArtistFox does not own anything. Zip, zilch, nada, goose egg. Please don't sue me. Anyways, on to the story!


"-and then he was like, 'For the last time, I'm not going with you.' And I'm like, 'Oh, come on babe! What if someone attacks me while I'm alone? You wouldn't want your boyfriend to get murdered, now would you?' And then he said, 'It's the Disney Store. You're not going to get killed there.' To that I said, 'The Disney Store is in the mall, where a bunch of weirdos lurk! Please, my sugar cake?' But even after that cute pet name, he still said no! So, I had to go get Candela and Edward a gift all by myself because Keith was being a butt and wouldn't go with me! So, I told him that I thought he was a-"

"Lance, you're like a brother to me, but if you don't shut up about Keith, I will rip out your intestines and make you eat them."

Two days had passed since Lance had gone out with Keith; two days of Pidge having to endure constant calls from Lance about how cute Keith was, how sweet he was, how perfect he was. It was, quite frankly, disgusting.

Lance was now laying on the freshly swept floor next to the fish tanks, his hands waving wildly as he reiterated yesterday with excruciating detail. Pidge groaned and let her head rest on the counter next to the cash register. The only reason why she hadn't thrown her shoe at him yet was because Rover was curled up on his stomach.

After Pidge's threat, Lance looked over at her and raised an eyebrow.

"You wouldn't kill the person who got you a present, now would you?" Pidge stared at him with suspicion.

"It depends on the gift." She replied. "If it's another Fidget Spinner I swear I'll castrate you." Lance laughed and gently lifted Rover into his arms as he got up.

"Nah, it's not. Besides, they didn't have the glittery, light up one that I wanted to get for you." Pidge snorted, watching as Lance set Rover back into his terrarium. He then walked over and rummaged through his satchel that he set behind the counter.

"Here we are." He mumbled, taking out a small jewelry box. With a flourish he held it out to Pidge. "I found this yesterday." Pidge raised an eyebrow and accepted the box.

"At the Disney Store?"

"Yup!" Lance popped the 'p' as he spoke. Pidge opened the box and smiled.

"Oh, awesome! This is really cute, Lance!" She lifted up the gold earring. It had spirals like vines going down the side, and a tiny green gemstone dangled from the bottom of the hoop. Pidge immediately reached up and unhooked the tiny white stud from the helix of her ear and put on the new earring. She looked at it using her phone's camera. Her hair was pulled back, so it was easy to see the earring. The little gemstone twinkled in the lights as she moved her head. Pidge gave Lance a side hug. "Thanks dude! I love it!" Lance beamed.

"I knew you would. And look!" He lifted up his shirt to reveal a naval piercing with a bright blue gemstone that was the exact same shape as the one in Pidge's earing. "We match!" Pidge laughed.

"Nice! By the way, have you told your mom about that piercing yet?" Lance put his shirt down and leaned on the counter.

"Nope!" He answered cheerfully.

"Dude, it's been a year. Shouldn't your family have noticed by now?"

"Only Sara noticed, and that was because I went swimming with her a few weeks back. I had to make her promise not to tell anyone else yet. It cost me a month's worth of chocolate, but at least that's better than getting a lecture from mom." Pidge snickered.

"She's gunna blow a gasket when she finds out."

"That's why I'm going to tell her that it was your idea to for me to get it." Pidge turned white.

"You wouldn't! She'll kill me!" Lance gave an evil chuckle.

"Well, I won't if you buy me coffee for two weeks after she finds out." Scowling, Pidge weighed her options. One, she didn't want to waste money on Lance's ridiculously fancy coffee, but she also didn't want to be murdered by a short plump Cuban woman who could crush an apple with her bare hands. Reluctantly, Pidge was forced to shake Lance's hand.

"Fine. But you'd better keep it a secret for as long as possible." Lance shrugged and returned to the fish aquariums.

"I'll try, but I'm going home for the weekend next Saturday. The family wants to go to the lake." He gave Pidge another evil grin. "If I'm going down, at least I'll have free coffee to look forward to." Pidge was about to throw her shoe at him when the door chimed. She turned around to greet the person and nearly jumped out of her skin.

Keith's brother had walked in, and this time, Keith wasn't with him. Pidge appreciated his rolled up button-down shirt just as much as his tank top the other day. How one person could rock two completely different styles was a mystery to her, but she wasn't complaining. His eyes immediately went to her and he gave a smile that should have been reserved for the most amazing person on earth rather than given to her.

Pidge realized that she should probably greet him as he began walking toward her.

"Hey, Shiro! I wasn't expecting to see you so soon!" More like she wasn't expecting on seeing him anytime in next year. Shiro grinned and rubbed the back of his head, looking almost sheepish.

"Ha ha, yeah. It's just, my cat," Pidge froze with pure horror, "just ran out of food. I knew that Keith shopped here frequently, and you seemed more competent than other pet stores that I've been to, so I wondered if you could help me pick out a new brand of food for my Kuro. She's taken a page out of Red's book and has become a picky eater. She can be a bit feisty too, so when I try to get her to eat, she'll retaliate and hide under the bed." He reached up to fix his hair, and a long cat scratch could be seen on his forearm.

Pidge could barely possess anything but the fact that he has a cat. A. Cat. The one thing in the world that she could barely stand to be near. From the corner of her eye, Pidge could see Lance trying to hold back his laughter. He was trying to appear busy with the fishes, but he kept on shooting smug glances at her.

With a heavy heart, Pidge decided she and Shiro would never have a future together. There was no way in hell she could ever hang out with him if the cat was involved, and if he was just as crazy about his cat as his brother and Lance were about theres, the cat would be involved with everything. Mentally slapping herself, Pidge decided to put on her 'Cashier Smile' and help a 'normal' customer. She may not like cats, but she can at least help a customer find what they need in order to keep their pet happy and healthy. She could sob over the cat-crazy world later that night, when she's curled up in front of her T.V. with a tub of ice-cream.

"I'm sure we'll be able to find a brand your cat will like, sir." Pidge stiffly smiled and walked over to the cat food. Shiro grinned and followed her.

"Great! Thanks! Oh, also, you don't have to call me 'sir'." He gave a short laugh. "It makes me feel old." Pidge winced. Great, now she insulted him.

"Sorry! Sorry! I-I didn't mean to call you old! It was just a store thing. I assure you that you look very young! I-I mean not that you're old and you just look like your young, you're probably physically young too. B-But even if you were old you look terrific for your age, like, you could be a model or something and no one would know that you're really old. Oh god, I meant-" Shiro broke her off with a hearty laugh and gave her a reassuring grin.

"Don't worry! It's fine. I'm actually pretty flattered." Pidge was absolutely mortified. She quickly turned to pretend to inspect the cat food while glaring at Lance in the corner of her eye. He was hunched over, leaning on a fish tank for support, shaking with silent guffaws. Swallowing nervously, she cleared her throat.

"So, uh, what does Kuro's diet normally consist of?" Shiro crossed his arms in thought, the sunlight gleamed on his prosthetic arm, distracting Pidge and almost causing her to miss what he said next.

"Well, I normally just feed her dry cat food. I think the brand was called 'Kibblers'." Pidge frowned.

"Unfortunately, we don't sell Kibblers here, but I suggest maybe changing brands. Kibblers is not the healthiest for cats. There's too many carbohydrates and doesn't include the proteins necessary to keep your cat healthy." She walked over to the canned cat food, which took up the majority of the shelves, and picked one up.

"I would suggest the brand 'Catri'. Since its canned food, it has a higher water content, and it contains fresher ingredients. If dry cat food sits in warm temperatures for too long, which results in it accumulating bacteria and can lead to diseases. I can assure you that Catri does not have any risk of getting your cat sick." She cocked her head in Lance's direction. "Lance uses Catri for his cat, Blue, and Keith has begun using it as well." She looked sheepishly at the price tag. "Of course, it is a bit more expensive than some other brands…"

But Shiro was not daunted by the price. He beamed, leaning over and taking a large package of the cat food Pidge suggested. Pidge sucked in a breath as his arm brushed hers. Shiro gave her a radiant smile.

"I think this will be perfect, thank you so much!" As Pidge rang up the cat food, Shiro leaned on the counter. "You seem to know a lot when it comes to cats. That's pretty impressive." Pidge sputtered, and her hand got stuck in the plastic bag she got out. What was she supposed to say to that? Was he flirting, or simply making conversation? Should she try the futile effort to flirt back, or should she deflect the conversation and talk about Rover? Shiro was staring at her with a small grin and Pidge began panicking. Her hands fluttered nervously as she tried and failed to put Shiro's cat food into the plastic bag. She crushed her fingers one time, and then missed the bag entirely on the other. Her mind was going a mile a minute, trying to figure out what to say.

Before she could combust, Lance swooped in. He gave her a quick, shit-eating grin. Now she knew that she was completely and utterly doomed. He turned and faced Shiro, who gave him a curious but polite look. Lance threw his arm over Pidge.

"Yeah, my best friend Katie is a total genius about a lot of things! Did you know she graduated high school two years early?"

"Lance, no." Pidge moaned, but it was too late. Lance could not be stopped.

"She also at the top of all her classes, and is most likely going to be the valedictorian when she graduates." Shiro looked impressed.

"Really?" Lance nodded fervently, tightening his grip so Pidge couldn't escape. She shook her head from Lance's elbow and tried to pry him off.

"He's exaggerating. I'm not the top of every class. Besides, there are other people who are just as qualified if not more so to become valedictorian." Lance noogied her hair.

"She's humble too! She's probably going to work for the government or something someday!" Pidge rolled her eyes and finally threw Lance off of her.

"Seriously, Lance. I'm not that great, stop painting it as if I was." Before Lance could say anything, Shiro spoke up.

"Don't put yourself down, it sounds like you've have amazing accomplishments." Pidge gulped and his gaze caused her stomach to do summersaults. With shaking hands, Pidge handed him his cat food.

"Thank you. You're very polite." Shiro gently took the bags from her.

"I'm not just being polite, it's the truth. You seem like an amazing girl." Pidge had to hide her dying animal noise behind a cough.

"Er, thank you, again." She smiled, which he returned gladly. Shiro waved as he walked toward the door.

"Thanks, Pidge! I hope to see you around!" Pidge waved back.

"Y-Yeah! See you later!" Lance leaned his arm on her head and waved energetically.

"Buh bye, Shiro! We're here all week if you need something! Oh, tell Keith I say hi!" Shiro let out his melodious laugh and exited the building. Lance and Pidge stood in silence for a minute, watching him through the window as he disappeared from of their view.

Pidge groaned and let her head hit the counter. Covering her face with her hands, she let out a high pitched scream, startling not only Lance, but the animals as well. Allura ran out of her office to investigate why the birds were screeching and flapping madly in their cages.

"What's going on? Lance, Pidge? What happened?" Lance smirked and walked over to calm the birds down.

"Pidge here got flirted with by her Prince Charming." Allura's shoulders immediately lost their tension, and she raised an eyebrow. She then took a bird out of its cage and gently stroked it to calm it down.

"Oh, and this prince would be?" Pidge shushed Lance but his hand covered her mouth. He was grinning like the mischievous cat he was.

"Takashi Shirogane! My widdle Pidgey's crush!" Allura smiled and let out an 'awww', to which Pidge immediately scowled at. She shoved Lance's hand off.

"I'm not twelve! I don't have a 'crush'!"

"Sure, and you just froze and stared at him like he hung the stars in the sky because you think he's just a normal customer." Pidge glared at him and crossed her arms.

"He is just a normal customer! The only thing that makes him a bit different is that he's Keith's brother! That's it!" Allura and Lance shared a knowing glance. Lance sighed and patted her head.

"Oh, my poor, poor friend. You can deny it all you want, but that won't lead you to happiness." Shaking her head, Pidge stomped over to restock the bird feed, even though it didn't need it.

"I am happy! I'm fine with just being acquaintances/friends with Shiro." Lance looked to Allura for help. She nodded, and walked over and grabbed the bird feed package from Pidge's hands.

"Pidge, we aren't asking for you to immediately commit to a relationship with him. This is just the first time you've shown a liking to someone romantically since…." She trailed off at the look on Pidge's face. Allura sighed and shook her head, trying to squash the package onto the shelf. "How about you just try to be friends with Shiro? He's an awesome guy, and it's always nice to have another friend like him."

Pidge pushed her bangs back and sighed.

"...Alright. Fine. That's what I was planning on doing anyway." Lance rolled his eyes.

"Liar. You were planning on avoiding him as much as possible." Pidge huffed and avoided his eye; Lance hit the nail on the head. He gave her a look. "I know that his gorgeous Greek god bod intimidates you, but Keith's told me about him, and he's definitely the kind of guy who would be fun to hang with. Allura," the woman looked at him, "are you able to set up a date where we can officially hang out with him?"

Allura ignored Pidge shaking her head and smiled.

"Of course! It may take a while though, he's been busy with work lately." Lance grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

"Awesome sauce! Thank Al!" Allura nodded and walked back to her office.

"Oh, Pidge," she paused, and turned, "the tarantulas need their terrariums cleaned out." Pidge nodded, and Allura gave a mischevious smirk. "Don't think about Shiro too much and get distracted." She closed her office door before she could get glared at. Pidge swore under her breath and stomped over to the tarantulas. They had a total of five in all, three of them were a Costa Rican Stripe-Knee, one was a Rose Hair, and the final was a Mexican Curly Hair. Pidge wasn't one to choose favorites of the store's animals, unless you count Rover, but the one Mexican Curly Hair tarantula held a soft spot in her heart.

The other tarantulas didn't like to be interacted with very much, which was understandable, but the Curly Hair was surprisingly social. He liked to be picked up by Pidge and sat comfortably on her shoulder sometimes when she went around feeding the animals. He was very docile, and was never aggravated unless he was provoked. Pidge liked his fuzzy little body and how it tickled when he crawled on her hand. Secretly, Pidge named him Henry.

The tarantulas didn't move much as Pidge gently took them out one by one and cleaned their terrariums. It was tiresome work, but Pidge had a playlist going on her phone and sang to herself to pass the time. When she finally got to Henry's tank, she smiled.

"Hey Henry, how're you doing buddy?" She whispered. Henry poked a leg out from under his log. Pidge giggled and gently lifted him out of the terrarium and set him on her shoulder. He was the only tarantula she could do that with. Henry settled down, and once he was still and comfy, Pidge began to work. She gave him just as much care as the other spiders, not choosing favorites when it came to the arachnid's health.

A Disney song began to play, and she began to sing along, quietly at first. By the time she got to the first chorus, she was signing loudly and shimmying in her spot as she wiped the terrarium with a cleaning rag. She was careful not to move her shoulders too much so Henry could be comfortable, and she occasionally looked down and sang to the tarantula.

What she didn't know was that Lance was videotaping the entire thing. It would go in his Pidge blackmail pile for a later use.

When she was finally done, Pidge gently put Henry back into his terrarium and closed the lid. She wiped her forehead and washed her hands. At least tarantulas weren't very messy, so it's easier to clean their tanks than cleaning the bird cages. That was a job that both Lance and Pidge feared equally, and they always had grueling Rock Paper Scissors tournaments to see who gets the bird cage cleaning duty for that day.

Fortunately, Pidge was unnaturally lucky at Rock Paper Scissors. But, with most board-games, her luck was nonexistent. Monopoly Night is never a fun evening for her, but she goes anyway for the food Hunk always brings. The only board-game that Pidge has ever had semi-success in was Clue.

At least Lance and Pidge never played board-games to decide who gets to do what chore in the pet shop. Pidge would be stuck cleaning the bird cages for months. She went over to examine the birds to make sure they were healthy. Lance had not surprisingly done his job, and had done it very well. The cages were spotless, and he put in fresh water, food, and toys. The birds looked very calm. They were either resting, eating, or grooming themselves or another.

'Lance probably sang to them.' Pidge thought to herself. Like her, Lance liked to sing under his breath while cleaning. His voice always calmed down even the most rowdy of birds. Pidge's singing, however, always seemed to aggravate them. The birds shrieked and squawked even when she just hummed to herself.

The birds eyed her, as if daring her to start singing and ruin their good mood. Pidge rolled her eyes at them. Birds were ok, but they weren't her favorite. They were above cats, but definitely below reptiles, amphibians, and canines; at least they liked her singing.

Pidge slipped extra bird treats between the cage bars. This seemed to appease the birds, and they tweeted happily at her. She turned when the door opened and the bell chimed. A mother and her two children walked in. The small boy and girl looked around in awe, and began pointing at the birds and fish.

Pidge smiled at the mother and walked over to her.

"Welcome to Altea's Pet Stop! What can I help you with?" The mother grinned politely.

"We're just looking for right now." Pidge nodded and let the small family wonder. She went behind the counter and occasionally glanced over at them to see if they needed any help. The children were chatting with each other with excitement, looking at every single animal. The mother smiled at them, but when she saw the prices of the animals that the children wanted, and the prices of the supplies needed to take care of them, her face fell.

She smiled uncomfortably at her children, who did not seem to notice their mother's discomfort, and continued looking and the animals. The mother looked around for a few minutes, and then walked over to Pidge.

"Excuse me." Pidge smiled.

"Yes?"

"My son and daughter have been wanting a pet for some time, but I can't afford a big animal like a dog, or a cat. Do you have any small animals that would not cost much in the long run?" Pidge tapped her chin in thought.

"The mice are relatively inexpensive. You will need to buy a cage, bedding, and other supplies such as a food dish and water dispenser, but generally they are cheaper than, say, reptiles. The reptiles will need heating lamps and other accessories to keep them warm or healthy. Their food also tends to be a bit more expensive here."

Pidge walked over to the mice and the mother followed. Pidge gestured to the mice behind the glass.

"Mice are sociable creatures, so you may want to get two if you are able to. All our mice here are male, so you don't have to worry about them accidentally breeding."

The mother looked thoughtfully at the fluffy mice playing and eating. She glanced at the price tags and gave a small sigh of relief. Her children suddenly ran up.

"Mommy! I want a birdie!" The little girl said, pulling on her mother's shirt. Her brother shook his head.

"No, I want a lizard! They have a yellow one!" Their mom knelt down.

"I'm sorry, sweethearts, but those animals are a bit too expensive. And Anna, you know dad doesn't like birds." The little girl pouted, but nodded her head in understanding. The little boy crossed his arms.

"But I want a lizard!" His mom pointed to the mice.

"You can't play or cuddle with a lizard. How about a cute little mouse instead?" The boy and girl stood on their tiptoes to look at the mice. The girl cooed at them, but the boy frowned.

"They look kind of stupid to me." His mother gave him a slightly stern look.

"Eddy, you know you shouldn't say that word, especially about this nice lady's mice." The boy quickly glanced at Pidge and then looked down, blushing.

"Sorry." He mumbled. Pidge gave him a comforting smile.

"It's ok! How about you look at these guys instead?" She led him to a small tank a few away from the mice. The boy and girl shyly followed. The children's eyes widened as they saw the animal inside.

"A rat?!" The little girl almost shrieked. "Mommy says they're always dirty and disgusting, and carry diseases!" Pidge gently shook her head.

"Those are wild rats who have live in the garbage and other nasty places. Your mom is right that they can carry diseases. But these rats have been raised by humans since they were babies, and are perfectly clean and healthy." The mother looked skeptical at the small white rat scurrying on its wheel. They heard footsteps, and looked over to see Lance smiling at them.

"My friend is right, ma'am. These rats carry no diseases, so they are perfectly safe for kids to handle. These guys are sociable, and even like to cuddle. They're pretty smart too, so you can train them if you'd like. My cousin has a rat, and she loves him as much as an owner can love her pet." Lance leaned over and stared fondly at the rats. "They're just misunderstood, that's all." The children were looking at the rats with a new interest now. The mother checked the prices for rat supplies.

"Are you sure they don't bite, or scratch?" She asked. Pidge shook her head.

"I won't lie and say that they'll never do those things, but they are pretty tame and they refrain from biting as long as they don't feel like they are being attacked." The mother looked a little worried, but she nodded.

"Mommy, look!" The little girl cried. "This one has a tiny black spot on his head, like a crown! Oh please can we get him?!" The boy nodded excitedly.

"Yeah! He's like a prince!" He smiled as the rat wiggled its nose at them. "He's also pretty cute." The mom looked at her children.

"Are you really sure about a rat?" The kids nodded again, wiggling with anticipation. The woman thought for a moment. As she stared at the animal, the bell on the door rang again, and another family walked in. Lance looked at them, and then at Pidge.

"I'll go help them." He gave a final grin at the kids and their mom and walked over to speak to the other family. Pidge looked over at the mother, who was still examining the rat.

"Would you like to hold him?" She asked. The mom looked up.

"We can do that?" Pidge nodded and opened the top of the tank. Reaching in, she scooped up the rat the kids were pointing at and handed him over to the mom. The woman gently accepted the rat into her hands and looked down at him. The rat's nose was wiggling rapidly as he sniffed the air around him. He gently placed a paw on top of the hand that was holding him and looked up at the human above him.

The woman slowly grinned.

"I guess he is kind of cute." Her kids jumped next to her.

"Can I hold him, please?" Asked the boy. His sister tried to push him out of the way.

"No, I want to hold him!" The mom reached down and passed the rat to the boy.

"Calm down and take turns. Eddy asked first." The girl pouted and watched as her brother grinned at the animal in his hands. He then gently passed the rat to his sister, who immediately began to cuddle it.

"He's so so so cute!" She squealed. The rat wasn't irritated at being squashed up against her cheek, he merely looked puzzled. The mom breathed a small sigh of relieve when the animal didn't retaliate. She turned and grinned at Pidge.

"I think he's the one." She said, and her kids cheered. Pidge smiled. She loved it when she was able to be a part of helping an animal find its home. A few minutes later, the small family were loaded with cheap, but suitable equipment for their new pet. Pidge waved goodbye to them as they walked out the door, chatting happily with each other.

Lance appeared next to her and smiled. The family he was helping had already found what they were looking for and were gone. Pidge checked the clock and began getting ready to close up shop. She talked over her shoulder as she began shutting the blinds to the windows.

"Thanks for helping me with that family, Lance. I think the mom felt better about getting a rat when she knew more than one person that assured her that they were good pets." Lance grinned and began pulling the blankets over the bird cages to help the birds sleep.

"No prob. Those little guys need a home just as much as the mainstream pets. Besides," he ruffled Pidge's hair as he walked by, "I can't let you be the only employee to look like they know what they're doing."

After closing up, they said goodbye to Allura and walked out of the shop. Rover was snoozing on his usual spot on Pidge's shoulder. The evenings were cooler than the day, but not enough so that Pidge was worried that her snake would be too cold.

She looked up from her snake and was surprised to see Keith sitting on his parked motorcycle, waiting outside the building. Lance brightened and hurried over to him. Keith smiled and handed him his helmet.

"You ready to go?" Lance nodded and let Keith help him put on the helmet. He could probably do it himself now, but he didn't want to give up the feeling of Keith caring for him. Pidge stared at them, confused.

"Keith, what are you doing here?" Keith clipped on Lance's helmet, and Lance turned to her.

"I'm going over to his place to see Red. Keith suggested that she meet me first before meeting Blue." Pidge glared at him.

"You failed to mention that to me when you were gushing over your boyfriend earlier." Lance shrugged and happily got on the motorcycle behind Keith.

"It just didn't come up." He nuzzled his cheek against Keith's head. "Bragging about how cute my man is was more important." Keith smiled, and Pidge groaned at the dopey couple. She waved goodbye as she walked down the sidewalk. The sun was only setting, so Keith didn't have a problem with letting her walk by herself. Pidge turned to call over her shoulder.

"Later losers! Have fun, and practice safe sex!"

She cackled at the boy's indignant squawks at her and didn't look back. The rest of her evening went about as normal: go home, eat, watch T.V. while eating from a tub of ice cream, and go to bed. She turned off her phone halfway through dinner so she didn't have to look at Lance's texts gushing about Keith and how adorable Red was. It was a completely normal night, so that's why she assumed that it would be a normal morning the next day.

She woke up ten minutes late per usual and dragged herself to her bathroom. She was still hazy with sleep, so she nearly brushed her hair with her toothbrush and brushed her teeth with her hairbrush. After correcting her mistake when she realized that she should not be putting toothpaste on a comb, she finished getting ready and pulled on her uniform.

She yawned widely and stumbled into the kitchen to eat a leftover slice of pizza for breakfast. While munched, she brewed a fresh cup of coffee. She sipped the steaming liquid and sighed in contentment. Now she felt more alive. She poured another cup into a thermos and searched for her purse.

She swung it onto her shoulder and checked her makeup one last time in the hallway mirror. Thank goodness she was able to do her eyeliner correctly while half asleep. She decided to ignore her glasses for today; they were for aesthetic anyway, so it's not like she needed them.

"Alright Rover, let's get a move on. Allura will really throw a fit if we're an hour late." She walked over and peered inside her snake's terrarium. She didn't see him, so she leaned to look under his rock. There he was, curled up and probably sleeping. She frowned, it wasn't Saturday, so Rover should know to wake up at this time.

She lifted the lid off the tank and moved the rock. Rover peered up at her and then set down his head on his bedding. A strange liquid was seeping from his nose and mouth. Alarm bells rang through Pidge's head.

It looks like a bacterial infection, but how?! She has always taken such good care of him, so how could he be sick? She gently lifted him out of his tank and listened to his breathing. He laid weakly in her hands, and when he breathed, he made a concerning gurgling noise. He suddenly went limp, and didn't move. Pidge's heart stopped.

No. No no no no no. This wasn't happening. Why's he not moving? If it was just an infection, he shouldn't be this still! Rover couldn't be…Raw panic filled her. She snatched up her purse and gently set rover in his travel tank. Her breaths were coming out in ragged, terrified huffs now, and she ran out of the building, not even bothering to lock her door. She got strange looks from passersbys as sprinted to her car, clutching Rover's tank like a lifeline. Cursing as she fumbled with her keys, she unlocked her little red Elantra and climbed inside.

With tears blurring her vision, she set Rover's tank on the passenger seat and started up the car. She screeched out of the parking lot, and zoomed toward the nearest veterinary clinic. Her phone rang, and Pidge answered, not caring if it was dangerous to do so.

"Pidge, where are you? You're late, again." Allura sounded irritated, but Pidge couldn't process it.

"A-Allura…" She sobbed. "It-It's Rover. I…he's sick! It might be a bacterial infection, but now he's not moving! I'm scared that he might not…" Allura went silent with shock, and then answered.

"Oh my god. Pidge, calm down, where are you right now?" Pidge almost screamed when a red light stopped her.

"I-I'm going down fourth street. I going to a place called 'Paws, Claws, and Scales Vet Clinic'. I've never been there before, but the normal place I go to is too far away!" Allura made a noise of realization.

"I know where that is! I'll be there as soon as I can!" The light turned green, and Pidge went as fast as she could without killing someone.

"No! Allura, you have to stay at the store! That new shipment is coming in today, and it's too important to push off to another time!" Allura made a noise of frustration and went silent again. She suddenly piped up, startling Pidge and nearly making her miss her turn.

"Oh, thank goodness, Lance said he's going to go help you!" Pidge quickly scrubbed at her tears.

"He can't! You need help with the shipment!"

"I can take care of myself. Don't worry, Lance will be there with you shortly. Katie, please, drive safe, and I'll have my phone with me at all times if you need me." Pidge turned into the veterinary parking lot and quickly turned off the car.

"…Alright. Thank you. I'll call you later." She clicked off her phone and put it in her purse. Scrubbing her tears away, she took deep, calming breaths. Everything would be alright, she's probably worrying over nothing, she told herself. Grabbing Rover's tank, she exited the car. There was an emergency section, and she quickly entered the door. The bell chimed, and she hurried in, she was the only one in the room besides the person sitting at the desk. The man looked up, and Pidge momentarily froze when she met Keith's eye. Keith put the pen he was holding in the pocket of his uniform and stared at her with concern.

"Pidge? What's going on?" His words broke her from her shock and she quickly walked over to him.

"It's Rover!" She said, probably sounding slightly hysterical. "I-I don't know what's going on, but when I checked on him this morning, it looked like he had a bacterial infection, but…" she stared down at her snake with dismay, "He's not moving now! I don't even know if he's breathing!" Keith quickly stepped around the desk and grabbed Rover's terrarium. He gazed as the snake and frowned.

"He's breathing, but it's shallow. Have you anything wrong with him lately?" Pidge shook her head. Keith furrowed his eyebrows.

"That's a bit odd. Normally a bacterial infection that's bad enough to make him like this would be noticed sooner. I'll take him to get examined. Don't worry, we'll take good care of him." He gave Pidge a reassuring glance and disappeared behind a door.

Pidge stood in front of the desk, feeling lost and alone. What was she going to do? Bacterial infections were common with snakes, but what if it was so bad that Rover… Or what if it was something else entirely? She raised Rover since he was a tiny baby. He was a precious family member, someone who had been with her even in her worst moments. She didn't know what she would do with herself if he died. The door behind her opened, and she didn't need to turn around to know it was Lance. He hurried to her side and wrapped his arms around her.

"Katie, Allura told me what's happening. Are you ok? Wait, that a stupid question, of course not."

Pidge let him steer her towards a plush couch and they sat on it. Lance wrapped a secure arm around her and held her hand with the other. Pidge didn't speak, but let herself sink into Lance's side. She finally let out a small, shaky sigh.

"I hope I'm worrying over nothing." She mumbled. Lance hummed, and rubbed comforting circles on her arm. Pidge let her head rest on his shoulder; at least she wasn't alone.


:))))) I'm so sorry. It had to be done. Why do I love putting my favorite characters through pain? Maybe I am a sadist... Oh well. Y'all will just have to wait and see to what happens next! *evilly rubs hands together* Mwuahahaha, I can't wait! I hope you enjoyed this, and will continue enjoying the story! Oh, also, if some of the pet info is incorrect, sorry. At least its a story, and it's not like real characters are getting the wrong information. Thank you all for your wonderful support, and I hope you don't all attack me with pitchforks after this! Review, or not, it's your choice! Buh-Byyyeeeee!