Holy cow. I'm really flattered with how much of a response this has been getting, guys. ^^ Any feedback is extremely appreciated, and I can probably live with another beta or two if anyone's interested!
Chapter 2
Ribs
Soldier exited the bowling alley two hours later feeling quite fulfilled; a perfect game, as usual. Clearly the result of his pep talks. He glanced at his watch and growled, going to his car and tossing his bowling ball inside. There was a thunk and multiple clatters as the bag bounced off of a couple of things before falling to rest. He walked over to the Rib Place, pacing his steps so that he made it to the door at a specific time. He took a deep breath and flung the door open, marching up to the young woman behind the counter. "IT HAS BEEN EXACTLY TWO HOURS, PRIVATE! WHERE ARE MY RIBS?"
She glanced up. "Oh, yes. Right here." She reached under the counter and pulled out a stack of twelve long boxes that read "The Rib Place" across the tops. "Thirty seven dollars, please."
Soldier scowled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, counting out the cash. She took it, and he snatched the ribs, bringing his nose to the boxes and inhaling deeply. He grinned, apparently satisfied. "YOU ARE DISMISSED!" He turned and stomped out of the restaurant without another word, holding the ribs with a tenderness that most only applied to newborns. Ribs were very, very important.
He was almost to his jeep when he heard a soft whine from behind him. He whipped around, nearly dropping his ribs in the process. His eyes scanned for the source of the noise, reaching for his gun. When he saw it, however, he stopped and blinked.
The thing in front of him had to be one of the most adorable creatures he'd ever seen in his life.
It was a rather large puppy, with floppy ears and a short snout. Its fur was short and rather poofy, with brown on its back and on its eyes and ears, and white everywhere else. It had a tail that was wagging just slightly, and its ears were down pitifully. Soldier stared down at it, and it stared right back with the most effective pair of puppy dog eyes he'd ever seen. Then it whined.
He took a step back, gathering himself. He was a Solider, dammit; he wasn't going to fall for some animal's cheap tricks. "THESE ARE MY RIBS, CIVIE! THEY ARE FOR ME! YOU CANNOT HAVE THEM!"
Somehow its eyes got bigger. Soldier could feel his resolve wavering. He gritted his teeth. "NO. GO HOME. THESE. ARE. MY. RIBS!"
It whined, ears going lower and tail tucking between its legs. It nosed his boot.
"NO!"
Its head fell. It turned around and started to slowly walk off, looking absolutely devastated. That was when the hardened mercenary who could murder a man in a blink of an eye and still sleep at night felt something he hadn't felt in a very long time; a faint pang of guilt.
Soldier glanced down at his ribs, then at the animal. He could spare a few pieces. "… FINE. BUT THIS IS ALL YOU GET, UNDERSTAND?!" He put the boxes down and opened one, looking down at the delicious, mouthwatering hunk of meat with a sigh. He tore off a couple of pieces, holding them out to the dog. It had stopped and turned at his words. At the sight of the ribs its ears perked up and its tail started wagging as it trotted back eagerly. Soldier couldn't help but scowl and pout a bit as he watched it take the ribs from his hand and start to eat it, tail wagging at a million miles per hour. Those were his ribs. He never shared his ribs. He turned and stomped off, holding the remaining ones protectively. As he was putting them in the car, however, there was a whine from behind him. He froze. When he turned around, the dog was standing there. It wagged its tail hesitantly, giving a short bark. Soldier scowled. "WHAT DO YOU WANT, CIVIE? YOU CANNOT HAVE ANY MORE OF MY RIBS."
It snuffled, taking a step towards him and nuzzling his ankle. Soldier stared blankly at it. "… I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO TELL ME, CIVIE."
It blinked up at him before rushing around his legs and jumping up into the car. Soldier whirled around. "HEY! THAT IS MY CAR! YOU ARE NOT WELCOME IN IT! GET DOWN!"
It sat down on the floor, looking up at him pitifully. It gave a low whine. Soldier shifted uncomfortably. "I MEAN IT, CIVIE! GET OUT OF MY CAR!"
The dog paused, looking up at him. Then it gave a low, guttural growl and a loud bark. Soldier glared at it. "NO ONE GROWLS AT ME, CIVIE! NO MATTER HOW ADORABLE YOU ARE!" He lunged at it, but as soon as he did it jumped onto his back and launched itself at an empty point of air behind him. There was a shout of surprise, and the sound of scuffling footsteps.
Soldier whipped back around just in time to see the dog, now snarling and growling, seemingly hanging in midair. It bit down on something, and there was a cry of pain and a shout of "MERDE!" as the Blu Spy fizzled into view.
Soldier blinked. "SCREAMIN' EAGLES! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SPY?" He glared at him. "NO ONE SNEAKS UP ON ME, YOU BACKSTABBING SON OF A-"
"GET ZHIS MONGREL OFF OF ME!" the Spy shouted, trying to shake the dog off.
Soldier blinked, looking at the dog. It was latched firmly onto Spy's gloved hand, growling. He couldn't help a snicker. "CIVIE, GET OFF OF THE SPOOK."
The animal paused, eyes flicking to him. It let go and fell to the ground. Spy immediately inspected his hand, muttering angrily in French. The hand that hadn't been bitten was holding a camera. The dog ran to Soldier's feet. He scowled. "WHY WERE YOU TRYING TO SNEAK UP ON ME?"
Spy scowled, still checking on his hand. "None of your business."
"YOU WILL TELL ME RIGHT NOW, SPOOK!" Soldier was seething. He and the Spy had been on terse relations ever since he'd shot him during a red alert. The Spy still hadn't forgiven him for it, and he wouldn't be surprised if he were trying to do him in.
Spy glared at him. There was a fizzling noise and he disappeared.
"YOU SNEAKY COWARD! GET YOUR FANCY-SUITED ASS BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" When that garnered no answer, Soldier let out a low growl. "YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM ME FOREVER, FRENCHIE! I WILL FIND YOU!" He turned back to the car to close the door, but found that the dog had jumped back inside and was sniffing his ribs again with its front paws up on the seat. He glared. "GET AWAY FROM MY RIBS, CIVIE!"
The dog whined, looking up at him. He glared and leaned down, pushing it from the seat. "NOW, GET OUT OF MY CAR."
The dog just whined again, looking up at him pitifully. It shuffled over and nuzzled his arm, looking up at him. Soldier faltered visibly. This thing was much too adorable. Nevertheless, he held his ground. "YOUR CUTENESS DOES NOT WORK ON ME, CIVIE! I AM A BATTLE-HARDENED SOLDIER, NOT SOME SOFT, YELLOW-BELLIED HIPPIE! GO HOME!"
The dog blinked at him and whined again, licking his hand.
Soldier found himself helpless against the sudden onslaught of emotions that weren't aggression and annoyance. Something in him melted, and for one, terrifying moment, he wavered. His shoulders slumped slightly. "… FINE. YOU WILL RETURN TO THE BASE WITH ME, BUT NEXT TIME ONE OF US COMES BACK TO TOWN, YOU ARE COMING BACK HERE!" He shut the car door and headed around to the driver's seat, climbing in. He looked at the dog, which was wagging its tail again. "AND IF YOU TOUCH MY RIBS I WILL THROW YOU OUT OF THE WINDOW."
The dog gave a little yip and laid down on the floor of the car, curling up into what Soldier could only describe as an adorable ball of fluffiness. He gave a little pout as he started the car and pulled out of his parking spot. As he got into the road, he stepped on the gas. The car went careening off back towards the base at sixty miles per hour, throwing up another huge cloud of dust.