In a paint splattered, chew toy infested home resides a large family of Dalmatians. Impossibly large. So large in fact, that it would take ages and pages to talk about all of them. For now, let us focus on one of the eldest Dalmatians, one that loves skating and having fun no matter what. With the morning sun beaming over the house, said Dalmatian begins to awaken. She slowly opens her eyes, a soft yawn escaping her muzzle. "Dog, I'm up early. And for a great reason! Lockdown's over! Bow whacka wow!" Dolly throws her paws into the air.
A sea of groans and moans growl back at Dolly. Ninety seven Dalmatians wiggle and kick the air, fighting away the sleepy morning haze. "Heheh, oops. Sorry everyone! I'll uhh, go get Dylan. I'm sure you guys will be more alive when you get up."
Dolly paws around the couch, searching for her beanie between the cushions. Not finding it, her eyes dart back and forth throughout the room. She rarely goes without it, the headwear's become part of her look. She sighs, ready to give up and find it later. That is, until she notices Dorothy with an odd grey chew-toy caught in her puppy teeth.
"You can hold onto it for now, Dorothy," Dolly hops from the couch. "No time to waste tuggin' a hole in my beanie! We have a whole day ahead of us!"
Dolly tiptoes through Dalmatian pups scattered around the living room. She gently exits the back door, jogging towards their treehouse. As she climbs the stairs, muffled snoring blows through her ears. She pops her head over the plank flooring, noticing the red door slightly ajar. A small stack of books act as a doorstop, allowing the sleeping Dalmatian inside to peek into the main house's windows whenever he feels necessary.
"Ugh, Dylan can't ever have a trusting bone in his body…probs because never chews any, hehe," Dolly chuckles.
The long-eared Dolly pushes against the door gently, just enough to allow her into Dylan's treehouse. Her eyes land on Dylan, asleep on a stack of blue pillows right in front of his telescope. A blanket of stars surrounding the Canus Major constellation covers Dylan's back as he lightly whimpers. The sun's rays just barely miss his face, but he feels the warmth on his back-paw kicked out of his bedding. Dolly exhales in relief, happy to see the overthinking Dalmatian got rest eventually. Dolly gently tugs at his blanket. Small whimpers and some rustling. She nips Dylan's black ear. Some growling and a huff. Apparently out of options, she moves back a few steps and clears her throat…
Arf-arf!
"Aah!!" Dylan flops out of his bedding, landing face first onto the flooring. "Ohh…D-Dolly!? I told you to stop doing that!" He growls.
Dolly covers her nose with a paw. "Sorry bro, it was my last resort, I prooomise!"
"Yeah, sure," Dylan shakes off his rust, readjusting his new moon-star-planet collar. A softly potent aroma of lavender and chamomile wafts throughout the treehouse. "What happened to your beanie? Don't tell me you lost it?"
"Chill, Dyl! Dorothy's got it for now, you know she chews stuff like a…" Dolly pretends to look around before leaning in towards Dylan. "…mad cow!"
Dylan crosses his arms. "Not funny! Did ya already forget about Bessie? She tried to get us seriously hurt! Or worse!"
"Ugh, forget about that right now!" Dolly uses her head to push Dylan towards the door. "Lockdown's over! We gotta make the best out of the first day!"
"Wait, wait, wait! At least me put my books away…"
"Oh dog, guess we're stuck in for 3 more hours," Dolly snickers. Dylan rolls his eyes.
The two eldest Dalmatians return to the main house just as everyone else has finally gotten up. 97 Dalmatians stumble into a single file line, a task that rarely goes as planned with nearly a hundred pups. Dolly and Dylan walk side-by-side to the beginning of the line, where Dorothy is tugging Dolly's beanie between herself and December.
Dolly gasps. "Hey! I said no tuggin' holes in my beanie, Dorothy!" She grabs a chew toy and bargains with Dorothy, eventually getting her beanie back. "It's special…and what's with you, December? You're usually not this active."
December lowers her head. "You know how I am about winter accessories, sibling. Seeing our littlest one gnaw on that wonderful beanie miffed me so," She rustles her scarf. "Why are we up at sunrise, anyway? I'm not feeling like a partridge in a pear tree..."
Dolly chuckles. "Probably cuz you're a dog, sis. Anyway, the DVPI Lockdown ends today, so we can finally—oof. Hey!" She shakes her head.
Dylan scoffs, "Dolly! You made me lose count…and what did Mum and Dad say about mentioning the 'De Vil Pinching Incident'?"
Suddenly, the neat line of Dalmatians scattered into a blobby mess. "De Vil? De Vil?! De Vil!?!" A cacophony of pups yell in terror. Dolly frowns at Dylan as he face-paws.
"No no, never mind that!" Dylan sighs. "Oh dog…let's just get to breakfast already."
"Breakfast? Breakfast! Breakfast?! Breakfast!" The mountain of Dalmatians melts into a surging wave towards the kitchen.
"The paw means pause for…" Dylan grabs a page off the wall. "Dawkins, Dante, Delgado, Deepak, Da Vinci, DJ, Dizzy, and Dee Dee!"
The paused pups gather in front of Dolly and Dylan, tails stiff, noses dry, fur brushed. Dawkins adjusts his Princess Positron homemade headband, making sure it faces directly forward. Dante leans in from behind several of his siblings, wearing his signature frown. Delgado smirks as he checks his wheels, looking onward with lots of confidence. Deepak assumes a mediation pose, quietly purring to himself. Da Vinci holds up a self portrait of herself, the painting showing her balancing the entire house on her shoulders. DJ bobs his head back and forth, letting one ear loose to hear his siblings. Dizzy and Dee Dee smile at each other before waving at Dylan and Dolly.
Dolly counts everyone by paw. "Alright everyone. We all know how grueling DVPI was, especially how cramped the house with all of us. I mean, dog, I haven't talked to Prince Flapjack in weeks cuz of all the things he had to worry about over there!
Dylan furls his brow. "Dolly…"
"I'm gettin' to it! Anyway, as you guys already know, you eight have been mentored to help take care of the fam. After today, we're gonna be switching between the ten of us, with at least two together per day."
"Right! Tomorrow, it'll be Dawkins and Dante's turn," Said Dylan. "Dawkins has plenty of experience by himself, but there's no reason for this to be more stressful than it usually is. I probably don't have to check in with Dawkins, but Dante! Like we practiced! When you need the pups to regroup…?"
"Use a trigger word. Can 'doom' be one?" Dante almost smiles.
"Correct! And no, please don't add anymore, Dante. What should you do before the pups go to bed?"
"Get their teeth brushed with the machine, and make sure everyone's comfortable."
"Good, good! Annnnnd what about if they need to go wee?" Dylan stares at Dante.
"We're doomed."
"Heheh," Dylan chuckles. "Probably. But you should find a vacant spot and hope they behave themselves."
Dolly high-paws Dante. "Nice one, Happy."
Dylan smiles, then returns to the page. "Alright, so after them we have D—"
"—on't try to go all at once!" Dylan whines. "Dawkins just adjusted the front door!" He grabs a few puppies by the end of their tails.
Dolly tries pushing some other pups through. "Well, at least nobody's said park yet…"
"Park? Park! Park?" Suddenly, the door bursts off its hinges, sliding down the steps with several pups halfway through the doggy door. Dylan yells as he and Dolly pull the stuck pups from the door.
Dawkins taps the Princess Positron eye on his goggles. A digital interface appears before him. "Not to worry. As always, we have to be totally prepared for things like this. Dolly, Dylan, go ahead with everyone, I'll catch up whenever possible."
"That's our bro, Dawkins!" Dolly and Dylan say together.
"Positronly!"
The Dalmatians make a mad dash towards the park before Dylan and Dolly can say anything else. All of them, except Dizzy, Dee Dee, and the repairing Dawkins disappear around a corner, leaving a huge dust cloud behind them. Dylan, afraid of the worst, begins to gallop in their wake before Dolly puts a paw on his side.
"They'll be fine, Dylan. It may be our day, but the other seven are in that crowd of spots." Dolly smiles.
"Not really," Dizzy tilts her head.
"The other five are, but we're here!" Dee Dee giggles.
Dylan begins to hyperventilate. "W-we gotta go, now!"
Dolly hops past Dawkins back in the house, grabbing her skateboard. Dizzy follows behind her, slipping on her roller-skates. Dolly sighs. "Dizzy, Dee Dee. You two make sure Dylan has a nice, relaxing stroll to the park. I'll go on ahead." Dolly hops on her board and flies past the remaining four pups. Dylan shudders. For once, he would need to trust that Dolly and the others can handle themselves and the pups. He sort of didn't feel like anyone could do as well as himself or Dawkins.
Dawkins shakes his head. "We haven't even made it to the park yet and the day's already everywhere. Good luck, siblings!" He waves a wrench as Dylan, Dizzy, and Dee Dee begin down the street.
Dizzy skates somewhat ahead of Dylan and Dee Dee, ensuring a clear pathway to the park while having some fun on her own. Dee Dee stays to the side of Dylan, who sniffs his scented collars as he scuttles forward. His thoughts are cloudy and muddled, thinking back to those terrifying days of the DVPI. The face of the devil woman appears in his dreams, mocking his every thought with its wretched grin. Dylan still ponders how much of those events were his fault, directly trusting the younger culprit due to his own selfish needs. He shakes his head. His steps become heavier, his ears nearly droop to the floor. He hears the ear-piercing cackle of the devil woman in his mind. Dylan begins to quiver as his walking falters. He stumbles forward, expecting the slap of germ covered concrete to break his fall.
Yipe! Grrrr-row-ow-ow!
Dylan sits up immediately, pulling his face away from the cream colored, heart shaped fur behind. He blinks twice, just barely able to recognize the scowl of his snooty neighbor Corgi, Clarissa. He looks around, realizing he had somehow walked all the way to a corner crosswalk without even noticing.
She snaps, barking with such force that she shuts her eyes. "How dare you muck up one's coat! You…" Clarissa opens her eyes.
"Ahh! Sorry, Clarissa," Dylan raises his paws. "Sorry…This is not how I pictured seeing you again. Uh, I-I gotta say, whatever Hugo does to keep your fur so silky smooth is amazing!" He lies through his teeth.
Clarissa looks the pathetic Dalmatian up and down, noticing that his face seems wet around his eyes and nose. Her lips quiver for a moment. She didn't know whether to feel sorry or embarrassed to be near the train-wreck of Dylan. "Oh, it's you. Certainly not like you to appear so…atrocious, Dylan. See to it that one's not bothered like this again, Dalmatian."
"Y-you got it, neighbor."
"What are you doing, walking down the street by yourself? Where is your overcrowded family?"
"Hopefully at the park," Dylan suddenly recognizes the half-insult. "Overcrowded?! We like it that way."
Clarissa looks at him with a frown. "Hmph. One will not indulge further. Just keep the shenanigans away from moi, Dalmatian."
Dylan cleans his face, wiping tears away. "Hey, I thought you changed the way you felt about us?"
"Hmm, yes, well…" Clarissa smirks, placing a paw to her chest. "Going from purely despicable to just barely tolerable's not much of an improvement, Dylan~"
Before Dylan responds, Dizzy circles back to him. She notices Dylan's worn out expression compared to Clarissa's noble smirk. "Oi! Look Dee Dee! It's our neighbor, 'Ms. Rotund Roundy'!"
"It is! 'ello Ms. Rotund Roundy! It's been quite a while since we've seen you!" Dee Dee giggles.
Clarissa gasps and flinches backward. "Wah! This is an…outrage! One shall not be pelted with such street jargon from ruff-raff!" She begins hopping and barking wildly. Hugo, noticing the situation after hanging up his phone, firmly yanks the leash in his mouth.
"Come now, Clarissakins. Let us not waste a beautiful afternoon barking at our dreadful neighbors." Clarissa and Hugo turn tail, crossing the street so that they can continue to the park away from the Dalmatians.
Dizzy and Dee Dee look back at Dylan; his mouth is wiggly and crusty mucus dribbles from his nostrils. Without even asking, Dylan's sisters hug him.
"Sorry for leavin' you behind, Dylan!" Said Dizzy and Dee Dee together.
"It's okay, girls," Dylan smiles. "I'll be okay."
"Who knew our neighbor could be so mean?" Dee Dee growls.
Dizzy adds, "Yeah, can't the Rotund Roundy see how sad she's made you?"
"Wait, Clarissa didn't-" Dylan catches himself. "…Never mind. Like I said, I'll be fine once we get to the park."
Dizzy and Dee Dee look up at Dylan with tearful eyes. "Promise?"
Dylan looks into the distance, "I promise! Hey, it looks like Dolly's comin' to check on us!" He points towards his skating sister.
Dizzy points behind Dylan. "Oi! Dawkins is almost here too!"
"Okay, you two go to Dolly, and I'll regroup with Dawkins."
"Alright, Dylan! See you there!" The two sisters wave and turn back, skating and running towards Dolly. Dylan turns to see Dawkins only a few cars behind him. He begins walking slowly, trying his best to conceal the worrisome expression on his face. But Dawkins sees through his older brother's facade easily.
Dawkins pulls a cloth from a little satchel on his chest. "Handkerchief, Dylan?"
"T-thanks, Dawkins," Dylan blushes, annoyed that he couldn't hide his pain.
"You have been thinking about the DVPI, haven't you?" The two Dalmatians walk and talk.
"It's all I ever think about! Normally, I wouldn't have let Dolly take the lead for this long, but if the pups saw me now, they would think-"
Dawkins cuts him off. "They would think you've been through a terrifying experience, just as we all have!" He sighs. "Brother, you cannot keep these feelings to yourself. You know how terrible your mental state is. All it takes is a little too much 'proof' of aliens or underworld dogs for you to crack!"
"…Dawkins. You know, you're awful at cheering people up, right?" Dylan laughs.
"Hmph. If humor helps you in this time, so be it. Mock me whenever you want. I can take it." Dawkins tries his best mean-dog face. Dylan bursts into laughter, tears streaming from his eyes as he waddles around on his back.
"Dylan!" Dolly's voice echoes down the street as she speeds towards her brothers. "You're tellin' me that Clarissa's been talkin' you down!? When I get my paws on that Corgi, I'm gonna-"
"Dolly, wait! Who told you that?"
Dolly tilts her head. She looks at Clarissa and Hugo, who are walking with their noses high. "Dizzy and Dee Dee. Why?"
Dawkins facepaws. "Oh, dog."
"While she's still annoying, it's nothing to do with her," Dylan lowers his snout. "Some bad thoughts about that day are bothering me…I think I still blame myself for trusting Hunter!"
Dolly's ears lower. "Oh…Dyl, look. All that stuff with the devil woman? Gone and over with, right? If she tries to pull something like that again, we'll beat her like we did last time, okay?"
"With proper revenge…" Dawkins growls.
"No revenge, Dawkins!" Dolly and Dylan snap at him, before realizing and laughing.
Dylan sighs. "Thanks, Dolly. Alright already, let's make it to the park! Our best three caretakers are here reminiscing about the worst times."
"Ya don't think Dante can handle it?" Dolly smirks.
Meanwhile, at the park, Delgado, Da Vinci, Deepak, Dizzy, and Dee Dee are too busy having their own fun to realize three of their siblings somehow haven't made it. Dante, on the other hand, is stuck running back and forth with the hopes of finding a vacant spot for fifty seven Dalmatians to go wee.
Dante frowns heavily. "Yeah, we're so doomed."
Notes: Alright! This fic is the result of my shipping eyes adding to a rather obscure ship in the 101 Dalmatian Street fandom. To make things a little more interesting, I'm including at least one of the background Dalmatians per chapter. Additionally, I picked a song I liked for a specific scene in each chapter as well.
Featured Incidental Dalmatian: December, given Christmas / Winter based dialogue.
By the way, "Prince Flapjack" is my head-canon name for the red collar Prince Corgi, the one Dolly bonds with.
Song: The Air Feels Thick With Moisture and Regret by Atronach's Aura during Dylan's visions of de Vil.