RPDR One-Shots (Requests Closed)

Kittens and Tears (Daya Betty x Willow Pill)

Requested by jennyoaks
Daya works at an animal shelter and has noticed the same sad looking girl coming in to pet the cats quite a lot lately
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Daya loved her job. Even if it was one that not many people would tend to associate her with. She loved watching new rescues come in and get the care they need and then be rehomed to people who would take care of them. The job had its sad moments of course, but seeing people find their pet companions made it all worth it.

She sat behind the front desk with a small corgi curled up in her lap. That was another thing that made it worth it. Getting to bond with the animals herself even if it made it hard to say goodbye to them when they were adopted. She stroked the top of his head and smiled down at him, only looking up when hearing a quiet knock on the desk.

She looked up to see another girl standing there, looking like she had been crying. "Uh...Can you point me in the direction of the cats?"

Daya tilted her head. She figured this was someone coming in to try to find their lost animal. That happened a lot. "Just down that hall. To the left." Daya pointed over her shoulder. "The cat suites are open if you'd like to interact with any of them one on one."

The girl nodded and left to follow Daya's instructions. Daya felt bad as she watched her. She hoped the girl would be able to find her cat.

"Daya? Manager said it's time to switch." The voice of her coworker snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned to face Jasmine, standing up and setting the corgi in her arms. "Fine with me. It gets boring out here after a while."

Jasmine happily took the corgi, cuddling him as she sat at the front desk. "If you'd really rather clean out the bowls in the cat rooms, then you're in luck."

"It's something to do." Daya shrugged and walked down the hall, not at all minding the extra time around the animals. She grabbed a pair of plastic gloves and a new bag of cat food, opening the door to one of the rooms.

She had to admit that it was therapeutic in a way. She hadn't had any angry outbursts since she started working at the shelter. Which was a first. Something about caring for the animals made her feel more gentle. She opened one of the kennels, reaching past the kittens who sniffed her arm and pulled out their food and water bowls.

She turned to take them to the sink before stopping, looking through the glass door and into the cat suite. On the bench inside sat the girl who had come to the front desk. She held one of the cats in her lap, still crying as a couple of the others rubbed their heads against her arm.

Daya tried not to stare, focusing on washing out the bowls. She couldn't help but glance over again, feeling like she should say something. She put the bowls back into the kennel before turning to the suite, opening the door to grab the bowls in there. The girl hardly seemed to notice her come in.

Daya was quiet, picking up the water bowl. "Do you need anything, miss?" She asked, trying not to sound too pushy. "Is there a certain cat you're looking for?"

The girl finally looked up at her, shaking her head. "N-No. I'm fine. Just petting them..." Her voice got quieter and she looked down at the cat in her lap once more.

Daya nodded a little, giving her a small smile. "Well, if you need anything just call my name. I'm Daya."

The girl said nothing, stroking the cat's ears and reaching out towards another one. Daya sighed softly, refilling the food bowl when she heard her speak in a whispered voice. She turned to her, tilting her head. "What was that?"

The girl sighed, taking a shaky breath. "Willow." She repeated softly. "I'm Willow..."

Daya smiled again, one of the cats rubbing against her legs. "Well Willow, if you have any questions then don't hesitate to ask."