25 days of cadnis + twins

day 13: adopting a pet

"I don't see much choice," Cady chuckles. "You're lucky you're both cute. But there's no way we can hide her from the girls long enough, they're always in here and we shouldn't leave Fish in the dark all alone."

"Early present?" Janis suggests. "They'll be home in an hour."

"Early present," Cady agrees. Fish slowly uncurls herself and peeks around now that the loud noises have stopped. "There we go. This is your new home, come look around."

Janis starts putting her habitat together as Cady carefully lets Fish trot around and explore on their bed.

Their daughters come bursting in the front door a bit later. They can hear bags and coats being hung up and boots taken off before they come barreling up the stairs to find their moms.

Janis stops them at the door, making them both jump. "Hey guys. How was school?"

"Good!" They both say at the same time. Leo tilts her head knowingly. "What's going on?"

"Uhm... we have an early Christmas present for you two," Janis says. "But you have to be quiet, okay?"

Both girls nod, mimicking zipping their lips before Janis lets them into the room. Cady looks up from her spot.

"Hey, little loves. How was school?"

"Good," Layla says quietly but excitedly. "What's our present?"

"We have a new family member," Cady says, reaching behind her and pulling out Fish. "Meet Fish."

Cady smiles as her twins each clap a hand over their mouth and squeal into it. Layla does a little happy dance and Leo jumps up and down a few times.

"A pokey hamster!"

"What?" Janis laughs. "She's a hedgehog."

"Oh. What's a hedgehog?" Layla asks.

"This," Cady chuckles, gesturing to Fish. "I guess we missed an animal when we taught them to you."

"Why's her name Fish?" Leo asks, crawling into the bed and looking happily at her new pet as Fish trots around.

"Because we were going to get you some pet fish," Cady says, raising an eyebrow at her wife. Janis hunches into herself sheepishly.

"You did get us pet fish! It's Fish!" Layla says happily. "She's so cute!"

"Good present?" Janis asks.

"Yes!" Both girls yell at the same time. Fish curls into her ball again.

"Shh," Cady says. "She gets scared easily, watch your volume."

"Sorry Fish," they both whisper.

"Can I hold her?" Leo asks. Cady nods and carefully coaxes Fish back out, before gently picking her up and resting her in Leo's outstretched hands.

"Ow, ow, ow," Leo says at the pokes of Fish's quills. She barely has her for five seconds before she puts her back down. "She's sharp."

"She's still a little on edge, she'll calm down eventually and keep her quills down," Cady says. "Once she gets used to you. For now you can hold her in her little bag, that'll keep your hands safe."

Leo giggles as Fish curls up in her felt pouch and peeks out at her new owners. "She looks like a turtle."

"She does," Cady chuckles. "You guys are gonna have to listen to Mommy so you know how to take care of her. She's just as important as Daffy and Ellie, she needs to be clean and fed and have enough water and lots of love. She's a living thing, we have to do a good job."

Layla and Leo both nod seriously, and Cady knows they've already sworn in their hearts to protect the spiky little thing at all costs.

"What's Mommy doing?" Layla asks.

"I'm trying to put Fish's house together," Janis huffs.

"That doesn't look like a house," Layla replies. "Can I help?"

"Sure, kid," Janis says, coaxing her over with a hand. Layla sits on her lap and looks at the instructions with her.

"Mommy, you put that in the wrong place," Layla says, pointing to the instructions and then to the mess of plastic Janis has snapped together. Layla pulls it apart and pops it back in the right way.

"Oh." Janis says. "Good job. Maybe you should handle this."

"Okay," Layla shrugs. Janis helps with the screws, but Layla does it completely herself otherwise. "Now what?"

"Now we get her all set up in your bedroom," Janis says, standing and grabbing the new hamster habitat. Layla stands as well, and Cady and Leo quickly follow.

"Leo, hold her carefully so you don't drop her," Cady instructs. Leo adjusts her grip on the little bag containing her new friend and rushes after her family. "This also means you'll have to keep your room clean, girls. Don't want Fish getting lost in all your dirty clothes."

"Okay, Mama," they both giggle at the same time. Leo sits on the bottom bunk of their bed with Fish while Cady, Janis, and Layla clear off their dresser to make room for the cage on top.

"Can I please hold her now?" Layla asks, coming to sit by her twin and peek into the pouch. She giggles as two black beady eyes stare back.

"Okay, fine," Leo sighs sadly, handing Fish to her sister. Janis coaxes her over to the dresser.

"You can pick where everything goes in her little place," she says. She opens the bag of bedding first and pours in enough to cover the bottom, then hands Leo a little hidey-house, food dish, exercise wheel, and heating pad.

Leo pokes her tongue out in thought before putting the heating pad in a corner, the wheel against a wall, and the house and food dish on the other side. Cady hands her the now-full water bottle to click onto the side, and Leo smiles when it's all together. "Perfect!"

"Nice job," Janis says. "Let's see what Fish thinks."

Layla comes over and carefully plops the whole bag in the middle of the cage. "Here, Fish, this is where you live now!"

Fish anxiously peeks her little face out before emerging from her bag to check out her new digs. Leo and Layla giggle as she sniffs around the wheel and decidedly ignores it, instead plopping herself onto her warm heating area and going to sleep.

"You two are gonna be the best hedgehog mamas," Cady chuckles, hugging her daughters from behind.

"Doesn't that make you guys grandmas?" Layla asks, tilting her head up to see them.

"No!" Janis groans. "I'm too young to be a grandmother, I'm not ready for that."

"I think Fish just has four moms for now," Leo giggles.

"Much better."

—————

hope you enjoyed!! see you tomorrow!