knj imagines

adoption || jc caylen

I was practically bouncing in my seat the whole way to the shelter, making Jc smile as he drove. I was finally able to come with him to the animal shelter he volunteered at and I couldn't wait to play with dogs all day.

"You know it's going to be sad, right?" Jc glanced over at me but couldn't keep the smile from his face. "And you'll want to bring every one of them home?"

I shrugged and tried not to think about how sad it would be, choosing to be excited instead because all of these sweet little babies would be getting the love they deserve today.

I followed Jc through the doors and waited for him to introduce me to the girl at the front desk. "Hey Chelsea! This is my best friend (Y/N) who you will hopefully be seeing a lot more of lately!"

Chelsea smiled and walked around the desk, pulling me into a quick hug much to my surprise. "That's great! We love to see new faces!"

She talked to Jc for a few minutes before he led me away to a set of double doors. "Sorry, I should've warned you she was a hugger."

"She's pretty," I said, jabbing him in the side which he attempted to get away from. A subtle blush was spreading across his cheeks and I laughed; I had never seen him blush before. "Oh my gosh, you like her!"

"Yes please say it louder so everyone can hear," he whisper-yelled. I was too distracted by the barks coming from the room we were now in front of to come up with something to say. "Ready?"

I nodded excitedly and when he opened the door I was met by a mob of dogs all jumping and excited to see new friends. I knelt down, attempting to pet them all at once and Jc laughed at my efforts.

"Hey guys," he said, rubbing some ears on his way past to a clipboard on one wall. "Well we get the most fun job."

I looked up at him and raised an eyebrow so he would continue. Instead of answering me, he picked up a bottle of shampoo and a washcloth. "No way," I said, looking warily at the Great Dane that was towering over me, and Jc gave me a devilish smile.

"Well we have about fifteen dogs to get through so we better get started!"

We decided to split up to make it easier. Jc was gracious enough to give me all of the small, well-behaved dogs while he took the small horse-sized ones. We got through them all fairly quickly until there was only one left.

"What about that one?" Jc followed my finger and shook his head sadly.

"She just got here. We're not sure where she came from. She was wandering around the parking lot a few weeks ago," he said, continuing to towel dry the last two dogs. "She is still a little wary of people."

The honey colored cocker spaniel lifted her head towards us as if she knew we were talking about her but quickly looked away when she noticed us watching. I helped Jc corral the two dogs into the next room over to play but held back when he motioned for me to step inside.

"Doesn't she come too?" He shook his head and explained that the only person she let near her was an older lady that volunteered every other day, today being her off day. "I hate to leave her alone."

Jc shrugged, studying my face. "You can stay if you want," he suggested, going into the room and emerging with a few treats. "Maybe she's hungry. Be careful she doesn't bite," he warned and left you alone in the room.

"You couldn't possibly bite," I said in a soft voice, making my way over to her. She pushed herself against the wall away from me and I nodded with my hands up. "Right, personal space. I completely understand."

I sat down against the opposite wall and watched her settle herself down again, laying a treat beside me and another one a little closer to her. I pulled my phone out and snapped a picture of her to send to Franny to which she replied with crying emojis.

I was so absorbed in talking to her that I didn't realize the dog had started shifting towards me until she was right beside me, chomping happily on her treat. She sat down carefully and I slowly raised my hand to pet her.

"Hey there," I whispered, smiling as she rolled over and begged me to rub her tummy. "See, you just needed some time!"

About an hour later Jc came in to meet me so we could leave, completely shocked when he saw me playing fetch with the shy puppy. "Hey, what's going on here?"

My face was flushed from laughing and the exertion of chasing her around. "I made a friend!"

"I see that!" Jc slowly walked towards her and she flicked her eyes between him and me before deciding that he was okay and letting him scratch behind her ear. "Aren't you sweet?"

I felt my heart sink at the thought of leaving her here and I pursed my lips as I thought. "How does adoption work?"

Jc looked over at me surprised and stood back up. "I mean it's not too complicated. Just some paperwork I think." He gave me a worried look and grabbed my arm so I would look at him. "Don't you think you should give this a little more thought?"

I shook my head quickly and knelt down again. "I can't leave Ezra by herself," I said, kissing the dog on top of her head and looking up at Jc's smirking face. "What?"

"You named her?" I nodded and stood up, completely determined that she was coming home with me. Knowing he wasn't able to sway me, Jc smiled and slung his arm around my shoulder. "Okay, let's go get everything sorted then!"