One of your coworkers has invited everyone at work
Over to their place for a cookout
You know that this particular coworker John
Is not really a fan of fluffies
John does not hate fluffies
Nor does he like fluffies
John knows about Odis and his
Condition
But out of curtesy
You ask him if bringing Odis would
Be an issue
“I’ve told my wife and daughter all about you and Odis.
They’ve been wanting to meet you both for a long time.
In fact why don’t you bring Atlas as well?”
The day of the cookout arrives
And you pack extra of all the usual stuff
Kibble slushys , diapers, baby wipes
The works.
You also make sure to take Odis’s sock ball , happy hat , extra cotton buds and thunder vest .
You take a litter box for atlas and a couple servings of kibble along with his water and food bowls
You make your way to John’s house
You are greeted by John’s wife Nora and their daughter terry
Terry is a very very sweet 16 year old girl
Terry suffers from the trisomy 21 also known as down syndrome
Terry was followed by large orangish mocha colored fluffy with a whiteish gray mane
This was Khan
Terry upon seeing Odis happily tapped her feet
Terry fawned over him for a while then she went off to play with khan and Atlas
you take the opportunity chitchat with John and Nora
Khan had been a bestist baby that was going to be euthanized by a fluffy shelter
But Terry used what little pocket money she earned from chores and stocking shelves at the local comic shop
To adopt and take care of him
Her reasoning was
That he couldn’t help that his momma didn’t teach him how to be good
And as his new mama Terry would teach him how to be good
The reason Terry named him khan was because she was a huge fan of star-trek
According to Nora
Terry’s room was neatly decorated with memorabilia from across the franchise’s history
Despite terry’s Down syndrome making most academic activities a nightmare to deal with
She held an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the star-trek franchise from lore to behind the scenes trivia
This is the main reason she was hired at the comic shop
As she could manage the shops extensive library of trek merchandise keeping the displays neat while preserving the visual chronology making it easier to browse for the dedicated clientele
Terry was slow to speak and often times had to stop mid sentence to gather her thoughts
But she was a genuinely loving and caring person
Khan was probably the best pet for her because a fluffy can tell you when it needs food or water or if the litter box needs emptying
Khan was difficult at first but Terry would not let anything slide
Eventually khan adjusted to the rules
Khan still had a touch of bestest syndrome
But it manifested in the occasional slightly cocky tone rather than shit spraying tantrums
Terry despite her shortcomings saw fit to give what many would have considered a lost cause. A second chance at life
And in return khan gave her companionship and unconditional love
John still didn’t have the highest opinion of fluffies
But he understood the joy khan brought to his daughters difficult existence
And because of that
He didn’t outright hate them or wish harm upon them
John had seen how patient and kind you were with Odis
He saw you sacrifice a portion of your lunch hour to feed and care for Odis
You were one of the few people who didn’t just pretend to be nice to Terry for the sake of etiquette
You genuinely treated her like a
human being
Affording her the dignity and common decency
So many others couldn’t be bothered to
He was happy to have you not just as a coworker but as a friend
John tells you that he would enjoy just having you over a couple times a month for dinner with him and his family
You look over at atlas playing with Kahn and Terry
“Yeah I’d like that as well”