Archive of Our Own ^beta

Hey little girl, good morning.' From the moment Lucy saw Nick wake up and move around in his bed, she started squeaking excitedly in her cage. She loves Nick and couldn't have imagined a better owner.

Lucy is a guinea pig and has been living with Nick for over two years. They weren't always together; until two days ago, her sister Poppy was there too. Poppy fell ill and the vet had no choice but to put her to sleep, as her little body was too fragile for treatment. They shared a hutch that Nick had made as fun as possible with toys, a tunnel and a sleeping place for both guinea pigs. And now she is alone with Nick. She is sad and she feels that Nick misses Poppy very much, but she also feels that Nick and she are a good team and together they comfort each other. And since Lucy is alone, she is allowed to sleep in Nick's bedroom. She really likes to be close to Nick, to hear him breathe and even snore. It really makes her feel less alone when it's dark, and every night before he goes to sleep, Nick takes Lucy out of her cage, gives her a hug and a soft kiss on her head, and then gently puts her back in her cage. She loves Nick so much.

Nick slowly wakes up, and the first thing he hears is Lucy. It is one of his favourite moments of the day. He has been single for two and a half years now and he is starting to miss someone. Someone to wake up with and someone to share his life with. He is so happy to have Lucy and he thinks about how Lucy would feel if he got a partner. Would she like it? Would she be jealous?

He slowly shuffles over to the guinea pig cage and sees Lucy immediately running towards him. ‘Hey Lucy, come here.’ Nick opened the cage and gently took Lucy out. Nick held Lucy close to him and they walked to the window. ‘Look Lucy, it's beautiful weather today,’ he said as he opened the curtains. It was true, it was 8:30 in the morning and the sun was already shining. ‘I think today will be a nice day to go for a walk outside together, don't you think, Lucy?’ The guinea pig looked at Nick with wide eyes and nestled further into Nick's neck. ‘Oh, do you want to cuddle first? That can be arranged.’ He gently stroked her little body and planted a soft kiss on her head. Lucy enjoyed these moments with Nick so much that she made soft noises and wanted to be even closer to Nick. ‘Hey, you're tickling me,’ Nick laughed. ‘I'm going to put you down on the floor, don't go away, okay? I'm just going to take a quick shower.’ Lucy walked quietly through Nick's room and sniffed a hoodie that had slipped off a chair. It smelled like Nick, so she decided to make a spot for herself and lie down in it. When she smelled Nick's scent, it reminded her of one thing: home. Before she knew it, she had fallen into a deep sleep.

When her eyes opened, she saw that Nick had showered and got dressed. He was standing by her cage, refilling her food and water bowls. She gets water every day, but Nick makes sure she gets something tasty to eat every day too. She saw a bowl with cucumber, bell pepper, carrot, and some lettuce. It looked delicious, and she walked over to Nick. Nick smiled at her. 'Ah, look, you're awake again. I just made you a tasty treat, i hope you enjoy it and then we can go for a walk outside together!'

A while ago, Nick was walking into the pet shop to buy food for the guinea pigs when his eye fell on a pram for guinea pigs. He was immediately enthusiastic and, before he had really thought about it, he had already loaded the box with the stroller into his car. He thought of Nellie and how he sometimes missed walking her outside. Nellie sadly passed away and made Nick very sad. At that time Darcy had a litter of guinea pigs and asked Nick if he would like two female guinea pigs. They weren't dogs, but guinea pigs can give a lot of love too, Darcy had said. So yes, now that he had bought the stroller, he could take his guinea pigs out! He noticed that Lucy and Poppy enjoyed being outside. The first time he took the guinea pigs outside was in his back garden for five minutes, which was long enough for a first time, and the following times they were allowed to stay outside in the garden a little longer.

‘Are you ready, Lucy?’ Nick said as he put Lucy in the stroller. Lucy squeaked loudly; she was definitely ready. She loved being outside and breathing in the fresh air. She also loved all the attention she got along the way, especially from small children. Nick enjoyed showing Lucy to anyone who wanted to see her. He was so proud to be her owner and secretly hoped to bump into a handsome man or woman who would find Lucy (and himself, of course) just as cute. 'Awww, she looks so cute', “Can I pet her?” 'How old is she?' Every time they went for a walk together, Nick got the same questions from children, but he never minded answering them.

The sun was starting to get hot, so Nick looked for a spot in the shade for Lucy. He saw a park with some benches in the distance and decided to sit there with Lucy for a while. He chose the bench that was most shaded by the branches of a tree. He sat down and closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying being with Lucy and the peace and quiet. ‘You know, this is the first time I've seen that, a guinea pig in a stroller. It looks cute.’ Nick quickly opened his eyes and saw a man sitting on a bench nearby. Apparently, Nick hadn't noticed that someone had sat down next to him when he closed his eyes. ‘Oh, um, yes, she's my guinea pig and I sometimes take her for walks. The weather is nice today, so yes...’ Nick said, a little nervously. The man next to him smiled and nodded. Okay, this is the most handsome man I've seen in years, probably the most handsome man I've ever seen, Nick thought. The curls, the dimples when he smiled, his eyes... Yes, this was definitely the most handsome man Nick had ever seen, and it made him feel shy. After an uncomfortably short silence for Nick, he heard the man next to him say, “And what's the guinea pig's name?”. 'Oh, her name is Lucy,“ he said, looking at the man. Before he knew it, Nick asked, 'And what's your name?” Immediately after asking, Nick felt his cheeks turn red and warm. “I'm Charlie, you? 'My name is Nick”.

This is such a nice place, isn't it? It's my first time here, but I think I'll be coming back more often,“ says Charlie. 'The peace and quiet, it makes me feel completely zen. 'Yes, it's a very beautiful place and it's my first time here too. What a coincidence that we're both here for the first time,” says Nick. Charlie looks into the distance and explains why he's here. ‘I was looking for a place where I could think quietly and relax. I broke up with my boyfriend a while ago, and even though it's been three months, I still have days when I find it difficult. Never mind, I don't understand myself sometimes.’ Normally, Charlie never talked about his sexuality so readily, afraid of how people would react. But he felt he could trust Nick, so Charlie decided he wanted to take the risk with him. Nick moved closer to Charlie on the bench. 'I'm so sorry you're having a tough day, it takes time, I guess?“ Nick looked at Lucy and had an idea. 'If you like, you can hold Lucy for a bit? She's very sweet and she won't do anything,” said Nick. 'Oh, um, are you sure Nick? I've never held a guinea pig before. In fact, I've never had a pet before, I don't want to hurt her!' Nick took Lucy out of the stroller. ‘Look, I'm holding her, Charlie, you can pet her if you want and get used to her a bit, and that way she can get used to you too?’ Charlie began to stroke the guinea pig gently and felt her soft fur. He looked up, his eyes met Nick's, and... did he feel a little spark between them? Charlie had already noticed that Nick was handsome, but up close... wow. ‘I think I'm ready. Are you ready, Lucy?’ asked Charlie. Lucy made a soft squeaking sound as if she wanted to let Charlie know that she felt comfortable with him. He held out his hands and Nick gently placed Lucy in Charlie's hands. ‘Hi Lucy, you are so soft and sweet.’ Charlie gently stroked Lucy's body as he held her close to him. Apparently, Lucy was a little cold and was looking for warmth. Before Charlie knew it, she crawled under his jumper and he started to panic. "Um, Nick... Lucy has crawled under my jumper... Maybe... Maybe you could help me? I'm not sure how to... “ 'Oh, um, okay,” said Nick, blushing. He was about to put his bare hands under the jumper of the most beautiful man he had ever seen, and his heart was pounding in his chest. 'Nick, clear your mind and do this. You can do this!' he thought. As Nick and Charlie looked at each other, Nick gently slid his hand under the jumper, searching for Lucy. He didn't want Lucy to be startled by his hand, so he searched with his fingers very slowly. He felt Charlie's naked skin and didn't know if he was dreaming. It felt so surreal. And so good. “Sorry Charlie... I hope you don't mind, but this is the only way I can get her”. “No, no, it's okay,” said Charlie, who now also had red cheeks. 'Yep, there you are'. Lucy was warm between the fabric of Charlie's jumper and his stomach, and after Nick ran his fingers over Charlie's skin one more time, he gently picked her up and put Lucy back in the stroller. A silence followed. Nick felt a tension between them and wasn't sure what to say or do. ‘So, um, how did you like holding her?’ ‘It was nice, yeah... It definitely cheered me up,’ said Charlie with a grin.

After a brief conversation about their daily lives, both men felt raindrops. “So, it's going to rain, and Lucy doesn't like water very much... I think we'll head home.” 'Yeah... It was nice meeting you and Lucy! Thank you for trying to cheer me up and for trusting me to hold her,“ said Charlie. 'As of today, guinea pigs are my favourite animals,” hoping that Nick kind of got the message. Nick smiled shyly at Charlie. 'I'm going to the pet shop this afternoon to find a friend for Lucy. If you like, you can come around my place and see her? 'I'd love that, Nick, and i like to see Lucy again (and you too, Nick, thought Charlie). Shall I give you my phone number so we can keep in touch via text? “ 'Yeah, that sounds great Charlie!,” and Nick added Charlie's number to his phone. They said goodbye and both were curious to see where this might lead. For now, a new friendship was born.