My first petre fic
Puppy Will Riker and handler/caregiver Deanna Troi, also Beverly Crusher is there (it's just so easy to throw the supportive mom friend into my regressor Riker stories)
The Enterprise was in the middle of a long warp that would take nearly fourteen hours to complete. The crew was enjoying some free time.
Deanna Troi was spending the day in her quarters relaxing. With her day completely free of appointments and responsibilities she made plans to have dinner with Beverly Crusher and spend her afternoon with a mug of hot chocolate, reading a book on her padd.
Will had shown up at her quarters sometime around noon. He had found himself incredibly bored with no idea what to do, and decided that bothering Deanna would be a sufficient solution. Deanna didn't mind the company and after a few minutes the two were simply in the same room rather than hanging out with each other.
Deanna was curled up in the corner of her sofa reading when she felt something lightly nudge at her knee. Will was kneeling at her feet wearing his puppy ears and a red collar, holding a squeaky bone in his mouth. Deanna wasn't surprised that he had gone into headspace. He rarely ever had the opportunity and most of his gear was in her quarters anyway.
"Hi, Puppy." Deanna set down her padd and smiled, "Do you want to play fetch?"
Will nodded and nudged Deanna's knee again. She held out her hand for the toy. Will dropped it in her hands and he settled back down on his knees.
Deanna patted his head, "Good boy, Will."
Will beamed and leaned forward. He waited, albeit not so patiently, but still waited for her to toss the toy across the room for him. He followed it with his eyes and when it fell to the floor across the room he rushed off after it.
Deanna tossed the toy for Will, giving him simple praises and pets each time he returned. She did a bit more reading on her padd and sipped her hot chocolate, smiling when she would look up to find Will grinning next to her with the toy.
She looked up again when she felt Will rest his head on her knee, his toy now lying on the floor. Deanna reached down and stroked his cheek. Will smiled and leaned into her hand.
"Are you tired?" Deanna patted the spot next to her on the sofa, "Come here, Puppy."
Will grinned and happily climbed onto the sofa next to her. He curled up and buried his face into her thigh. Deanna ran her fingers through his hair.
It didn't take long for Will to fall asleep. It was the most relaxed he'd felt in weeks, and Deanna was there to look after him. He was safe and cared for, and had nothing to worry about.
Deanna absentmindedly played with Will's hair while he napped. She immersed herself in a book on her padd and enjoyed the quiet time that they rarely got to see on the ship. The familiar weight of Will's head in her lap and the soft feel of his hair put her mind more at ease.
Deanna had nearly forgotten about her promise to Beverly about dinner when the door chimed. Will whimpered and he peaked one eye open. Deanna smiled down at him and kissed his forehead. Will snuggled back up to her, now awake but not willing to get up.
"Come in." Deanna finally called out.
Beverly walked into the room happily, "Hi Deanna."
"Hello, Beverly. I'm sorry, but I can't exactly get up at the moment." Deanna rubbed Will's bicep and he sleepily smiled up at her.
"It's alright." Beverly smiled and ruffled Will's hair, "Hi Will. Has he been in head space all day?"
"Only for the last few hours." Deanna explained, "He was asleep on my lap for most of them."
"Well, whenever the two of you are ready we can start on dinner." Will quickly sat up and Beverly laughed, "I think Will likes that idea."
"Of course he does." Deanna smiled and kissed Will's cheek, "Will is always hungry."
Will followed Deanna to the table. He knelt down next to Deanna's seat and waited eagerly for his food. They had a specific program set up for when Will was a puppy, something he could actually eat but would put him in headspace. It wasn't that normal food would take him out of headspace, he would eat off of Deanna's plate all the time, it simply added to the experience.
Deanna set Will's bowl down, "Here you go, Puppy."
Will happily rubbed rubbed the side of his head against her arm as a little thank you. Deanna tussled his hair. Beverly did the same after she set her's and Deanna's plates down on the table.
Deanna sat across from Beverly and the two women began to chat as they are their dinner. They talked about work, a little about the current crew drama. Will would listen in from time to time, but of course never had anything to say.
Will finished his dinner rather quickly. He almost always did, after all puppies don't have the best self control, and they are always hungry. So of course Will was still hungry. He nudged his head against Deanna's leg and looked up at her with big pleading eyes.
"Will." Deanna scolded lightly, "Don't beg."
Will pouted and rested his head on Deanna's thigh. He normally would have kept begging. Deanna almost always gave him food eventually, but he decided he could behave since they had a guest.
"Good boy." Deanna gently drug her nails along the back of his neck and he melted under her touch.
After a few more minutes of talking Deanna and Beverly had finished their dinner and moved on to dessert. Deanna held out a bite of her cake to Will. He straightened up, happily accepting the treat being offered to him. Deanna continued feeding herself and then Will until the plate was clean.
Will smiled up at Deanna and snuggled closer to her with a content sigh. Deanna ran her fingers through his hair, gently scratching his scalp with her nails. The quiet chatter between Deanna and Beverly almost lulled him back to sleep. Almost. He could still make out the sound of Deanna's voice, so he stayed awake to hear it.
