It was raining again in the city. It always rained in the city. Cold, heavy rain that gleamed in the street lights.

My sneakers were drenched as I sloshed across the street to the apartment building.

After fumbling with the key code, I finally managed to let myself in to the entrance and dropped my groceries down on the the floor to regain some circulation in my fingers.

And then I got soaked. Even more than I already was. If that's even possible.

A large grey dog had snuck in behind me and was shaking itself dry in the small entrance way.

"what the hell?" I grumbled, and stepped back to the door and swung it open. "Shoo!"

It stood still. It's yes snapping to me the second I spoke.

"Shoo!" I repeated, and it sat down as if that one simple move was telling me to sod off.

Someone else could deal with the dog. Maybe it belonged to someone else who live in this building.

I closed the door and scooped up my bags before starting the climb up to my home.

Feet patterned behind me on the concrete stairs.

"No," I said, and spun round to the stupid animal following me. "Stay. Stay here."

It just whined.

Giving up, I took the sirs two at a time, somehow believing I could out run it and it'd leave me alone. Surprise, surprise... It didn't.

I opened my door just a crack and the dog slipped through.

"Oh, come on!"

It trot right on in to my apartment and laid down in front of the radiator in the kitchen.

"You stupid thing..." I grumbled. "This isn't your home..."

I dumped my groceries on the counter, and went over to crouch down by the animal.

It was thin and lanky, almost skeletal, with bones pronounced beneath the grey fur. It also wasn't wearing a collar.

"Who's are you, bud?" I pondered aloud, and went to stroke between it's ears.

The dog flinched back a moment, before nudging my hovering hand with its nose.

I tried again, and it didn't flinch. It let me scratch between its ears, down its neck, and along its back before flopping over to the side. Apparently, it was a he.

I could feel the bones beneath my fingers, and dreaded to think when he was last fed.

He just stayed there, absorbing the warmth from the heater for a while whilst I opened a packet of burger patties and threw a few in to the small oven. When they were finally finished, he'd perked up at the smell.

I plated up unexpected for myself and two for him.

I don't think I'd ever seen anything eat so quickly.

He appeared to inhale them, almost bypassing he process of chewing before chucking them back.

I'd taken on bite out of my burger and he was already finished, licking up the few bits of grease that remained on the plate.

"Here you go," I said, and placed my own dinner, bun and all, on to the now empty plate that sat before him. "You probably need it more than me."

He looked up an me for a moment, before eating it in one bite also.

"Imma call you Trevor - Trev for short."

~

I slept on the couch again. It was just easier to.

The credits of a miscellaneous cooking show were rolling when I finally turned the TV off. Trevor was balled up on the end of the couch, his head resting on my foot, and I didn't want to disturb him by getting up, so I just fell asleep where I was sprawled, for once not feeling quite well the so alone.

I couldn't talk to him, or more to the point he couldn't talk to me, but having just another sentient being in this apartment was enough to fill the void. I wasn't just living in a box. I was in my home.

A/N

Aightyho. So. Tobias finally appeared!

His chapter was a bit weird but just bear with me.

I can't remember who it was (and I'm sorry about that) but someone suggested I do a story about Tris and Tobias before Call Me Six and because I'm an idiot that can't focus on one thing at once, my brain has been buzzing with ideas for that I stead of this. It might happen. It might not. I probably don't have the time for it just yet to be fair 😅.