The box was moving.

That should’ve been the first red flag. The second was the smug look on Two-Bit’s face as he plopped it in Soda’s lap at the DX, while Steve tried and failed to hide his laughter. “Merry Christmas, farm boy,” Steve said through a grin.

Soda pulled back the flaps and screamed. Loudly. Dramatically. Like he’d seen a ghost. Or, in this case, a very alive, very feathery chicken.

“What is that?!”

He’d sputtered out, feathers flying, the chicken unbothered and already pecking at his shirt.

“You got me a live animal?!”

Steve clapped him on the back. “We figured you could use some responsibility.” Then Two-bit chimed in with a wink “Or a girlfriend who don’t cheat on you and leave town,”.

Fast forward two hours, and Sodapop was crouched in his living room, setting up a makeshift nest out of a cardboard box, blankets, and a bunch of newspaper clippings. The chicken who he’d already lovingly named Daisy was settling in like she owned the place.

And Soda? He was panic-researching with books he found in the library. Looking for things like what chickens eat, how to care for them, if they needed to be taken on walks like dogs, and more when you walked in. He had never been so happy to see you as his eyes lit up like a kid who found a superhero in his kitchen.

“Hey! Hey, wait- you grew up on a farm, didn’t ya? You know, with cows and chickens and- and this,”

He gestures to Daisy, who clucks like she agrees. You nod slowly, eyebrow raised. “Is that a chicken in your living room?” Clearly it was. But you had to ask to make sure he in fact, saw the chicken too.

“She’s my girl.”

Soda says proudly, puffing his chest. Like true protective parent ready to fight any coming suitors trying to take his baby girl from him.

“Her name’s Daisy. and isn’t she just the cutest lil’ thing you ever seen? And technically, she lives here now. She picked the corner, I just fluffed it up for her.”

You blink. “You gave a chicken… interior design?” You asked because you did not expect this lovely Wednesday evening to result in Soda having a new pet..

“I’m her papa,”

He says, completely serious, scooping up Daisy with the careful air of a new dad holding his baby for the first time.

“But I do need help. I think I overfed her. Is bread bad? She really liked the Twinkie.”