collaborative_daredevil | Slavery RP Post XVIII

Golubushka was trying to manage him, it was pretty obvious, but he didn't comment on it, focusing on making sure his chi was completely under control.

~~~

"I want him to hug me." To protect him from the fake Foggy who was trying to use him to hurt Danny.

Foggy could tell he'd managed to completely screw up the rapport he'd gained. Which sucked, but he wouldn't hold it against Treacle. He nodded and got up, knowing any loud voices would make everything worse.

"Hey Danny," he said once he was in the kitchen with them. Matt was giggly, looking very deliberately cute, and holding the wriggling cat. "Your Matt needs a hug. I think me and my Matt cat bring the tea in with us while you do that."

He nodded, and went through, wrapping his arms around his Matt, over the blanket.

"I've got myself back under control, you don't need the insulation. I love you, and you're more than good enough. I don't want you to feel pressured to have another pet here sooner than you're ready."

Matt and Foggy came through next, Matt cuddling the warm kitty and putting her on Treacle's lap, and Foggy carrying the tea.

Let Treacle talk now, Matt said, nudging Danny gently.

"They didn't think I'd done a bad job with Toffee?" He asked Danny at Golubushka's prompting.

"No, they were very impressed. But I don't want you to feel you have to make our home available before you're ready."

Foggy could tell this was not at all what he'd expected. Treacle looked much less visibly pissed off. But he gave a subtle nod so he'd know to say what he needed to earlier.

"Felt like you were telling me they didn't want me to help again." He pouted a bit as he leaned into Danny's hold.

Matt hummed a little from where he was sitting, and poked Treacle in the leg, knowing there was something else he wasn't saying. Matt knew himself too much for that.

He ducked his head, twisting to press his face into Danny's shoulder.

"And I was doing too much other charity work this past week."

"It's not sustainable." Danny agreed, stroking his back.

Is easy to do too much work," Matt said quietly and empathetically. Want to help everyone, do everything. Want to right all wrongs.

"And work can be even more difficult when it's underappreciated," Foggy said gently next to him.

"They didn't understand how much you were doing, or recognise the value you provide simply by associating with them?" He asked gently, and Matt nodded.

"Would it help if we worked out what a sustainable schedule is, and make sure that the charities know you'll only devote that much time to them, at the very most?"

"Treacle suggested to me that it would also help if he had defined duties of what actually was and was not his job, and if he self-tracked what he did, as a way of measuring his own contributions," Foggy said. "And so people wouldn't ask or assume he should be doing other things or even more."

"Yes, that's a good idea, but it's not something we can implement ourselves, it's something we'll need to establish with the people who organise the charities he works with. And we definitely need to make sure they understand that you'll need to scale back on your obligations the next time we're asked to help a pet like Toffee."

"They also need to know to respect him, his contributions, and his capabilities," Foggy offered, understanding now that beating around the bush wouldn't help at all. "And that talking shit about him behind his back is unprofessional."

"Yes, that is definitely something that needs to be handled. Matt, sweetheart, how do you want me to handle it? Should I talk to them myself, or send our Foggy or his Matt to do it?" It would be legitimate to hire them for that, if he did.

"Not sure, ask the fake Foggy what would work better."

Foggy quirked his lips at 'fake', but said, "With all respect, I think Matt needs to handle it. Other people intervening will ultimately have the opposite effect--they will see it as proof that he is not capable or competent, and that he cannot handle himself. Especially if they are already looking down on him because he's a pet or because he's disabled, or both, that will just make things work. I would ask my Matt and this world's Feral what works best for them."

"Not right now though. And I don't want to hide bits of me the way Feral does."

"Maybe take the time to talk with Feral about what would be a good way to approach it, when you have the energy for it? And I do think that it will be helpful to have the options of calling on lawyers if you need it." Danny wasn't really addressing that last one to him, he knew that.

"Of course," Foggy said. "Do your organizations have formal rules for how to treat volunteers and employees, codes of conduct, things like that? Those can be very helpful when dealing with problems throughout the offices. And--I know Matt has hiring and firing power, do you at all, or any power over other employees? Do the organizations' HR cover things like this?"

"Uh-huh. No hiring and firing power, but there is HR, I just haven't had that much to do with it." Hadn't thought he needed it.

"I think that's worthwhile to explore," Foggy said. "Do their discrimination policies cover pets? Disabilities?"

"Yes, those were both factors we checked before Matt started working with each of the charities." Danny could answer that as Matt leaned more against him.

Treacle should use that, Matt said quietly. Talk to specialized civil rights lawyers, see what his options are. Orgs need you more than you need them.

"Yes, they do." He agreed with that - he knew how badly it would affect the charities if Matt publicly withdrew from working with them.

"Any suggestions for who?" Matt sounded a touch dubious.

Annalise Keating is my lawyer, Matt said, good at civil rights, victim advocacy. Helps my interests at the Stark trial things.

"We'll look into her. Matt, do you think you can manage some tea and biscuits? Foggy, there's wipes for our hands on the side table."

"Think so, yeah."

Danny and Treacle: Clearing Up

Re: Danny and Treacle: Clearing Up

Danny: Clearing Up

Re: Danny: Clearing Up

Treacle: Clearing Up

Re: Treacle: Clearing Up

Treacle: Clearing Up

Re: Treacle: Clearing Up

Treacle: Clearing Up

Re: Treacle: Clearing Up

Danny: Clearing Up

Re: Danny: Clearing Up

Danny: Clearing Up

Re: Danny: Clearing Up

Danny: Clearing Up

Golubushka's Foggy: Clearing Up

Treacle: Clearing Up

Re: Treacle: Clearing Up

Treacle: Clearing Up

Re: Treacle: Clearing Up

Danny: Clearing Up

Re: Danny: Clearing Up

Danny: Clearing Up

Re: Danny: Clearing Up

Danny: Clearing Up