collaborative_daredevil | Slavery RP Post XVIII

"I got used to Matt's informality with Danny - and Matt Murdock's even more informal with his - he calls him Foggy, not even a proper name."

Jamie giggled a little at the idea, and squirmed to sit a little closer still. "That sounds kind of adorable, honestly. And it's not like we aren't close with Master Erik--we are--but he's just...well, you've probably noticed, but he's kind of just, like, totally ridiculous and stiff-necked sometimes. I think it was the way he was brought up, all uptight WASP kind of stuff, and he loves us but that doesn't mean he's ever actually unbuttoned or relaxed in the same way. One time we were at a hotel and some of us wanted to jump on the ultra-strong bed and he was just baffled," he laughed at the memory.

Then he watched Toffee's face more closely. "What other things did Matt do with Danny that you liked?"

He giggled at Jamie's story, and considered the question.

"Lots of hugging, and Matt would tease Danny and Danny would tease him back."

"Do we not do enough hugging?" Jamie asked fairly seriously. "Once we got the really big bed, we figured that would mean we all got enough contact even on busy days, but..."

"Yeah, we do enough hugging. I just haven't been able to enjoy it properly recently."

Jamie nodded sadly. "It was worse before he got to be DA--he and Hendrick would come home, barely talk, avoid us all, and go to bed in the study half the time. Feeling rejected is never good," and he took a soft breath, "Do you think you'll be angry at us for a long time?"

"I'm not angry at you. I wish I'd had the confidence to speak up when I realised it was going to be too much, but it's not your fault, any of your fault, that I didn't."

Jamie frowned a little, and said more accusingly than he meant, "Do you ever actually feel angry? Or is that wholly gone?"

"When I think about the people who stole me I'm angry at them. And...sometimes I'm angry when I see free people treat pets badly." He confessed a bit unhappily.

"That's pretty normal," Jamie said carefully, relieved and a tad worried. "Hendrick and us, we get angry sometimes at the cases they work. And as long as you aren't violent--you can't hit or hurt anyone, right?--as long as that's true, we can work it out."

"No, I'm not violent." He looked at Jamie in shock. "Can't hit or hurt anyone, I had to do a full course on meditation before I could manage pet self-defense classes."

"See? So I think you should let yourself feel angry sometimes then," Jamie said easily, never actually have been afraid of Toffee hurting a fly. "I just--bottling things up hasn't worked so well in this household.

"Yeah, it'll still take a while though."

Jamie nodded, and they lapsed into deep quiet. He took a soft breath, knowing now the rhythm of these conversations-- "Do you want to know about why Master Erik doesn't speak to his parents?"

"If it won't cause problems for you to tell me, then yes." Far better than risking saying something to Master Erik and hurting him.

Jamie took a deep breath and nodded. "It all began when he was a child, I think--Master Erik was left alone to their pet most of the time, who doted on him, and when he got to be a bit older and they started to take a bit of an interest because he wasn't a little child anymore, he was...offended. And when they realized how attached he'd gotten as a teenager, everything--it all exploded."

Jamie grimaced.

"They sold her after renaming her while they were on vacation--Master Erik came back and had to run out and try and get her back. He did eventually track her down and buy her himself, but then his parents threatened to have her have a bad accident. I think they thought he'd sell her off again, and he did--but only as a donation to the Academy here. And he has never since forgiven them."

Jamie huffed softly. "And once they saw him with Hendrick, and they realized he had never loved them more than pets...they didn't forgive him either."

"Oh..." He trailed off, horrified by what he'd learned. "They weren't good parents then. I know a lot of pets do take care of children, but the parents are still supposed to pay them attention as well." He hesitated, before continuing.

"Did you ever meet the pet who raised Master Erik, or did she have to be sent to another branch to protect her?"

"They really weren't, at all. But he hates pity and he would never welcome any expressions of sympathy along those lines--he's thoroughly cut them off from absolutely every bit of himself, and that's his kind of revenge. Though he does feel angry about them sometimes still--he usually reacts to that by taking elaborate care of us," Jamie said softly, and then considered Toffee's question.

"I met her once--she--" Jamie hesitated for a minute, unsure how to convey quite what he meant. "She was, um, she was rather...when he gave her to the Academy, he said some things I think he regrets. Horrible, mean things. I don't think he meant them--stuff about how he didn't need her or anyone, along those lines. I suspect he feels so guilty about them that he can't apologize by this point."

"And so she doesn't quite know if he meant them, or if he was trying to protect her still."

"Indeed. And of course it's just so deep a wound that nobody wants to re-open it and bleed all over again," he said with a sad nod. "So be careful of speaking of it."

"I won't ask about it where Master Erik can hear, I promise."

"See to that," Jamie said softly, and then turned his head to see the sun setting--they must have been talking for an awfully long time.

"I'll shut the curtains, and turn the light on." He offered, hearing Ivannya coming up the stairs as he moved.

"That would be lovely," Jamie murmured, and turned so he was facing Ivannya as she climbed up the stairs two at a time, breathless and curious.

"Hi, Toffee! Hi, Jamie! How is everyone! Why are we all in here?!" she asked in one breath, excited. "Are we ordering in tonight? It's late!"

"We came here so I could plan out what to make for Hendrick. And work on Jamie's vest." He answered as he settled back down. He glanced over at Jamie before answering the next question.

"Master decided we should order pizza tonight. Would you mind putting Hendrick's old sweater away again please?"

Toffee: Overload and Burnout

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Toffee: Overload and Burnout

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Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Re: Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Re: Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Re: Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Re: Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Re: Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Re: Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Re: Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Re: Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Re: Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Re: Toffee: Overload and Burnout

Toffee: Overload and Burnout