![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
But Why
It took two weeks of it - of Belonging to Leofric Lightning-Blade, of living in his house in Cloverleaf - before Jeska finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Sir?" They were in the living room, with his owner watching what he'd explained to Jeska as "anime" on the "television" while Jeska sat nearby and, usually, stayed quiet.
"Yes, Jeska?" The blond man looked over, seeming mildly but genuinely interested.
"Sir." Jeska took a deep breath and tried to keep his ears from tilting back in nerves. "What am I doing here?"
From the expression of surprise on Leo's face, he hadn't expected that question at all. But by the same expression, he also didn't seem upset. He's never upset; that means nothing.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," he plunged ahead, "you aren't fucking me, you aren't making me work, you don't show me off, so what do I Belong to you for?"
Leo's expression shifted slightly and for a moment, Jeska thought he was angry, the thought making his stomach churn and his ears pin back against his head. But the moment passed and his owner closed his eyes, sighing quietly.
"That question," he said, slowly and quietly, "has a long and complicated answer, which I don't really want to get into right now. But I can give you a short answer. You Belong to me because... well, because living in a house by myself gets lonely." Leo smiled. "My friend usually Keeps someone to solve that problem, so I thought I'd try it myself."
He didn't seem angry, so, very cautiously, Jeska pressed on. "But that woman, Cya--"
"Sa'Doomsday," his owner corrected, gently but firmly. "Call her sa'Doomsday until she tells you that you can do otherwise."
"Sa'Doomsday, yes sir, sorry sir." He cringed and ducked his head, staring at the floor.
"It's okay." Leo's hand was in his hair again, gently ruffling it. "What about her?"
"...why don't you live with her? You..." Jeska swallowed the panic. "You put her Name on your back? You even have her collar."
"I did say there was a long and complicated answer." He sounded amused, which softened the scolding a little. "For now: you Belong to me because I wanted company. And so far, I like having you around. I'm hoping you'll eventually be comfortable enough to have an opinion back."
"...yes, sir." Maybe, Jeska mused, it wasn't an Ashanevai thing; maybe his owner was just crazy.
Leofric lay staring up at the ceiling, his new Kept gradually dozing off at the edge of the bed.
"What do I belong to you for?"
The truth of it was, Leo realized, was that he didn't really know. It had started as a joke; half as a joke, at least. Cya's reasons for Keeping someone every year had turned out to be, well, surprisingly relevant to his own life, for the most part. And then she'd been considering not Keeping someone because she thought, somehow, it was keeping the two of them from spending time together? Which he'd joked that if she didn't, maybe he would. And then...
And then he wasn't sure how, but she'd had him make a list of things for her to look for in a potential Kept. And she'd Found a Nedetaka. And now Leo was Keeping him.
Turning his head just slightly, he looked over at the sleeping wolf-boy; he was more attractive than Leo'd bargained for, which was both nice and... worrying? It made him a little nervous, at least.
"Just a little jealous." The memory of Cya's words drifted into his head, unbidden. "I guess about him getting to live with you."
Why don't I live with her?
If he was being completely honest... he didn't really know. But he had a year to figure it out; he just hoped that would be long enough.
"Sir?" They were in the living room, with his owner watching what he'd explained to Jeska as "anime" on the "television" while Jeska sat nearby and, usually, stayed quiet.
"Yes, Jeska?" The blond man looked over, seeming mildly but genuinely interested.
"Sir." Jeska took a deep breath and tried to keep his ears from tilting back in nerves. "What am I doing here?"
From the expression of surprise on Leo's face, he hadn't expected that question at all. But by the same expression, he also didn't seem upset. He's never upset; that means nothing.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," he plunged ahead, "you aren't fucking me, you aren't making me work, you don't show me off, so what do I Belong to you for?"
Leo's expression shifted slightly and for a moment, Jeska thought he was angry, the thought making his stomach churn and his ears pin back against his head. But the moment passed and his owner closed his eyes, sighing quietly.
"That question," he said, slowly and quietly, "has a long and complicated answer, which I don't really want to get into right now. But I can give you a short answer. You Belong to me because... well, because living in a house by myself gets lonely." Leo smiled. "My friend usually Keeps someone to solve that problem, so I thought I'd try it myself."
He didn't seem angry, so, very cautiously, Jeska pressed on. "But that woman, Cya--"
"Sa'Doomsday," his owner corrected, gently but firmly. "Call her sa'Doomsday until she tells you that you can do otherwise."
"Sa'Doomsday, yes sir, sorry sir." He cringed and ducked his head, staring at the floor.
"It's okay." Leo's hand was in his hair again, gently ruffling it. "What about her?"
"...why don't you live with her? You..." Jeska swallowed the panic. "You put her Name on your back? You even have her collar."
"I did say there was a long and complicated answer." He sounded amused, which softened the scolding a little. "For now: you Belong to me because I wanted company. And so far, I like having you around. I'm hoping you'll eventually be comfortable enough to have an opinion back."
"...yes, sir." Maybe, Jeska mused, it wasn't an Ashanevai thing; maybe his owner was just crazy.
Leofric lay staring up at the ceiling, his new Kept gradually dozing off at the edge of the bed.
"What do I belong to you for?"
The truth of it was, Leo realized, was that he didn't really know. It had started as a joke; half as a joke, at least. Cya's reasons for Keeping someone every year had turned out to be, well, surprisingly relevant to his own life, for the most part. And then she'd been considering not Keeping someone because she thought, somehow, it was keeping the two of them from spending time together? Which he'd joked that if she didn't, maybe he would. And then...
And then he wasn't sure how, but she'd had him make a list of things for her to look for in a potential Kept. And she'd Found a Nedetaka. And now Leo was Keeping him.
Turning his head just slightly, he looked over at the sleeping wolf-boy; he was more attractive than Leo'd bargained for, which was both nice and... worrying? It made him a little nervous, at least.
"Just a little jealous." The memory of Cya's words drifted into his head, unbidden. "I guess about him getting to live with you."
Why don't I live with her?
If he was being completely honest... he didn't really know. But he had a year to figure it out; he just hoped that would be long enough.