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Cats and Dogs, reprise
"I'm sorry for teasing you."
Jeska looked up from his food - not startled, exactly, but it wasn't how he'd expected the conversation to start.
"About Tsuki. ...being jealous of the cat." Leo poked at his rice with his chopsticks. "I didn't stop to think about why you might be. I guess I just assumed it was a... well." He looked uncomfortable and cleared his throat. "A dog thing."
Jeska froze. "I am not," he said, very deliberately, "a dog."
"No, of course not. And I'm not a deer. But sometimes I feel the urge to act a little like one." Leo smiled crookedly across the table. "But that's beside the point. You think I like Tsuki better, you said."
Jeska slowly put down his fork, trying to keep his ears from going back. He was not a dog. "Do you?"
His owner considered the question, looking very serious. "She's a cat, and my pet, and as a pet cat I'm very fond of her."
Is that a yes? Jeska's stomach dropped and he felt his ears pin back against his head, despite his best efforts - although he did manage not to whine. That, that was the worst, when he couldn't help that stupid sound from coming out.
"But," Leo continued, as though Jeska hadn't done a thing, "you are not my pet. You're an adult man who Belongs to me. I may not be as... emotionally attached to you as the animal I've lived with for years, but I respect you more, as a person."
That was not any of the answers Jeska had been anticipating when he'd brought up the topic. "Respect, sir...?"
"Respect." Leo gave him a small smile. "So no, if there's a rank order here, the cat is not higher than you. And if you want me to be more affectionate, honestly, I'll be happy to. I didn't want to... well. Push you."
Jeska considered his owner's behavior so far, over the past three months; almost never giving him orders, barely even giving him suggestions, encouraging him to make decisions or have opinions or say 'no' to things. Ordering Jeska on the first day to say if something distressed him. It was consistent, at least. So his owner didn't want to accidentally force unwanted attention on him?
"Did your owner push you?" The question was out of his mouth before he realized it and his ears pinned flat against his head. He didn't think Leo would hit him; he knew better by now. But he knew it was going to make Leo unhappy.
"She... yeah." Leo's voice was barely loud enough to hear. "Not like that, but yeah."
Jeska stared at his own half-eaten dinner and tried not to think about Leo - his owner, who could fight on equal footing with a fullblood several times his age - being too afraid of nightmares to sleep. What kind of nightmares might be enough to terrify a man as strong as sa'Lightning Blade.
We were talking about the cat, Jeska reminded himself. "I think I would like that."
Leo looked up again in surprise. "...oh, being affectionate. Okay. I think I can handle that tonight." He smiled, just a little. "To start with, do you want to sit with me while we eat?"
Jeska peeked up at his owner, his ears pointing forwards. "...yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
Jeska looked up from his food - not startled, exactly, but it wasn't how he'd expected the conversation to start.
"About Tsuki. ...being jealous of the cat." Leo poked at his rice with his chopsticks. "I didn't stop to think about why you might be. I guess I just assumed it was a... well." He looked uncomfortable and cleared his throat. "A dog thing."
Jeska froze. "I am not," he said, very deliberately, "a dog."
"No, of course not. And I'm not a deer. But sometimes I feel the urge to act a little like one." Leo smiled crookedly across the table. "But that's beside the point. You think I like Tsuki better, you said."
Jeska slowly put down his fork, trying to keep his ears from going back. He was not a dog. "Do you?"
His owner considered the question, looking very serious. "She's a cat, and my pet, and as a pet cat I'm very fond of her."
Is that a yes? Jeska's stomach dropped and he felt his ears pin back against his head, despite his best efforts - although he did manage not to whine. That, that was the worst, when he couldn't help that stupid sound from coming out.
"But," Leo continued, as though Jeska hadn't done a thing, "you are not my pet. You're an adult man who Belongs to me. I may not be as... emotionally attached to you as the animal I've lived with for years, but I respect you more, as a person."
That was not any of the answers Jeska had been anticipating when he'd brought up the topic. "Respect, sir...?"
"Respect." Leo gave him a small smile. "So no, if there's a rank order here, the cat is not higher than you. And if you want me to be more affectionate, honestly, I'll be happy to. I didn't want to... well. Push you."
Jeska considered his owner's behavior so far, over the past three months; almost never giving him orders, barely even giving him suggestions, encouraging him to make decisions or have opinions or say 'no' to things. Ordering Jeska on the first day to say if something distressed him. It was consistent, at least. So his owner didn't want to accidentally force unwanted attention on him?
"Did your owner push you?" The question was out of his mouth before he realized it and his ears pinned flat against his head. He didn't think Leo would hit him; he knew better by now. But he knew it was going to make Leo unhappy.
"She... yeah." Leo's voice was barely loud enough to hear. "Not like that, but yeah."
Jeska stared at his own half-eaten dinner and tried not to think about Leo - his owner, who could fight on equal footing with a fullblood several times his age - being too afraid of nightmares to sleep. What kind of nightmares might be enough to terrify a man as strong as sa'Lightning Blade.
We were talking about the cat, Jeska reminded himself. "I think I would like that."
Leo looked up again in surprise. "...oh, being affectionate. Okay. I think I can handle that tonight." He smiled, just a little. "To start with, do you want to sit with me while we eat?"
Jeska peeked up at his owner, his ears pointing forwards. "...yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
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