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another-whump-sideblog · 3 months

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Jane's Pets Chapter 103: Undoing Some of the Damage

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Puppy doesn't have much trouble getting packed, except for deciding what to do with her stuffed animals. They're coming with her, obviously, but she doesn't want them to be squished in a garbage bag for however long it takes to find a hotel that'll work.

She reminds herself they don't have lungs, and therefore can't suffocate in her bag. And everything in there is soft, so it'll be comfy for them. They'll be fine. They'll be fine!

This is silly. They don't have brains. They don't have nerves. They'll be okay. But… is it okay to be held in a dark bag with little air for hours (at least) just because they don't experience the world the same way she does? Just because she's more powerful than them and can force them to do what she wants?

They're not alive. She knows they're not alive, they're stuffed animals. She knows, she knows, she knows. She's not stupid, she's not crazy, she knows. But that isn't enough.

She brushes all of their fur and feeds them, then explains the situation to them. They understand, and agree to staying in the bag for a bit even though it'll be uncomfortable. Puppy promises to not put them in until right before they leave, and to take lots of breaks to let open the bag and let them get some fresh air.

Once Puppy is packed, she spends the rest of the night pacing around the living room and watching Kitty breathe. They didn't even acknowledge the offer to get medical care somewhere that doesn't ask questions… which might be for the best, since if they did acknowledge it it would probably be to yell about how Bunny and Puppy just want to drug them again.

She and Bunny probably need medical care too… but it can wait. They're not at immediate risk of death the way Kitty is. There are more important things to worry about.

Luckily, Kitty breathes fairly evenly all night and doesn't have any seizures as far as Puppy can tell. They don't seem to get much sleep either, constantly shaking and tossing and turning, but considering the circumstances they're doing well. Puppy hums some relaxing songs for them while she paces.

She's going to have to sleep without permission eventually. Master is going to hurt her so badly.

Master is dead. Puppy can't sleep because Master will punish her if she does. Master is dead.

Puppy feels as if every piece of her is being ripped in two different directions. She's going to be nothing but a pile of confetti by the time Bunny and Kitty get up in the morning.

She giggles at the mental image. A pile of flesh confetti.

None of this worrying is doing any good. She needs to worry about something important, like…

Now is as good a time as any to review what they'll tell people about what happened to them. The last time she went through it, it seemed like a pipe dream, so some parts are probably too silly to actually work. She struggles to remember what her previous plan was through the fog of exhaustion. Most things they could be honest about, they just needed to leave out the magic stuff. And the being forced to do crimes stuff. And have a reason why Master's body shouldn't be searched for.

The reason she came up with before… it was something to do with the body being completely destroyed… oh, she said it was a vat of acid! Yeah, that won't work. What else could completely destroy a body? Fire would leave some kind of trace, and she doesn't want to set a fire somewhere to make it believable.

Maybe she's starting in the wrong place. Instead of thinking up how someone could die without leaving a body, maybe she should start with how someone living in the woods could die and go from there.

It's funny, Puppy's never encountered any dangerous wild animals in these woods, whether on walks with Bunny or heading into town to get groceries. Maybe Master had something to do with that? Either way, it's not unbelievable Master could be the victim of an animal attack, in a version of events where she didn't have powers. They could even pick a spot in the woods to claim as where it happened, and a lack of evidence there would just be disappointing, not suspicious.

If anyone asks about the money, she'll say she had some hidden away somewhere in case of an emergency, and that she was lucky no one found it in the years she was in captivity. It's not super believable, but it's not disprovable either, and that's the important thing.

Wait, did she clarify the money should be in cash? Hopefully she didn't have to, it seems pretty intuitive to her to not leave an online paper trail with this kind of thing.

She tries to think of any ways her story has holes or could get them in trouble, but she can't find anything, so she writes it down for Bunny and Kitty when they wake up.

I think that when it's necessary to share what happened for whatever reason (speaking with doctors, explaining gaps in employment and rental history, etc.), we should be mostly honest and just leave out the magic stuff and the things we were forced to do. We'll tell people Master died in an animal attack so no one wastes time looking for her body. We'll claim the money was stuff we already had saved up stashed underneath a mattress somewhere or something. What do you think?

Writing without permission again worsens the feeling of her very atoms being torn to pieces, but she can handle it. She doesn't really have any option other than handling it, not while Bunny and Kitty need her.

She paces for the rest of the night, keeping an eye on Kitty's breathing, checking on Bunny every once in a while (how long has his hand been bandaged like that?), and daydreaming about being interviewed as a famous author.

For a moment, when you wake up, it feels like nothing's changed. This is where you've woken up every morning for… you don't even know. You don't even know how long you've been here.

But then you remember. This is the last day you'll be here. You're going to get some money and find a hotel to live in and this horrible chapter of your life will be over.

You leave your room and find Puppy making scrambled eggs. She's humming a cheerful tune.

"Do you want some help with that?" You ask.

She shakes her head and points to your bandaged hand, furrowing her brow.

"Oh… I tried to get rid of the stitches holding Kitty's pockets closed with a kitchen knife. I'm sorry."

She frowns, but quickly shifts her focus to a piece of paper on the couner. She shoves it into your hands. You read it and find it details what she thinks the three of you should tell people about what happened.

"Oh, that's a great idea! Um… did you sleep at all last night?"

She shakes her head.

"Well… that's okay. It'll be easier once we're in a different environment. Like, you've been punished for falling asleep here, so it'd be scarier to sleep here than to sleep somewhere you've never been punished for sleeping."

She shrugs.

"Well, we'll figure it out when we get there. Did you show Kitty this?" You gesture to the paper.

Puppy shakes her head.

"Okay, I'll go show it to them and see what they think."

You find Kitty exactly where you left them, curled up in a pile of blankets on the couch.

"Kitty?" You whisper. "Are you awake?"

"Don't call me that." They grumble, eyes still closed.

"Right, sorry. What do you want to be called?"

"I don't– just not that. I don't care, just not that."

"We'll… probably have to have placeholder names for awhile. Assuming we want to go by our real names once we remember them, which I do. Um… I can pick for you, is that what you want?"

"...no. I want…"

They're quiet for a while, so long that you start to suspect they fell asleep, but then they speak up again.

"Leo. I wanna be Leo."

You smile. "Leo. That's a great name. Well, Leo, Puppy wrote out a plan for what our story will be when we run into situations where we have to have a reason to have been gone for… however long we've been gone." You read it aloud for them. "What do you think?"

"Sounds good." They finally open their eyes and look at you. "Thanks for… uh… keeping me in the loop. And… everything. I'm sorry I've been… you know."

You want to hug them, but you know they wouldn't appreciate that. "It's okay. Of course it's okay. I know you're in pain, and how hard it is to be pleasant while in pain." You really, really do. You think about how you used to lash out at Puppy and Kitty, telling them you hated them and blaming them for things that were 100% Jane's fault. "It's not like I've never lashed out at you while in pain. Or even just from being scared. It's all good. Thank you for apologizing."

They nod. "I think the worst of the withdrawal is over now. I still feel like shit, but…less. So… you probably don't have to worry about me having seizures anymore."

You're not sure if that's how that works, but since Ki- Leo isn't going to consent to any treatment for the withdrawal you might as well accept any explanation that lets you feel less worried. "That's great! We're through the worst of it, just gotta hold on a bit longer."

"Mhm." They yawn. "Oh, what name do you want to go by?"

You… haven't thought about that. You remember looking up names with Diya, trying to find one that means 'survivor,' but you can't remember what you settled on. It feels like it's right on the tip of your tongue... "You… she didn't torture you to forget my name, right?"

"She didn't. But I think this isn't the best time for trying to get rid of that… what's the word… conditioning!" They beam, something you haven't seen in… well, have you ever seen them smile like that?

"Fair enough…" You can't think of any meaningful name on the spot, nor do you have a strong desire to. "Uh… Austin. Call me Austin."

"Nice." They untangle themself from their blankets. Their hands tremble, but it's much better than the whole body shakes they had last night. "I think… I can handle moving around. And I'm hungry."

They get up from the couch and head into the kitchen, leaning against the wall as much as possible. Puppy is setting two plates of eggs on the table.

Leo sighs, but doesn't say anything and sits down to start eating.

"So, good news, Ki– Leo– Well, first thing's first, me and… well, we talked about what names we want to go by for now, before we can remember our old names. They're going by Leo and I'm going by Austin. Um… do you want us to call you something different?"

She shakes her head.

"Well… I don't want to call you Puppy."

"Yeah, fight against the dehumanization by not giving her a choice, that's a great idea." Leo says sarcastically.

You frown. "Well– okay, fine. Let us know if you ever want to be called something different, okay?"

Puppy nods and gives Leo a small smile. Stupid Bunny.

"Um… well the good news was, Leo's feeling better. Not all the way better, but they think the risk of having a seizure is basically over."

You wouldn't have been able to notice if you weren't looking for it, but you can tell Puppy relaxes a little at the news. She's still very tense, but she's never not tense, even in her sleep, so you'll take this as a win.

You get yourself a plate and head over to the frying pan, which still has some eggs, and scoop some onto your plate. You know that the other plate Puppy set out is for you, but you think that you serving yourself is better for both of you.

Puppy's regained all the tension she lost just moments ago. You hate that, but getting her to eat is a higher priority than helping her relax. She sits down at the spot she set for you and stares at her food.

"Puppy… would you do anything for me?" You ask.

Puppy sighs and nods.

"Please, please eat."

Leo nods. "If you have to do it just for us, that's okay. I hope someday you can eat because you want to, but for now… whatever helps you eat is good. Is there anything we can do to make it easier? Literally anything, we're willing to do. Eager to do, even. If it helps to have someone else feed you so you don't feel as responsible, either of us would do that in a heartbeat, right Austin?"

"Right." It's so nice to hear K- Leo talking like this. Like themself.

"You just have to tell us, and we'll do it. Is there any food that's easier to eat? Would it be easier to drink something? We can make some kind of smoothie. Would it be easier to eat outside? Or in the dark somewhere? Or maybe we could put on Sweeny Todd or something on the TV, something distracting that's not too horrifically violent, so you don't have to think about it as much. Would getting permission to eat from one of us help at all?"

Puppy seems overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. She gets up and grabs her paper and pencil, then sits back down. She scribbles something down quickly and passes it to you.

Avoiding thinking about it helps, but that's pretty hard. I think I'll just try to eat as fast as possible, even though that's not great after prolonged periods of starvation. I don't want to watch any of Master's movies, I don't think that'll help.

You read the note aloud for Leo and pass it back.

"It would be faster to drink something, since you wouldn't have to chew." Leo says. "We could blend up your eggs, but that sounds kind of gross. If we don't use the perishable stuff already here today then it will just go bad, so we might as well make a smoothie. Does that sound good?"

Puppy nods and heads back into the kitchen.

"Do you want help?" You ask.

As always, Puppy shakes her head. You and Leo eat your eggs. Leo still seems to be having trouble with their hands shaking and eventually resorts to eating with their hands. You hear the blender whir.

When you're both done, you take your and Leo's dishes to the sink, hoping you can convince Puppy to let you wash them. You find her staring at her smoothie.

"You've got this. Would you rather have me here for moral support, or would it feel safer to not be watched?"

She pats your shoulder.

"That means stay, right?" You think she would've just left the room if she wanted privacy.

She nods.

"Alright. I'm right here. We're all safe. I'm so glad you're willing to try, even though it's scary, for our sakes."

There's a knock at the door. Puppy quickly chugs down her smoothie and goes to get it. It seems easier than drinking water was. Maybe she's just getting more used to it, or maybe having a task to focus on right afterwards helps. You make a mental note of that.

You turn on the sink to wash the dishes, but– wait, who gives a shit? You're literally about to leave. You didn't even plan to sell any of the cooking stuff besides the silverware. Maybe you should, though? Still, right now the people at the door are more important.

You head over to the door as Puppy invites her criminal contacts in. There are only three of them, which you think is good. If something goes wrong, at least they don't outnumber you?

One of the criminals (it feels rude to only think of them as that but that's all you know about them) smiles at you. "Puppy said there were others, I was wondering if I'd get to meet them. My name's Arnold."

They hold out their hand to shake, and you reluctantly take it. "Austin. I'm Austin."

"Nice to meetcha!" There's nothing suspicious about their handshake. They let go and turn to Puppy. "We managed to get the moving truck out here, so depending on this shouldn't take too long– it'll be shorter than it would've been if we had to carry all the furniture through the woods, that's for sure."

Puppy nods. Arnold seems to be waiting for something, but they adjust when no one says anything. "So! Where should we start?"

Puppy guides them over to the drawer full of weapons– makes sense that she'd want to get rid of that first. For a moment you're worried about how she'll negotiate, but then she starts talking. You're… not sure how you feel about that. Is she more comfortable around them than you?

You and Leo both keep a close eye on things, but everything goes smoothly and they quickly work out prices for the weapons. You have no idea if the prices are good or not, but Puppy seems pleased with the outcome when Arnold counts out the cash and hands it to her. The two people Arnold brought with them carry the weapons outside and Puppy moves on to her jewelry and fancy dresses.

Puppy slowly seems to get more and more used to speaking. Her voice gains some volume, and she sounds less and less like she's strategically wording each sentence to be as short as possible. You're happy for her, but also incredibly jealous of Arnold.

What follows is an incredibly boring sweep through every room of the house (excluding the basement), negotiating over every piece of furniture. You don't know how Puppy manages it without having slept at all the last few days. You know you couldn't do it, and you're relatively well-rested and well-fed.

Eventually, you feel confident enough (or just bored enough) to leave them with Leo and go wash the dishes that were left out. Then, when you come back, you suggest that they look at the dishes too and see if Arnold wants any, and they agree.

After what you think is a few hours, Arnold insists on taking a break. "My guys have been carrying so much back and forth, wouldn't want them passing out on us," they said.

Arnold's "guys" still haven't said anything, which strikes you as suspicious, but… Puppy said that these people are willing to help her because they're uncomfortable with the idea of human pets, so it can't be that bad.

Arnold and their "guys" all packed a lunch before coming, which they decide to eat outside. While they do that, you make yourself and Leo ham and cheese sandwiches. You go to make Puppy another smoothie, but find that like the rest of the dishes and cookware the blender was taken out to the moving truck. You probably should've kept that…

Oh well. You make a third sandwich. Maybe Puppy can tear it into pieces and swallow them like pills? It's better than nothing.

Puppy does not accept the sandwich when you try to give it to her. Okay, so you'll have to work on this every meal. That's fine. You set it next to her, hoping she'll eventually decide to eat without pushing while you and Leo eat.

Leo seems happy. "It's nice to see you talking so much, Puppy."

Puppy grimaces. This feels… familiar.

"Does it help for us to point stuff like that out?" You ask. "Or would it be easier if no one commented?"

Leo nods. "Good question."

Puppy sighs and looks at you pleadingly. It takes you a second to figure out what she wants.

"Oh, would phrasing it as a yes or no question be easier?"

Puppy nods. It stings a little, when she was talking so easily just a bit ago.

Leo jumps in. "Does it bother you for us to comment on you… breaking rules you used to have?"

Puppy nods again.

Leo winces. "My bad. I'm sorry."

Puppy shakes her head. You think that probably means something along the lines of "you have no reason to be sorry."

"...um… Puppy? Is there something we're doing wrong? To make you feel uncomfortable talking to us?" You ask.

She shakes her head passionately.

"Oh, I assumed you were talking to them because you were less comfortable with them." Leo says. "Like, you don't trust them to interpret your expressions or wait for you to write things out."

Puppy nods, looking relieved. This… doesn't help you feel less jealous. It's just now directed at Leo for understanding her so intuitively while you can't.

You shake off the feeling as you finish your sandwich. There's no reason to be jealous. Leo understood why she talked to Arnold but not you and them intuitively, but you understood why she was upset about her talking being commented on intuitively. And if she didn't feel like you understood her, she would be talking to you instead of continuing to use other means of communication. You're just on edge from being cooped up in this house for so long after Jane died. It's all fine.

Puppy still hasn't touched her sandwich.

"Could you… take just a bite, maybe?" You say, gesturing to her food. "That's all. Just a bite." She's already pushed herself so much today.

Puppy nods slowly. She squeezes her eyes shut and takes a tiny, tiny bite of the sandwich and quickly swallows it. Then she throws the sandwich across the room.

"Thank you." You say, going to pick up the sandwich.

Leo nods and swallows the last bite of their sandwich. "We really appreciate you pushing through the fear for us."

While you throw away the basically uneaten sandwich, Arnold and their guys come back in.

"Alright, let's see if we can get this done by nightfall!"

You wonder if you could be any help, but Puppy seems to have the negotiating handled. She didn't even want you to be in the house at all, so you don't think she'll accept any offer to help. Which means that the next few hours are very, very boring.

Leo manages to fall asleep on the ground, so you don't have much to do except watch Puppy and Arnold have the same conversations over and over.

At least you're not in pain. Sometimes Jane would leave you alone in the basement for days at a time, that was boring and painful. This is good. A normal boredom instead of a boredom used as a torture method.

When the sun is starting to set, Arnold stops negotiating. "I told you we'd be done by tonight. Here–" they start to count out more money. "Based on what we've priced everything else, I think this is fair for the stuff we didn't get to hammer out a specific price for."

They hand it over and Puppy looks through it. "Yes, that should be enough."

"Perfect!" They start counting out more money. "I want to pay you for showing us this house, too. It'd be a great hideout, so I think you should get compensation for that."

Puppy's eyes widen when they hand over the money. "That's– thank you."

"No problem. We'll come back tomorrow to move out the rest of the furniture, but you're done. You won't have to step foot in here ever again. Do you want a ride into town?"

Puppy hesitates, then shakes her head.

"Alright, be sure to let us know if there's anything else we can do for you." Arnold smiles warmly and leaves. You here what must be the moving truck starting up and driving away.

You shake Leo awake. "We're done. They've paid her for everything, so we're about to leave."

They rub their eyes and yawn. "I… should be able to make the walk. I feel much better."

Their hands tremble every once in a while, but the constant shaking is finally gone. You help Leo to their feet.

"Alright, Puppy. Lead the way."

A/N: Let me know if I should tag anything else, or if you want to be added to or removed from the tag list! This was released exactly on time just like last time. Let me know if you want a summary of any of these logistics heavy chapters, I know they're a lot longer than normal and that not everyone finds the logistics of escape and recovery as interesting as I do

Tag list: @eatyourdamnpears @whump-in-the-closet @scp-1296 @thecosmicmap @quins-whump-stuff

@fuckcapitalismasshole @whumplr-reader

#whump #whump writing #whumpblr #intimate whumper #creepy whumper #nonhuman whumper #multiple whumpees #pet whump #whumpee #whump caretaker #disordered eating tw #torture mention tw #jane's pets #Liam/Austin's idea of a ham and cheese sandwich is just ham and cheese and bread btw #Leo would've made fun of him but they still feel bad about calling him stupid

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