Standing like a deer in headlights, Jerome took several moments to respond, unsure if he’d heard Seth correctly.
“Wait…what?!”
“You heard me kid. You took her…so she’s your problem.” Walking away as the teen followed in an near daze, Seth made his way to his bedroom, opening the closet and retrieving a large bag of kibble. As he began to scoop some of the feed out into a spare bowl, Jerome tried to make sense of what his supposed mentor was saying.
“I mean…I can’t…I don’t…Where…where would I keep her?!”
Standing up with the food dish now full, Seth only shrugged slightly as he made his way to his bathroom. Turning on the faucet, he filled the empty side of the dish with a healthy bit of water, with Jerome standing dumbstruck just outside.
“You…you’re fuckin’ with me…right?! I mean you’re still pissed about Kismet and this is what? My punishment?”
“Of course not. This isn’t me punishing you for nearly killing my foal…although yeah, I’m still pretty angry about that kid…This is you taking responsibility for what you did. As for a punishment…well we’ll get there later…For now, don’t worry about it…” Walking past the teen, Seth made his way back to the hallway, just outside the hobby-room as Jerome followed after. Flustered by all that Seth had said, he walked in front of the door before Seth could enter.
“Wait! Just…just wait a second, okay? Seth I can’t take her! I don’t have anywhere to keep her! It’s why I called you, remember?! How would I even feed and take care of her?”
Smiling as he placed the dish in the teen’s hands, Seth opened the hobby-room door. “I’m not a monster kid…She’ll stay here for the time being, until we work something else out…Now, I suggest you try and make nice with her…” Before Jerome could respond, Seth pushed him lightly, the teen stumbling forward into the hobby-room as Seth followed behind.
“Wha…What?!”
Noticing the pair’s arrival, Bullet uncurled and rose to her hooves, backing up against the wall, her eyes never leaving Jerome.
“Meanie Hoomin! Weeb Buww’it awone! Am soon mummah an’ nee’ tu weeb scawy pwace wite nao!”
Seth tried not to outright laugh as the mare belittled Jerome. It was hardly his fault that he was ill prepared to deal with such a spoiled fluffy, with most people being blissfully unaware of the errant behavior the biotoys were capable of. In most situations, if a fluffy were confronted by a human, it would respond with either playful curiosity or outright fear, sometimes both. Lightly nudging the teen with his elbow, Seth decided that while Jerome might be leagues above most novice abusers, he was still out of his depth here. “Stay calm kid…Remember, you’re in control here…not her.”
Spurred on by Seth’s words, Jerome’s apprehension was slowly replaced with confidence as he strode forward, food dish in hand. Holding it close enough for the unicorn to see, Bullet sniffled the air as her gaze drifted to the plastic bowl.
“…Nummies?! Am dohs nummies fow Buww’it? Gib Buww’it nummies wite nao! Nee’ nummies fow tummeh babbehs!”
No longer backing away, Bullet grew bold at the sight of sustenance within her reach. Approaching Jerome without a trace of fear or hesitation, the teen held the dish just out of her reach as she tried to stand upright, her increased weight causing each attempt to quickly fail.
“Gib!!! Gib Buww’it nummies!!! Gib nummies nao!!!”
Once her focus was solely on the kibble, Jerome used his free hand to strike her, the mare shrieking as his palm made harsh contact with the side of her muzzle.
“*SCREEEEEEE!!!”
“Cut that shit out right now!”
Jerome couldn’t help but smile as Bullet yelped, hunkering down as he shouted, her bravado quickly fading. Quiet as a whisper, Seth furthered his role as the boy’s guide, careful not to be overheard by the mare. “Good instincts kid, but don’t overdo it…Keep the physical stuff light or she could miscarry…” Nodding slightly to his older instructor, Jerome kept his eyes on the unicorn, who peeked out towards the pair as she slightly moved her hooves away from her face. Her cheeks wet with teats, the mare tried to speak as her voice cracked from trying to stifle her sobbing.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…Wa…wai hoomin gi…gib huwties t…tu Buww’it?! Am…am soon mummah…*huuu…huuu…huuu…”
“I don’t give a fuck you entitled bitch! Fluffies do not demand shit from people! You got that?!”
Wincing as she turned away from the screaming boy, Bullet continued to mewl, clearly too frightened to respond willingly. Reaching out, Jerome grasped her by the jaw, forcing her head towards him as he leaned in, his face inches from hers.
“Do NOT ignore me bitch! If you want something you ask…no, you BEG for it! Now, do you understand?!”
“YUS!!! YUS!!! *huuu…huuu…huuu…P’WEASE WET BUWW’IT GU!!! NU GIB HUWTIES NU MOWE!!! *huuu…huuu…huuu…AM BA’ FOW TUMMEH BABBEHS!!!”
“Do what I say and I won’t hit you…But if you bitch and moan…or if you ever threaten to tell on me again…”
Jerome decided that another firm slap against the side of Bullet’s head would finish his statement far better than any threats, the mare screeching from the blow as she struggled against his grip.
“*SCREEEEEEE!!! WET GU!!! WET GU WITE NAO!!! *SCREEEEEEE!!!”
Seth nearly intervened, worried that Jerome might be getting too emotional, too worked up to restrain himself. But as Seth began to interject, Jerome took his free hand and gripped the bridge of the mare’s nose, pinching hard as his hand on her jaw tightened, silencing the mare’s pained screams.
“You haven’t learned a goddamn thing…but you will…”
Holding the delicate skin above her muzzle between his fingers, Jerome began to pull firmly as he felt the mare kick uselessly against the wooden bench, her eyes widening more and more by the second. Once he could feel her start to tremor against his arm, Jerome relented, his grip untensing around her jaw as he let her nose go. Breathing rapidly, Bullet’s began to rub the pained flesh with her hoof.
“*huuu…huuu…huuu…Wowstest owwies…Nu wike…*huuu…huuu…huuu…P’wease mistuh…Buww’it sowwy…*huuu…huuu…huuu…Nu mowe huwties…Buww’it wiww be gud…”
Letting go of her neck, Jerome grinned ear to ear. Seth was silently proud of the boy, despite his earlier mistake. Watching on as the teen placed the food dish within the mare’s reach, Seth waited to see how she’d react. Sniffling as the scent of the food reached her bruised nose, the mare trotted slightly towards the plastic bowl, stopping short as her eyes met Jerome’s.
“Ca…can Buww’it hab nummies nao? P’wease?”
Pushing the bowl close enough for the unicorn to feed, Jerome let his hand fall to the mare’s mane, with Bullet flinching slightly as she yelped. Once she realized that the teen was giving her attention instead of more agony, she calmed down slightly, cooing as she knelt over and began to slowly devour the small morsels of food.
“That’s better…You act like that all the time and we won’t have any more problems…”
Jerome continued to stroke Bullet’s fluff as she ate, the mare quickly warming up to his affection as she finished her meal and began to lap up water to wash it down. Once her thirst was slaked, the mare slowly glanced upward, still nuzzling against Jerome’s hand as her hoof anxiously rapped against the workbench.
“…Tank yu fow nummies…Am mistuh Buww’'it’s nyu daddeh?”
Pulling his hand away, Jerome pondered the question, taking in the almost betrayed expression on the unicorn’s face, her eyes still on the hand that had been giving her love and attention. Looking towards Seth, Jerome smiled as his mentor nodded slightly.
“I guess I am…But remember I don’t keep…”
Seth covered his mouth as he feigned a cough, sputtering covertly to the teen as he spoke. “Daddy…”
A perplexed look on the boy’s face, he peered towards Seth, who only mouthed the word again before gesturing towards the eager mare sitting on the workbench. After a few moments, it clicked as Jerome gave a knowing smile to Seth before continuing.
“Remember, daddy doesn’t keep fluffies that act entitled or bitch and moan all the time…”
“Buww’it nu kno wat dat mean nyu daddeh.”
“What are you talkin’ about?!”
“Wat am titl’d mean? An’ wat am bi’ch ow moan mean?”
Rubbing his face as he fought off frustration, Jerome took a moment to think of how to explain, almost sure that Seth was laughing silently behind him.
“What I mean is, you have to do what I say. All the time, no questions asked. And you have to say shit like please and thank you. Okay?”
“…Otay daddeh…Buww’it tink dat Buww’it undahstan’…Buww’it wiww be bestest fwuffy fow nyu daddeh!”
While Bullet smiled at Jerome as she spoke, the teen wasn’t quite sure how sincere the mare truly was. He was very new to all this and only minutes ago the insufferable unicorn had been shouting and screaming at him. But for now at least, he’d give her the benefit of the doubt. Petting her as he let out a quiet sigh of relief, Jerome turned to Seth.
“So what now?”
Stepping beside the boy, Seth lightly scratched the mare under her chin, distracting her as he answered. “Now you go home kid. It’s late and I’d hate for you to get in trouble.”
“What about her?”
“No worries…She’ll spend the night here. I have some ideas as to where you can keep her but for now just get some sleep…You’ll need it.”
Worried by Seth’s tone, Jerome nearly spoke up before realizing that all things considered, he’d gotten off easy. Simply nodding, the teen walked over to the door, opening it as he prepared to leave.
“Fair enough Seth…Thanks again for the help…and with all that shit that happened before…”
Seth simply held up his hand as he gestured for the kid to stop. “We’ll discuss it later. For now, worry about getting home before your mom catches you kid…”
His expression quickly shifting at the mention of his mother, Jerome’s eyes widened as he turned to depart.
“Fuck! Okay, I’m out…Bye Seth.”
Seth leaned out slightly as he watched the boy run towards the backdoor, leaving at a hurried pace now that his mother was on his mind. Bemused by how easily the kid had turned the mare’s attitude around, he walked back to the workbench, opening the carrier and placing it beside Bullet, who became visibly upset by the mere sight of it.
“Buww…Buww’it nu wike sowwy box…”
“I know you don’t sweety…But it’s for your own good…I don’t have anywhere else to keep you and I don’t want you getting hurt…”
“Wewe am nyu daddeh gu?”
“Don’t worry. He’ll see you again tomorrow. I promise…” Seth petted the mare, calming and soothing her until she was relaxed enough to be coaxed into the carrier with little fuss. Closing the grating behind her, Bullet responed only with a few light whimpers and several muted nu wikes. Once she was secure, Seth stepped out of the hobby-room, making his way to his bedroom as he pulled out his cell, tapping the screen several times. After several rings, an audible click was shortly followed by an old and gruff sounding voice.
“Who the hell is this? It’s nearly two in the goddamn mornin’!”
“Easy oldtimer, easy…It’s Seth…”
“Seth?! What are ya callin’ so late for?”
“Remember how you were wanting some help around the shop? Well I had a few ideas about that…”