Jaxon

Grooming

     "I think we just need a bed and toys now." Jap said as he also watching the two little ones yipping and yapping. "How does that cage bed work for you?"

     "It works perfect for Ardent... but it takes up a lot of room. Maybe we should get something a little smaller since you have less space. And I'm not sure you're little guy will like being in a cage all night... not after..." Hace sighed. He didn't want the little guy to think they were as bad as the ass from that store.

     Jap nodded in understanding as they walked towards the different kinds of bed. They decided to see if the Inchoate would pick one himself. They stopped in the middle of the aisle and Jap picked up his new pet and took him over to the beds. "What do you think little guy?" The little guy was still trembling, but he wasn't pushing on him anymore or screaming. He was keeping his head down and tears were threating to fall again.

     "Don't you want a nice bed?" Jap bounced him a little and tried to get him to look up.

     Ardent looked at them and tilted his head. He seemed to be trying to figure something out. His curious look changed to an understanding one. Suddenly, he started yipping something at the new pet and the new pet sighed. The little guy lifted up his head and looked at the beds. He quickly stole a few looks. His eyes lingered a bit on a large pillow with an attached blanket before looking down again.

     "That's the one he wants." Hace says to Jap. He'd learn to watch carefully with Ardent since he didn't like choosing his stuff either.

     "Are you sure?" Jap wasn't as observant. "He looked at all of them quickly."

     Hace sighed as he walked over and put the bed in Jap's cart. "I'm sure. Now let's get some toys and head out."

     They headed for the toy aisle, but when they got there... it was the same thing. The little guy just won't lift his head for more than a moment. He didn't linger on anything this time. His eyes started to close, and his head started to bob slightly.

     "I think he's just tired. He has been crying and fighting a lot. He didn't seem to have much energy to start with." Jap set him back into the cart and tried to pet him. The little guy flinched and tried to dodge his touch.

     "Why don't you just pick a few at random and we'll get going. Make sure to get at least two plushies. Ardent loves his, I bet yours will too." Hace was looking at a few of the toys himself.

     Jap looked at a few toys and grabbed three different ones. Then he moved to the plushies and grabbed another three random colors and shapes. He turned around to put them in the cart and couldn't help but smile. His little guy was sound asleep.

     Hace also picked up a few toys from the wall and showed them to Ardent. Just when he thought he had made a breakthrough with him, Ardent suddenly froze up and looked away. "What's the matter buddy?" He lightly pet Ardent and sighed when he flinched slightly. Hace tossed a few of the more advanced looking toys in his cart.

     "Is that everything?" Jap asked out of breath as he made the last trip up to the fourth-floor apartment with an armful of bags.

     "I hope so!" Hace said equally out of breath.

     They had brought the pets up to the apartment first and set up the playpen they bought in the living room. When they were sure the boys were safe, they brought in all the rest of the supplies.

     After a short rest, Hace got back up and sighed. "I have to check on Ardent. I think you should start by giving your guy a bath and a groom. He really needs it. Then we can feed them."

     "Just... give me... a sec." Jap said from the couch as he rubbed his head. "Now... what bag had the soap in it?"

     "I think the blue one over there." Hace said facetiously as he pointed to a pile of bags that were all blue.

     "You're so helpful..." Jap sighed as he got up and searched through a few bags before finding the soap, shampoo, and grooming kit. "I'll give him a bath then."

     "After I changed Ardent, I can help you. The first bath is the worst... or if he's anything like Ardent... all the baths are the worst."

     Jap picked up his pet and it started to whimper. "Shhhh shhhh. It's ok. I'm just getting you cleaned up. You'll feel so much better getting out of these nasty rags."

     Hace quickly changed Ardent and set him back in the playpen. He pulled out a plushie from his diaper bag and handed it to him. He also filled a sippy cup with water and set it in the pen next to him. "Be a good boy while I help out with your new friend." He said with a smile.

     Hace knocked on the door and quickly slipped in. Jap had overfilled the tub and almost had the little guy up to his neck in the water. He was trying his best to clean him off.

     "This is harder than I thought it'd be!" Jap said trying to keep the little guy in the water. He was crying and kept trying to stand up and get out of the tub.

     "Drain some water out. It's easier if you only have it up to his mid-chest." Jap nodded and let some of the now brown water out. This seemed to help calm down the Inchoate. "You should name him soon. Then you can use his name to help him calm down when you have to clean him and do things he won't like."

     "I've been thinking about it. He doesn't seem to stop trembling... what do you think of either Tremor or Twitch?" Jap gave a smirk.

     'Is he serious?' Hace thought. 'I wouldn't name him something like that. I guess it's his pet. He can name it what he wants to.'

     "Name him whatever you like." Hace smiled.

     "I think I'll go with Twitch." Jap carefully continued to wash Twitch.

     Ryan was soon set back into the pen with Jaxon. Jaxon set down the toy he was looking at and smiled at Ryan. Ryan looked a little better now that he was clean and had clothes that weren't ripped up and falling off him. They had also given him a haircut. It was no longer sitting down past his shoulders. It was almost as short as Jaxon's was.

     "Are you feeling any better?" Jaxon asked.

     "That... was... terrible!" Ryan's eyes were filling with tears again as he sat down slowly and pulled his knees close to him. "Ddddo they do that a lot?" He stuttered out. He wiped his eyes and gulped. "The bbbbath?"

     "Bath? I don't really understand what that word means." Jaxon had heard that word before, and he knew that Hace called the big sink by the same word.

     "You're kidding right?" Ryan's eyes slowly closed. "The thing where they clean you off and... touch you everywhere..."

     "Oh... that... unfortunately, they give us 'bath' quite often." Jaxon looked down and was trying to think of anything to talk about to change the topic. Outside of the pen, he could hear Hace and Jap talking, and the sound of things being moved around.

     "You said you were at your house." Jaxon tried to smile and keep Ryan calm. "What colony or ship did you live in?"

     Ryan looked up at him with confused eyes. "What are you talking about?"

     "I was raised in Earth Colony 7. Military division. I meet a woman who was from a ship heading to one of the outer world colonies. I wish I could have been able to talked to her more." This was the most Jaxon had talked in a while. Even though he grew up with several other boys, Jaxon really only talked to Ash... and briefly to Blade when he was being beaten up... but that consisted mostly of 'stop, stop, for the love of all that's good stop'.

     "Um..." Ryan slightly tilted his head and looked like he didn't know what to say. "I'm from Harrisburg... Kentucky."