Jase stood behind me, both hands clenching my shirt between his fingers in fear as I opened the door. Who I assume are Marcus and Allison are standing there, Allison back slightly more, and Marcus up front.
Marcus is dressed in a brown shirt and jeans, and Allison is dressed just as plainly. Allison's blue eyes jump to mine and she smiles before I can say anything.
"Hi," she said, no lisp or stutter in her voice. "I'm Allison. You must be Master Blair."
I nodded, still a bit shocked, and Marcus smiled softly.
"I'm Marcus. Nice to meet you." I nod my head and shake his hand in return, nervous. These people will understand Jase better than I do... they know him more than his own Master and they haven't even met him yet. I feel a little bit sick, but I stand aside and let them through and then lead them to the living room, sitting across from them on the couches. Jase is still hanging onto my shirt, wide-eyed, looking a bit panicked.
"Jase, this is Allison," i motion to the blonde, "and Marcus," I gesture towards him as well and both of them watch Jase carefully with a sadness in their eyes that I can't understand. Jase stares at them both but doesn't inch away from me, still clinging.
"Jase," Allison said his name gently, like he were a wild animal she needed to be careful around. "You're from the Market, right?"
Jase went rigid but nodded and silently crawled into my lap, tucking himself into a ball against me. I looked down at him in surprise but said nothing. Mark grinned.
"Which division?" Asked Allison, and Jase winced but peeked at her.
"Twenty-fourth division ma'am," he whispered, and she winced a little bit.
"I'm not ma'am Jase. Just Allison. Okay?" He nodded and she sat back a little bit.
"Jase," Marcus spoke up. "I think your Master is worried about you. Do you mind if we talk to him?"
Jase's eyes widened at being asked permission for something and I hugged him tightly to my chest. He nodded slowly, never saying a word.
"Thank you. Master Blair-" I cut him off.
"Dominick is fine, thank you," I said firmly, and he nodded but Jase jumped a little and I realized he hadn't known my first name.
"Dominick, you seem concerned."
I nodded and adjusted Jase so he was against my side, then wrapped a blanket around his shivering form.
"I am concerned, with good reason. He's traumatized and I worry he won't heal."
Allison sighed and stared at me hard.
"Of course he's traumatized. He needs food, water, a bed and someone to love him. He needs to learn the difference between a reward and a punishment, and when he's punished he needs to know why. He needs to be taught safewords and limits and he needs to learn that he doesn't have to hide." She was looking at me with piercing blue eyes. "And it's your job to give him that."
"Believe me, I have no intention of letting any of those matters slip from my grasp. I'm doing my best."
Marcus looked at me sympathetically and then back to Jase.
"You're too thin, honey. You need to eat." He said gently, and Jase immediately shook his head.
"Eat makes me feel bad," he whispered, and Marcus nodded understandingly.
"I know. But you have to anyways. Eventually the food will make you feel better." Jase looked at him disbelievingly but Marcus just laughed gently. "I promise."
"Jase," i murmured when his bony little elbow dug into my side, making me jump. "Careful babe."
Jase immediately ducked his head and folded in on himself. Marcus and Allison exchanged looks, Marcus looking worried.
Jase started to slide into a punishment position but before his face could touch the floor I had him by the arm, firmly pulling him back up.
"No, baby, it's okay." I motioned for Marcus and Allison to hold on and reached for his other arm gently only to have him jerk away in a panic. He seemed to realize a moment later that he had pulled away from his Master and gasped, tears welling up in his eyes.
"So sorry," he gasped out as his breathing picked up. "Bad, bad pull, sorry so sorry, sir, sorry, please sorry," he whimpered in between jerky gasps, chest heaving, and I quickly pulled him into my arms again, tugging the blanket tightly around him.
"Shhh," I whispered gently into his ear as he shook. Of course it isn't okay for him to pull away from me like that. But I'm not going to beat him for it. "It's okay, baby, don't worry. I'm here, and I'm not mad. I'm not mad. Just relax, okay? Here, I'll hold you," I muttered, tightening my arms around him and holding him as he slowly stopped shaking and I rocked him back and forth for a while before I realized that he had fallen asleep, like a child.
"Is he asleep?" Allison asked quietly, and I nodded, continuing to rock my pet gently. Marcus smiled widely and genuinely.
"He trusts you enough to sleep with you? That's amazing," he murmured, and I looked at him quizzically. Jase couldn't sleep without me, he has nightmares.
"Most of us," Allison explained, "come out of the Market with trust issues. A lot of them. Touching is scary, and sleeping next to someone, let alone having them hold you in such a vulnerable way, isn't normal for people like us. He's come to trust you so quickly- he shies into you when Marcus or I speaks, so I know he's still scared of the rest of us."
I stare at her and then back at my pet. Marcus smiles at us and then reaches for Allison's hand, which she takes.
"Let's go and let him rest. We can come back another time, but it's one of his first days out and he should sleep as much as you can get him to."
I wave carefully as they leave and continue rocking Jase gently, making sure he isn't disrupted.
"Master?" He whimpers out, and I continue rocking him as I hum in my throat as a response. "Am I... am I bad boy?"
He sounds so vulnerable, like my answer means the world to him.
"Of course you aren't bad, darling. You've been nothing but perfect for me," I tell him, and he nods hesitantly.
"Do... do good boy's do the eating?" He asks hesitantly, and I smile gently and nod.
"Yes Jase. Good boys eat their food."
He bites his lip and stares at his toes.
"I try...again?" He asks, and I kiss his forehead, delighted.
"Of course babe. Here, come on," I pull him with me into the kitchen and sit him on top of the island carefully.
"Just broth this time, okay? It'll be easier in your stomach," I pour chicken broth into a pot and turn the heat on, waiting for it to warm up. Jase watches carefully.
While I wait, I go over and wrap my arms around him gently, resting my forehead against his.
"You okay?" I ask quietly, and he nods immediately, instinctively.
"Yes Master," he says immediately, and then pauses. "I..no sir," he amended, and I looked at him in confusion.
"What's wrong?"
His eyes filled with tears.
"Two market people," he whispered, and I nodded, watching his displeased face carefully. "They lot gooder than me."
Before I could respond, his little hiccups started, tears flowing.
"They are be gooder p-pet, m-m-master," he finally sniffled out, and I frowned deeply.
"You think that Allison or Marcus would make a better sub than you?" I confirmed, and he nodded miserably.
"Yes master," he buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking, and I've never heard him speak this much at once, ever. He was crying but he sounded so mad. "And I s-should try to happy y-you! To h-happy you but i want t-to be y-yours," he sobbed out and I finally caught on to what he meant. He thought I wanted Allison or Marcus instead of him. That it was his job to make sure I was happier, and that they would be better for me.
"Jase," I murmured, still shocked that he was speaking so forwardly, so openly telling me what was wrong. "I only want you, darling. Only you. They wouldn't be any better for me than you are, pet."
He hadn't taken his face out of his hands, knees drawn to his chest while I tried to soothe him.
"They talk b-better than me," he whispered. "They no sc-scared l-like me. A-and I n-never good sub! A-always bad, trouble, bad b-boy. I-I can't b-be a good b-boy even when t-try."
His words got so slurred and messy when he was upset, making little sense, but I firmly moved his hands from his face and forced him to look at me.
"Jase." I said firmly, holding his face in my hands. He avoided eye contact, instinctively lowering his gaze. I hated that. That fear they had put there. "Why did I buy you?"
He shook slightly, and tears started falling, but I wanted to press him.
"Why did I choose you over everybody else on that stage, Jase?"
He groaned quietly, tears falling quickly, and closed his eyes.
"B-because..." He trailed off, and started getting even more panicky, pale and trembling when he didn't have an answer. I sighed and picked him up bridal style, turning off the stove as we walked past to lie him down on the couch in the living room.
"I chose you, babe. Of everybody there, I knew I needed you. So if I wanted someone like Marcus or Allison, I would've taken someone like them. But I wanted you."
Jase glanced briefly at me with watery eyes, looking like he wanted to say something, but then quickly ducked his head, and I knew I'd lost him to his rules again.