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    Ugh. Why did her head hurt so bad? Pepper sat up from the couch she was lying on, vision bleary. She blinked the sleep from her eyes, though her vision wasn’t great regardless. Where were her glasses? She hadn’t worn her contacts last night. “I know I only had the one drink last night, so why…” she muttered before realizing. “Fuck! This isn’t my house!” Her outfit was completely intact; she couldn’t understand what kind of person would drug her and then just let her sleep on their couch. Unless someone rescued her? 

   She didn’t have much time to think about the details of it before she heard hurried, but soft footsteps approaching. She tensed, unsure of who she’d meet. A small boy with fluffy red hair and animalistic features padded up to her with a glass of water and a pill. She recognized it as ibuprofen after squinting to clear her vision slightly, shaking her head. “I’m allergic to that,” she said, gesturing to the pill. Wait a minute. That’s one of the guys she met last night, the redhead with the beastkin markings. He didn’t have his ears and tail out the night before, but she’d recognized it, of course. “You got us drinks last night.” Pepper was deadpan, staring at him. 

   “Oh, yeah, I think you got a little too drunk, so I didn’t want to just leave you on your own! Sorry about that.” 

   “No I didn’t. I only had the one drink that you gave me - okay, actually, first, give me my glasses. I don’t know where they are.” He clammed up, wordlessly handing her her glasses. She affixed them to her face, staring at him, scrutinizing. “You drugged me!”

   “W-wait, I can explain! I was going to drug the other guy, but you took his drink, and-” 

   “Okay, you see how that doesn’t make things better, right?” Pepper’s eyes drifted a bit, spotting the chain in the wall leading up to her ankle. Her jaw practically dropped, and her gaze turned back on the boy, cold and unforgiving. Boy, this guy sure made the wrong choice in taking her home and chaining her up like a pet dog. She bared her fangs, ears pinned flat against her head. “Let’s get one thing fucking clear. I am not some pet, and your days are numbered, buddy.” 

   “Woah! Getting feisty, are we? Don’t worry, we’ll fix that-” as he reached into his pocket, she lunged for him, knocking a remote out of his hand. It clattered to the hardwood floor, spinning away. Before he could reach for it she pinned his wrists with one hand and pressed down onto him with her full weight, reaching for it. 

   “Tell me what this does, right now.” She waved it at him, face in a snarl. He definitely looked like he realized his mistakes by this point, a girl at least twice his size or so sitting on him with his hands pinned. He struggled, but to no avail. He didn’t respond, though, eyes wild with a terror that he almost seemed familiar with. Those same eyes gave him away, though, as his pupils darted to look at her neck. She raised the land not holding his wrists to touch her neck, feeling cool metal. “... What is this? Tell me what it is!” 

   “I’m sorry!” He shook his head, thrashing against her hold. “Press the smaller button, the one that isn’t red, it’ll come off!”

   She followed his instructions, hearing a satisfying click as the clunky collar fell off, landing into her soft piles of skirts and petticoats. She and Ren stared at each other for a few brief moments before she broke the silence. “I meet another fox, and he’s depraved as all fuck, go figure,” she growled, watching him wince at the statement. “... If you move, I won't hesitate to kill you, got it?” She waited for an affirmative before letting go of his hands and working quickly to fasten the collar around his neck. “Wow, that thing’s ugly. Did you wear this thing all the time?” 

   “How’d you know?” He stammered out, turning his head away from her. 

“It fits you like a glove. Was it custom-made? I’ve never seen a shock collar like that one.” 

   A nervous nod followed her question, and he seemed to be more flustered than before at the compromising situation now that he wasn’t terrified.

   “Ohhh, so you’re a pet. Were you trying to regain control and become someone’s master? A dog’s a dog no matter what you call it, baby.” The realization was hilarious to her, and she was trying her hardest not to burst into laughter as she stood up. “Unlock this chain, and then we’ll see what happens, huh?” 

    He nodded and knelt down to unlock it as she slipped the remote into a hidden pocket. “Hmm.. it’d be a shame to just leave you here. You’re pretty cute, and you'd make a good pet, I think. I mean, if your past is anything to go off of. I can forgive your little fuck-up if you promise to be good!” 

    “You’re not mad?” 

    “Oh, baby, I’m livid.” Pepper grinned back at him. “But! I did say I’m willing to forgive you. Don’t worry, that collar is only temporary. I’ll get you something cuter. And…” she eyed his sweater and jeans. “I’ll also be replacing those. Now, do you have anything you want to bring with you? I’m not staying here.” 

    Ren blinked as if confused, seemingly not knowing how to respond. Pepper snapped her fingers at him and only then did he respond. “Wait, we’re leaving?”

    “Baby, keep up. What aren’t you getting? This house is nice, but it’s boring and ugly. Besides, I’ve got a shop to run, and I’m not giving up the sweet deal I get to also rent the building on top. Now, do you want to come back another day, maybe? Collect your things later?”

    “Oh, um, sure.” Ren seemed distracted and more timid than before. He spared a fleeting glance to a hatch that presumably led to a basement. He very obviously looked uncomfortable, and like he didn’t want to leave for whatever reason, but it’s not like he could object; he wasn’t in charge anymore. “Okay, let’s go, I guess. I’ll pick up my stuff another day.” 

Things had been going relatively well, Pepper thought. Ren was typically very obedient and she took good care of him, having picked up his things and buying him a whole new wardrobe. She even took him out on dates, letting him get whatever he wanted while out. So why was he becoming more brazenly disobedient, if she was taking such good care of him? It pissed her off. It was like he was testing his boundaries, and she wouldn’t let him get away with it any longer! 

“Ren?” she called out to him after finishing up work for the day and closing the shop, making her way up the stairs. Sensitive ears picked up the padding of soft feet as he half-ran over to the top of the stairs connecting the apartment and the shop just in time for her to join him. She smiled at him, sickly sweet as she shaked an arm around his waist, pulling him closer. “Were you good today?” 

His ears tilted back slightly as he glanced off to the side, guilty expression giving him away like a dog who did something he knew damn well he shouldn’t have. “Um.. I.. did my best..?”

“You don't sound very sure of yourself,” she muttered, gaze cold and steady. “Look at me, sweetheart, what’d you do this time?” 

His gaze met hers with uncertainty, staring nervously but not looking into her eyes. At least he was obedient about not making eye contact, his eyes flitting to examine the various soft curves of her face and the sharp fangs she bared. He didn’t respond, as if he was weighing his options. He shifted slightly in her grasp, reaching for something hidden in his clothes. As soon as Pepper spotted the glint of metal she grabbed the hand holding the knife, pinning his wrist to the wall. In his hand he gripped a kitchen knife, eyes wild with terror.

“I treat you like a prince, and this is how you treat me in return?” she snarled, grabbing the knife with her free hand and tossing it aside. “I take you out, I feed you and I don't lock you up or hurt you and you want to try some shit? You’ve been so disobedient all week… I guess I can't just trust you, huh?”

“I’m sorry, it was a lapse in judgment, I didn’t mean it!” 

She huffed, still tightly gripping his wrist as she dragged him along behind her to her office. The walls were decorated with various taxidermy pieces, and her desk was well organized with various scalpels and other tools. Ren’s eyes widened as she tossed him into the room, shutting and locking the door behind her. He fell roughly onto the floor, yelping in pain. She hadn’t been this rough with him since he tried kidnapping her the first time they met. Sure, she’d smacked him around a bit during the beginning weeks, but nothing this intense. 

“I’ve tried being nice, but clearly that isn’t going to work anymore. You’ve been disobedient all week, so it looks like you need to be taught a lesson. Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you. That’d be a waste.” Pepper got to work grabbing supplies as Ren trembled on the cold hardwood floor. “Strip,” she demanded, pointing a scalpel in his direction.

He quickly began peeling off the various layers of clothes, gently setting them next to him. At least he knew that if he damaged the outfit in any way he’d be getting an even harsher punishment. He pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his tail around his legs as he sat there, naked and shivering. Pepper knelt down in front of him, setting down a few different tools to the side. She grabbed his knees and pushed his legs back down, promptly sitting on his skinny legs and narrowing her eyes. He tried to shift, clearly uncomfortable at the sudden weight atop his legs, but at this point he knew better than to comment. 

“Now, tell me exactly what you were thinking would happen with your little plan, darling,” she hummed, grabbing the scalpel and glancing at the various scars littering his body. 

“I-I don’t know what I was thinking, I just wanted to go out by myself, I didn’t have a plan. I’m sorry..!” 

“You know you could have just asked me to take you out,” Pepper stated matter-of-factly, pressing the scalpel into his shoulder blade and slowly sliding it through his skin to create a thin, long cut, made with expert precision. It wasn’t deep enough to cause any real problems, but it was deep enough to sting. He winced, gritting his teeth. 

“I.. I know.” 

“And yet…” she tsked, shaking her head. “You know, I don’t want to have to do this. But you’ve really given me no choice at this point. If you won’t be an obedient little doll, I’ll make you into one my damn self.” She grinned as she carefully, lightly cut across his joints, as if butchering an animal. She never went too deep, but enjoyed watching the blood well up. Pepper licked away the blood wherever she cut, licking her lips as if she was enjoying a delicacy of a treat; well, she basically was, anyway. 

Ren shuddered and shivered underneath her with each lap of her tongue, squirming and panting. Pepper barked out a laugh, biting harshly at his neck, easily leaving a harsh, deep bite mark behind and he keened. “This isn’t supposed to be a reward, my little doll,” she hummed thoughtfully, wondering how else she could punish him without causing too much damage. She peeled herself away from him, pulling him by his legs so that they were resting in her lap. He let out a noise of surprise as he plopped onto his back, head bonking slightly on the floor. 

“This is going to hurt, darling. But just remember, you did this to yourself,” she announced, and he looked at her questioningly before screeching in pain and clawing at the hardwood as she tightly gripped his thigh in one hand and his calf in the other, pulling hard enough to dislocate the joints. She’d used her knee to brace his leg against as she did so, feeling around to ensure she hadn’t damaged a tendon. Though, what did it matter if she had? She repeated this on his other leg, then moved to the ankles. Ren sobbed openly in between shrieks and cries for her to stop. He clearly wasn’t used to this sort of pain, having passed out by the second ankle. Once she was sure of proper dislocation, she stood, brushing herself off and picking Ren up bridal style to put him to bed. 

    Pepper had made it back to her own apartment, albeit now carrying a collar-less Ren. the collar had shocked him pretty badly when he’d tried to leave with her. It must have been programmed to do so. Either way about it, she immediately took the collar off, leaving it behind on the floor of the house. How cruel, from whomever had cared for him last. She wasn’t worried about Ren trying any funny business, considering the shock had been intense and he’d passed out. She’d just… tie him up or something and figure out a solution when he woke up. She’d also turned the stove off before they left, having smelled something cooking almost as soon as she’d woken up earlier.

    She undressed him, intending to dress him up in something nicer when he woke up. Pepper used her softest rope to tie his hands to her headboard, making sure his joints and muscles weren’t in any kind of awkward or painful position. She didn’t want him to be in any pain, after all. At least, not more pain than the shock had caused already. What kind of person had he been with before? She couldn’t even begin to imagine. He was covered in scars that looked like they’d come from a sharp blade, and they looked intentional. She covered him with a soft, thick blanket to keep him from getting cold, deciding not to ogle him anymore, but what a treat he was!

   Despite the fact that he’d tried to kidnap her and treat her like a pet, he was cute. She wasn’t going to deny that much. And he’d look even cuter all dressed up. Speaking of which, she decided to go through her clothes and see if she had anything that would fit him, but he was so skinny and she definitely was not. Maybe she could just stick him in some of her pajamas. 

   Eventually, she found a few frilly pajama shirts with cute matching satin bloomers for each. These would do for now. The bloomers did have adjustable waistbands that she’d installed herself (having a disproportionate hip to waist ratio did her no favors)  and the shirts would be too big for him, but that would be adorable, so it was fine. She also changed into some pajamas of her own, deciding to have the shop be closed for the day so she could deal with this. God, she loved being her own boss. She undressed from her many layers, hanging everything up and smoothing it out before putting on a cute, ruffled white nightgown. 

   Pepper sat next to Ren, scrolling through social media on her phone while she waited on him to wake up. Eventually he came to, blinking and looking around, spotting Pepper before realizing his hands were tied up. He seemed nervous but didn’t say anything, like he didn’t want to make her angry. 

   “Sleep well? That collar did a number on you, baby. Don’t worry, I took it off after I saw how badly it affected you.” 

   “You.. took it off?” his expression betrayed his confusion, like he’d never been treated with respect like that before. Maybe he hadn’t. 

   “Well, I don’t need you getting shocked to death. That’s just cruel. I’ll get you something else later. For now, ground rules. One, no more of the clothes you were wearing before. I’ll need to order you some new ones, but I'll expedite the shipping so they come in sooner rather than later. I even already did you a favor by taking off the clothes you had on!” 

   He blushed again, huddling further into the blanket the best he could, what with his hands being tied. “What am I gonna wear until new clothes come in..?” 

   She clapped her hands together in delight. “Oh, I’m so glad you asked. Obviously, I'm bigger than you, but these pajamas,” she held them up to show him, “will fit you well enough until they come in. If I untie you to put these on, you’ll cooperate, right?” 

   “... What’s wrong with my other clothes?” 

   “You’re kidding, right? Now, are you going to cooperate or are you just going to be naked instead?” She eyed him up and down hungrily, deciding that that might not be such a bad thing. His face reddened at her wandering eyes. 

   “I’ll wear the clothes…” 

   She grinned, excited to dress him up. “You can pick out some outfits once we get you dressed!” Pepper leaned over him to untie his bindings, purposefully pressing close just to tease him, enjoying the heat emanating from his skin. Once his wrists were free he flexed his shoulders, as if he was expecting them to be sore, but he didn’t do it for long as he realized. 

   “How’d you do that?” 

   “Do what?” 

   “Tie me up in a way that doesn’t hurt. It usually makes my shoulders ache.” 

   “Usually? Do you get tied up often?” She couldn’t help but giggle a bit, continuing before he responded, “I’m a taxidermist and took years of biology. I know my way around a body, hon.” 

   He gulped, as if he was afraid she’d taxidermy him if he stepped out of line. “Oh. That’s um, kind of cool!” 

   “Keep your fur on, baby, it’d be unethical of me to taxidermy you. Besides, it’d be a waste of such a cutie! Now, let’s get you dressed,” Pepper continued on, taking note of his reactions. He was just too fun to tease. She stood, instructing him to sit on the end of the bed. He followed instructions well, and she didn’t even have him collared! How cute. She went to help him get the top on and he pulled away slightly. 

   “I can dress myself-” 

   “Maybe, but that’s no fun for me!” Pepper replied, quickly slipping the top over his head and helping guide his arms through the holes. It hung off of his shoulders, swamping his figure. Oh yeah, she could absolutely get used to this. He didn’t object any further as she slipped on the bloomers, instructing him to stand. “You’re lucky I also have a tail, otherwise I'd have to customize these for you first,” she noted, standing behind him as she unsnapped the tail hole and snapped it back in place around the fur.

   “Oh, if it’s easier I can get rid of them-” 

   “No. That’s rule number two! No more hiding. Even out in public. I don’t do it, and neither will you,” she silenced him quickly, grabbing his hips and pulling him against her to reach around and tighten the waistband. He stayed silent as she did this, hiding his face in his hands as she tied a bow. “You are so easy to fluster, you know that?”

   “It’s not my fault!” 

   “Oh? You’re blaming me, then?” She feigned innocence, moving away and sitting on the bed. Pepper crossed one leg over the other, patting the spot next to her. “I’m innocent, I tell you.” 

   Ren nervously sat down and she gently grabbed his chin in a clawed hand, pulling his face closer to her own. She wasn’t sure if his blush had died down at all since he’d woken up, relishing in that fact. She was sure that if he was able to get any redder, he would be. Before he could respond in any capacity she closed the distance, kissing him. With the way he reacted, it was as if he’d never been kissed before. The thought was sad; who wouldn’t take every opportunity they had to kiss this boy? The kiss was short but passionate, and he let out a small whine as she pulled away. 

   “Sorry, baby. I’d love to keep kissing you, but I’m hungry; I haven't eaten since before I went to the pub last night.” 

   “Oh, that’s right! I was making food… the stove is still on, shit-” 

   “No it’s not, I turned it off. Do you want to come help me cook us some dinner, then?”

   “O-oh. Um, sure..!” The relief was clear on his face, and Pepper took his hand, standing up and making her way to the kitchen. On the way there, they passed plenty of taxidermy pieces that she’d decided she liked too much to sell, Ren staring at them curiously. 

   “I’ll have to introduce you to them all at some point, huh? They’ve got names and everything!”