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maracujatangerine · 2 years

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31. Lost Property

CW: institutionalised slavery, dehumanisation, box boy universe, pet whump

When Lydia and Linden came downstairs again, there was a strained silence between them.

Lydia opened the bottle of wine, Linden fiddled around with getting some wine glasses, and some glasses for water, and a bunch of crackers, and some cheese and olives and some rather superfluous plates, and neither of them seemed to know how to break the silence.

“You think I treat the pets too much like children?” Lydia just went out and said it, flatly.

Linden jerked his head up and looked for a moment like a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming train. He looked back down at the table, then, determinedly, back up again.

”Well-” Linden hesitated. “I just think…they already have no control over their lives. And they aren’t children. Even calling them ‘the pets’ is…”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Lydia bristled. “Don’t you think I know that it is totally insane that they look to us for guidance as if they were dogs in a bewildering human world? And you think that I want to strip them of their agency?”

Linden almost recoiled at the intensity of her words. She could see that he was collecting himself, choosing his next words, but she wasn’t done.

“Listen,” she said sternly, “Apart from Cory I have gotten to know another pet, a guard dog named Brutus. They are very different, but in some ways they are the same, and Col seems to be similar in that way too.” She paused.

“Every time I try to give them more power over their own lives, they push back in terror. ‘Pets should not do X, pets should not do Y’. They have gone through hell and they have been taught that their own decisions, even their own desires, should not exist.

I am telling Cory what to do. But within that safety net of sorts, where he knows that he is a good boy,” she made a face at her own words, ”I encourage him to take his own initiatives, to grow as a person. And he does, and he feels reasonably safe while he is doing it. If that means that I am treating him too much like a child,” she spat, “then so be it!”

Just try it yourself, she wanted to say, if you think it is that easy.

But Linden did. That gentle, dark-haired man that sat across from her, looking crestfallen, did struggle with the same issues every day.

She knotted her fingers together in her lap. “I’m really trying to do the best for Cory, but it is just very hard to know, sometimes. What is the right thing to do, I mean.”

Linden nodded, quietly. Inky eyes meeting her own.

“I usually just feel like I’m muddling through,” he admitted. “It’s very hard to predict how Col will react. I try to make him feel safe, but sometimes I just succeed in freaking him out instead.” Lydia nodded.

“Been there, done that. It is really unpredictable, sometimes.” She sighed. “And they all just want to be good.“ She gave him a bit of a lopsided smile. “Sorry for taking my frustrations out on you for a bit, there. Even if I sounded as if I’m sure, honestly, I’m really struggling with if it is better to let Cory know that he is being good, so that he will feel safe, or if that just reinforces the whole thing about being a pet in the first place.”

“Yeah, completely. I find it hard to find a balance between accepting these very glaringly obvious difficulties and just falling into a hole of pessimism. I never want to complain too much, or sound resentful, or… yeah. But it is nice to talk about this with someone who really gets it. And, um. Thank you for the apology. It’s okay, really. We all react to things differently.”

“You’re a very measured man,” Lydia said, staring into her wine, the ghost of her earlier smile still barely visible on her lips.

“So, how did Cory end up with you anyway?” Linden asked.

Lydia swallowed a gulp from her glass and sighed, then she looked straight into Linden’s eyes.

“I bought him.” She admitted with a grimace. “I didn’t know what it was going to be like, and I thought I was doing something good, but I bought him and paid good money for him.” There was a bitter anger in her voice, at the WRU, but mostly at herself. “I paid for Cory, as if he were a dog.”

“I’m not judging you,” Linden said evenly. “The alternative was for him to end up with someone who really did see him as a dog.”

Lydia sighed. The thought was painful. “How did you get Col?”

“Ad in the local paper. He was living on the street so they gave him to me for free. It was that or they’d, uh, put him down.”

Lydia felt a twinge of guilt. Linden had at least acquired Col outside of the conventional system. She felt so complicit. Perhaps she had helped Cory to a better life, but at the expense of supporting the pet industry.

She thought back to the revelation about the attacker at dinner, and how Col had sobbed that he deserved to be put down. Did he know, she wondered, how close he had come to such a fate?

”That was truly a good deed.” She told Linden. “Brave of you, too. If I had known what to expect, I’m not sure I would have been brave enough.”

Linden hummed in assent and refilled their glasses. They both sipped their wine.

“Cory did do something quite odd,” Linden remarked suddenly, as if the memory had just come to him. “When I had the radio on. It was playing a classical piece and I walked in on him with tears streaming down his face. Properly streaming.”

Lydia cocked her head to the side and nodded, letting him continue.

“He told me later about this dream he has sometimes. He said that he dreams he’s in a cave, with… something weighing on him. And music coming through him. Has he ever talked about it with you?”

“No,” Lydia confirmed, leaning forward. “Never.”

“Doesn’t it sound like being in an orchestra?”

Lydia locked eyes with Linden, nodding slowly. “It does. It does!”

Linden felt a little excited at the new revelation. “And when he was crying at the music, he didn’t seem scared or upset, just- moved? He said he’d forgotten how beautiful it was. But that he’d never try to play. He insisted upon it, in fact.”

“He’d only say that if it was trained out of him,” Lydia finished the thought.

“Exactly.”

“But…” Lydia bit her lip, doubtfully. “He does play. I mean, you heard him yourself tonight. He was a bit nervous at first, but it was quite easy for him to start to play even for other people.” She shook her head, slowly. “And you heard him, he’s good, right?” Linden smiled and nodded. “But…” She hesitated, unwilling to criticise Cory. “ “I don’t think he’s professional level good. I’m not a tin whistle expert, but still, I think he is more like a gifted, dedicated amateur.”

“I guess you are right.” Linden looked down, disappointed. “Perhaps it was nothing more than a random dream.”

He took a sip of his wine. The memory of Coriander still bothering him. The blonde man’s tear-stained face as he swayed in tune with the violin, an almost religious ecstasy. It should mean something.

Cory had been swaying to the violin… which is a string instrument… which is a whole different kettle of fish compared with a flute or any kind of wind instrument.

“Hey Lydia,” Linden said slowly, puzzling together his thoughts as he spoke, “have you ever let Cory try some other kinds of instruments? You know how many musicians play several instruments, but have one instrument as their main expertise?” He could see understanding dawning in her eyes as well. “What if Cory plays another instrument even better?”

“Oh my God.” Lydia took a breath. “That is brilliant. I haven’t thought of trying that, but of course I should. I could maybe take him to a shop that sells musical instruments, or…”

“You should be a bit careful.” Linden cautioned gently. “There were some pretty strong emotions in play just by him listening to the radio.” Lydia nodded in agreement.

“You are right. I shouldn’t overwhelm him. Maybe that would be too much at once. I will give it some thought.” She gave Linden a lopsided smile. “There was some Sherlock Holmes-level deduction right there. I hardly know anything about Cory’s past.”

She looked away in the distance, suddenly sad. “Oh Cory, if we are right. I bet you played so beautifully.”

“He probably still can,” Linden said softly.

“I just- I want him to be happy again. I want him to be able to regain whoever he was, once.”

“Me too. That’s exactly what I want.” Linden said. Lydia nodded.

“For both of them.” She hesitated and amended herself. “For all of them.”

The pair made eye contact once more, warm smiles reflecting in each other’s eyes.

Lydia was the first to break the silence.

“I’m… I’m just so glad to have met you, you know. It seems like everyone involved with this pet business are just terrible human beings and I haven’t really met anyone else trying to do what I want to do with Cory.”

Linden grinned, raising his glass into a toast.

“Here’s to not being alone in a shitty situation.” Lydia huffed a laugh and clinked her glass against his.

“Let’s drink to that, to not being alone.”

The next morning dawned with sunshine from a clear blue sky. Linden drove them all to the station, in plenty of time for Lydia and Cory’s train.

“Thank you,” Lydia said, standing on the platform, “for great company,” she smiled at Col, “and great hospitality” with a smile for Linden. ”Don’t forget to come and visit us!”

She stepped up to Colton and wrapped her arms around the tall man, feeling him first stiffen in surprise, then relax into the hug. “Take care, Col.” She told him quietly. Lydia let him go and turned towards his owner. There was no hesitation in Linden’s hug, just warm friendliness. “Thank you for looking after Col.” He smiled and mimed holding up a phone. “We should talk soon.”

“T-thank you, Sir.” Coriander smiled shyly. When Linden hugged him, he hugged back carefully. “It was lovely to meet you Cory. You’re gonna be just fine.”

Col and Cory exchanged one long look.

“T-thank you, Colton.” Coriander said. “T-this pet w-was happy to see you.”

”I was happy to meet you, too, Cory.” Col raised his hand in a careful wave. “Take care.” Cory returned the gesture.

“Y-you too.”

Lydia and Coriander took their places and waved through the window as the train ponderously started to leave the station. Linden and Colton waved back. Then, together, they turned and started walking to their car, on the way back home.

Thank you all for tagging along and for being such great readers and co-adventurers! 💖

This collaboration grew and grew to become something much larger than either of us envisioned from the beginning. We’ve come to the end at around 37,000 words. We are both very proud and happy to bring this story to completion.

Even if Lost Property is finished, Linden and Colton and Lydia and Coriander will continue their separate adventures. Going forward, we will not automatically tag the Lost Property tag list for our separate writings. If you want to be on the tag list for Linden and Colton, let Cerys know. If you want to be on the tag list for Lydia and Coriander, get in touch with Linda.

Once again, thank you all!

Cerys & Linda

xxx

Tag List Part 1: @cupcakes-and-pain @whump-em @wh-wh-whu @neuro-whump @carnagecardinal @cowboy-anon @whump-me-all-night-long @redwingedwhump @myst-in-the-mirror @haro-whumps @eatyourdamnpears @bloodsweatandpotato @pinkraindropsfell @whumptywhumpdump @theydy-cringeworthy @whump-in-progress @whumpsy-daisy @nicolepascaline @whumpcreations @briars7 @shiningstarofwinter @whumppsychology @alex-ember @miss-kitty-whumptastic @whumpy-writings @in-patient-princess @youtube-fandoms-bands @goblinchildindabog @mazeish @distinctlywhumpthing @inpainandsuffering @canniboylism @incoherent-introspection @kim-poce @broken-typewriter @the-monarch-whumperfly @whumpers-inc @grizzlie70 @lil-whumper @writingbackwards @sunflower1000 @wingedwhump @thecitythatdoesntsleep @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @onlybadendings @rabass @wolfeyedwitch @melancholy-in-the-morning

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auressea · 1 year

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Vent post incoming...

Ok. so. I rent on my mother's property and use/have access to her backyard... since COVID I've been trying to grow food for us.

SO! So! I go up-back to feed the mouldy compost to my worms -- as you do -- and there's my mother, who does no yard work EVER:

pulling up all my spring green seedlings out of the planters on the patio. says she's 'weeding'.

She's got a bucket and has been clearly 'working' for a while. pulling out all the vit and bittercress, and peppergrass. tells me "she's just outside enjoying the day"...

I hate her so much y'all. like you have no idea the shit she does.

There are full on hard-core weeds growing out the pavers and the gravel pathways... no mistaking these. They need pulled out!

This is the woman who leaves garbage bags FULL to bursting with plastics and bottles --- just lying on the path-- just sitting in my way. For 6 months until the plastic breaks and the wind scatters the bottles and trash all around the yard.

This is the woman who refused to get me a new oven for over a year.

Who ignores all rational good sense- but then argues with me about the validity of her choice to Weed the Pots. I ask her to stop- she gives me all her reasons. I have to demand that she leave my shit alone and take care of HER BUSINESS and stay out of mine.

#fuck my life #this is why I quit trying to grow crop food on the property #food security #gardening #grow your own #home #my life #vent post #ACEs #children of emotionally immature parents #toxic people #C-PTSD #emotional abuse #trauma recovery #this is a set back

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propertylawau · 12 days

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johnbrace · 6 months

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maracujatangerine · 2 years

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29. Lost Property

CW: institutionalised slavery, dehumanisation, box boy universe, pet whump

Previous - Next

“So, here we are.” Linden opened the door with a flourish. “Welcome to my humble abode,” he told Lydia, “please make yourselves at home.”

“Thank you,” Lydia smiled, “it is so kind of you to take us in like this.” She removed her coat and shoes, and Cory did the same. Linden was helping Col unzip his jacket and then he reached up and took off Colton’s collar.

Both Coriander and Lydia flinched - Cory fearfully anticipating the horrific punishment that this seemingly mild-mannered man surely was about to dole out, Lydia waiting for the flood of begging and pleading that poor Col was sure to deliver.

But nothing happened.

Col just stood there, awkward as usual, as if Linden removing his jacket and removing his collar were the same things. If anything, he looked slightly more relaxed.

Lydia and Coriander exchanged an astonished glance. Cory raising a protective hand to his own collar - before realising what he was doing and forcing himself to let his hand fall to his side.

“Don’t worry,” Lydia mumbled, “you can keep it for as long as you want.” She reached up to gently rub the very tense spot between Cory’s shoulder blades, just at the nape of his neck. Slowly, she felt him relax, letting his shoulders fall down again. “That’s it,” she said, “you are doing good.”

Turning, she noticed that now Col and Linden were watching them. Col impassively, with no hint of what he thought, Linden with consternation in his eyes. They could almost have looked intimidating, to a stranger- the broad, scarred man and his serious, dark-eyed companion.

“We’re fine.” She said, “Cory got a bit startled, that’s all.“

“Oh,” Linden said, “okay.” He smiled, slightly nervously. “Well, Cory, you know this place by now. Why don’t you show Lydia around for a bit? Perhaps you can introduce her to Jaffa?”

“Yes, Sir.” It was Cory’s turn to surprise Lydia. He smiled at Linden and it was a true smile, open, relaxed and reaching his eyes, not just the well-rehearsed performance of an obedient pet. “Miss Lydia, if you’d please come this way…” He led the way further into the house.

”Are you really all right, Col?”

Col looked down, away from his owner’s searching gaze, and nodded. A faint blush over his cheeks.

“I-I am all right, Sir.”

“It’s just me and you now. If Lydia did anything, please tell me. You won’t be in any trouble.”

Col’s eyes moved slowly along the floor while he wrung his hands. He shook his head mutely, with a sidelong glance at Linden. He was hiding his hands as usual, but Linden had become so accustomed to it that he didn’t take it as an indicator of new anxieties.

“She… she was kind to me, Sir. Very kind. I hope that’s okay.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Kindness is for my Master to bestow…”

“Hey, I know that’s just what you were taught to say. You deserve all the kindness in the world, from anyone. I’m just so happy that Lydia was good to you, and kept you safe. She’s probably very relieved that I was nice to Coriander, too.”

Col nodded earnestly. “She cares about Coriander a lot, Sir. She was very excited to see him.”

Linden smiled lovingly. “That’s great. What a strange few days, huh? Come on, let’s go and make them feel welcome.”.

Lydia laughed out-loud, a warm, cheerful sound. When Linden entered the room, she and Cory were both kneeling on the rug. Jaffa stretched out on her back between them, a grey paw trying to catch the rainbow coloured tuft at the end of the wand that Cory was waving in the air.

“Your cat is adorable.” Lydia looked up at him with glittering eyes.

“She is pretty cute, isn’t she?”

Lydia gave Jaffa another tickle, and got to her feet.

“Did I hear you say something about dinner?” she asked. “Would you like some help?”

“Um..” Linden hesitated, then smiled. “Sure, that would be great, thanks!”

Cory put away the toy in its place in the cupboard, getting a disappointed tail flick from Jaffa in the process. The blonde young man bent down to give her one last pat. When he was ready, Linden led the way to the kitchen.

“Cory told me that the two of you often eat vegetarian food. I was thinking that we could have some mushroom cannelloni and a salad, what do you think?”

“That sounds amazing!” Lydia grinned, washing her hands. “We are pretty good at taking instruction, just let us know what needs to be done.”

“Hmm, it’ll be great to have you as my minion- I mean sous-chef.” Linden made a show of wiggling his eyebrows at her, and looked slightly surprised when Lydia laughed. “And Vik always tells me how my jokes aren’t funny.” He mumbled to himself.

To Lydia, he said. “Col usually lays the table, perhaps the two of you could help me chop some ingredients?”

Col set the table slowly and meticulously, carefully picking up only one thing at a time as if it was infinitely precious. Bit by bit, he placed one tumbler, one plate, one fork, and one knife in each place. When Linden quietly informed him that Coriander preferred to sit on the floor, Colton equally painstakingly moved one of each object to a tray and put it next to a pillow on the floor.

Watching Col made Lydia’s heart hurt. Especially since Cory at the moment finished chopping onions, poured them into a bowl and continued to finely slice garlic. His every movement was made with seemingly effortless quicksilver grace.

At the same time, she thought, Colton’s plate and glass lay next to Linden’s on the table, while Cory’s, by his own choice, were at their feet. They were both marked by their experiences, in their separate ways.

A little while later, the cannelloni were in the oven, the salad prepared, the table laid. Lydia sat down, but then turned to Coriander.

“Would you maybe like to play for us while we are waiting for the food?” She smiled. “Your tin whistle was in your bag, so I have it here. You don’t have to, though, it’s only if you feel like it.”

The blonde pet nodded and rose smoothly from his place on the pillow.

“Yes, Miss Lydia, t-this pet would be h-honoured to play.”

He took the tin whistle from her and went to one side of the table. Coriander stood motionless for a moment before raising the whistle to his lips with practised ease. The quick, crystal clear tones of a jig came tumbling like drops of water in a cascade. Grey eyes glittering, he swayed, almost danced, to the music. Lydia joined in, clapping her hands in tune. It was clear that this was something they’d done many times before. “Come on,” she grinned to Linden and Col, “dancing in the kitchen is good for the appetite.”

Linden stared at her for another half-second, taking her in. Now that her anxieties about Cory had been calmed, she was a lot more lively, and cheerful, than Linden had expected. He realised he had better loosen up a bit more to match. “Alright. Col, do you want to dance?”

Col looked startled. “Uh, I, I-”

“Here,” Linden thought quickly. Dancing seemed a bit advanced for someone still learning to stand up. And Linden didn’t want him to accidentally hurt his hands by clapping them over and over. Instead, he picked up a fork and a glass, and put them on the table in front of Col. “Why don’t you do a bit of percussion?”

Col’s face lit up. This was something he could definitely do. Linden turned back to Lydia and the two of them sprung up, stomping their feet and circling each other, giving Cory’s merry tune the energy it deserved.

Cory continued to play, and Col kept time, his fork-and-glass instrument producing a sweet tink with every hit.

After a few jigs, Cory switched to a slower, more contemplative tune. Lydia, slightly out of breath, sat down to listen, leaning her chin in her hand. Linden stayed standing, leaning on his chair.

The last few songs were sweetly sad and beautiful. Linden could not help but to wonder if the weeping tin whistle gave voice to emotions that polite, smiling Coriander himself could not talk about.

The mushroom cannelloni were delicious, creamy and flavourful and perfectly complemented by the crispy salad. For a while, the only sounds in the kitchen was the scraping of cutlery as everyone enjoyed the food.

Linden’s eyes slid idly across to Col, finally seeing his hands up close, not half-hidden or constantly moving. The knuckles on his hand were bruised, and badly so.

“Oh, what happened to you, sweet?” Linden instinctively reached out, placing his hand on Col’s wrist.

The pet froze, dropping the piece of bread he had reached out for. The scarred young man held his breath, not daring to move even an inch. His hand lay motionless on the table, as if his Master’s touch had chopped it off at the wrist.

“I’m sorry.” Linden, realising his mistake, pulled back his hand. “You’re not in trouble, Col.” When the pet continued to sit completely motionless, Linden gently took Colton’s large, limp hand in his own, turning it to and fro to see the extent of the damage. “Does this hurt, sweet? Whatever happened to you?”

Colton stared down, his face expressionless, but panic shining in his eyes.

“It was my fault.” Lydia interjected smoothly, just as Col was opening his mouth to reply. “He had a little bit of an accident at the conference, and…”

“What kind of an accident? Why didn’t you tell me?” From the corner of her eye, Lydia could see Cory straighten up at the tension in Linden’s voice. Like Col, Coriander kept his feelings hidden behind a neutral facial expression, but his eyes wandered nervously from face to face around the table.

“It was not a big deal, he was helping me with some equipment and…”

“No, please, it wasn’t Miss Lydia’s fault!” Colton’s voice, too loud and sharp-edged with fear, cut across Lydia’s words. He turned to Linden and his hand on the table began to shake. “Sir, I… I… I hit a man… a person. And I didn’t tell you. I’m so s-sorry, Sir, and I don’t deserve this food, or to- to be here with you. I’m- I’m a bad pet, and, please, please punish me!”

He jerked away, falling to the ground, a boneless heap kneeling before Linden. “I- I should be put down, I know. P-please, Master, please, I know I don’t deserve it, b-but please show me mercy, I’m so sorry, please p-p-punish your awful, bad, worthless pet.”

Linden just gaped for a moment as the man at his feet deteriorated in incoherent sobbing. “Please, Master, Please!”

“Col, whoa, whoa, I’m not angry.” He hunched down and tried to keep his voice level. “I’m just trying to understand, what happened? You hit someone?”

Lydia, having the distinct advantage of actually having been there, decided that the cat now was out of the bag for good.

“Cory,” she said, “take your food and go to the living room. Let’s give these two some space, shall we?” The blonde pet snapped to it, and in the time it took Lydia to turn around and take the folded blanket that happened to be on the chair behind her, he was gone.

“Linden” she said, and when he looked up at her she stretched over the table and handed him the blanket, “I will tell you everything you want to know when Col has calmed down a bit. But you should know that he is the hero in this story. And he is truly alright.” With that, she took her own plate and left the room after her own pet.

Moving his chair aside, Linden sat down on the floor next to Col. With slow, gentle movements, he unfolded the blanket and laid it across Col’s shoulders. Colton was violently shivering, crying without words, just a wounded animal-like keening that he unsuccessfully struggled to keep back. His hands weren’t hidden, for once. They were pressed into his face as he sobbed.

“There, there.” Linden said. “I’m not angry with you. It is alright to cry, it’s always alright. There’s no rush, okay sweet?” He carefully laid a light hand on Col’s back, and when the crying man gave no reaction, he started to rub his back soothingly.

In the living room, Cory knelt on a pillow, he wrung his hand with tears in his eyes. As Lydia sat down in the chair next to him, he blurted out.

“Miss Lydia, w-what happened w-with Colton? D-did he really hit someone?”

“Eat your food before it gets cold.” Lydia said, waiting for him to obey before she continued. “We had a bit of a mishap during the trip. Someone - a strange man - threatened us. Col hit him to protect me.” Cory let out a terrified gasp. “Don’t you worry.” Lydia said calmly. “He didn’t hurt him badly, I am fine, Colton is fine.”

“T-this pet was… was not there to help you.” Cory sounded absolutely crushed. That was probably a good thing, too. Lydia thought. Col’s menacing appearance had probably had a more effective impact on their assailant.

“It wasn’t your fault, love.” She said instead. “It was just a bit of bad luck.”

She took a deliberate bite of her food, watching Cory remember his order and doing the same.

#lost property #lydia and linden #lydia and coriander #pet whump #linden and colton #caretaker #rescue whump #recovery whump #pet whumpee #whump fic #bbu #box boy universe #box boy #box boy multiverse #box boy whump #original writing

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