“You stupid mutt!” Master shouted, “How much did I pay to get such a pile of trash?”
Caz looked up from the corner of the room where he was huddled. Master was yelling and slapping one of the young guard dogs. Trigger, that was his name. His face was locked loosely behind a muzzle, the straps dark against his light brown skin.
“I told you to maul that creature and that’s what you have to give me?! I’ll show you what a mauling looks like.”
Trigger curled into himself, his hands over his head. Master held up a length of chain and raised it to strike—
Caz threw himself against Master’s arm. “No! Don’t—!”
“Get the fuck off me!”
“Don’t do it!” Caz stammered, grabbing onto his wrist. “Trigger didn’t mean to! He’s just a kid!”
Master sneered. “He’s a bad dog, needs to be punished. Just a dumb mutt, only good for fighting.”
“If he’s too dumb then stop hurting him! He won’t learn—take it out on me instead!”
“You think you’re some kind of good samaritan?” Master scoffed. Dread trickled down Caz’s spine as he realized what he’d just said. He hadn’t meant to go that far, he only wanted to stop the man.
“He’s a stupid dog, he isn’t loyal to anyone but me. Look.” Master snapped his fingers and whistled. “Trigger!”
The young man raised his head mechanically, eyes flashing. Master pointed at Caz.
“Attack him.”
On instinct, Trigger crouched aggressively, tensing his muscles to attack. His lip curled into a snarl.
But he did’t move.
“Trigger! Attack!”
Trigger shut his eyes and whined. Caz could hear the tiniest bleed of an earsplitting alram. How loud was it for the kid?
“Can’t,” Trigger gritted through the loosened muzzle, shaking his head, “Pet’s not a threat.”
Master reached down, twisting his tight curls.
“Did I ask you if he was a threat? No. I told you to attack, you goddamn idiot.”
Trigger’s dark eyes met Caz, scared and pleading. The burly man followed his look.
“What, you think you’re saving him, Trigger?” Master chuckled.
He stormed over to Caz, wrapping a meaty hand around his neck before he could react. Caz’s limbs lashed out wildly, but Master soon lashed his arms together, slinging the cord over a support beam. His arms were raised high above his head, forcing him to take shallow breaths.
“Trigger, watch what happens when you disobey orders.”
Keep it together. Keep it together for the kid.
Metal links hit his back. Caz jerked forward, a broken yell sucked into his lungs. Before he could recover, another cold line of fire crossed the back of his legs. His arms shook in the restraints. There was no rhythm, no gap of time for his body to adjust. Line after line of pain blurred his mind. His shoulders, his back, his legs: everything was on fire.
He could hear Trigger sobbing, pleading. Master cursed and yelled at him to be quiet. The chain caught him in the side, under his ribs. Caz screamed, twisting in his bonds.
“Master please! Stop!” Trigger screamed. “It’s my fault!”
This isn’t Trigger’s fault. He shouldn’t think that. Caz wheezed and coughed, red spattering out of his mouth onto the tiles below.
“Sir, I’ll—I’ll be good, I’ll obey!”
Silence. Nothing but the whimpering of the young man and the his own ragged breaths, loud in his ears. Master threw the chain down with a curse. Caz’s body flinched at the noise. Rough fingers fisted his hair, tugging his head backwards.
“If you ever interfere in my discipline again, Pet, I will break you in half. Do you understand?”
Caz shut his eyes, adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Yes, sir,” he choked out hoarsely.
Master grunted. “You got him punished, mutt. Get him down.” The door slammed and clicked shut.
“Are you okay?” Trigger scrambled up to him, fumbling with the ropes.
Caz hung his head weakly. “Yeah….yeah… ‘m o-okay...he-help me down?”
He slumped to the floor, uncaring that he was staining his clothes with blood. They were ripped anyway.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It should have been me.”
“Shut up. If I didn’t think I could take it I wouldn’t have offered.”
That was a lie. He hoped Trigger didn’t know that.
“But you’re not a guard dog, I should have handled it.”
A grin flickered across Caz’s blood speckled lips. “I can take a few punches, kid. You’re thin as a reed. Save it up for a big fight, okay?”
Trigger bobbed his head, his face flushed and streaked with tears. Caz nodded weakly, then let his head fall against the cold tiles.
Context: Trigger has just returned from delivering some ‘goods’ to a very loyal customer, it got slightly heated with a rivary gang while the deal was being made resulting in a gun shot wound to Trigger’s shoulder, your muse can be a friend whose aware of Trigger’s true job or not. Can be friend or more.
“...Fuck sake, this is why I prefer pick ups instead of deliverin’ my shit in person.” Trigger groaned, not expecting anyone else to hear his words as he entered his shop. It was late hours and he had closed a while ago, so he wasn’t expecting anyone to still be there. “-Fuckin; hell!-” Trigger shouted, startled as he noticed the other waiting for him, “-Jesus christ, you wanna wear a fuckin’ bell or somethin’ so I know you’re bloody nearby?”
So I finally decided to draw Trigger’s quirk being activated because I like the effect (and I haven’t been able to do much of anything since October.) I had fun with her and I hope I’m able to do something in the future actually using her quirk in action.
I put it under “read more” since there’s like scarring and burned flesh (as well as obvious bits of flesh burning.) I’d explain her quirk a bit more in detail, but like I said on Instagram, I’ll save that for a later time.
