Iason leaned back into the chair, his fingers tapping against his table in agitation. A wave of panic and nausea rolled over him as he imagined something happening to his Mongrel. He just had a feeling that something wasn't right...maybe he was malfunctioning?

The holophone rang and he answered. "Katze?"

"I've received a call of someone reporting a boy matching Riki's description being followed after work, and then going into an alley."

"Send me the coordinates," he demanded, jumping to his feet—the first ungraceful movement of his entire life. I knew it! he internally yelled. Riki what's going on!

"Forgive me, Riki," Guy whispered, gently picking up the fallen body of his ex pairing partner. He caressed the sweet Mongrel's face, planting a kiss on his cheek. "I'm only doing this because I love you, please try to understand. Please, please, just try to understand." He pulled out a needle, disconnecting the end from the sterile tip before injecting it into the boy's inner elbow. Just to be safe...

He carefully lifted up the body, carrying it to the back of the bike. After laying him down, he carefully put a helmet on Riki's head, stopping to stare at his precious' sleeping face. A wave of sadness hit him yet again, "Why did it have to be him? Why do you have to want that cruel fucking Blondie? Why couldn't you just..." he shakily implored, tears welling up in his eyes. "Hey, Riki?" He grabbed onto the helmet, placing his forehead against it, "Why won't you just come back? You don't have to live that life! I'd work hard just so you could smile. Just so the source of your happiness wasn't that blonde bastard."

Riki didn't move, or say the magic words Guy so desperately wanted to hear. He was a mess, his mind was in overdrive, nothing mattered except getting Riki to the hide out in Dana Burn and freeing him from the Blondie's clutches forever.

"Riki..." he sobbed, hugging his love so tightly in his shaking arms. He slouched down along the side of the abandoned alley, holding his beloved in his arms as he debated continuing. "What am I doing...?!"

Iason hurried to the area, praying that his Mongrel was just out walking and the whole thing was a misunderstanding. He looked like such a pathetic Blondie, running down the streets to find a Pet! His pride was going to the dumps with each step. He'd be a laughing stock when the others found out.

He turned a corner, immediately stopping as he spied a familiar figure. That was Riki's ex pairing partner, wasn't it? His eyes fall on the body sprawled on the bike, his breath catching. Riki...!

Fury took over him, with lightning speed he raced over. With one swift motion he sent Guy flying across the asphalt, a loud thud and 'Oof!' sounding.

"You bastard!" Iason hissed, grabbing Riki into his hands that were shaking from fear and anger. "Riki..."

"Get your hands off him!" Guy yelled, wobbling to his feet. "You've ruined him! You've ruined everything!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Iason dismissed. "I've simply shown Riki what he truly desires. Which is not being with the likes of you!"

Guy gnashed his teeth, "You don't know anything. Riki was mine! And you just came along and fucking took him from me!"

"I merely gave him the taste of another life and the option to choose which he preferred. And he came back to me," he defended, positioning Riki like a princess in his arms. He pulled off the helmet and threw it aside. "You don't know what Riki truly desires."

"It's not you! The Riki I know would never choose the likes of you!" Guy snapped, jolting up to grab back his lover.

Iason smoothly moved away, dodging Guy and letting him hit a brick wall behind them. "People change and evolve to their surroundings," Iason coldly explained. "Riki has adapted to being by my side. Even if he returned to you, he'd still belong to me."

Guy slammed his fist on the ground, "No...he doesn't..." He launched himself at Iason, "Belong to you!"

Iason swiftly and gently maneuvered Riki to the ground, before grabbing hold of Guy by his neck and squeezing. "You will always be a problem for me, as long as you're alive you will be a road block in Riki and my relationship." He gripped tighter, "Shall I kill you now? Put you out of your misery, so you won't have to live a life without him?"

Guy grabbed onto Iason's gloved hands, "I...will kill...you...!"

The Blondie scoffed, dropping Guy to the ground. "You can't even succeed in a relationship, you think you can take me down. Boy?"

"God...dammit!" Guy choked, staring up at Iason with his cloudy blue eyes. "Give him back already!"

"He is mine, nothing you ever do can change that!"

"Give him...back!" Guy screamed, crawling towards Riki with his arm outstretched. Iason stepped on the limb, crushing the bones under the force and causing Guy to release a bloodcurdling scream of pain.

Iason knelt down in front of the writhing Guy, "You've done and said enough. You are no longer necessary."

"You bas—" The Blondie landed a powerful kick to side of the boy's head, causing him to silence upon impact and flop over like a doll.

"What a mess..." Iason murmured, staring from Guy to the bike to Riki. He sighed, dialing up Katze on his wristband. "Katze, I found Riki. But there's a bit of a mess, come clean it up while I take Riki back to Eos." He hung up before the redhead can respond, turning on his heel to walk back to Riki. "You kept me waiting, Riki..."

He elegantly scooped the Pet into his arms, holding the warm body against him. Thank Jupiter he was alive and well! Maybe his malfunction had saved the Mongrel from some grim fate! He hugged the Pet tighter, hurrying over to his air car to take them both home.

He opened his eyes, the roof spun like a top causing him to clutch his stomach and throw up. The sound of liquid and chunks splattering across the floor echoed throughout the clear walled Pet room. Damn it...what's... happening...?

"Riki!" a distorted voice called, demanding his eyes to slowly zoom in on the figure rushing towards him.

"Ia...son?" he slurred, another wave of nausea hitting him as he moved too quickly. He weakly pushed away from Iason, once again throwing up on the floor. Don't touch me...you'll get...dirty...!

The Blondie grabbed onto him, regardless of the disgusting state the Pet is in. "Riki, close your eyes. The drug effects will lessen if you don't move."

He obeyed, closing his eyes from seeing everything. The nausea lessened greatly, allowing him to begin collecting his thoughts, "Where's...Guy...?"

Iason stiffened, anger taking over him as his Pet still wants to know where the son of a bitch was. "Interrogation."

"What...?" Riki mumbled, his eyes opening slightly. Iason gently slid them down with his gloved fingers.

"Just rest, Riki," he instructed, sliding into the bed alongside the Pet. He pulled him into his lap, but this time is was different from the punishment position. He moved Riki so the Mongrel's head is resting against his chest.

"I'm so...confused..." Riki panted, his face contorting to pain as the heat of nausea and a fever hit him.

"Just stay," the man whispered, wrapping his arms around the Mongrel. "I want to hold you for awhile." He kissed the boy's hair, "You caused me great worry, Riki. And I do not appreciate it."

"Sorry..." he softly apologized, his mind cluttered from the heat and nausea.

"I'll forgive you when you're conscious, so rest."

"Kay..." he agreed, nuzzling into the hold of the Blondie. He had a nagging fear that if Iason hadn't found him when he did that they both might not be alive.

Once again he opened his eyes, the world now crystal clear. He slowly sat up, realizing that Iason had slipped away while he was out cold. He reached up and touched his head, wiping off the cold sweat from when the drug was still active in his system. His hand slid down to meet the familiar black collar and chain, both of them confining him to the Pet bed.

Iason stepped in, stopping when his eyes realized that his Pet was now in fact awake. He had checked on him at least a dozen times, he was worried beyond relief. He had wanted to check Riki into the Pet Medical Hospital to monitor his vitals, but he also wanted to have his Pet be the only thing he saw when he awoke. "Riki..." he breathed, striding over to the Mongrel in a few steps. He hugged him tightly against his body, relief taking over every piece of him as he realized his Mongrel was truly safe in his arms.

Riki accepted the hug, not fighting it like he usually would. He too was feeling something inside of him that made him need reassurance. "Iason...I'm sorry..."

"You kept me waiting, don't you ever do that," he growled coldly, pulling back from the Mongrel to scold him with his harsh blue eyes. But he hugged him again. "Don't you ever make me worry like that again."

"I'm sorry," the boy repeated, wrapping his arms around Iason.

"You'll have to prove how sorry you are," the Blondie snapped, ripping the green gown off the Pet's body before he slid his fingers along the chain, pulling roughly. "You'll be even more sorry when I'm finished."

To Be Continued