Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

~*~

            Swiveling her neck side to side Noriko tried to work the kinks our of her stiff, tired muscles. The summer heat was just now starting to dissipate, making way for the cooler autumn nights, the leaves not yet changing to the rainbow of fall colors. The sun was slowly slipping behind the mountain, her work about to start for the night. Dressed in black leather pants, a purple tank top, and her thick leather jacket she slowly made her way to the dive bar downtown. Noriko had a job to do and damn did she love when it paid off. Serve and protect, any cop worth their salt knew that motto and lived it every day. The really good ones had that motto ingrained into every cell of their body, taking pride in being the first line between those needing protection and the less than pleasant things the world had to offer.

            The job Noriko did was dangerous at the best of times, going undercover could get a good officer killed in a flash with just one wrong move. She wasn’t stupid enough to think the rings in the city were any safer than any of the other undercover gigs she could have been assigned to however. Fuck in some respects her job made her as much a target to those she was there to save as she was to those that she was there to lock away as long as the law would allow. It had only been about a month since she was put on the bitty unit of the Ebott police force, before that she had worked busting up drug rings by getting on the inside, Noriko had a knack for getting in good with the seedy characters that thrived in the illegal world. Her talent letting her win over the most hard nosed criminals without much effort, proving to her boss what an asset she could be.

            Bitties were something of a controversial issue in Ebott, with the law unclear if the small creatures should be classed as pets or as simply very small monsters. Because of that controversy the poor things fell into sort of a gray area of the law, leaving room for things like illegal breeders, black market sellers, and the damn fighting rings. Well that was till about two months ago when a new law passed giving bitties all the same rights as monsters, that led to the formation of the bitty task force and started Noriko's new role with the force. Now she just needed to keep working her magic, get on the inside and bust it all wide open to save as many of the tiny monsters as she could.

            It had taken Noriko three weeks to find the contact she was set to meet tonight, three weeks of digging through the trash of society to finally find an in into the rings and start her real job. She was early for her scheduled meet with a low level thug from one of the rings, walking through the streets on her way to one of the worst bars in Ebott, a trashy little place that catered to the lowest of the low. As she neared downtown, the sun had set and the street lights came on. Walking down one of the many back streets that would eventually lead to Duke's bar, she heard a noise coming from an ally to her right. Turning to see what the noise was she was greeted by a fairly average looking dead end ally, the sides lined by boxes and other cast off debris. About half way down the alley stood a green dumpster that had seen better days, rust peeking through the chipped paint and more dents than she thought were allowed by the sanitation commission.

            Beside the dumpster on the far side Noriko saw the back end of a rather large looking dog, some mixed up mutt with so many breeds it was impossible to tell just what breeds made up the creatures genetics, though with how matted and patchy the fur was… she wasn’t even sure she would be able to tell a pure bread dog in the same condition. She always had a soft spot for animals, probably always would, so heaving a deep sigh she cast aside self preservation and trudged into the alleyway intent on seeing what she could do to help the stray, maybe catch the mutt and drop it off at a vet before making it to Duke’s in time for the meet up, that was if she could catch it. As she drew closer she noticed the animal was intent on getting to something, the fur along the dogs back raised in a ridge as it growled at something by the dumpster, at least wasn’t matted to much to move. Drawing a deep breath she crept closer to the animal, hoping that she didn’t get attacked for her trouble she called out sweetly to the mutt in an attempt to get its attention.

            “Hey pup, come on sweetie let’s get you somewhere warm for the night.” As Noriko’s voice rang out in the alley she did manage to catch the dogs attention, it’s already straining body twitching as it began to turn toward her. As it lost focus on whatever it had been going after there was a sudden flash of purple light from beside the dumpster, the mutt Jenkins with a whimper and bolting toward her to get away from whatever the light was as it bolted past her. A curse leaving her lips as she missed catching the dog by a hair, a sigh leaving her in her frustration.

            Shaking her head as the mutt bound down the side street and out of view Noriko turned towards the dumpster to see what the light had been. Walking swiftly and quietly up to the dumpster she puts her hand on the cold grimy metal to keep her balance, her nose assaulted by the putrid mix of whatever lay inside the trash receptacle, some blend that just smelled like death and decay in the end. Bending around the side of the dumpster, using it as a sort of shield in case whatever sent the dog running decided to attack her. Her deep brown, almost black eyes going wide at the sight before her, a small skeleton stood there, ribs heaving as it panted for breath as purple sweat dripped along its skill down to the tattered rags covering its tiny body. A gasp escaping her lungs as she locks her gaze with the flashing purple lights in the sockets of the small skeleton.

            The material Noriko had been given for her new job hadn’t prepared her for this, she knew what a bitty was. She knew that they where small versions of the monsters that had escaped from Mt. Ebott about ten years ago, what she hadn’t expected was to see this small skeleton, its visible bones covered in nicks and cuts, dirt clinging and making the white more of a gray. As the bitty noticed her and looked up she saw the lights in its sockets go fuzzy and flicker before bony lids fluttered over and the poor thing collapsed to the filthy pavement. Gasping once more Noriko whipped her jacket off before scooping up the passed out bitty and wrapping it in the warmth of the silk and leather. Clutching the poor thing to her chest with a sigh she fished in her pocket for her phone before dashing out of the alley and down the side street, pulling up the contact she was supposed to be meeting to let them know she was going to need to reschedule as there had been an emergency that she needed to take care of. Her feet carrying her down the streets to the bitty center that she had memorized the location of for her job, this was not how the night was supposed to go, though she was glad that she knew where to take the tiny skeleton for help.

            Mama Cry's was the premier in bitty care and adoption, at least that’s what Noriko's boss told her during training for this assignment. Walking into the small shop she was greeted by a round of hellos from the bitties that were still moving about in the pens near the front of the center, the sheer verity of different bitties was a bit surprising. There was a fair selection of different skeletons, some taller than others, there were those with red lights in their sockets, others has white or blue, even one sort of like the one she held in her jacket that had purple. However that one had really sharp teeth unlike the one clutched to her chest.

            “Greetings, welcome to Mama Cry's how can I help you today?” a sweet female voice drew Noriko's attention from looking over the bitties in the pen, her brown gaze falling on a rather tall rabbit monster.

            “Erm yeah I found this little one in an alley being pestered by a dog, I don’t know what happened but I’m afraid the dog hurt them.” Shifting from foot to foot as the monster approached, Noriko was quite worried for the little bitty she had found.

            “Oh dear, would you mind handing them here. The street is a terrible place for the little dears, you said there was a dog after them?” reaching out to take the little bundle from Noriko, the monster folded back the edge of the jacket to get a better look at the bitty.

            “Yeah I was down town and heard a noise, when I went to investigate there was a rather large dog that had the bitty cornered by a dumpster. At first I had thought the dog had found some food by the dumpster and was going to see if I could grab it and get it to the shelter or one of the local vets, however when I got the dog's attention there was a flash of purple light and the dog ran off. I was concerned over what had made the light so I proceeded forward to check, if something dangerous was there I couldn’t leave it be and needed to know what needed to be reported. Upon checking I found the bitty who promptly collapsed, sadly I only have a rudimentary knowledge from my training so I brought them here to be sure they are okay.” As Noriko spoke she clasped her hands behind her back, falling into the same practices as giving a report at the station.

            “The poor dear seems to have been through quite a lot, would you mind if I take him back to the back to treat him?” Looking to Noriko with worry, the monster started to shift as though she was heading to the back. Mild panic striking through Noriko's heart, not wanting to loose sight of the bitty.

            “Erm… if it’s okay would you mind if I come with?” A look of understanding crosses the monsters face, a soft smile crossing her lips at Noriko's words as the rabbit monster’s nose twitches.

            “That should be fine, while I work on being sure the poor dear is well I can also answer any questions you may have and perhaps you can answer a few of my own.” Leading the way through a swinging door in the back of the center, the monster shows Noriko to a room set up as a sort of clinic. The room held a tall table that was a clean stainless steel like one would see in a vet’s office, though it was covered in a soft towel that eased some more of Noriko’s nerves. The walls held the standard cupboards and counters one would expect from a clinic room, though some of the things around the room were not what she was used to seeing in exam rooms. The most glaring differences were the tiny furniture that was set in a cute cluster like a waiting room in the corner of one of the counters, another being the glass bottles of different colored glowing liquids.

            “Thank you, like I said I only know the basics. I really should know more about bitties though, so your assistance would be a great help if you don’t mind.” Standing by the examination table, Noriko watches as the monster gently unwrapped the jacket from around the bitty.

            “No trouble dear, after all it is part of my job to educate. So, what questions can I answer for you?” Placing a paw like hand over the chest of the bitty, the monster makes a small motion drawing back, her motion followed by the appearance of a silvery gray, upside down heart, shining weakly above the small skeletons chest.

            “What is that?” Pointing at the small heart, Noriko lost track of the other questions that she had been wanting to ask.

            “That is his soul, the very culmination of his being. Every monster and human has a soul, bitties being small monsters does not change that they have a soul, it is simply harder for them to keep it strong on their own. This little guy seems to have used far too much of his magic, in addition to that it would appear that he has not had the easiest time staying safe and happy. Poor dear needs a magic infusion to get him back to something close to healthy, not much we can do for the old wounds however.” Sighing the monster turns to one of the cupboards behind her, pulling out a few items before turning back to Noriko and her patient.

            “You said he needs others to help keep his soul strong… what exactly does that mean?” watching as the monster gently opened the bitty's mouth open, Noriko was fascinated to see the glowing liquid in the vial vanish as it slid past the small skeleton’s teeth.

            “Ah well you see… hmm how best to explain… as I said the soul is the very culmination of one’s being, it is hopes, dreams, fears, emotion in its purest form. It is the seat of one’s energy and magic. Monsters and bitties are formed of magic so our souls are far more vulnerable, humans while having a soul are mostly matter. Because souls are in essence us, it is through them we make connections to those around us. From the small connection such as our current conversation to the deepest connection of a soul bond, those connections strengthen our souls, feed our magic and makes us stronger. While a human can go throughout their entire life not even knowing about their soul, and a monster can live with minimal connections, bitties are vastly more susceptible to a drain on their soul if they have no connections. Though a strong connection with a much stronger soul, or many connections with other bitty souls would help to stabilize and strengthen any bitty soul.” As the monster spoke of souls and connections, Noriko watched as she took a tiny needle and pressed it against the small skeletons soul to push a glowing white substance into the tiny heart. At the press of the needle the little guy twitched causing Noriko’s heart to clench in a mix of sympathy and concern.

            “So the bitty needs someone who cares about them? Someone to form some connection to them to feed them energy from their soul?” Still watching the rabbit monster work on the bitty, Noriko tilted her head in question.

            “Yes dear he certainly does, while he can form connections with other bitties to survive, to be truly health and strong he would be better served by at least one connection to a larger being, human or monster, though humans have far stronger souls.” Finished administering the medication to the bitty ,the monster gently cups the tiny glowing heart of the bitty, a soft green enveloping her paw like hands as she answers Noriko’s questions.

            Noriko stood there, watching the small skeleton’s face. Her thoughts tumbling over what she learned, she knew that till recently bitties had been classified as pets. Before her training for the undercover mission she knew next to nothing about the small beings, now she marveled at how strong they really were. How could something so small, so dependent on other living beings for the very energy in their souls survive. Hell how could they even survive in places like the illegal breeders where the little creatures were shoved in filthy cages and forced to make more little bitties? How could they survive the conditions of the fighting rings? Being forced to battle and hurt others of their kind. Noriko could feel her chest ache as she watched the exhausted little skeleton on the table, without being aware of intending to speak her voice filled the small clinic like room.

            “I can’t leave him alone, if he needs a home he can stay with me… if he wants to that is.” Nerves rocked through Noriko as she realized what she had just volunteered for, she just started the new assignment to bust into the fighting rings. Now here she was with her eyes locked on an exhausted, unconscious bitty that she knew nothing about as she offered to take him into her home.

            “That is very sweet of you dear, let us get him feeling well enough to see what he would like to do. From there I can assist you with his further care if he chooses to go with you.” The green glow from the monster's hands had disappeared, the ting soul of the bitty floating peacefully before she gently pressed it back into the small skeleton’s chest. “I’ve done what I can for him as far as healing for the time being, what he needs now is to be close to a stronger soul to draw energy, it isn’t the same as a true connection sadly. However having someone close to him will help him to gather more strength, would you perhaps want to hold him while I tend to other matters in the center? You can stay back here if you wish.” Glancing at the clock on the wall, the rabbit woman shifts a bit on her feet before looking between Noriko and the bitty on the examination table.

            “Um yeah, I can hold him if you think it will really help.” Moving closer to the table, Noriko reaches out with shaking hands to gently lift the small skeleton from the table. Tentatively bringing him closer to her chest as she looked between him and the monster before receiving a nod from the monster.

            Finding a chair by the wall of the clinic room, Noriko settles herself in, resigned that she may be there for a while. Glancing between the sleeping skeleton on her chest and the clock on the wall, she feels a small warmth blooming behind her ribs, a tiny smile forming on her face as the skeletal hands of the bitty grasp onto the cloth of her purple tank top as he nuzzles his skull against the fabric of her shirt. As the seconds tick by she watches the face of the little skeleton in her arms, a feeling somewhere between hope and protectiveness igniting within her. She had always found a sense of satisfaction in her work, taking the bad guys off the streets and protecting those that for one reason or another couldn’t protect themselves. Looking at the bitty nestled on her chest, his face nuzzling against her… this is what she was fighting for now, protecting the rights and freedoms of these small people that needed others to stay strong.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

~*~

            With Noriko watching the bitty sleep, she saw the first signs of him waking up. His little face scrunched up as he yawned, his fists tightening on the fabric of her shirt as he nuzzles a little closer to her warmth. Shyly she let her thumb stroke gently on the small skeleton’s skull, his little sockets flying open at the contact as his purple eye lights locked on her dark eyes. Noriko and the small skeleton stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, hardly breathing before the bitty pushed back from her chest. His small hand pressing against her breast as he pushed away defensively as he attempted to push from her light hold.

            “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you, just calm down so you don’t fall, the doctor just got you fixed up.” Offering the small skeleton her best reassuring smile, Noriko shifted her hands just enough to keep the tiny skeleton from falling out of her hands while trying to calm the clearly agitated little monster.

~*~

            Living on the streets was honestly one of the better of the worst fates for any bitty, though that wasn’t saying it was a good way to live for any bitty. He knew better than most what some of the alternatives were, something he didn’t ever really want to face again. Sure, getting the other bitties out of that sort of hell would be great, but there wasn’t much one bitty could do against the breeders and the fighters. Getting himself out of the breeder that had bought him from the rings was hard enough, the added magic supplements they gave him to help him… produce more bitties being the only thing that gave him enough strength to get out of there.

            Sure, in the ring they would feed him… sometimes… if he won, though that had never been enough to give the bitty enough magic to break free, to get out of that hell. Honestly, being sold off to some two bit breeder that didn’t even have a proper setup had been a stroke of luck, the dick that had been trying to get more bitties to sell to the top bidder had been just stupid and competent enough to give him supplements while not having enough security to contain him once he had the strength. The one regret he had was that he couldn’t get anyone else out with him, he might not have ended up weak enough for that dog to almost dust him if he had other bitties to band together with, not to mention that getting more bitties out of there would have been the right thing to do.

            That didn’t mean that he was expecting to wake up after that mutt attacked him laying on the plush chest of a frankly really pretty human, honestly, he had expected to be dust after shooting off that blaster to chase off the dog. Whoever this woman was… he wasn’t sure if he should trust her or not, though she had shown a few bits that either marked her as a better breeder than the one the escaped from or a truly decent human. For one thing, she hadn’t left him to dust in that filthy and honestly disgusting ally, another was the fact that she had brought him some place to get him treated for his magical exhaustion. Though that bit could have been her trying to get him healthy enough to make money off him. The fact that she had held him next to her soul… he could feel his strength coming back, though he felt sort of conflicted over the position he was in.

            There were a few ways he could handle the turns life had handed him, though to make any sort of decisions he needed more information. Was this place one of those back ally bitty healers that the breeders and fighters were in league with? Was it a legit center that would let him jump ship to maybe find a good family and home? Though honestly he knew as a former fighter and breeder… there weren’t a lot of chances that a nice family would take him on. If it was a legit center… that gave him an idea that this chick was probably not one of the back ally dealers that just wanted him as a breeder or fighter, they didn’t tend to use the real centers for the bitties in their “care”. Honestly, he needed time, time to think, time to figure out what kind of place this was.

            “Um… so ya brought me to…” Leaving the sentence hanging, the bitty hoped that the human was either kind enough to give him the answer, or stupid enough to give a clue of what way the wind was blowing.

            “Sorry, I would have asked if you needed a doctor if you hadn’t passed out. I brought you to Mama Cry’s center down town for treatment after finding you in that ally, I was unsure if the dog had caused you injury or if you had passed out for another reason.” Blinking, the bitty looked up at the human in both confusion and shock. For one thing, the way she answered… it was almost formal even with the sweet smile on her face. For another thing, Mama Cry’s was the best when it came to care for bitties as well as adoptions. This human was either one of the dumbest back ally dealers he had ever seen or she was honestly concerned for him and rushed him to the best and closest to where she found him.

            “Huh… so didn’t catch yer name sugar.” A cute flush spread over her cheeks for just a second before it was gone and replaced with that professional air that kept throwing the bitty off.

            “Sorry, this is a bit of an odd situation. I’m officer Noriko Nebula of the Ebott special bitty unit.” Blinking, the bitty takes a moment to process this new information. This might just be his lucky day, someone with some sort of power to make changes had plucked him up off the street, someone dedicated to helping bitties if the unit she was in had anything to say about her motives.

            “Hmm, didn’t expect that answer officer Nebula, though guess I should thank ya for pickin’ me up.” A small smile spread over Noriko’s face, the bitty matching it with a much brighter one of his own as he settled back against her chest. “Hope ya don’t mind if I just snuggle down again, ya can probably guess I’m bone tired after all I’ve been through.” A startled snort of laughter left Noriko as the bitty can feel her chest jump from her mirth as a smug smile spreads over his face from getting her to laugh, the feeling of being closer to her soul leaving him feeling a wave of content that he hadn’t felt in… honestly he couldn’t remember ever feeling content with the way things were.

            “So… do you have a name? I feel sort of strange thinking of you by your species rather than your name.” Humming, the bitty thought about Noriko’s question. While he never had a name given to him by his previous owners, be it one of the fighters or the breeder, he had gone by a couple of names in the ring. The problem with that is he didn’t really want to hold onto any of them, most making him feel dirty in a way that was worse than the filth clinging to his bones. That didn’t mean he was quite ready to tell Noriko all of that, even if he was pretty sure that she was one of the better humans out there from the fact that she had stepped in when she probably didn’t have to.

            “Ya can call me whatever ya want to sugar, I’ll come for anythin’ ya call me.” Falling back on the flirty nature of his bitty type, the bitty gave a sultry wink up at Noriko from where he nuzzled into her breasts through the soft fabric of her shirt, just now noticing the color matched his magic with a tiny blush of his own.

~*~

            Even though she was a part of the bitty unit with the force, Noriko wasn’t used to the little monsters in the slightest. The fact that the little skeleton on her chest was making her face heat up like a school girl being complimented by her crush was… honestly Noriko wanted to slap herself for her reactions and just how unprofessional it was. Though she was aware that the skeleton currently nuzzling into her tits was by all rights an adult, it wasn’t the most professional thing to have going on when right now she was supposed to be going undercover to meet up with a contact to get into the fighting ring underground to get the evidence needed to save as many bitties as she and the rest of her colleagues could manage.

            Honestly, Noriko wasn’t sure if the flirting from the little guy was from her saving him from the street, her trained eye not missing how when he first woke he was a bit on the defensive side, or if it had more to do with the sort of bitty he was. During training, she had been told about the different types, several of them being listed as natural flirts, though Noriko figured she wouldn’t have to worry about being flirted at by tiny monsters in the line of work she was doing. Granted this wasn’t exactly the same as busting up a bitty fighting ring, though the fact that the bitty had been out on the streets told Noriko that he hadn’t had the easiest time in his life so far.

            “I’m not sure if I feel comfortable calling you anything other than your name, hell, I’m not even sure if you have a worried family out there wondering where you are.” Sighing, Noriko absently stroked her thumb over the bitty’s skull as she could feel a vibration coming from him where he’s squished himself against her tits, her face still warmer than she felt was strictly professional.

            “No family waitin’ on me sugar, ain’t even sure what happens next for me.” Sighing, the bitty stops making the vibration noise as he pulls away from Noriko's chest to look up at her, pretty purple eye lights studying her face.

            Noriko had told mama Cry, or she at least thought the rabbit monster might be Mama Cry, that she were willing to have the bitty live with her. The big issue was going to be the fact of her job, something Noriko had to tread a fine line about explaining to the bitty if he did end up coming home with her. On one hand Noriko's job was dangerous, the possibility of her getting hurt or worse on the job caused worry to swirl through her about what could happen to him if the worst did end up happening. On the other hand… her boss wanted Noriko to get a bitty partner, a few of the small monsters were already in training to join the force though it would be a while before any were even close to ready. She could offer the job to the small skeleton laying on her chest, though if she did… Noriko honestly didn’t want to risk his life or have him stuck in a job he didn’t understand the full ramifications of.

            “It depends on what you want. There are a few options of what we could do, option one is that I have Mama Cry do an intake for you and she finds you a home with a nice normal family that will love you for who you are.” A small flinch from the bitty had Noriko's brow raising before she dismissed it and continued. “The other option is that you can come home with me, though that option leads to a few more choices and I want to explain what my job is beyond just being an officer.” Humming, the bitty looked to the side in thought for a moment before turning his gaze back to Noriko's face, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he manages to get any words out.

            “Um… before ya get into that… ya might want to know what yer getting’ into if ya take me home… I… I ain’t yer typical sansy type for one, I’m… well we ain’t common so I ain’t sure ya’ve heard of our sub class but most call us lust types.” Opening her mouth to ask, the bitty holds his hand up to stall Noriko before she even have a chance to start talking. “For some reason… the type of bitty I am is… well to put it bluntly one of the worst with flirting and far more lover than fighter, though we also have… well some not so innocent needs that either our owner or another bitty needs to help with.” Blinking, Noriko let her mind process what he said as a few bits fall into place.

            “To clarify, you… I believe it was called a heat during my training… I’m guessing yours are more… intense?” Chuckling, the bitty shakes his skull before heaving a sigh and continuing his explanation.

            “Nah, mine are… well lets just say a lot more often but not as intense as most bitties or monsters, though with it being so often it… it can cause a lot of people to be uncomfortable. Though that ain’t even all I want ya to know before ya offer yer home to me… I… I ain’t some misplaced pampered pet, or some lost little lover boy… I… the first human to take me ‘home’ wasn’t some nice person givin’ me a home, I was… I was put in a fightin’ ring, was pretty good but due to my type… it didn’t take too long till I was sold off to another handler, and another, and another before some two bit breeder snatched me up to breed me till the day I dusted. I ain’t tellin’ ya this for yer sympathy, I want ya to know what yer walkin’ into before ya agree to take me home sugar, ya deserve that much after ya were nice enough to give me a chance to get that dog off me and bringin’ me here.” Well shit, Noriko had just been stressing over potentially bringing the bitty into her job and what it would mean for him, though now… after hearing what the bitty had said, it was like fate had put the two of them onto the same path, meant for them to find each other.

            “Well… I’m not going to back down from offering you a place in my home, though I do still want to fill you in on my job so you know what to expect. As for your… heats… we can figure that out as we go.” Nodding, the bitty waved his hand for Noriko to continue her explanation. “As I said in my introduction, I’m an officer with the Ebott police in the special bitty unit. What that means is it is my job to help stop the exact people that I’m going to guess made a good portion of your life a living hell, though my main role is as an undercover officer so I go in and find the rings, get evidence by blinding into that world and crack them open from the inside out to get the bitties free and to safety. In fact, when I found you I was on my way to meet up with a contact to get me into the rings so I can start working in earnest. Because of my line of work… it isn’t guaranteed that I’m going to make it home healthy each night, or at all. That being said, my chief wants me to be partnered with a bitty recruit, though the recruits on the force are… honestly I don’t think many of them would blend in well for undercover let alone be able to pull off the act as more than a first timer. I know you don’t know me well yet, and we would have to get you certified and on the force, but not only can I offer you a home, but a job as well if you wanted to join and help break apart the bastards that prey on those in need of the most protection.” Blinking in what Noriko can only guess was shock, the bitty takes a moment before a big smile spreads over his face, little hand sticking out towards you.

            “Fuckin’ hell, guess ya just found yerself a partner sugar, what’s the next steps?” Smiling back at the bitty, Noriko reaches a finger out to shake with him.

            “First we need to figure out a proper name for you, then we need to make sure you are cleared medically and I’ll introduce you to the chief in the morning.” Nodding, the bitty hums in thought before a smirk spreads over his teeth.

            “What do ya think of Wolfbane? Saw one of the early handlers lookin’ up poison plants and couldn’t help but think the flowers looked like my magic.” Smiling, Noriko nodded her head just as the rabbit monster walked back into the room.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

~*~

            Turning his skull to the opening door, the newly dubbed Wolfbane saw a rabbit monster entering the room he and Noriko had been left alone in. While the day had been nothing like he had expected, he felt like he had been handed a golden opportunity to put the unique skills his life had given him to a positive use. Noriko’s offer to have him be her partner as she worked on ripping apart the bitty fighting rings from the inside out… even the fact that she wasn’t put off by his past or the type of bitty he was… Wolfbane couldn’t help but smile at the stroke of luck that mangy dog had brought into his life. If that mutt hadn’t been going after him, he doubted Noriko would have turned down that ally, let alone brought him here to get healed up. He wasn’t stupid enough to think he would have lasted much longer on the street, the timing had been amazing and left him right where he needed to be.

            “Oh good, I see our little friend is awake now. How are you feeling little one?” Smiling, Wolfbane took a peek back at Noriko before responding to the rabbit monster.

            “Pretty good all things considered, thanks for patchin’ me up doc.” Smiling brightly, the rabbit monster moved to crouch in front of Noriko to be closer to eye level with Wolfbane, her keen eyes scanning him as he was still snuggled against Noriko’s breasts as he clung to her.

            “I see you are getting along with our hero, does this mean you would want to go home with this nice lady?” Chuckling, Wolfbane couldn’t believe the rabbit monster even had to ask, though he appreciated her asking his consent in the matter.

            “We just finished pickin’ out a name for me, so I would hope I’m goin’ home with sugar here.” Giving a squeeze to the plush breast he was still snuggled up to, Wolfbane was rewarded with a cute little blush from Noriko as the rabbit giggled.

            “Fantastic, miss… oh dear I didn’t catch your name since we were in such a hurry to get our little friend back here to treat him.” Fussing slightly, the rabbit monster shifted on her feet while shifting her gaze to Noriko, Wolfbane chuckling softly at the frantic look before the rabbit shot him a glare that stopped him cold.

            “Officer Noriko Nebula of the Ebott PD, and am I right in assuming you are the famed Mama Cry?” Shifting her hold on Wolfbane, Noriko sticks out her left hand to shake the rabbit monster’s paw like hand with a confident smile.

            “Oh, I didn’t realize you were an officer. Are you sure that you will have the time to take care of our little friend here? And yes, I am indeed Mama Cry, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Giving Wolfbane and Noriko a concerned look, Mama Cry fussed a bit over the potential issues with Noriko being a police officer. Honestly, Wolfbane wasn’t worried about that part since he was hoping to join her as her partner, though he could understand the rabbit monster’s concern.

            “Ya ain’t got to worry about it, was gonna see if I could get approved to work as sugar’s partner once ya clear me health wise.” Blinking, Mama Cry looks between Wolfbane an Noriko in what Wolfbane thinks is shock, a smirk sitting on his face as he waits for her response.

            “I… are you sure? Police work is hard and dangerous, not to mention you have only just met miss Noriko today… are… are you sure this is what you want?” Honestly Wolfbane was a little bit offended that Mama Cry insinuated he wasn’t tough enough to watch out for his human, though he could understand her concern over the method of his arrival and how he had just met Noriko. If he were being honest, he hadn’t trusted her when he first woke up, though their conversation and her insistence on being honest with him… Wolfbane gave her some trust already. That didn’t mean he was stupid enough to not do a bitty check, not after what happened with the human that had taken him from the center when he was new and too stupid to know not every human was kind.

            “I’m sure, I know it ain’t a normal path for a bitty, stars I didn’t even know it was a path I could take till Noriko talked to me about it… but after her savin’ my life… I want to be there to help keep her safe too.” A soft smile spread over Mama Cry’s face as she looked at Wolfbane before smiling up at Noriko with a question dancing behind her soft brown eyes.

            “What about you? Are you sure you’re ready for this? Taking care of a bitty under normal circumstances is a big responsibility, taking care of one and keeping him safe while in dangerous situations is a monumental task.” Smiling, Noriko stroked Wolfbane’s skull as she took a breath to answer.

~*~

            Taking on responsibility had never been that big of an issue for Noriko, if it had been she would have never joined the force in the first place, let alone taking the position in the special bitty unit. While you hadn’t been expecting to end up with a bitty tonight, you knew that the chief was going to get one of the new recruit bitties set up as your partner, though you honestly preferred the thought of Wolfbane by your side since he had seen the inside of the rings, seen the inside of the breeders. That was valuable experience that not a single one of the new recruits could claim, something that took Wolfbane from being just a bitty you wanted to help to being someone worthy of respect and a level of trust in those darker areas of your job.

            It didn’t hurt that in the short time Noriko had been around Wolfbane, she was already growing quite fond of the little guy. Part of her wasn’t sure how much was the fact that he was so cute, being small enough to hold in her hands. Though she wasn’t going to deny that she had blushed at his flirting, at least to herself. Honestly, it was an easy choice to accept Wolfbane as her friend, her partner, and into her home. She knew that technically till a few more laws passed his pay would have to be managed for him, though if the chief let him onto the force he would have his own income and a level of freedom, even if she wasn’t about to let Wolfbane get too far away after learning that he needed connections to those around him.

            “Of course I want Wolfbane to come home with me, after saving him and sitting here with him… there’s now way I’m going to leave his fate up to chance. I’m more than ready to take on this challenge, it’s the right thing to do.” Cupping her hand around Wolfbane, Noriko locked her brown eyes on Mama Cry with a look so full of strong conviction that the rabbit monster ended up nodding before smiling brightly.

            “Perfect, shall we get you some things you will need to take care of Wolfbane?” Nodding, Noriko took one hand from around Wolfbane to push herself to her feet and follow Mam Cry out of the back room as the rabbit monster started to guide the two around the shelves lined with just about everything that a bitty could need or want.

            Going isle by isle, Noriko and Wolfbane picked up a selection of cloths, hygiene products, a bitty bath and shower, a big fluffy pillow that was designed for bitties to sleep on or just snuggle on, a few things that Wolfbane indicated he had an interest in and a stock of magic supplements that could be added to human food as well as some bitty food that Wolfbane showed an interest in. Mama Cry carried a basket for all the items since Noriko’s hands were full with the small skeleton, suggesting things that Noriko might want to look into getting for her new companion as the wandered through the shelves.

            While Noriko had not planned on having a roommate, or even the responsibility of a bitty living with her, she was more than happy to be spending money on Wolfbane. After seeing the state he was in between the ally and seeing him laying lifelessly on the table as Mama Cry worked on getting him healthy again… it wasn’t fair what life had delt him. It wasn’t fair that the human that was supposed to give him a loving home had turned out to be working with a bitty fighting ring, it wasn’t fair that he got sold off to be used as a breeding bitty. Fuck, it wasn’t fair that there were still humans out there that treated bitties as anything other than people.

            After finding everything that they could that Wolfbane wanted or needed, Mama Cry led Noriko up to the front of the center where there was a little desk tucked away, a Sansy dossing on a pillow by an older looking register. The rabbit monster shooting the sansy a fond look before setting the basket next to him, a little snort leaving the small skeleton on the counter as he woke from his nap while Mama Cry started scanning things into the old register and putting them into bags. Honestly, Noriko wasn’t looking forward to the price, though if Wolfbane did end up as her partner she might be able to claim the price of his things on her tax return.

            “I’m going to guess Wolfbane is your first bitty companion?” The question from Mama Cry drew Noriko’s attention from gently petting a half asleep Wolfbane, her dark eyes looking up at the rabbit monster giving her a smile.

            “Is it that obvious?” Chuckling, Noriko confirmed as Mama Cry hummed with a smile on her face as she clicked a few keys on the register, her front teeth poking out just slightly from her lips before the rabbit monster nodded and turned to pull a paper from a filing cabinet behind the counter.

            “A bit, though that isn’t a bad thing. With the new laws it isn’t quite the same process as the old adoptions, though I’m going to assume since you and Wolfbane mentioned him wanting to join the force as your partner that you are going to want the paperwork filed so he can get proper identification as well as register you as his human?” Nodding quickly, Noriko couldn’t help the small blush that warmed her cheeks at being called Wolfbane’s human.

            “Yeah, that would probably be for the best since without those he wont get his proper pay check if the chief lets him join the force.” Chuckling at Noriko’s assessment, Mama Cry nodded as she started to fill in information before pausing with a thoughtful look before a frown crossed her face.

            “I… I don’t know how to bring this up without being too offensive, but… well my job is to make sure all bitties get the care they need for their individual type as well as their personal quirks. Did… do you know what sort of bitty Wolfbane is?” Tilting her head, Noriko shook her head as she wasn’t familiar with his type, though she had a feeling Mama Cry was trying to broach the subject of the heat’s Wolfbane had been telling her about earlier.

            “I’m not sure of his sub type, but from my training I’m pretty sure he is a type of sansy. Between the smaller stature, rounded skull, and prominent eye lights, I’m almost positive of it. I’ve only ever seen the purple eye lights from him and the sharp toothed ones you have here, which if I’m not mistake are blackberries. Though with Wolfbane, his flatter teeth have me questioning if he would be classified with them or if he is another sub type.” Smiling, Mama Cry nods along with Noriko’s deductions.

            “Very good, your observation skills are right on track and it eases my soul that the training they are giving you for bitty identification is at least accurate enough that you are correct that I do have a few blackberries here. However, Wolfbane isn’t a blackberry, he is actually what we call a rare type which is less common among the masses of bitties. His sub type is a lust bitty, with that type there are… complications that most humans have issues with their companions having or being able to see to the bitties need.” Chuckling, Noriko nods as she holds one hand up while keeping Wolfbane against her chest as he nuzzles back into her breast, causing Mama Cry to pause in her long speech with the fur of her cheeks dusted in color.

            “Wolfbane explained about how his heat’s aren’t the same as other bitties or monsters, while he is the first bitty that will be in my care, there are the recruits that I’ve had some close contact with and we also have the monster division and some of them like to gossip so I was prepared for him to have heats from time to time. He did explain that his are a bit different in their strength and far more frequent, I’m willing to work with him to figure out what works best for him in regards to expelling the extra magic so he stays healthy and comfortable.” Humming at Noriko’s words, that smile from earlier spread over Mama Cry’s face, a satisfied nod of her head causing her ears to bob before she went back to filling in the paperwork. A few more questions were asked, mostly to do with Noriko’s information though there were a few that were asked of Wolfbane to help get the papers filled out properly. Eventually Noriko was asked to sign the paperwork on one line, Wolfbane whining when he was asked to also sign a line of the new papers.

            “All right dears, you are both done and since Wolfbane was on the street when you found him we have a fund that has all of this covered so you two are free to head home and get some rest.” Mama Cry took a copy of the papers for her files before handing Noriko two copies for herself and Wolfbane since with the new laws both the bitty and the human or monster agreeing to be responsible for making sure they had a safe and healthy home were now required to carry the papers. Wolfbane’s copy was drastically downsized and slipped into a small sort of wallet that Mama Cry pulled from behind the counter and handed to the nearly asleep bitty on Noriko’s chest.

            “Wow, that is good to know. I wasn’t even told there were programs to help homeless bitties like that and I’m in the special bitty unit, do you maybe have any information on that program you’re willing to share? Are there special provisions for bitties rescued from breeders or fighting rings rather than just from the street? It would honestly be helpful for me and the other officers on the bitty unit to be able to help and direct rescues to the programs that are in place to help them.” Giggling, Mama Cry nods before handing Noriko a folder filled with paper and informative pamphlets.

            “Of course dear, helping our little friends is my calling and I’m happy to see such a dedicated officer in the bitty unit. To be honest, I was concerned that those assigned to the bitty unit would be… well humans don’t have the best history when it comes to accepting changes, I was worried that they wouldn’t be able to find officers like yourself to stand up for what was right for our smallest citizens.” What Mama Cry said was true, Noriko was probably the most dedicated on the force when it came to taking care of all citizens, something several of her co-workers were having trouble accepting bitties were.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

~*~

            After Noriko and Wolfbane walked out of Mama Cry’s, the sansy on the pillow pushed himself upright to look at the rabbit monster. He hadn’t missed the LV on the lust bitties soul, that was something of a concern, though he could understand with the poor guy being on the street. Though living on the street didn’t explain that much LV on a soul, it concerned him more than he wanted to admit.

            “Did ya catch the LV on the guy? Ya sure miss officer’s gonna be okay with someone like that in her home? She’s pretty green for a yellow soul.” Humming, Mama Cry turns to face the bitty with a soft smile on her face.

            “I didn’t bring it up to them, but I heard part of their conversation and it should be just fine. Who better to fight alongside Ebott’s finest to rescue fighting bitties than someone who managed to get himself out of the ring, don’t you agree Ketch?” Winking at the small skeleton, Mama Cry looked over the shop one last time before locking the front door to get ready for the rest of the night.

            “Sly bunny, ya never did know how to not use those ears of yers. So yer sayin’ the LV on the guys soul was from the ring… do ya think he dusted his handler to get out? Ain’t never seen a lust get violent like that, ya saw him soakin’ up the cops pets and damn near droolin’ over her breasts.” Giggling, Mama Cry scoops Ketch up of his cushion as he thinks over the disconnect between the typical lust behavior and all that LV on the bitty’s soul.

            “Would you blame him if he had? You know how bad the rings are, honestly it’s a good thing officer Nebula is going to be working on cleaning those nasty things up. Having a partner who has been in the rings before, Wolfbane is going to be an asset to saving so many bitties from a pain he knows well. Who better than a lover who knows what it’s like to be forced to be a fighter?” Shaking his skull at Mama Cry’s reasoning, Ketch chuckles as they make it to the upstairs apartment over the center to settle in for the night.

            Honestly, Mama Cry had a point, though Ketch still worried if it was the right thing to do. Having a former fighter end up back in the ring… he could see the force wanting the poor guy to go under cover, it made a sick sort of sense though Ketch couldn’t help but shake how bad that could be for the guy’s mental health. He just hoped that things weren’t going to blow up, that Noriko would stand up for Wolfbane and make sure the small skeleton wasn’t put under too much stress.

~*~

            As Noriko opens the door to her apartment, Wolfbane can’t help but feel his head spin from the way his life had just flipped on it’s head. Old memories, faded and tattered at the edges flow through his skull as he looks around the simple apartment. Back when he had been young, new and just put into the center that was miles away from the town he was in now, Wolfbane had hopes of some nice human adopting him, getting a forever home with someone that would love and care for him. The hope when his first handler’s girlfriend walked in, pretty green soul with blond hair and a rack that was honestly distracting enough to be against the law… Wolfbane had been so excited to think she wanted to be his human, to take him home and love him. It had almost crushed him when she pulled up to a broken down looking house a scruffy man in greasy cloths with hair that didn’t look like it had seen a brush in weeks down to his shoulders giving a yellow smile at Jane, the woman he thought was going to be his human. Honestly, Wolfbane didn’t like the guy at first sight, the malice rolling off the guy’s soul was enough to have a shiver ruining up the small skeleton’s spine as he listened to the conversation and felt himself being handed over to the man, all those dream of a bright future and a loving home being shattered like glass under the blow of a sledgehammer.

            “I know it isn’t much… but hey, at least it’s clean and warm and I’ve got some of the best security on the market that can be used in a rental so it’s pretty safe too. Um… were do you want your stuff? I… well with Mama Cry saying that you need a stronger. soul close by… actually, how about I show you around the whole place since this is your home now too, let you figure out where you want your things as we go.” Being pulled from the old pain’s from his memory by Noriko’s words, Wolfbane nods his skull as she shows him around the modest apartment.

            The first stop was the living room, a plush couch with a decent sized TV set into an entertainment center that Noriko explained also had a couple of gaming consoles in. While he had never played any games, Wolfbane did express that he might be interested in learning if she was interested in teaching him. Moving from the living room, Noriko shows Wolfbane around the kitchen, stashing the food that was in the bags that he had picked out while putting the magic supplement powders into a cupboard with other spices and ingredients. It was a decent kitchen, all the appliances were stainless steel with a sort of wood looking floor, a modest little table with a chair sitting between the living room and the kitchen.

            Moving on from the kitchen, Noriko walked down the hall with three doors, two on one side and the other one at the end. The first door went into a rather nice bathroom with a washer and dryer in it, a decent sized bathtub. It was here that she set up the bitty shower and bath from the bags, setting up Wolfbane’s toiletries as well as hanging one of the towels on the little towel rod that came with the shower. Once done in the bathroom, she stopped at the next door to put the rest of the small towels that were in the bag with her own much larger ones where they rested on the top shelf of what Wolfbane was sure was a coat closet, at least if the hangers with coats and jackets were anything to go by.

            The last door led into a bedroom, a decent sized one that was about as big as the living room with what was a huge bed against one corner. On the other corner was a desk with a computer lit up with different lights that honestly Wolfbane wasn’t sure what they meant, a chair pulled up to the desk with a fluffy blanket sitting on it just begging to be snuggled into. On the other side of the room was another closet, the double doors indicating it was a pretty big one for being such a small apartment. Instead of normal lamps or other lights, Wolfbane could see what looked like fields of stars hanging on the walls, velvety black and dark blue fabric with little white and colored lights poking through to give the room a soft and pleasant glow. The last bit of furniture being a dresser that was cluttered with random things, a mirror attached to the back of it to show the big curtains on the last open wall.

            “As you can see, I don’t really have a room I can offer for your very own, though I don’t mind sharing mine. We can set up your pillow thing on the corner of the desk, and I can clear some space on the dresser for your own little dresser, I would rather have you close in case you need to come lay on my chest to recharge.” Offering Wolfbane a bashful smile, Noriko tucked her shoulder length dark hair behind her ear, the straight strands saying in a distracting way.

            “What, not gonna just have me sleep with ya sugar?” A smirk spread over Wolfbane’s face at the flustered blush spreading over Noriko’s face, a chuckle bubbling from him as she squeaked when he give her breast I little squeeze. He might be small, but honestly he knew how to fluster a woman when he wanted to and wasn’t ashamed to do so with his pretty human partner. Well, he hoped he passed the tests to get on the force, the idea of being able to go back and free the ones he left behind in the rings… it honestly helped ease something in Wolfbane’s soul that he wasn’t even ready to begin examining.

~*~

            This was honestly a good opportunity to discuss what Wolfbane wanted out of living with Noriko, hell it was a good chance to think about what she expected about him living with her. Sure, she got flustered from his flirting, but honestly Noriko found it sort of flattering. She knew that at some point they were going to have to deal with his heats, be it with her own intervention or bringing in one of the bitty services that had been explained to her during her training for the bitty unit. Honestly, the ball was in Wolfbane’s court for what he wanted to happen, be it Noriko taking care of him or bringing in a service. She had to admit that she was sort of curious what his heats would be like, or even what she could do to help him expend the extra magic that brought the heats. That didn’t mean Noriko was going to force that option on him, he was an adult and in control of his own life now. She was just the human roommate that was watching out for him, even if bitties weren’t expected to get work and a lot of humans and even some monsters preferred to just support their bitty friends.

            “Like I said, I don’t mind if you come lay on my chest. If it would be more comfortable for you to sleep on me then I’m not going to tell you no, though I will warn you that some nights I toss and turn a lot and wouldn’t want to accidentally hurt you.” Offering Wolfbane a smile, Noriko sat on her rolling chair while placing the bags that still held the cloths the two of you had picked out for him as well as the pillow that had been bought as a bed for him. Though as she thought, Noriko realized that while it was paid for, she hadn’t actually bought any of the items for her new friend.

            “I’m gonna be real with ya sugar, no flirts, nothin’ held back. First, I’m gonna apologize for flirtin’ so hard with ya, I know ya just met me and having someone like me hittin’ on ya probably ain’t the best feelin’. Because of who I am, it’s probably gonna keep goin’, though ya ain’t got to feel like I’m gonna force ya to do nothin’. Yer pretty, part of me, the part that wasn’t broken by the ring, wasn’t twisted by breeders… that part still is very much like others of my type of bitty. Naturally flirty, a bit overly sexual, though it ain’t to make ya uncomfortable. If ya don’t like it, I can try and keep the thoughts in my skull, though that ain’t gonna stop me from wantin’ ya to suffocate me with those gorgeous tits of yers, wrap those pretty lips of yers around my magic. Part of me feels… well off and wrong for wantin’ that, especially since we’ve known each other for what a couple hours? If ya don’t want me to sleep in yer bed, I wont. I know what it’s like to have yer choices made for ya, I ain’t about to do that to the angel that saved me when I was moments away from dustin’ alone in the cold streets. Fuck, I ain’t about to do that sort of shit to anyone.” That hadn’t been what Noriko had expected Wolfbane to bring up, though she could understand that they both had a lot that they needed to get to know about each other, especially since he wanted to be her partner for her job.

            “I don’t mind you being who you are Wolfy, I’m honestly honored that you are able to relax enough around me to let yourself relax after everything you’ve been though. I know we didn’t go over all the details, but what little bit you have told me… I’m amazed by your strength and compassion to want to be a part of the solution. I admire you for that, for being true to yourself and wanting to help others out of that situation. Fuck, the fact that you are strong enough to trust a human after what I’m sure those fuckwads that run the rings put you through, or even the damn breeders, it just amazes me that you are able to put that trust in me after all of that. Thank you.” Watching Wolfbane with wonder and a bit more intensity than she meant to, Noriko catches the purple dusting over the small skeleton’s cheek bones as he looks up at her from where he was still snuggled in her hand against her chest.

            “Heh, really? I… fuck, I ain’t even sure I can express how that makes me feel sugar. Okay, if yer sure yer okay with me sleeping on ya, then that’s where I want to be.” Nodding, Noriko sets Wolfbane’s things in the places she had mentioned, the pillow on her desk, the little dresser on top of her own as she put the majority of his cloths into it before lowing him to choose what he wanted to wear to bed.

            Even with how long the day had already been, Noriko wanted to make sure that Wolfbane could be comfortable for bed, suggesting he use his shower to get cleaned up. A blush spreading over her cheeks when he suggests just taking one together in the big shower, her mind reeling for a moment before he waves it off as not necessary right now. Part of her was kind of curious about taking a shower with her small companion, though she did remember that the two of them had just met. It didn’t seem so out there after her time in the academy, having to shower with a bunch of other cadets was… well it left her less concerned about being naked around others than your average person.

            “If you would feel more comfortable with that then being on your own in your shower, I can understand that. I just wanted to give you the option of some privacy since I’m guessing you haven’t had a lot of that in your life, Wolfy.” Smiling reassuringly at Wolfbane, Noriko crouched down to be closer to Wolfbane where he was stood on her dresser.

            “I… ya wouldn’t mind? While I appreciate yer concern for my privacy… I would feel better bein’ close to ya sugar. At least if ya really don’t mind.” A surprisingly shy smile spread over Wolfbane’s face, Noriko nodding as she set her hand on the dresser with her palm up to offer the small skeleton a lift with his gathered cloths.

            With Wolfbane clutched back to her chest, Noriko makes her way into the bathroom after grabbing her own nightgown. It wasn’t… well okay it might be strange, but it wasn’t really the strangest turn of events, though it made a sort of sense that the small skeleton had some level of trust in her. She knew that as a rare bitty, she was going to have to learn about his type to see what differences he had to a classic sansy or one of the other variants she was aware of. Honestly, Noriko hoped that at least one of the pamphlets Mama Cry had given her would hold the answers she needed, even if they didn’t, she was willing to talk to the rabbit monster again to see if there was more information she could share.

            Reaching the bathroom, Noriko set her nightgown on the counter, taking Wolfbane’s cloths as well before working off the outfit she had on for the meeting with her contact that she had missed, getting ready to get in the shower as Wolfbane did the same in her other hand. She had to get up earlier than planned the next day now, needing to take Wolfbane to the chief to see if the small skeleton would be allowed to train to officially be her partner on the job. While she knew he wasn’t a classic fighting type like an edgy, a boss, or one of the raspberry or blackberry variants, with his history from the rings, Noriko was sure that he could be fast tracked onto the force if he passed the physical and the psych evaluation.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

~*~

            Not wanting to even think about the tattered rags that he had cobbled together as some way to cover himself after escaping the breeders, Wolfbane tossed them towards the trashcan he saw near the toilet. The fabric didn’t make it all the way, though Noriko seemed to get it and scooped up the rags to stick them into the trash once she managed to strip off her own cloths. Honestly, Wolfbane was shocked she agreed to bathing with him, though he wasn’t about to complain about being pressed against the soft warmth of her plush, naked breasts. She moved with a sort of indifferent confidence that had him thinking about his time at the breeders, the bitties that had been there for longer than any of them could remember, the ones that had accepted their lot in life, those ones walked around with the same sort of air about them. Not giving a shit about their bones being on display, not even flinching when a new bitty was brought in and eyed them like fucking candy.

            It made Wolfbane wonder what led Noriko to that sort of confident indifference, what had she been through to put up with being naked with an unfamiliar male? Sure, he was small, but he had been a rather shameless flirt with her and she knew that he was an adult male so… it sort of worried him about what she could have been through. He knew that a justice soul was often drawn to working in some sort of justice related activity, Noriko’s soul was enough to explain that. But had she been through some trauma that pushed her to want to right the wrongs of the world? Something similar to what he had been through and was pushing him to want to help those that hadn’t managed to escape.

            Focus brought back to the present by the sound of the water turning on, Wolfbane blinked as Noriko reached to test the water, a soft question on his temperature preference prompting him to explain he was fine with whatever she liked. What Wolfbane hadn’t expected was for Noriko to put the plug into the tub as steam rolled of the rising water, a splash of some nice smelling liquid causing a flurry of bubbles to start forming on the water’s surface. Huh, the last time he had a bubble bath was back in the bitty center, a wry smiling over his face as old memories flowed over him.

            Back in the center, the humans or monsters that were in charge of caring for the bitties would often opt for giving the bitties a bath rather than setting up a row of bitty showers. In some ways it made sense, they could herd in a group of bitties and get them all cleaned up at once, no need to have the lazier versions drag their feet or just slump down into the warm spray. Or to keep the more energetic version from getting too… excited about getting clean and having to clean up a mess of water all over the place. Not to mention it probably wasn’t cheap to have a bunch of showers installed, most centers only have the budget to have three or four, larger ones having at most eight. That took a lot of time, getting what could be a rather large number of bitties through showers in shifts. With the baths, it was a big shallow tub that could hold fifty or more bitties comfortably, letting them all get clean as the more energetic ones played, the lazy ones jut soaking in the warmth.

            It wasn’t a bad thing, watching energetic baby blues play fighting in the water, helpful papy bitties fussing over the sansy bitties and other less energetic ones while boss bitties would act like little drill sergeants and bully the edgy bitties into remembering to clean between their bones. Wolfbane couldn’t keep the smile off his face as Noriko slipped into the warm water, the bubbles slowly reaching him as the warmth started to envelop his bones. A chill he hadn’t even realized was in his bones, seeping away, replaced with warmth from the water and the warmth he felt from being so close to Noriko’s soul.

            “I know I suggested a shower, but honestly after today I think we could both use a nice warm bath and a bit of self care. I hope you don’t mind, and if you want we can still use the shower to rinse off when we’re done.” Starting to slowly run her fingers over Wolfbane’s bones, Noriko didn’t quite notice the way he melted against her at the positive attention. Sure, he just met her and all that, but in the short time he had been around her he found himself realizing how tense his life had left him.

            Honestly, Wolfbane couldn’t help but melt at her soft touch, the low level of heat that was always nipping at his bones leaving him almost purring as he felt his magic spark through him. Sure, it wasn’t a real heat cycle, he still went through times when it was stronger where he had to get rid of his extra magic. The thing was that his type of bitty was always a little bit in heat, their bones or in the case of the other lust bitties that weren’t skeletal, skin or scales, were naturally sensitive. Positive touches, light caresses, even little pecks from someone nice to them, was enough to get them turned on to some degree. Over the years he had learned to keep it controlled, especially after his time in the ring, though here on Noriko’s chest, her soft hands rubbing over his spine… Wolfbane couldn’t help the purr rumbling in his chest, or the purple glow of his magic at his joints.

~*~

            Not really paying attention, Noriko stoked her hands over Wolfbane’s spine as she soaked in the warm water, her mind tumbling with thoughts of the day’s events and what she needed to do tomorrow. The first thing was going to be heading into the station and filling in her boss on what went down, try her damnedest to convince the chief that Wolfbane would make a great partner for her undercover. If all went well with that, she was going to have to take him into the doctor that the force used for physicals and all that crap, probably the head doctor too just to have him cleared to work undercover.

            That all wasn’t even counting the fact that Noriko was going to have to reach out to her contact again, though that was going to be another issue. On one hand, having Wolfbane with her would give her some credibility of wanting to get into the rings. On another, she had to have the chief’s okay to bring her bitty friend into this. She could probably push off the meeting another day, she did say she had an emergency she had to take care of when she sent the contact her excuse for not showing up. The problem with that was that every day she waited, more bitties were being hurt, more bitties were being forced to fight and hurt each other. Noriko didn’t want to let the small monsters sit there in that hell a day longer than she had to, though if she didn’t have Wolfbane with her from the start, bringing him in later might be an issue.

            The rumbling against her tits has Noriko looking down, blushing as she noticed the state Wolfbane was in. Bones pressed against her skin, purple magic pooling in his joins as a distinct glow focused at the front of his pelvic arch. Fuck, was he going into heat already? He did tell her that he went through them more often, though maybe this wasn’t a heat and more… well the course she went through did tell her that skeleton bitties were rather sensitive to touch, their bones… wait, Noriko had been petting his spine as she was lost in her own head. Shit, she just met the poor guy a few hours ago and here she was practically molesting him while the two of them soaked in a fucking bubble bath.

            “Sorry, are you okay Wolfy?” Giving Wolfbane a worried look, Noriko was surprised when his skull lifted from her chest to flash her a sultry smile with purple heart shaped eye lights shining in his sockets before winking suggestively.

            “More than okay sugar, why’d ya stop? Think ya missed a few spots though.” Giving a suggestive look down towards his pelvis, his pelvis that now sported a glowing purple erection, Noriko’s cheeks heating up in a blush as she couldn’t pull her eyes away from the evidence of her unintentional sins.

            “Um… I… are… are you going into heat? I didn’t mean to be inappropriate with you.” Chuckling, Wolfbane pushes himself to a seated position, sitting with his legs crossed as the magic jutting from his pelvis bobbed with his laughter.

            “Sugar, monsters are able to get horny when we ain’t in heat ya know. Ya didn’t do nothin’ wrong or at least nothin’ I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. Would of stopped ya if I was uncomfortable with what ya were doin’, though I appreciate yer concern. Though yer right that we should probably talk a bit more about that side of things. I get that some humans ain’t comfortable with helpin’ out their bitties with heats and sex, though I ain’t too keen on other bitties comin’ in here. Also I’m pretty set on consent when it comes to that stuff, if ya ain’t comfortable with somethin’ ya ain’t got to do it. We can figure somethin’ out that works for both of us.” Nodding, Noriko moved her hand so she wasn’t touching Wolfbane’s spine, though she still tried to support him and keep him from slipping into the water of the bath.

~*~

            “Okay, we can work with that. Let’s finish getting cleaned up and then we can talk about all of this, figure out where we both stand and what we want to happen. Communication is just as important as consent in any relationship, especially those that involve things like sex.” Nodding to Noriko’s reasonable response, Wolfbane slid down her chest to dip himself more into the water before getting to work scrubbing off the grim left from the streets and his time with the breeder. Thankfully the breeder had cleaned him up a fair bit after the ring, though he honestly Wolfbane couldn’t help the small bit of shame at all the nicks and chips in his bones.

            All that physical evidence of his time in the rings would always be there, forever a part of him that the world could see if they took the time to look. A flash of shame going through him, his once smooth and shining bones were… well it wasn’t normal to have the bit of gray in his bones, the color sticking nomater how hard he scrubbed. The chips and scratches, old healed breaks that left warped scars where he had been clipped in the ring. Wolfbane was smart, fast, and powerful for how small he was, though that didn’t mean he was a proper fighter. The fact that the human who’s girlfriend had picked him out of the center had tossed him in the ring instead of using him for breeding from the start just showed how stupid the guy was. Lust bitties were lovers, their constant low levels of heat, the frequency of their fertile times… it was almost like they had been made for breeding.

            A wry thought passed through Wolfbane’s mind, the memories of his first owner’s friends laughing at him for insisting Wolfbane was going to be the next champ. That laughter had died after the first fight, though honestly Wolfbane wasn’t meant for fighting. That didn’t mean he wasn’t good at it, he used his sharp mind to come out on top every time. Often using tricks to keep himself from being dusted, distracting his opponents with his flirting while summoning a blaster behind them. He could still feel the pain of ending another life, the LV on his soul still leaving an itch in his bones that he honestly hated.

            That was another thing that would always haunt Wolfbane, the fact that he had ended more lives than he cared to even think about. It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to avoid killing other bitties, but if he hadn’t in more of the fights than he cared to remember… if he hadn’t dusted his opponent, it would have been him ending up dust. Or if he won and didn’t dust some of them, the humans would get board and bring in the dogs, having the exhausted bitties try and fight the animals to survive. Wolfbane was fast, his shortcuts coming in handy to keep him from being dusted by the dogs, though the beaten and depleted opponents… Wolfbane hated dogs. Hated them so much that he had a few humans sell him to other handlers when they got one too many fines from him blasting the dogs.

            A wry smile spread over Wolfbane’s face as he remembered his new name, fitting with how many of those nasty dogs, the ones used by the rings to keep bitties in check, to add more entertainment for the betting humans, that he himself had dusted. Sure, the dogs weren’t really wolfs, though it was close enough to find the comparison to be rather humerus. His choice in name had a few meanings to him, though that was part of the perks of picking your own name, getting to have it mean more than just something to call yourself.

            Finishing up getting clean, Wolfbane indicated to Noriko he was ready to get out of the tub. Her hand quickly pulling the plug while turning on the show to rinse off the last of the soap clinging to the two of them, something Wolfbane honestly appreciated since the one time he forgot to rinse off all of the soap had left his bones itching till the next time he got to clean up. Clinging to Noriko’s chest, he couldn’t help but enjoy the warm spray as it washed them both rinse of the soap, Noriko being quiet till the two of them had dried and were settled back in the bedroom.

            “Okay, I think we should go over the details of what we both want and are comfortable with. I’m happy to help you through your heats since I know it can be dangerous if you don’t get rid of the extra magic, though I’m not sure how I feel about anything outside of your heats.” Nodding, Wolfbane hummed as he sat on Noriko’s chest while she reclined on the bed. If he were larger it would be a rather intimate arrangement, though with his smaller size it did make sense to let them speak eye to eye socket.

            “I ain’t against either one, honestly I’ll take pretty much any affection yer willin’ to give me. While I know we just met, between everytin’ ya did for me so far, I trust ya not to hurt me in those vulnerable times. It don’t hurt that yer fuckin’ sexy as hell, though that ain’t everything to me. I’ll also admit that bein’ a fighter left me… well a bit touch starved. Even the rougher bitties were pretty touch starved, though some felt the absence a lot more than others. Since I’m a lust, I probably had it the worst, though mutt bitties were a close second, edgy bitties weren’t too far behind on that. Those two types have a natural need for affection, though both have a rougher nature. Mutt bitties are more open about what they need, though in the ring that shit could get ya killed so they tried to keep it under wraps. Edgy bitties are… well kinda hot and cold, wantin’ and needin’ affection but pushin’ everyone away to keep safe.” Nodding to Wolfbane’s explanations, Noriko chances reaching up and cupping her hand behind his back. While she wasn’t doing that distracting petting, he would admit it felt nice for her hand to be there, almost like a hug.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

~*~

            After finishing their talk, Noriko and Wolfbane got some much needed sleep. Waking from dreams of being trapped, used, forced to do things she didn’t want to, Noriko woke to the annoying sound of her alarm on her phone. Grumbling, she fumbled on the night stand for the offending device before managing to silence the damn thing. Wolfbane grumbled at the noise and motion, phalanges digging into Noriko’s nightgown to keep from sliding off her chest.

            The talk had gone well enough, both human and bitty had come to an understanding on at least the basics of what they needed and wanted. It wasn’t perfect, but it would work for now. Noriko wasn’t against helping her new friend with his heats, Wolfbane had gone into more details about how his heats worked and differed from that of other monsters and bitties. A blush painted Noriko’s cheeks at the reminder of some of the things Wolfbane had explained he was able to do with his magic, her thighs pressing together as she tried to banish the thoughts swirling in her head.

            Honestly, she didn’t mind the sound of some of the things Wolfbane had described to her, if she was being completely honest it sounded exciting and kind of kinky. That didn’t mean she was going to delve into that before work, they had agreed that they would talk more about it later, but fuck, just thinking about her bitty friend using his magic to… no, bad Noriko, thinking about her roommate like that was just… okay she could exactly say it was bad. Wolfbane had made it really clear that he was interested in her to some extent, though she also didn’t want to just jump into something like that with less than a full day of knowing each other. Fuck, she was living with him and responsible for taking care of him till he was approved to be her partner, and that just made things even more complicated. Sure, he would have his own money and not be completely dependent on her for his day to day survival, but they had to work together if it all worked out.

            Fuck, even helping with his heats was going to complicate their working relationship to some extent, though after Wolfbane had explained that he wasn’t all that interested in other bitties coming in to take care of it… Noriko wasn’t going to leave him to suffer. He had suffered enough in his life from everything he told her, she wasn’t going to let herself get all prissy over doing something he needed her to do. That didn’t mean that her already budding attachment to Wolfbane wasn’t going to be a potential issue, even if being close to her partner was something sort of important for going undercover together.

            “Mmm go back to sleep sugar, too early.” Giggling in shock from Wolfbane’s sleepy reply to the alarm, his face Nuzzling back into Noriko’s breast as she moved her hand to keep him from being dislodged from her chest due to the giggles, Noriko sighed in frustrated agreement with his sentiment.

            While she was still tired, there was a lot that needed to get done today and sadly a lot of it had to be done early. Foremost among the things they needed to get done was reporting to the chief, that conversation was going to be an interesting one. “Sorry Wolfy, but we need to head to the station and see if we can at least get you temporarily instated on the force before tonight. When I found you in that ally I had to cancel an appointment to meet up with a contact that I had to reschedule for tonight, I would rather have you with me than leave you out of things… at least if you still want to work as my partner.” A chuckle from the small skeleton snuggled on her chest had Noriko smiling despite not really wanting to be awake just yet.

~*~

            Sleeping in the ring circuit, and again at the breeders had always been difficult for Wolfbane. Always having to worry about threats, be it another bitty trying to get one over on the “soft” little lust bitty that was slowly making a name for himself, or from one of the handlers showing up to put him through more “training”. Then in the breeders… he may be a lust bitty but fucking hell some of the bitties in that place were insatiable. It was hard to think about how many times he had to fight off bitties that were so used to just… giving into what the humans wanted and seeking out the comfort of fulfilling their “purpose”, it honestly made Wolfbane sick to think about.

            That was one of the reasons Wolfbane was soaking up the peace of his sleep, no worries over someone sneaking up on him, trying to dust him in his sleep, trying to fuck him when he didn’t want to. The fact that Noriko was honestly comfortable as fuck to sleep on, her soft breasts forming the most comfortable bed he had ever had the unique pleasure of sleeping on, left him supremely unwilling to give up the comfort of this bubble of warmth, safety and honest joy that he found himself in.

            “Mmm go back to sleep sugar, too early.” The sound and feeling of Noriko’s giggle had a smile spreading over Wolfbane’s face, his skull nuzzling deeper into her nightgown as her warm hand cupped around him to keep him from bouncing off of her chest from the movement her mirth elicited. The smile ticking down a notch at the sound of her frustrated sigh.

            “Sorry Wolfy, but we need to head to the station and see if we can at least get you temporarily instated on the force before tonight. When I found you in that ally I had to cancel an appointment to meet up with a contact that I had to reschedule for tonight, I would rather have you with me than leave you out of things… at least if you still want to work as my partner.” The soft feeling of Noriko’s thumb stroking down his back had nearly distracted Wolfbane, though her reminder of needing to actually get approved as her partner for her work. Letting himself chuckle at how silly it was of his human to think he had given up on working with her, Wolfbane gave her another snuggle before pushing himself up to meet her pretty dark eyes.

            “Okay, ya got me convinced. What do we need to do to get ready?” Smiling softly, Noriko braced Wolfbane against her chest as she pushed into a sitting position with a bit of effort.

            Once up, the two got ready for the day as Wolfbane did what he could to cheer Noriko up, cracking puns and suggesting some of his more revealing outfits for going to meet the chief in order to get her to shake her head with a fond smile on her lips. When she asked his opinion on a few of her own clothing choices, Wolfbane couldn’t help but wiggle his brow bones, suggesting something that showed off those amazing tits of hers and left just enough room for him to sit comfortable between the soft mounds. Even with all of this being new, it honestly felt like Wolfbane had been meant to end up with Noriko, his soul pulsing happily in his rib cage.

            The trip to the station was a lot shorter than Wolfbane would have thought, though that was probably a combination of Noriko being far bigger than he was as well as the fact that she had a shiny motorcycle that she opted to use to get there. There had been a few moments when she wasn’t sure what to do with Wolfbane, him using a wisp of his recovered magic to plant himself between her tits that prompted the cutest squeak to leave Noriko before she giggled and zipped her leather jacket up to protect him from the wind and any threats. Honestly, it was nice, being snug and warm between Noriko’s breasts as the wind from zipping through the city streets whipped against his skull.

            While the station was nothing like the rings or the basements that were used to house fighters, Wolfbane couldn’t keep a shiver from passing through him at the piercing gaze of the officers as the noticed him in Noriko’s cleavage. Sure, it was probably the least professional place for him to ride, but she wasn’t just his intended partner for breaking apart the rings, she was his human. They lived together, they were… at least on the way to being friends. For fuck’s sake, she saved his damn life. Wolfbane puffed up his chest like had seen the more energetic bitties in the center or the more aggressive ones from the ring do, giving lazy winks and waves to humans as Noriko walked past them.

~*~

            The day was still young as the chief sat behind his desk with files spread out in front of him, working through figuring out which of his officers were better suited for which assignments. Another stack of files on the new recruits and their progress with training, his head shaking at the thought of the bitties that had been working to earn a place on the force. While it was all well and good with the new laws in place to have bitties able to help the more conventional officers, the new bitty division was honestly in a bind. One of the biggest crimes facing the community and putting the smallest citizens at risk were those damn rings, those and the fucked up breeders. Sure, he could get any of his officers planted in, but only the best would work and she needed a damn partner.

            While a few of the new bitty recruits were showing some promise when it came to becoming officers, they were all… honestly sending a bunch of papy and baby blue bitties into undercover work was… it was reckless and the chief wasn’t about to risk the safety of one of his best officers on some half trained green whelp that was going to stick out in those rings like a sore thumb. Even if he had gotten some of the raspberry or blackberry bitties to join and pass the psych evaluation… he wasn’t sure he could trust one with Noriko’s safety.

            While she had to work her ass off to get the chief to notice her worth, once he did… he couldn’t help but be protective of her. She was such a tiny woman, not even reaching five foot tall and thin as a reed. Not to mention her heritage showed through and left her shining like an exotic jewel among the other officers, she was already going to stick out in those damn rings. Sure, she went against her mother’s wishes and had several tattoos, managing to pull of the spunky biker look with a sliver of darkness that left most people wondering if she might be tied to the Yakuza. Noriko wasn’t, if she had been she would have never been approved for the academy in the first place. Though the look gave her enough of an edge that she was able to blend in while sticking out, not to mention the fact that her smaller size had her able to go undercover for other things before she was put on the special bitty unit.

            A knock on the chief’s door drew him from his thoughts about Noriko and trying to find a proper partner for her before she was in too deep, calling out to whoever it was to come in. “Sir, I’m sorry to bother you so early in the morning, but I wanted to give you a report on last night.” Moving into the office, closing the door behind her, Noriko stopped in front of the chief’s desk with her hands clasped behind her back and those dark eyes focused on him.

            Nodding his head, the chief sat back as Noriko delved into her report on the night before. It had been… well honestly the chief hadn’t expected for Noriko to end up solving his issue of finding a partner for herself on her own. The bitty peeking from a rather… inappropriate place if you were to ask the chief, seemed to be a sansy, though not one he was familiar with. A bit further into the explanation he learned that Wolfbane, the bitty, was a rare sort of bitty and had gotten himself out of the cycle of the rings and the breeders. Wolfbane popping out of Noriko’s bra to move to the desk as he took a pose similar to officer Nebula, explaining his history in surprising detail as well as providing a wealth of information about the way the rings were ran and even some tips on finding some of the back ally breeders.

            “And you said you had to postpone your meeting with your contact to come to… Wolfbane’s aid? How did the informant react to the disruption in the plan?” Scratching at her cheek, Noriko looked to the side for a moment before focusing back on the chief.

            “Well enough, wished me well with my emergency and rescheduled for tonight. I was honestly hoping we could fast track Wolfbane and have him work as my partner. With his background from the rings he wont stick out like the recruits, and he knows how to handle himself without dusting his opponents so it should make cracking the thing open a lot easier. Not to mention having a veteran fighter with me when I meet my contact should lend a bit of legitimacy to my want to get involved.” Humming, the chief pulls open a draw in his desk without answering as Noriko and Wolfbane share a look.

            It did make sense, Noriko’s brain honestly worked better than most of the guys on the force, her sharp wit letting her keep up and find things that others, even the chief missed. That was why he had pulled out the enrollment form to fill out for Wolfbane, the chief’s pen scratching on the paper as he filled in the information he had before asking for the bits he needed from Noriko or the bitty. A bit more work and he had the form done and passed it to Noriko for her and Wolfbane to go over while the Chief pulled out another form to fast track the bitty through the process, including the request for a physical, a psych evaluation, and a testing on the obstetrical course.

            Once everything was filled out and signed, the chief dismissed Noriko and Wolfbane before turning back to the rest of his dilemma. Maybe the new bitty would be willing to train some of the other recruits, build up the special bitty unit to bust open more rings. With a former fighter in the ranks, there were a lot of benefits the chief could see. Just needed the guy to pass the tests so he could go with their little lotus blossom on the job, a smirk tugging at the chief’s lips under his bushy mustache. At least one of the things he needed to get sorted out was done, and it wasn’t even time to go fill his coffee up again.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

~*~

            After leaving the chief’s office, Noriko took Wolfbane through the process of getting his testing done. The first stop was the psychical, the bitty passing easily with shockingly high magic levels for the small stature, something he wasn’t all that surprised about even though he had been almost empty on his magic when Noriko had found him. Next was the psych evaluation, Wolfbane honestly hating the process though he put up with the head doctor asking him probing questions while Noriko sat on the other side of a glass door to the office. When they had protested, the doctor had insisted that it was necessary to assure that the bitty was being completely honest and not up to any sort of tricks. After the mental work out of slogging through all his traumas, not once but twice in short succession, Wolfbane honestly wanted a nice nap, preferable snuggled up to Noriko’s plush tits. Sadly the next form they had to get signed off was the Obstacle course.

            Listening to the rules for the course, Wolfbane couldn’t help the smirk on his face. From the explanation, the course had been designed to challenge the bitty recruits with getting through and around potential dangers on the job when working with the larger human and monster officers. There were a couple papy and baby blue bitties in work out uniforms running and dodging through the course as a young officer that seemed board as fuck, explained to Wolfbane what he needed to do. Running and jumping wasn’t his favorite thing, though looking at the course he realized this was going to be a cake walk in comparison to the rings, let along his great escape from the breeder.

            Wolfbane was allowed to use his magic, though if he shortcut then it could only be used at most from one surface to the next. For some bitties, that would have been a massive restriction, only being allowed to hop from one platform to the next or blip out of the way of an Obstacle to avoid being hit. The limits on their magic meaning they had to be strategic about when and where to use their magic for a shortcut, not something Wolfbane had to worry about though. Sure, his magic wasn’t back to full strength yet, but after a night sleeping on Noriko’s chest and a couple of proper meals, not to mention the infusion of magic from Mama Cry and he had more than enough magic that he could shortcut from place to place in the obstacle course.

            Chuckling, Wolfbane did the course four times just to show off. Once were he just shortcut through the thing while following the rules, the next was using just his bones and blasters to navigate past the obstacles, the final one was just showing off as he didn’t use any magic and simple ran and scrambled through the whole thing. The papy and baby blue bitties that were in the room looked at him in awe, squealing in shocked excitement as the flooded forward after his last run. Honestly, Wolfbane couldn’t help the smile on his face as Noriko joined him at the end of the course, the other bitties looking up at her in surprise with little blushes dusted over their faces.

            “Showing off? Is that because I was watching or did you just want to remove all doubt that you need to be my partner Wolfy?” Melting into the gentle petting, Wolfbane couldn’t help the small dusting of magic on his cheek bones as he noticed again the little pet name she used for him. The fond smile on her face as Noriko ended up kneeling with the group of bitties as they peppered her with questions.

            Apparently the recruits had been trying to get assigned to be her partner, though none of them had passed the chief’s strict requirements. Honestly, Wolfbane was worried that he wouldn’t measure up either, one of the reasons he had made sure to remove all doubt that he was more than capable with keeping up with Noriko in the field. Honestly, Wolfbane could understand their desire to help free other bitties from the rings, especially if it meant working with Noriko. He also understood how it was that the fresher bitties were having trouble passing the standards of the chief, the job was dangerous, these bitties would have been eaten alive in the ring.

~*~

            Watching Wolfbane on the course was pretty impressive, though Noriko could see that he was showing off with running the damn thing three times. They had tested a few of the bitties with shortcuts, most would blip from one side to the other, skipping the whole thing before leaning against the goal. When they had been asked to limit their shortcuts to the next platform over, each one of them tired after a couple of jumps and couldn’t finish. Honestly, Noriko had been concerned Wolfbane would have the same low stamina that the other sansy types had, or the lil bro types, fuck they had even brought in some mutt bitties to test it and none of them were able to follow the rules on the shortcuts and finish. The baby blue and papy bitties were able to finish the course, though they tended to use their physical abilities rather than their magic, in the ring that could get them killed and was one of the reason Noriko knew the chief was dragging his feet on finding her a partner.

            With Wolfbane doing the course with shortcuts, magic assisted athletic and then raw physical strength… Noriko couldn’t help being a bit impressed, though she didn’t show that the same way the baby blue and papy bitties did. There was no doubt that Wolfbane could keep up in the field if the two of them got separated, that was a good thing and gave Noriko hope that the chief would let him join the force.

            “Miss officer Nebula, would… is it possible for your friend here to train with us? Watching him go through the course was really inspiring and we would love to get some tips from him so we can get out of training.” One of the baby blue bitties, cadet Indigo based on the name on his shirt, asked with his phalanges tapping together with a hopeful look in his eye lights.

            “I think chief was thinking about having Wolfbane do some training with you guys, at least when we aren’t out in the field undercover.” Offering a reassuring smile, Noriko watched as the cadet’s sockets went wide before looking between her and Wolfbane.

            “So he is going to be your partner? That is… nice that you have someone so competent to watch out for you out there.” Smiling softly, Noriko thanked cadet Indigo for his concern, though she didn’t miss the slight disappointment that the position was filled by someone else. She knew that all of the cadets had been working towards being able to go undercover with her, she honestly felt a bit bad that they hadn’t made it through the chief’s requirements, that didn’t change that she was more than happy the Wolfbane was looking like he had this in the bag.

            “That’s the plan, though Wolfbane has one more bit of testing before the old buzzard signs off on him. You would think the old man was my dad based on how protective he tends to be.” Snickering, Noriko offered Wolfbane a hand before pushing up to her feet. It didn’t take any prompting for Wolfbane to go back to his seat in her bra, though honestly at this point it sort of felt natural to have his little warm spot against her chest. “Anyway, we should get to the testing room so Wolfbane can take the test, wouldn’t do to have an officer who doesn’t know the law well enough to protect and serve the people.” Winking at the cadets, Noriko headed out of the obstacle room with a wave over her shoulder.

            Reaching the testing room, Noriko was told that she wasn’t allowed in with Wolfbane, forced to sit in a chair out in the hall as the small skeleton was led to one of the special bitty sized computers to take his test. It was strange, it hadn’t even been a full day and having Wolfbane away from her left Noriko feeling… off. It was almost like a small part of her was missing, her hand moving to the spot the small skeleton had been resting for most of the day as she sat and waited for him to take the test. She wasn’t sure how much of the law’s he knew, though she hoped he would at least get a passing score so they could get to work. Sure, he needed to have a passing knowledge of the law to enforce it, but that didn’t change that he was the best candidate for being her partner even if he didn’t know the first thing about the law.

~*~

            Honestly, Wolfbane was lucky he remembered how to read from his time in the center before he was snatched up to be put in the rings. Half the bitties in the rings couldn’t even read a little bit, the other half had lost a good portion of the ability as time went on in that hell. When your life was always on the line, fighting others for even a chance to see another day… things like reading tended to get washed away in favor for learning how to survive.

            Being separated from Noriko wasn’t what Wolfbane wanted, though he could understand how having them in the same room would be a potential issue. Having her in the hallway would mean whatever score he got on this test was truly his own, something the chief could bank on being accurate. That didn’t mean it didn’t leave a pit of anxiety in his soul, worry that she wouldn’t be sitting out there waiting for him to finish, that he would wake up from all of this and still be in a cage waiting for the next fight, or in the breeders as other bitties either cried in disrepair and pain or… other noises filled the air. Fuck, he could even wake up to find that he was still out in that cold ally, broken and dusting from that nasty dog.

            Pushing the dark thoughts away, Wolfbane brought his focus back to the screen in front of him. He hadn’t been trained in the law, he honestly just knew that a lot of what happened in the rings was against the law. Well that wasn’t completely true, last night after Noriko had fallen asleep, Wolfbane had decided that if he wanted to hope to get the job as her partner, he should try and learn the laws that he would be fighting for. That led to a sort of deep dive on Noriko’s phone that started with the laws that had just passed recently, the ones declaring he and other bitties were more than just pets. The dive sending him down a rabbit hole of information on the different laws that he would need to know, though he wasn’t sure one study session was going to be enough to pass this test.

            Clicking the computer on, Wolfbane got to work on doing the best he could on the test. Honestly, the whole thing felt like a blank by the time he finished, no clue how he did on the test. Shaking slightly, the small skeleton clicked finish and made his way back to the hallway. Blinking, Wolfbane looked up as Noriko moved from her seat to kneel in front of him, a worried expression on her face till he was back in her arms. Stars, it was nice to be cared about, nice to have someone worried for him.

            “How’d it go? I sort of forgot that you were probably going to have to go through this and should have probably helped you study before coming in this morning.” A pretty blush spread over Noriko’s cheeks, Wolfbane smirking as he snuggled into her arms with a happy sigh.

            “Don’t even know, there a way we can find out?” A surprised snort left Noriko as she shook her head with a fond look in her dark eyes, moving over the a door next to the testing room before giving a soft knock.

            “Hey, Jeremy, think you could do me a solid and let me know how my buddy here did on his test?” Blinking as the door opened, Wolfbane watched as a flash of light proceeded the exposure of a human in glasses, brown hair framing a pale face with a scruffy patch of hair covering the guy’s chin.

            “Hmm, what’s it worth for you to know before the chief?” Raising a brow, the guy eyed the way Wolfbane was snuggled against Noriko’s breasts, a sly smile spreading over Noriko’s face as she responded with a similar raised brow look.

            “Oh I don’t know, how does a set of tickets to the invite only tech show happening this weekend, you can take your boyfriend and geek out and I get to know if I have a shot in hell of doing my job with back up tonight or not.” Wolfbane watched as the guy seemed to light up before pretending to think over her offer, finally nodding before closing the door as a hum filtered through the door. A few moments later a slip of paper slid out from under the door before Noriko pulled out her phone and hit a few buttons with a ding sounding from behind the door.

            “What the fuck was that about?” Turning to Noriko, Wolfbane smile as she giggled while scooping up the paper from the ground.

            “Jeremy and I used to go to school together, he is… a bit different, but honestly fun once you get to know him. Complete nerd who loves all things tech, he’s actually one of the ones that was the driving force to downsizing human tech so smaller monsters and bitties were able to use it. Once the chief explained that we still needed to test the bitty recruits, I put in a good word and got Jeremy the gig so he’s our tech guy now. Anyway, lets see how you did Wolfy.” Lifting the paper to a position that both Wolfbane and Noriko could read it, Noriko hummed as she looked over the figures.

            It took a moment for Wolfbane to make sense of the figures on the page, though after reading over it more times than he wanted to admit, he could feel his shoulders slump. Honestly, it still didn’t make much sense to him and he worried this Jeremy guy had just given them some sort of joke. Noriko’s thumb stroked over his skull as she looked over the figures herself, those pretty pools of deep brown darting over the page as she studied the results with a surprising amount of intensity. Humming quietly as she caught on different parts, soft words muttering under her breath as she studied the single paper like it held the answers to the universe and everything. Honestly, Wolfbane wasn’t sure what was so fascinating about the page. It was honestly just a jumble of letters and numbers to Wolfbane, none of it seemed useful to the small skeleton, though Noriko seemed like she was cracking some sort of code.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

~*~

            Jeremy had always been a bit of a joker, even when getting something he wanted. Thankfully Noriko knew the code he had used to give her Wolfbane’s results, though that meant she had to read them over a few times before getting all of the information. She could feel how the small skeleton tensed from the close contact Wolfbane had with her skin from his place in her bra, though from what she was seeing on the page there shouldn’t be any issues getting him set up as her partner. Sure, it wasn’t a perfect score, she honestly couldn’t have ever hoped for that with him being cut off from anything that would teach him the law. But he had a good grasp on the basic rights and laws that he would be upholding, including when and when not it would be acceptable to use deadly force in the pursuit of justice.

            That wasn’t to say there weren’t a few things that she wanted him to bone up on, Noriko was very much strict about following both the letter and the spirit of the law so she needed Wolfbane to have a deeper understanding of some of the things from the test. That was okay, Noriko was more than willing to spend down time with Wolfbane to go over the laws with him, especially those in regards to their job of being undercover and the bitties they were trying to help.

            With a bright smile, Noriko tucked the sheet with the other results before doing an about face to head to the chief’s office. A glance at the clock in the hallway telling her that Wolfbane had gotten through all of his tests, with good scores, in plenty of time for the two of them to make it back to the apartment and get ready to meet up with her contact after the chief signed off on the results and assigned Wolfbane officially as her partner. Sure knowing the old man he was probably going to insist on regular evaluations till Wolfbane proved himself, fucker was too protective over her for his own good. That was okay though, it just meant that she would have to make sure they had time to train together, nothing she wasn’t more than able to handle.

~*~

            Fussing with the uniform that had been assigned to him, Wolfbane scowled as he looked in the mirror in the apartment. It fit him well enough, his stature similar to the baby blue bitties, maybe a bit taller than them, but not enough to make a difference in the fit of the uniform. That wasn’t the problem, it… it was strange to be trying on his new uniform when he knew that he and Noriko were going undercover in just a few hours.

            The chief had insisted on a small ceremony, one that commemorated the induction of the first official bitty member of the force. That was why Wolfbane was given a uniform, the tiny badge with his officer number pinned to his chest. Sure, it was just for the officers, but from what he gathered, it was a big deal. Noriko couldn’t hide her smile when the two of them had been showing the chief Wolfbane’s scores, it was honestly too cute and left Wolfbane’s soul feeling warm.

            Finding out that not only had he passed all of the tests, but smashed a few records that even the full sized monster officers couldn’t was… Wolfbane felt both shocked and proud that he had done so well. Most of the shorter skeleton bitty variants were less than stellar athletes, his own sub class of bitty being in the lazier category that tended to be very laid back.

            He wasn’t a fell variant, he was honestly built for being a little pillow princess. The fact that he had ended up in the ring was… honestly he knew his first owner had been just trying to make the best of a bad situation as far as the asshole was concerned. That didn’t mean that being thrust into the ring was pleasant, Wolfbane had to tap into something dark inside himself that he didn’t even realize was there. The one positive from all that time in the rings was he was more than he had been before, he was stronger, faster, and better in so many ways that it gave him the chance to go back and save those that couldn’t save themselves.

            “Damn Wolfy, looking good there. The uniform suits you, come on let’s get to the station so the chief can shake your hand and all that jazz.” Blinking out of his thoughts, Wolfbane gives Noriko a smile as he uses some of his magic to shortcut to his new favorite spot, nestling down between her tits in preparation for the ride back to the station.

~*~

            Looking over the results of Wolfbane’s tests, the chief can’t help but smile. Leave it to his best officer to find herself the perfect partner, and completely by accident while trying to play hero. While the scores weren’t perfect, especially the written test, the tests for magic level and ability were honestly impressive and more than enough to ease some of the knot in the chief’s gut that came from worrying over Noriko’s safety out in the field. It wasn’t a hard choice to let the scores on the written pass, even if he wanted to test the small skeleton again in a couple of weeks. Based on the history that he had been told, the chief could understand some missing knowledge of the laws, Wolfbane would end up being a good officer, the chief was sure of it.

            “Sir, officer Nebula and her new partner just showed up, are you ready to get the graduation ceremony under way?” One of the junior officers, one step above a meter maid, named Johnson poked her head into the office with a smile on her face. The blond woman’s blue eyes twinkling at catching the chief fussing over the tie he had on, clearly wanting to look his best for the swearing in. Every officer went through one, and as the first official bitty officer, Wolfbane was going to get the same honor like every other academy graduate.

            Sure, the small skeleton had been fast tracked, though the chief was man enough to admit that Wolfbane had surpassed his expectations for his officers. Just because it was a fast track, didn’t mean the small skeleton didn’t deserve the same respect that every other officer got, hell, in some ways he deserved more based on how fast he had passed those damn tests.

            “Yeah, is everything set up? Remember the skeleton is a bit on the small side so did we remember to set up the screen so the officers in the back of the crowed can get a good look at their new colleague?” Nodding, officer Johnson assured the chief that everything was all set for the ceremony.

~*~

            Walking into the big meeting room, Noriko couldn’t help the smile on her face as flashes of her own graduation from the academy flitted through her mind. Sure, she got the same treatment, going up to shake the chief’s hand while reviving her official badge and service revolver and her first pair of handcuffs. That didn’t mean graduation was the end of things, she still had to fight to prove she was more than just a pretty face. But it was the start of the journey and Noriko couldn’t help but be proud of Wolfbane for getting to have this day, the room was set up with the tables pushed to the side, chairs lined up to let the rest of the officers not out on patrol or a call have a place to sit and witness another joining their ranks. At the front of the room was a table set up, high enough for Wolfbane to stand on and get his picture taken with the chief as he got his gear. Honestly, Noriko wondered about the cuffs, the badge was already on Wolfbane’s chest and the bitty sized revolvers were still in testing so he wouldn’t get one for a while… so it would just be the handshake and the picture if she was right.

            “Yer spacin’ out sugar, where do we need to be for this thing?” Patting the top of Noriko’s breast, Wolfbane drew her mind from thinking over the ceremony and what the differences between his and hers would be.

            “Normally you would be standing off to the side while the chief does a speech, brought up to the stage as you recite your oath and shake his hand for a picture while he hands you your gear. This is… honestly I’m not sure if I should be sitting in the front row while you are up there or if I’m supposed to help you get into place.” Chuckling at Noriko’s confusion, Wolfbane blips out from between her tits to her shoulder, patting her cheek fondly.

            “It’s gonna be fine love, just take a seat and I’ll go stand on the side of that table. I’m guessin’ it ain’t normally there so it makes sense that it’s supposed to be my stage for this.” Humming, Noriko nods as she moves to take a seat in the front row while Wolfbane blips from her shoulder onto the table once she was closer.

~*~

            Standing on the table in front of the rest of the officers, Wolfbane can’t help but let things play out in his head. From that innocent bitty he had been back into the center to his time in the ring, never knowing if he would dust or have to dust another bitty, to the stress of the breeder before he got out… even huddling in that damn ally as he worried about being found, taken back to the ring, or one of the breeders. The fear that shot through him when the dog came sniffing around, the peace of thinking his struggle was finally over when Noriko showed up and he passed out. It honestly was a lot for one little skeleton to go through, though now that he stood here and looked out to lock his eye lights on his gorgeous angel, her smile shining in the sea of other officers as she watched him from the front row.

            “Sorry I’m late, had to find something for this. Everyone, settle down so we can get our new rookie sworn in.” A round of cheers goes up from the officers around the room, Noriko cheering the loudest for Wolfbane.

            The chief goes on to make a speech to the gathered officers, waxing rather poetically about the importance of integrity in the pursuit of justice, how having Wolfbane join the force was the first step in providing a better future for the smallest members of society. Honestly, Wolfbane tuned a good portion of it out as he waited for the chief to address him, going through the oath with no issues at all. It wasn’t till the chief reached to shake the small skeleton’s hand that things got a bit entertaining, the big man fumbling for a moment as he tried to figure out the best way to shake a bitty’s hand. A few snickers bubbling from the audience as Wolfbane waves the chief to get a bit closer before whispering to just extend his index finger, the chief doing so with a bit of a lost look while Wolfbane clasps the finger of the large man and shakes it.

            A pair of bitty sized handcuffs are presented to Wolfbane, promises that a service revolver was in the works but would take a bit to perfect. A camera flash goes off, magic dusting Wolfbane’s cheek bones as the crowd cheers again, a whistle coming from Noriko and a few other officers as the small skeleton looks out at the crowd. It was honestly both overwhelming and also a rather relaxed event, the rest of the officers coming up to congratulate him on his accomplishment.

            Honestly, it didn’t feel like much of an accomplishment to Wolfbane, he hadn’t trained for ages like the cadets he saw in the training room, or studied for ages like the other officers around him. Shit, he hadn’t even thought about the idea for more than a moment when Noriko sugested him becoming her partner. It was her presence that had made this something he wanted, her strong sense of justice and the fact that she had stepped in when others wouldn’t have. Wolfbane was going to do his best to make her proud, to be the best partner that she could ask for, to keep her safe in ways no other could.

~*~

            Keeping tears from falling from her eyes was something Noriko had a surprising amount of practice in, though it wasn’t something she felt the need to use in the moment as she watched Wolfbane be sworn in, watched as he became a part of the family that was the Ebott police force. A few tears sliding down her cheeks as she cheered and clapped with the other officers, something slotting into place that she wasn’t even aware was missing in her life. Sure, she hadn’t gone out looking for a bitty, she had even been a bit reluctant to have a bitty partner since she didn’t want to risk one of the sweet boys that were working so hard to become officers. Finding Wolfbane had been… honestly it was luck and maybe a little bit of fate, nothing she had any control over.

            That didn’t mean Noriko would change the events that led to crouching in front of a blushing Wolfbane as he rubbed the back of his skull while the other officers welcomed him into the force. Knowing at least some of what Wolfbane had lived through, she could see the justice in him being a big part in taking down the rings, in dismantling the hell that still enslaved his fellow bitties. Part of Noriko was already itching to get into their roles, get them into the rings and start gathering the evidence they needed to save the other bitties.

            “Heh, why ya cryin’ sugar? Ain’t this a happy thing?” Slipping away from the other officers crowding him, Wolfbane made his way over to where Noriko had crouched by the table.

            “I’m just proud of you Wolfy, and excited to work with you.” Offering a hand to Wolfbane, Noriko blushed a bit as he chose to hop into her hand rather than simply shake a finger like he had been with the other officers.

            “Me too sugar, when’s the meetin’ with the contact?” Giggling, Noriko could feel a fullness in her chest, her smile bright as she shook her head.

            “Eager to get started, you found yourself a good partner there Nori. And you kid, keep her safe from the pricks in that den of vipers, you guys got to watch out for each other in that place.” Scoffing, Noriko watches and Wolfbane salutes the chief, a bit of color on her cheeks from the little nickname. It wasn’t professional, but she wasn’t about to correct the old man.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

~*~

            Back at the apartment, Wolfbane was in the process of getting out of his uniform to get ready to go meet the contact Noriko had ditched last night to save his sorry coccyx. He honestly couldn’t help the little bit of pride he took in gently folding the blue uniform, tucking it away in the top drawer of the dresser with the bitty cuffs and his new hat and badge. Noriko had told him they couldn’t have anything on them that identified them as police, honestly Wolfbane understood that better than he wanted to as he dug out a suitable outfit for the night. While he wasn’t as sharp as the fell, the few scars in his bones plus the right cloths should be enough to mark him as a fighter. Noriko had stoutly refused to put him in a cage, though had agreed that he should look the part of a fighter.

            Pulling out black leather pants, a pair of black boots with a bit of a heel that he found in the section for the fell bitties at Mama Cry’s, Wolfbane paired that with a simple shirt that was a bit on the shorter side with a pun written on the chest. Over the shirt, he pulled out a thick leather jacket, a fluffy collar in purple fur with spikes in strategic places. It was a bit on the bigger side for him since he was pretty sure it was meant for a mutt bitty, but that was fine by him since it wasn’t too big. Over his hands, Wolfbane pulled on some finger-less gloves and dug through the drawers for the spiked purple collar he had found. Again, he wasn’t a fell, but he was meant to look the part of a fighter and he knew what the prized fighters that didn’t have to ride in cages wore.

            “You almost ready Wolfy? We have about thirty minutes before we have to meet the contact and I would rather walk it then risk my bike down town in that area.” Snickering at Noriko’s fussing, Wolfbane ported to her shoulder and preened that the two of them matched quite well.

            Noriko had on leathers too, both a pair of tight, low rise pants that gave just a hint of where her hip bones were, her own pair of high healed boots with straps and buckles decorating them and a jacket similar to his but more form fitting and clearly meant to protect her when riding. Under the jacket, she had a cropped top in purple, a mesh cutout over her chest that showed even more of her cleavage than her normal cloths that was shaped like a heart. The look was topped off with a choker that had a skull and crossbones dangling at the hollow of her throat and honestly Wolfbane couldn’t help but find her sexy as hell.

            Shaking himself out of his moment of haze over how hot his human was, Wolfbane nodded before shortcutting to her shoulder. A small pang of regret that the higher neck of her shirt prevented him from snuggling into her warm cleavage, though he would just have to deal with it. The two of them heading out of the apartment to make their wait to meet up with the contact. Noriko’s body language shifting as she walked while Wolfbane took up a position on her shoulder as he watched the world around them. His mind cataloging everything around them, every noise, every movement, each shadow as he kept his senses wide open in search of any threat.

~*~

            Making it to Duke’s bar, Noriko pause just outside the door as she take in all the details she can, the row of bikes lined up at the curb, the dim light spilling into the street through the hazy glass of the front windows, the harsh neon lights with different brands of beer blazing on the outside wall as the sign over the place flickers like it was about to go out. To one side the bar is attached to a larger building that houses some shitty run down apartments, on the other side is an ally that goes to the back of the building, a dim light showing a slice of a back ally that probably has a back door to the bar. Not the safest or nicest place, but Noriko could work with it. The windows were clearly old, probably easy enough to shatter if she had to get out that way, though she hoped that she wouldn’t need to pull her and Wolfbane out of the place abruptly.

            Walking through the heavy front door, the sound of bar goers fills Noriko’s ears as the smell of smoke and stale alcohol assaults her nose. Her face hardening to resist the urge to wrinkle her nose, Wolfbane pressing his face into the side of her neck from where he sat on her shoulder. She knew monsters had sensitive senses, this place probably smelled worse to him than it did to her, though this was all part of the job there were here to do. Sadly to catch the scum, one often had to get into the dirty water of the pond.

            Inside Duke’s bar is worse than the outside, the only real saving grace was that the AC was working so the heat of the night time summer air isn’t an issue with so many bodies in the cramped building. A man Noriko recognizes as her contact sits against the wall at a booth in the far corner of the room, his cropped hair shining with grease under the dim lamplight from the dust encrusted light over the table at the booth. The scruffy hair on his face patchy and hardly what someone could generously call a beard. Fuck, Noriko hated this part of undercover work, though it was all part of the job and to save the bitties in those damn rings, she knew that she needed to get enough evidence that the DA would have a slam dunk case on the bastard humans that ran them.

            Slipping her way through the patrons of the bar, Noriko made her way over to the table with her contact at it before leaning over to give the code to make absolutely sure. To anyone watching, it looked like she was flirting with the guy in the booth, though relief flooded her when he responded correctly before she slipped into the booth across from him. Honestly, she didn’t like her back to the crowd at the bar, though from the feel of it, Wolfbane was keeping an eye out for her back as she got down to business. The conversation flows, though it has that stilted sort of banter that comes from two people feeling each other out. Noriko gathers what info she can from the little bit she gets from the guy, though she almost falters when he notices Wolfbane on her shoulder and asks why he isn’t in a cage.

            “Simple, not only did I train him to fight, but I trained him to defend me if need be. A small girl like myself can’t be too careful in this city you know, better to have a guard dog who can go wherever I go and most people don’t notice.” Smirking, Noriko watches as her contact eyes her and Wolfbane and the way her bitty partner bristles and growls any time someone gets even remotely close to the table. Honestly, she doesn’t blame Wolfbane for his caution, though she wonders how much of it is him selling the whole guard dog bit and how much is him genuinely not liking being in the bar.

            “Huh, never thought ya could get a fighter to do more than just battle in the ring. Looks like he’s seen some action too, where did ya get him?” The contact asks Noriko as she quickly moves to spin the story her and Wolfbane had went over together in case anyone asked just this question.

            “Found him out in the street,” Close enough to the truth, “took him in and started training him. Little guy was so grateful he’s been nothing but complaint with me.” Smiling sweetly, Noriko leans against the table while pushing her boobs up, using it as a distraction as Wolfbane manages to stifle the small chuckle that bubbled up from her mostly true story. While having some crazy story might seem more legit in some respects, going close to the truth was better to keep from slipping up.

~*~

            Watching the patrons at the bar, Wolfbane kept his hearing sharp to keep tabs on what was going on with the meeting. He didn’t like this bar one bit, the people here having more LV than he wanted to think about. It didn’t help that the whole place reeked of depression, sweat, and decay. Little did Noriko know her spun story for where he came from was honestly almost completely true, the only thing she didn’t do was train him to fight. Wolfbane really would do anything for his human, something he never thought he would find after he ended up in the rings. Sure, going back into the ring wasn’t something he was looking forward to, but having Noriko at his side, not having to be in rags in a stinking cage… that went a long way to making all of this easier for him.

            “Damn, never thought ya could get the little fuckers to be so loyal. Might have to get some tips from ya if he proves himself in the fights. So here’s the details for the next fight with an opening, entry is fifty K, cash up front. If he wins, ya take fifty percent of the pot home, the rest goes to the host for sticking their neck out.” The grease ball at the table says to Noriko, the sound of a paper sliding across the table catching on Wolfbane’s hearing.

            “Pretty seep for a first fight, but I have faith in Bane.” That was another thing they agreed on, using only part of his name as a cover name. Sure, they could have gone with Wolf for his code name, but honestly Bane worked better in Wolfbane’s mind. After all, he was going to be the bane of the assholes that ran the rings.

            “Weeds out the jokes, not to mention it keeps the cops out since their ain’t no way they’re gonna fund that kinda bank just to get evidence.” Perking up at the contact’s words, Wolfbane notes that bit of information and the fact that the guy was pretty out of date. From the papers the chief gave Noriko and him, Wolfbane knew that fifty thousand dollars was only a small fraction of the budget for breaking the rings.

            “True, so is there anything we should know about Bane’s first real fight? While I’ve trained him to fight well, having a bit more information would be nice to have so we can tighten his training schedule.” Humming, the man across from Noriko drummed his fingers on the table as Wolfbane sent another growl towards another guy moving towards Noriko. While part of the growling was an act, he really didn’t like the energy coming off the guy in the biker fest heading towards the table.

            “Damn sweetheart, you look prettier than a picture, what are ya doing with a schmuck like this guy when there’s so many better options?” Growling louder as the biker dude leans closer, Wolfbane feels as Noriko tenses under him as the guy reaches out to touch her.

            “Bane.” The one word leaving Noriko’s mouth was enough, it was showtime. Summoning a sharp bone, Wolfbane struck out at the offending hand as the guy yelped like a little girl as blood bloomed on his hand.

            “What the fucking hell, your rat just bit me.” Chuckling darkly, Noriko turned to face the biker with a sneer on her face as Wolfbane moved with her to keep focus on his opponent.

            “Maybe that will teach you to not touch a lady without her permission, now you have a choice to make. Back the fuck off and leave me to what I was doing, or I’ll have Bane do worse than just that little scratch.” Honestly, the LV on Wolfbane’s own soul was itching to do more to the asshole, though he wasn’t about to jump into a battle against Noriko’s wishes. He was taking his cues from her and wasn’t about to fuck things up.

            Huffing, the man mutters something before slinking off with his metaphorical tail between his legs, Noriko turning back to face the contact with an apologetic smile on her face. The look on the contact’s face was priceless, though Wolfbane went back to keeping an eye on Noriko’s back while she went back to business. Honestly, the little bone Wolfbane had used against the biker bitch wasn’t even a workout for him, though he figured it was enough to impress the contact from the sounds of it.

            “Fuck, that was impressive, one word and it just attacked without question. Ain’t seen a bitty do that much damage before either, not against a human anyway, now I’m kinda looking forward to seeing him in the ring.” A chuckle leaves Noriko, it would have sounded light if Wolfbane didn’t know better, the tension in her shoulders betraying the act to him.

            “Let’s just say we aim to win, you should come watch his first fight.” Winking, Noriko moves the paper with the details into her pocket. “Anyway, I asked if there was anything we should know about how the fights work, with it being our first it would help to know if I need to up Bane’s training.” Chuckling, the contact waves a hand before humming in thought.

            The explanation the guy gave Noriko was on par with what Wolfbane was used to from his time in the rings, not a lot of down time depending on where in the fight order he was. It was always a bit better to go first, though if your bitty went first, it was better if the handler had the bitty warm up a bit before giving them some magic food to give them a boost. Wolfbane knew all this and it seemed like it would be easy enough to follow the rhythm till the contact supplied something that he hadn’t been expecting.

            “Even with this being yer guy’s first time in the ring, if he makes it through there’s a champ round at the end against the top bitty in the area. Current champ is a hopped up edgy with a hole in his skull, his owner calls him Crusher and he’s a nasty piece of work. Ya might want to have some monster candy on hand for yer bitty if he makes it to the champ.” Humming, Noriko nods as Wolfbane suppresses the urge to growl again. He knew Crusher, had been the one to put the hole in the poor guy’s skull back in the day. That was not a fight Wolfbane was looking forward to, even if he had only done the damage he had in order to keep the two of them from being dusted. He had been very precise with that attack, making sure it wouldn’t dust the edgy while looking like it would.

            “Thanks for the tips, here, I’ll get your tab from tonight for your help in all this as a thank you.” Pushing up from the booth, Noriko walked over to the bar to talk to the bartender as Wolfbane kept an eye on things around them.

~*~

            After paying for her contact’s drinks for the night, Noriko moves out of the bar to head home. She could tell Wolfbane was a bit out of sorts from the name of this champion, though here and now wasn’t the best time or place to talk about what he knew. Making her way back towards her apartment, Noriko feels Wolfbane growl on her shoulder more than hears it, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end as she spins into a low crouch just in time to dodge the hand swiping at her. The static feeling of magic flooding form Wolfbane as bone constructs pop up in the air around her as she locks her dark eyes on the biker from the bar. Well shit, looks like both her and her partner got to have a little bit of fun since this asshole couldn’t take a hint.

            Honestly, it wasn’t even a contest, between Noriko and Wolfbane, the guy was on the ground in no time as she walked away with a bit of a bounce in her step. Wolfbane snickering on her shoulder as she fished out her phone from the hidden pocket in her leather jacket to call in a pickup for the biker, either for medical attention of for prepossessing for assaulting an officer. Frankly, it didn’t matter to Noriko, it wasn’t like the guy knew she was a cop when he tried to touch her, or when he tried to jump her in the dark street. But she did know the guy probably needed patching up after the number her and Wolfbane did on him, the chief was probably going to yell at her in the morning, like he did every time she had to put a dick in their place. That didn’t mean she ever missed the hidden pleasure on the old man’s face that she did though, her lips tugging up in their own smile.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

~*~

            Sitting back in his new favorite spot between Noriko’s breasts, Wolfbane watched as she jotted down the information from the slip of paper the contact had given them. It was… going back into the ring was honestly a nightmare for Wolfbane, though it was a nightmare worth living for the chance to free all the other bitties from that place. Sure, each bitty had their own owner, their own handlers, but breaking the rings, getting information on the people that kept pushing the hellish cycle of pain and dust, that was something that was worth stepping back into the ring to end. Having Noriko beside him was another thing that made it worth it, the nature of his bitty soul having him find a closeness to her that a normal monster might not find so fast. At least they wouldn’t find it this fast after the hell he had been through, his little soul letting him feel more from Noriko than a normal sized monster would.

            “It’s going to be okay Wolfy, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. If I have to I’ll jump in the damn ring myself, though I would prefer not to since that would probably blow our cover.” A wry chuckle bubbled from Noriko, the feeling against Wolfbane’s spine where he was pressed between her breasts, sending a pleasant shiver through him.

            “I know that ya ain’t gonna let nothin’ happen to me sugar, still ain’t fun thinkin’ about that place.” Nodding, Noriko sat down the form she was filling out for the chief, reaching up to stroke a finger over Wolfbane’s skull. Part of him wished he had met her sooner, back before the rings, before the breeders, back when he had been shiny and new like the other bitties. Another part, the part that understood the situation that they were facing… that part knew that when he was fresh, before the rings and everything else, he wouldn’t have been able to help Noriko save the other bitties. Sure, he wondered if she would have seen him in the center and come into his life, though based on what he knew now… he doubted that she would have been searching in bitty centers to find a pet or a companion.

            “What’s in that skull of yours Wolfy, you have that far away look like you’re thinking some pretty deep thoughts. Share with your partner and maybe I can help lighten your load a bit.” Smiling down at Wolfbane, Noriko leaned back in the desk chair as Wolfbane turned to face her better, laying between her breasts as he watched the sparkling deep pools of her eyes.

            “Ain’t important, though if ya… would ya have ever gotten a bitty if it weren’t for yer job?” Fuck, Wolfbane probably had developed a need for punishment from all the shit he had been through, not even knowing why he decided to ask that question.

            “Honestly… I don’t know. Back before the new laws passed, I sort of wanted to adopt a few bitties, wanted to give them a chance at something resembling freedom and a normal life. I knew with my job it was a stupid idea, that’s why I never did it, but that doesn’t change the fact that I hate the way so many people have treated you guys like you are less than you are. It made me so happy when the law to classify bitties as small monsters, the right to work and just be treated like the people you are… it was a big thing that left me more determined to do what I could to protect our smallest citizens.” A soft smile spread over Noriko’s face as Wolfbane thinks about her response. While it wasn’t what he had hoped for, some sliver of a chance that his life in the rings could have ever been avoided, it left a warmth in his soul to know the human he ended up with was so insistent on seeing him and other bitties respected.

            Nodding, Wolfbane couldn’t help but think that maybe it had been for the best he had gone through the rings, the hell that was life being treated like an object. If he hadn’t there was a good chance he would have never met Noriko, that he wouldn’t be laying here on her chest as the two of them worked on preparing for infiltrating the first part of the fighting rings. Sure, ending up back in the rings had never been something Wolfbane wanted, but to free the other bitties, to help Noriko bring justice to the world… to get these quiet moments with the human that had saved him from the darkness, that was worth the suffering, that was worth the pain.

~*~

            The plan was a simple one, just like any other undercover job was simple at the core. Noriko was going to enter Wolfbane into the fight, funds that the force had allocated for the mission being used for the entry fee as well as a run down little apartment for Noriko and Wolfbane to live in while undercover. There was a team of officers involved, some monitoring the small hidden devices on both her own cloths as well as a small recording device hidden on Wolfbane. She hated that Wolfbane was going to have to sit in one of the cages, though a few things had been done to alter the box to make it more comfortable for him as well as easy for him to get out of if he needed to. More recording devices were hidden in the cage as well, including cameras that would capture the other humans that were handlers and what they did to the bitties in the back when a newcomer like her wasn’t in the room.

            Noriko had talked to Wolfbane for hours to figure out a bunch of signals for each other, going over and over their respective parts that they had to play in this deadly game. Even with all of that, there was that nervous edge to walking into the abandoned building that was the sight of the first fight the two of them were going to infiltrate. The rest of the team was close, monitoring the surveillance devices peppered over Noriko and her bitty partner, Wolfbane calmly sitting in the altered cage as she walked past other humans with various cages in their grip. It was good to know the two of them weren’t alone in all of this, though she did worry about letting Wolfbane face off in the ring. Sure, he said he was okay with it, that he could handle himself well enough. Honestly, she didn’t doubt that he could handle himself in a fight, that didn’t stop her from worrying over him and what this had to be doing to his mental health.

            Making her way through the crowd, Noriko found the man that her contact had described to her, the one she needed to pay to enter Wolfbane into the fights. A shiver crawled up her spine at having to do this, though to truly infiltrate the rings, they were going to have to compete so that they were able to keep coming back to break up the rings. Sure, knowing where one was would let them break the one, but to weed out the roots, get the whole thing shut down… that was going to take more effort and that was why the chief had insisted that she have a bitty partner.

~*~

            The smell hit Wolfbane like a physical blow, setting him on edge from the first second Noriko walked into the abandoned building where the ring was set up. The stink of fear, desperation, and just enough lust to set his magic churning in anticipation of the coming fights, just enough to leave his nonexistent gut churning from his own reaction. Honestly, he hated it and reveled in it at the same time. Some sick part of him had been in the rings too long, been at the breeders too long, to have a normal reaction to the stench that came from the press of humans high on power and bitties desperate to be free of the cages they rotted in. The sick feeling twisting in his soul was normal, the way anyone should feel about being surrounded by the pain and greed filling the room, the snap of lust in him though, the part that was even a little bit excited about jumping into the ring… that part left Wolfbane feeling even more sick that he could react that way.

            Just thinking about his own reactions wasn’t getting Wolfbane anywhere, he knew he had a job that he should be doing as Noriko’s partner. Sure, as a bitty he didn’t have to keep a calm face in front of the others, he could react however he wanted while in the cage that was his cover. That didn’t mean he could be stuck in his own skull, he needed to be watching, gathering what information he could to bust the ring apart and save the other bitties from this hell.

            The sharp sound of bone smacking against bone helped, the sting of his cheek bone where Wolfbane had smacked himself to keep hi focus up doing wonders to bring his skull back into the game. The fact that the sound had others looking at him was… honestly it wasn’t the worst outcome, playing up the crazy bitty angle wasn’t a bad idea. Though Wolfbane honestly wasn’t pleased about the sting as he let his eye lights scan over the space around the cage that Noriko carried him in.

            From what Wolfbane could see, it all felt so much like any other fight he had been a part of. Cages either lined up and waiting their turn to be opened, or packed around by owners hell bent on keeping their prized fighters close by. Thankfully, it was normal for some owners to hold the cages of their fighters close at hand, Wolfbane not quite ready to be left with the other cages and the bitties inside of them yet. Maybe in a few fights, once he was able to slip into the role of a fighter while also keeping enough of his mind in the moment and the truth that was his new reality. That he wasn’t just a fighter, that he was a cop and here to save as many of the bitties here as he could.

~*~

            The first infiltration of the rings was… honestly it was a lot like that time Noriko went under cover to break up a dog fighting operations. The big difference was that the cages holding the bitties were a lot quieter than the ones that held dogs, that the humans were more cautious of the small monsters that they were pitting against each other, both of their fangs and of their magic. The ring itself was also different than the low walled rings of a dog fighting pit, this looked more like it was meant for… really skinny humans with how tall the walls were. In some ways, that made sense with the fact that bitties could use their magic in amazing ways. The higher walls with the wire over the top, tubes leading into the ring that would let owners and handlers send their bitties into the fray.

            Honestly, it was all sick, watching humans and even a few monsters tossing bitties into the ring to fight for their lives. Noriko don’t know why she had expected it to only be humans, she don’t know why she had thought only humans could be so cruel to societies smallest and most vulnerable members. Maybe it was the fact that monsters were already supposed to be better than humans, be made of love, compassion, magic and not the foul hate that festered in so many human hearts and souls. Frankly, watching as a green monster with waving appendages and covered in what she could call either oil or slime, Noriko wanted to pull Wolfbane to her chest, drag all the other bitties out of here and away from the rot that seemed to fester in the beings running and participating in this mess.

            Sadly, that wasn’t how Noriko had to play things, a small part of her crying as she signed Wolfbane in while mingling with the other owners, other handlers and couldn’t help the feeling of her skin crawling as they hit on her while trying to pry information about her bitty out of her. The only thing keeping Noriko from going off was the fact that all of this was giving them more information, some of the men and women around her dropping names, dropping information that she could hear the command officers calling out verification on. They couldn’t bust this ring the way she wanted to, but it was clear that the other officers were getting in place to free the bitties from their owners, getting ready to pick off the humans and monsters that they could as information from her body cameras and the other wires she had on her went through.

            That didn’t make it any easier to send Wolfbane into the ring, that didn’t make it any easier to watch as he fought himself as much as he fought his opponent. The bitty he had been paired against was an edgy, this one rather rougher than the ones she had seen at mamma Cry’s. It was clear in the movements of the edge that he didn’t want to be there, but he also didn’t want to go back with the human that had dumped him through the tube into the ring with Wolfbane. A pang of guilt going through Noriko as Wolfbane pinned the edgy, the red eye lights of the bitty going wild as he thrashed under her partner, the human that had dumped the edgy into the ring screaming curses and pounding on the tempered glass as they tried to convince the clearly warn down bitty to keep fighting.

            “Enough.” Noriko’s voice snaps out calmly through the noise, her brown eyes turning to face the human as Wolfbane leans to whisper to the edgy under him. “Don’t push the bitty past what you have trained them for, here.” Pulling out the check book that the force had set up for this, Noriko filled out a check with the entrance fee written out plus a little extra. It wasn’t like this human was going to get to cash the check, the fact they would have it at all was mark enough that would land them in a cell. Though they didn’t know that. “Take this and I will take the bitty, you see how I trained my little Bane.” Offering a silky smile, Noriko held the check out to the human that had tossed the edgy into the pit. No, this wasn’t the answer to every fight, but it was clear that the edgy had lost fair and square before Noriko stepped in, this was to be sure that the poor bitty didn’t get dusted for failing.

            “Why, you can see the little shit’s a worthless pile of dust? What makes ya willing to pay good money for such a thing?” Eyeing Noriko with suspicion, the human looks between her calm face and the out stretched check with enough money to make it worth this human’s trouble to just walk away.

            “Simple, one can not train dust, one can not profit of of death. Even the worst fighter has something they are good at, a good trainer knows how to find that and build on it. Now, take the check, give me the bitty and stop making a scene of your own short comings in training.” A growl leaves the human before the check is snatched from Noriko’s hand, a sense of satisfaction filling her as a wad of crumpled papers and a half broken cage is thrust at her in return.

            It didn’t take long for things to settle down after that, Noriko crouching next to the opening with a simple hand movement that had Wolfbane helping the edgy out of the ring, the poor thing looking so confused that it hurt her soul to see. There were a few after that, humans and monsters that when their bitty didn’t win would quietly approach her. While it was a bit conspicuous, Noriko knew the plan for the next infiltration and this was playing right into the plan. The number of cages around her growing as the fights came to an end one by one, Wolfbane ending up as the winner and cementing the two of them as a force to be reckoned with.

            “I still can’t believe you decided to take up the trash of the losers, what are you going to do with so many dust-balls?” A smile spread over Noriko’s face at the questions being trickled her way by the announcer as things wrapped up, a confirmation in her earpiece telling her that the bitties she hadn’t gotten on her own were safe now as well, the jail being a bit fuller for the night as well.

            “Simple, though you wont know the answer till you see it.” Winking, Noriko packed up the cages of the poor bitties, heading towards the exit with Wolfbane moved to her shoulder with his head held high, the position one that every human there accepted as he had won the fights and secured the invite to the next round. No one was about to tell the champion that he couldn’t ride on his human’s shoulder, not if she was allowing it.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

~*~

            Being able to ride out on Noriko’s shoulder helped Wolfbane settle after the night the two of them had, his soul still buzzing with the LV it had been denied time and again. Being a lust bitty with LV was… honestly it was hard for Wolfbane to function properly. His soul was built for love, for flirting and cuddles and passion. He wasn’t built to have high LV, even though he had managed to not kill as many as other bitties in the rings, that didn’t stop it from happening sometimes. There were some humans that left their bitties in a bad way, betting against them to get more than the prize money if their bitty lost. It wasn’t Wolfbane’s fault that those bitties fell so easy, dust still gritting between his fingers from those deaths, his soul aching while it burned with the LV of those lost souls. All of that built up, stacking on top of each past instance. Wolfbane could still remember the first time he had shed another bitty’s dust, the first time he felt that sick rush of LV coating his soul. It was wrong, if had felt so wrong but also… sickeningly right.

            Not wanting to think about that first time, Wolfbane thought about this time in the ring, everything that he and Noriko had accomplished. It was hard to keep himself in check, keep from striking the killing blow on the edgy that had started the avalanche of new bitties being passed over to Noriko. It had drawn a lot of attention to the two of them, though Wolfbane could admit that watching as every bitty that lost was passed over to Noriko, not meeting the fate they may have had she not been there. Sure, there were questions now, though Wolfbane winning the fights, every one he went up against… the first real stage of the plan to break the rings was started. Noriko making waves in the rings with her sudden appearance with a winner that seemed unbeatable while she took on the bitties that had lost.

            Honestly, it was funny to watch the humans jump at the chance to make up for the funds that would have been lost from their bitties getting knocked out. Registration fees were not cheap and Wolfbane couldn’t help but marvel at the fact Noriko had used the greed of the humans against them, using that greed to get those bitties frees and keep them safe from being dusted by the humans that had put them into that situation in the first place. It was a surprise for Wolfbane, the stress and nerves that had been buzzing through him having him miss the fact Noriko had planned ahead to save as many bitties from being dusted as she could. Honestly, Wolfbane had to admit she had done an amazing job, positioning herself in such a way that encouraged the other humans to happily hand over the bitties that had lost.

            The trip back to the little place that Noriko and Wolfbane shared was a blur, Wolfbane still going over everything that had happened in the rings as the other bitties sat in the cages in the back seat of the rented car that was being used to get to and from the fights. The muffled sounds of fear and nerves flowing from the mix matched batch of cages in the back seat, Wolfbane seated between Noriko’s breasts as she drove a convoluted path to the rented apartment. What Wolfbane hadn’t noticed was the other officers, the ones in plain cloths that posed as other renters in the building, the way the whole apartment was set up for the operation Noriko and Wolfbane were the center of. That was until Noriko parked the car, a couple of other humans approaching the car as Noriko shook her head and waved them off.

            “Not tonight guys, I know we need statements but give the poor dears a chance to cool off after what they went through.” Reluctant nods from the other human officers as they moved to help Noriko with getting the cages into the apartment. Honestly, Wolfbane wasn’t completely sure what the rest of the evening was going to bring, though he was happy with how many bitties were already free of those damn rings.

~*~

            Tension still coiled in Noriko’s muscles after dealing with the fighting ring, and that didn’t even touch on getting the bitties that she had managed to scoop up settled in. Honestly, it was a lot of work but part of her couldn’t help but be proud about the cluster of bitties that she had pulled from being dusted. Having to wave off the other officers, the ones in charge of monitoring the wires she had Wolfbane had on them… Noriko wasn’t in any state to deal with a full debrief right now, not to mention she needed to get the new bitties settled in and checked over. The one grace she allowed the other officers was letting them help get the cages into the apartment, the one set up for her and Wolfbane while they dismantled the rings.

            Shoulders stiff from the tension of the evening, Noriko led the other officers into the small apartment that had been set up as her base of operations during the mission. It wasn’t the worst place, at least it wasn’t like that rat trap of a motel she had to work out of for busting open that drug ring a few years back. This place had a proper bathroom, it was clean, and there was even a second bedroom that had been set up as a spot for rescued bitties to cool off from the stress that she knew they were under from the rings. No, there were worse places the base could have been set up, most of the building being rented out to house the different parts of the operation would need.

            Once the other two officers dropped off the cages with the bitties in them into the room Noriko had insisted on having to give the rescued small monsters a quiet place, Noriko crouched down to open cage after cage, not forcing the new bitties to come out, just offering them something they probably didn’t know what to do with, freedom. Wolfbane snuggled between her tits, watching the new bitties as they looked at Noriko as she went cage by cage till they were all open. Her next stop being to get food for everyone, also adding magic supplements to the side of the food so the bitties didn’t think she was drugging them. It was something Wolfbane had mentioned, not hiding things but being open and honest with any bitties they got out of the rings, though Noriko couldn’t help the wry smile off her face at the thought that her little partner probably didn’t expect to have so many bunking with them on the first night.

            Honestly, it hurt Noriko to watch the bitties staying in the cages, even with the doors open and food set out for them. She got it though, she was human and much bigger than them, she could understand the bitties seeing her as a threat. That left her with one chance of the new bitties being able to relax a bit for the night, even if she wasn’t keen on having Wolfbane risking himself to talk to the other bitties without her there to… well she was sure Wolfbane could hold his own, his magic was in top form now that he was eating better. Moving from the room that she had set up as a place for the bitties, Noriko held her hand in front of her chest to silently ask Wolfbane to come out of his favorite spot.

            “Hey wolfy, I need you to do your magic and get the new guys to calm down. I know they aren’t going to be keen on trusting me, but I’m hoping you can explain to them what is going on.” Noriko knew that Wolfbane had every right to tell her no, though seeing him puff up a bit in pride, his gaze flicking to the door to the spare room where the bitties were going to be staying. Finally popping from her hand to the floor, a cheeky giggle leaving him as Noriko squeaks from the sudden shock of his magic against her palm. Her mind wandering to the bitties she managed to pull out of the rings, worries over how many had been saved by the other officers, all of it building as she moved through the apartment to get food ready for everyone.

~*~

            Stress filled the edgy bitty as he looked at the open cage door, shock and confusion filling his skull at what was happening. One minute he was facing of against some prissy bitty who wasn’t half starved and clearly had more fighting experience than a lust bitty should, and the next… the next he was pinned to the dirty mix of sand and sawdust while the humans yelled around the two of them. Honestly, the edgy knew that he wasn’t in any state to actually win that fight, not against a bitty that was fully rested and had full magic reserves. It pissed the edgy off, a bitty that was clearly treated well and still chose to be in the damn ring, still chose to bow down to some sick human that made them fight to live. Honestly, what really shocked the edgy was how he was still here, how he wasn’t a pile of dust being kicked up by other bitties as they fought. His mind turning over how it all happened, how he ended up sitting in the damn cage that had been the majority of his world for far too long, the biggest change being the door being wide open, some human chick with dark hair and a nice rack having opened the door before leaving him here to what?

            What happened if he stepped out of the cage? What were the chances of him getting out of this whole thing in one piece? His magic was still dangerously low, something his scum bag of an owner insisted on to keep him from getting out, from causing issues. Would he end up being snatched up and squeezed to dust? Would he be kicked against the wall the second that he stepped out that ominous cage door? From what the edgy could see from the shadows of the cage, he wasn’t in the dingy basement that he was used to being kept in, the floor looking like… it looked soft, and he wasn’t on some shelf or some table, the cage he was sitting in was on the floor itself.

            It was while he was sitting there, frozen in indecision on what to do that… that the bitty that had been looming over him in the ring stepped into the open doorway of the cage, cloths clean, magic solid and strong, eye lights a bright purple that almost hurt the edgy to look at. A growl rumbling low in the edgy’s nonexistent throat, almost too quiet to hear as the other bitty leaned against the side of the doorway into the cage, a brow bone raised in question as their arms crossed over their chest. The edgy crouching low as his body shook, his own eye lights flickering as his vision blurred a bit as low magic fought against the primal urge to defend himself.

            “You don’t have to be so on edge dude, it’s safe here.” Blinking, the edgy shakes his skull to try and clear his vision, stress building as the pun in the other bitty’s words hardly registers.

            “Look, I get it, ya thought ya were about to dust. Stars knows how many times I’ve been there myself, but ya ain’t stuck in the same cycle anymore. Sure, ya probably feel like the world’s still spinnin’, like ya got knocked for a loop and yer waitin’ for the shit to hit the fan again. I know ya probably ain’t ready to believe me, but use what magic ya can spare and feel if I’m bein’ honest or not. Yer safe here, Noriko, my girl, she’s one of the good guys, doing what she can to save more like us. Just… give her a chance to show ya, nothin’ that’s gonna hurt ya, just… a chance to prove what I already know.” The other bitty kept talking, the edgy still not sure what to think of everything going on, flashes of the human, the one that seemed to be this lust bitty’s handler, stopping the sleazeball from dusting him, money changing hands, papers… it… the edgy wasn’t sure what to think about all of this, but so far an open cage was better than having someone grip him tight enough to make his ribs grind together while wearing a glove that keep him from sinking his teeth in ant stopping the pain.

            “Wolfy, sweety, are any of the other bitties hungry? I… are there any preferences for things they would like to eat?” A soft female voice came into the cage, the edgy shrinking down on himself before the words registered. Give her a chance the lust bitty said, let her show how good she was… why the fuck not.

            “Ya got any mustard doll-face? Would kill for some fuckin’ mustard about now.” Silence greeted the edgy, stretching longer than he thought was right before a snort of laughter broke the quiet and the sound of bottles bumping into each other as an eddy of cold air wafted along the floor just enough to give the edgy a clue that the human had opened a fridge.

            “Sure thing little guy, any of the rest of you have any preferences?” That soft voice floated into the room again, the edgy noticing the sound of other bitties in cages nearby. A few others being brave enough to call out some request, others calling out a quiet no. It was… visions of how things were before, before the edgy had been pulled into the rings, taken from the center and tossed into the fights, filled his skull as his sockets stung with what felt like it could be tears, nothing falling, just that sting that lingered there at the edges as the edgy took a shaky breath.

~*~

            Smile tugging at Wolfbane’s teeth, he watched as the edgy called out to his sugarplum, no real jealousy as the poor broken bitty took the bit of advice Wolfbane offered. It wasn’t a lot, just asking for the edgy and the other bitties to give Noriko a chance. Honestly, Wolfbane got it, that reserved nature that came from being in the rings, he had lived the same life as these bitties. Sure, he got out on his own in the end, though it have been Noriko who saved him from the street. Her kindness, her sense of justice, her care, all giving him a shot at being more than some broken bitty that didn’t have a place in the world. Wolfbane couldn’t be bitter enough to not want other bitties to have that, he knew that the ones that Noriko pulled from the rings would have a choice, an option of where they wanted things to go.

            Wanting to serve justice, to have a chance to free other bitties like himself, that was something Noriko gave Wolfbane. He couldn’t keep the other bitties from having the same chance, it wouldn’t be right to not let the bitties have the same chance he was given. Seeing the edgy give Noriko a chance, just testing the waters with a request that Wolfbane knew wouldn’t be an issue for Noriko, but was more than any of the bitties in the cages in this room had even dared to ask for in who knows how long. Fighters didn’t get to make requests, even when they win, a fighting bitty didn’t get to make requests, they just got proper food for a day before being put back into training to make them tougher, meaner, stronger.

            Shaking himself, Wolfbane pulled his mind from the spiral of dark thoughts as Noriko paused in the doorway to what he was secretly calling the bitty room, a tray with several food items stacked on it. There was the basics of food the Wolfbane had gotten used to, though he also saw several of the requests that had been called out by the bitties still sitting in the cages. Honestly, Wolfbane knew it wasn’t going to be easy for them to get over the fear, though he did notice that as Noriko sat on the floor with the tray, the bitties moved closer to the doors rather than further back.

            “I… I know you guys are probably all in a bit of shock, and I get that this is a long way outside of what you are used to. I know it isn’t right of me to ask you to trust me with no proof, so… just to show you that I’m not trying to hurt you…” pausing in her speech, Noriko sat the trey on the floor in front of her. Using a tiny spoon, she tested each item on offer showing the bitties that she really was taking a small bite and eating it before moving onto the next. Wolfbane could almost hear the growling stomachs of the bitties, watching her eat just a tiny bit of everything before pushing herself against the wall, the trey being pushed closer to the cages as she sat back with her hands on her knees and just… waited.

            It was a lot more intense than what Noriko had done to show Wolfbane that he could trust her, though he knew that she didn’t really have enough time to build the bond that she had with him. She needed them to trust her to some degree, even if the chief had grumbled about involving the civilian bitties in this whole thing. Wolfbane got it, he really did, though he also trusted Noriko knew what she was doing. Fuck, he was her partner because of how much he wanted to get other bitties free, he knew these bitties would want the same chance he was given.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

~*~

            Waiting was something Noriko was used to, waiting for orders, waiting for training, waiting for a chance to make a difference. That was all things Noriko was used to, so waiting for the bitties to brave stepping out of those damned cages to take the food she knew that they needed was easy for her. Wolfbane moved across the room, taking obvious bites of the food as well as nodding approvingly at the magic supplement to the side before moving over to sit and wait with her, doing his part to prove to the poor abused bitties that the food was really safe, that the bitties were safe here and not about to be denied what they needed.

            The first bitty to show any bravery in approaching the food was the little edgy that had been the first to fight against Wolfbane, inching out of his cage with his gaze flicking from the tray of food to the wall where Noriko and Wolfbane sat quietly waiting. The few inches to the tray taking far longer than it should for even a bitty to travel, though Noriko couldn’t fault the edgy for his caution. With the sort of things she had seen in her one trip to the rings, not to mention the haunted look she would occasionally catch in Wolfbane’s eye lights when he didn’t think anyone was looking… Noriko was sure that there were some horrible things that had been done to the poor bitties she had managed to free from the rings.

            A few cautious sniffs and the edgy finally picked up a bit of food, eye lights landing on the bottle of mustard before he sighed and took a bite of the food without the condiment that he clearly wanted. Honestly, it hurt Noriko’s heart to see the tiny skeleton passing on something he wanted. A gentle nudge of her finger to Wolfbane with a meaningful look at the bottle of mustard and her little partner rolled those pretty purple eye lights of his before popping back to the floor and calmly walking over to the tray of food. A growl rumbled from the edgy as Wolfbane got closer, her partner’s hands going into the air to show he meant no harm as he reached the bottle that honestly looked comically large in comparison to the two bitties, the others still in their cages with their eye lights trained on the two out in the open.

            With a small spark of magic, Wolfbane popped open the bottle, shifting it to tilt on the side and squeezed out a dollop of the yellow sauce on the tray before reaching in with a shiver and a huff before licking the goop from his hand while watching the edgy. Red drool dripped from the corner of the edgy’s teeth, his sharp fangs twitching as Noriko waited to see if Wolfbane’s show that the condiment wasn’t tampered with would be enough to let the little guy give in and take what he wanted.

~*~

            Honestly, Wolfbane hated mustard, it had never been to his taste though after the time he had been on the street he was able to stomach it now at least. And frankly… for Noriko… Wolfbane would have eaten dirt to show it wouldn’t hurt the bitties that she was trying to help. Watching the edgy as he cleaned off his fingers, Wolfbane saw that the hungry bitty was clearly interested in every move that he made, watching as the yellow goop vanished from his hand before lunging forward to dip the food in his hand into the puddle on the tray, starting to scarf down the food like… well like the guy was starved half to death. Honestly, Wolfbane could empathize with that feeling, memories of his own time being kept hungry and low on magic flashing through his skull.

            Once the edgy broke, eating with no ill affects of retaliation, the other bitties started to trickle out of the cages in ones and twos, some looking at who else had made it here with them before honing back in on the food on the tray. Wolfbane slowly moved away from the food, leaving it for the bitties that needed the boost far more than he did as he made his way back over to Noriko. This was… honestly these bitties were in a bad way from what Wolfbane could see, many of them sporting scars from old battles, badly healed from low magic and lack of care. One bitty was missing an eye light, the socket left void as weak sparks of magic flashed in the empty hole. Another sported a crooked arm, not so bad it would have kept him from fighting, but enough to warn other bitties that this one was a survivor. The worst though… that had to be an over sized sansy with a huge hole in his skull, the normally white eye light flashing red like an edgy with a manic look as he watched each of the other bitties get food before diving in to eating any scrap he could get his hands on, cloths stained with dust and what looked like blood or ketchup.

            It was a good thing Noriko had gotten these guys out, though Wolfbane knew from the state of them that they were the bottom of the barrel. Their humans were probably new to the rings, or down on their luck after a loosing streak that meant the fights had been pretty far on the fringes of the rings, nothing like the peak of Wolfbane’s own career, or when he had been used as a prize for the best fighters when he was in the breeding ring. There was a lot of work to do, more than Wolfbane though to get Noriko into the heart of the rings, to honestly have a hope of truly breaking the rings apart and stopping these sick games for good.

~*~

            The edgy didn’t trust anyone, you couldn’t trust anyone when you are in the rings. It was a kill or be killed world, though he knew that no bitty would eat something willingly that they knew was tampered with. Watching the lust bitty eat the mustard he had requested… part of the edgy still wanted to deny that it was safe, though he wasn’t stupid enough to think a well fed and pampered bitty like that one wouldn’t know what the human was up to. If the human had tampered with the foods that had been requested, that damn lust bitty would know about it and would hopefully be smart enough to not touch it. Sure, the food might still be drugged, that was something that all of the bitties had been subjected to, though a deep nap wasn’t the same as being dusted. Sure, being deep asleep and vulnerable wasn’t the best case scenario, but watching the way the lust bitty was making a show if just how… ordinary the food was… the edgy could admit that the chances were low enough and his hunger was high enough that the risk was worth it. If the bitch of a human had wanted him dusted, the edgy and all the other bitties would have been dust long before reaching this strange place.

            That settled things and the edgy dug in as quickly as he could, savoring the sauce that he hadn’t had in… fuck he didn’t even know how long it had been since anyone cared enough to give him something he actually liked. If he got knocked out from this… things could still be worse and he was willing to give the human a chance to hang herself. The lust bitty seemed… honestly an ache formed in the edgy’s soul at the level of trust and care he could sense from the lust bitty towards the human. The edgy knew that lust bitties weren’t fond of mustard, though the guy marched over and showed the edgy it was safe. Not because he had to, no, the damn human wasn’t as subtle as she thought she was when she nudged the little fucker to show the edgy it was okay to eat. That… honestly the edgy was so far out of what he was used to, he wasn’t sure what way was up right now.

            Seeing the edgy dig in, the other bitties took a chance and joined him around the food. All of them were too fucked up to start a squabble, especially with so much food available. It was like the human didn’t know how much bitties actually ate, though honestly… with how little any of the bitties from the ring were fed… maybe she knew just how much they really needed the food. The feeling of food finally filling the void that was his stomach, the edgy started to slow, looking around at the other bitties that the human had brought with her. Some were bitties he had faced before in the ring, others… honestly the edgy could see just how bad some of the bitties around him had been treated even if he hadn’t faced them in the ring himself.

            There were so many questions in his skull, questions he wasn’t sure he would ever get an answer to. That was until the human shifting in her spot along the wall drew his and every other bitty’s attention, all of them going on edge as she gave them a sheepish sort of smile as her dark eyes looked from the bitties to the mostly eaten food. “Sorry, didn’t mean to disrupt you guys. Do any of you need more food? I noticed none of you added the magic supplement to the food so I’m guessing it wasn’t as filling as it could have been. I know that it is harder for you guys to convert human food to magic, but I didn’t want to mix in the supplements and give you all the choice to add it if you wanted.” The soft sound of the human’s voice filtered through the bitties, the edgy looking from the corner of his sockets to the powder that none of them had touched. Powders weren’t safe in the ring, humans able to hide anything in them and the lust bitty hadn’t touched the powder so none of them touched it.

            “More food?” A hulking bitty with a chunk missing from his skull asked, that broken skull tilting to one side as a manic smile sat on his face while he eyed the human like he would eat her if he wasn’t fed well enough.

            “If you guys want more, I’m happy to get you guys more. Is there anything that you guys want in particular?” Honestly, the edgy was mostly satisfied, though knowing there was a magic supplement on the tray… maybe he could sneak some of it so the human wouldn’t notice while she was getting more food. It all depended if the lust bitty stuck around while she went off, also he wasn’t sure it was worth the risk if she was being dishonest about it being a magic supplement, one of them was going to have to test it to be sure.

            “Anything, still hungry.” The hulking bitty spoke, having eaten more than twice what any of the other bitties had eaten and still hungry? The edgy wasn’t sure if it had to do with the drain on magic he could feel coming from the bitty’s skull or not.

~*~

            Nodding, Noriko pushed up from her spot against the wall to head back to the kitchen. It was clear the poor bitties she had gotten out of the rings didn’t trust her, she could understand that. Though it was nice that they felt comfortable enough to ask for more food, something she was more than willing to give them as well as any other thing they needed to actually feel safe and comfortable. Wolfbane stuck with her, clearly wanting a moment with her while she bustled around the kitchen making up another tray of food with just as much food on it. It was clear that the bitty that had asked for more food had… well she couldn’t sense what was wrong with him, but it was clear that feeding him as much as he could eat was in her best interest.

~*~

            Hunger gnawed at Terror, at least that was the name that the humans had given him. He was always hungry, even though he was one of the lucky bitties that got more food out of the ring fighters. That was probably due to how many times he had managed to break out of his cage and take a chunk out of the humans, each time leading to them giving him more food than the bitties in the cages around him in that drafty shed. Though for the first time in… he didn’t even know how long, Terror could feel… something more than just the gnawing hunger. Sure, he was still hungry, though this new human had promised more food. Looking at the sad remains on the tray, Terror saw the powder that none of the bitties had touched. Was it food? If it was food, why hadn’t anyone had any? Sure, eating powder wasn’t fun, it was dry and often got stuck between his teeth, but Terror wasn’t against eating… anything.

            Scooting across the distance, Terror got closer to the powder in the little bowl, the light bouncing off it like… blinking, Terror sniffed as he got closer to the powder. It didn’t have a real smell, no… there was… he couldn’t scent any of the drugs that some of the humans fed the bitties, no… this… this had more of a feeling… of… life… Terror’s hand reaching out to touch the powder cautiously, his fingers sinking into the powder easily and coating his bones. It wasn’t gritty like dust, dust was… it didn’t give much when eaten, though it was better than the hunger when the humans missed a meal. This though… it felt smooth under his fingers, soft like a cloud with a spark like… eye light blowing wide, Terror brought his fingers to his teeth, his tongue snaking from between his parted jaw to trace along his phalanges. No taste greeted him, but he could feel it the second the powder dissolved on his magical tongue. Magic, pure and vital flowed into Terror as he dove his hand back into the powder fast enough that some of the bitties around him yelped.

            Images flashed through Terror’s Teddy’s mind memories of a little girl… Violet… drifted through his broken skull. Good memories that he hadn’t been able to drag from his broken skull from low magic and the constant drain of… his hand moved up to his skull, eye light shrinking as he felt the jagged edges of the hole in his skull. He could remember, he remembered before the ring, before the pain, before his skull bot bashed into the side of the ring by one of those fish bitch bitties and he had lost even the hope of getting home… home… he had a home once, someone that loved him and that he loved, a family that cared about him and took care of him while he took care of them.

            Pain lanced through Teddy’s Terror’s soul, through his skull as his sockets burned, his body trembling as his arms wrapped around him, the other bitties in the room backing away from him as his magic cracked around him. Whimpers leaving his teeth as he curled in on himself, the sound of soft footsteps approaching the room going ignored as his vision blurred and warped as the powder, the supplement, warred with his low magic levels and fought to give himself back. The LV on his soul from… from so long in the ring adding a tang of mania to the pain as the footsteps came closer, a soft voice, gentle words floating through his skull, nothing fully registering other than the pain both physical and emotional as the magic from the supplement gave him the strength needed to remember things he wished he could forget.

~*~

            Walking back to the room with the tray, Noriko wasn’t ready for what she found. There on the tray, the largest of the bitties she had pulled from the rings was curled in on himself. Her mind quickly putting together the basics of what was going on, the magic supplement coating the bitty’s hands and face, the tears leaking from their sockets as they whimpered. She wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, though she knew that it wasn’t right to leave the poor bitty to suffer on his own. Wolfbane giving a warning that Noriko didn’t listen to, her hands already setting the fresh tray on the floor before gently reaching to scoop up the bitty, his body jerking at her touch before pain lanced through her fingers, red flowing from between the bitty’s teeth as his teeth sunk into her skin. A hiss left her lips as she adjusted her hold, pulling the bitty to her chest to let them feel her soul, feel the gentle pulse of reassurance that Mamma Cry had told her the bitties should be able to feel. Tears pricking at her own eyes as she rocked gently, humming an old lullaby that her mother had once sang to her when she was little, Wolfbane clinging to her as he vibrated in worry on her shoulder.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13

~*~

            Fuck, Wolfbane knew that this was a possibility, that one of the rescued bitties might have a freak out and attack. Though he hadn’t expected his sugarplum to walk right into it, or for her to keep holding the bitty as his teeth sank deeper into her soft fingers. Fucking hell, he knew that he couldn’t step in and pry the broken fool from her hand, honestly looking at the scene between keeping a worried eye on the bitty in Noriko’s grasp, Wolfbane could guess what happened.

            It wasn’t uncommon for bitties that suffered that sort of damage to be… well cracked to begin with, cutting off memories from themselves to keep somewhat functional. The lower their magic got, the more completely they broke from reality and any time one got a big enough boost to their magic… a shiver went up Wolfbane’s spine at memories of other bitties dusting under the crushing weight of everything hitting them at once. The fact that this bitty wasn’t dusting but was doing his damnedest to take one of Noriko’s fingers off was both a miracle and frightening as anything Wolfbane had faced in the ring.

            “Shh, I know it’s hard but you’re safe now. I’m not going to let someone hurt you again.” Noriko’s voice broke through the panicked sounds of the other bitties in the room, Wolfbane already moving down to try and find a way to get the broken bitty’s teeth out of her hand.

            Wolfbane was sure that the bitty was having some sort of crisis, probably remembering things that no one needed to remember now that there was enough magic in his system to actually function. That was the problem though, having all that shit piled on an already broken mind… this was dangerous and his sweet sugarplum was sitting there holding the crazed bitty way too close to her soul, way too close to the vital bits of her that one bad bite from those deceptively sharp teeth could end. He had to get her to set the bitty down, had to protect his human from the explosion he knew was coming.

~*~

            Hurt, everything hurt too much. Terror Teddy shivered as he whimpered through the thing in his mouth, the rich taste of… of blood, coating his tongue as his hands clawed at… at… it was… soft sounds slowly filtered into his mind, a gentle pulse that was so familiar yet so different at the same time. Tears filling his sockets as sob ripped from him, his teeth loosing their hold on the thing in his mouth. He bit her, bit… Violet? No… this wasn’t his little Violet, she was… he didn’t know where she was but this wasn’t her. Who? It wasn’t one of those things, those demons in human skin that made him fight, that starved him so much he could hardly fight before he got… that… wait… what was happening? Single eye light slowly working to focus on the face of the… it was a woman holding him, not Violet, violet had yellow curls, pretty eyes that looked like blue crystals, this woman was nothing like violet but something… there was something about her that reminded Teddy of violet, of the girl that used to giggle at his jokes and gave him extra ketchup, the girl that had taught him that humans could be okay sometimes.

~*~

            Hiding by the mustard, the edgy bitty watched as the papered lust bitty tried to get the human to let go of the dude with the hole in his skull. This was… this was honestly a shit show. There was no way what the edgy was seeing could even be close to true, humans… humans don’t worry about bitties, they don’t sit through a fucking bite just to sooth the one chomping on their hand. Fuck, he didn’t want to watch this, he didn’t want to see the moment this human chick snapped and dusted the poor guy with the broken skull. Sure, it wouldn’t be the first time and he was more than happy it wasn’t him who was about to get dusted, but fuck. This was fucking nuts. Just do it, get it over with so he could know what he was dealing with. The edgy’s eye lights darting away from the scene for a moment to see if there was any escape from this, maybe… maybe using the human’s distraction to get free would be a good idea.

            Sure, his magic levels were still shit, but it was the best it had been in… honestly he couldn’t even remember how long it had been since his magic levels were even close to this high. No, he wasn’t about to be able to shortcut, but he could probably make the run if there was a way out. A spark of hope blooming and being snuffed out in the same moment as the edgy noticed the door to the room was open, but past that door was what looked like an apartment. There was no way that he could do more than get out of this room, he would still be stuck in the apartment and that was a stupid thing to do. Sure, he was small enough to hide for a while, could probably even find a way out if he had enough time, but he knew that lust bitty wasn’t about to let him get out of the apartment if he made it out of the room. The human wanted them for something, and that bitty was clearly attached to the human as he fussed over her hand.

~*~

            A sigh left Noriko as the bitty in her hold let go of her finger, her humming only hitching for that moment as she continued to push soothing energy from where she thought her soul was. Sure, after meeting Mamma Cry she had went back to learn more about her new bitty charge as well as things she could do as she managed to get further into busting up the rings, ways to help the more traumatized bitties feel safer. That didn’t mean she was suddenly an expert of some kind, just that she was doing the best she could with the new skills she was being taught.

            “Stupid, ya know that sugar plum, yer so fuckin’ stupid sometimes.” Wolfbane’s voice finally breaks through to Noriko, her smile sheepish in response as she used her uninjured hand to pat his skull reassuringly.

            “It’s okay wolfy, I can handle a bite just fine. Can you help me get our new friend a bit more stable? I think the magic supplement might have set something off.” Sighing in frustration, Wolfbane popped from her shoulder down to her hands where she still held the sobbing bitty with the broken skull.

            Getting closer to the distressed bitty, Wolfbane was able to feel the waves of distress rolling off the bitty, sparks of unstable magic flickering around him as another sob leaves the bitty. This was a shit show, dealing with such a broken and dangerous bitty wasn’t what Noriko should need to do, Wolfbane grumbled as he used his own magic to reach out to the sobbing, trembling ball of broken bones and wild magic, doing his damnedest to sooth and regulate the dangerous flow and spikes of magic.

            “Yer safe pal, ain’t nothin’ to worry about right now. Just breath.” Wolfbane spoke softly, remembering how other bitties would help sooth him after a fight. He knew that a bitty fresh from the rings wouldn’t believe that they were fully safe, but all the fighters knew that there were calm times that they could gather themselves till the next time they were tossed in the ring.

            Bit by bit, the bitty in Noriko’s hands stopped sobbing so hard, little hiccups replacing the gut wrenching pain of those sobs. Wolfbane knew the sort of pain the poor guy was probably feeling, remembering his own pain at first gaining LV. Sure, this guy had gained his LV long ago, but with that wound in his skull… his mind must have protected him from the pain by blanking out parts of what happened while his magic was too low to handle it. Now that he had a spike in magic supply… there was no telling how bad the poor guy was feeling, not that Wolfbane wanted his sugarplum anywhere near the clearly unstable bitty.

~*~

            Magic was still something Noriko was getting used to, though even she could feel the calming waves washing from her bitty partner, spreading over the bitty cupped protectively in her hands. She knew that a lot of the bitties she ended up getting out of the rings were going to have issues, though she hadn’t expected anything quite this bad. She knew the signs of shock, at least in humans, and this bitty was showing a few of them even if his little body wasn’t capable of other signs. She was going to have to reach out to Mamma Cry and see if there were signs she should be looking for specifically in her tiny charges, though that would have to wait till a bit later once things settled down a bit.

            Honestly, Noriko was kicking herself for not knowing that straight magic powder would have been a bad idea, though if she were being honest, she hadn’t expected any of the bitties to just eat it straight. Sure, she knew their magic reserves were probably far lower than was safe, though that wasn’t exactly an excuse for just leaving the magic supplement on the tray. Making a note to herself, Noriko decided that she would have to make sure to have magic based foods for any bitties she brought out of the rings and leave the supplement in the kitchen instead of offering it freely, there was no sense in having a repeat of what just happened.

            “s-s-so-or-sorry, so-sorry, sorry.” The deep voice of the bitty in Noriko’s hands broke her from her thoughts, her dark eyes focusing on the still trembling bitty as they held her finger tightly, her blood seeping around their phalanges from where they had bitten her. Looking at it, the wound wasn’t all that bad. it could have been way worse, especially if one of the bitties with razor sharp teeth that bit her instead. She might have lost a finger instead of just a bit of blood.

            “No need to be sorry little guy, I’m sorry that you’re feeling so out of sorts. What can I do to help you?” Voice soft, Noriko used her undamaged hand to gently rub the still shivering bitty’s back as Wolfbane gave her a concerned glance. She knew her partner wasn’t exactly pleased with this, but it really could have been worse and the goal was to help these guys adjust while giving them a chance to help free other bitties.

            “I… you… hurt… miss…” Okay, maybe asking the clearly traumatized bitty what they needed wasn’t the best plan of action, Noriko thinking of the best course of action in this situation.

            “It’s okay, I’m fine and no one is going to hurt you again if I can help it. You’re safe here.” Even if her knees were starting to hurt from the position, Noriko kept herself from shifting and startling any of the bitties that were watching on as she soothed the poor bitty in her hands.

            “What do ya mean yer fine? And how can ya say no one’s gonna hurt us? Ya plan on sendin’ us back into the ring don’t ya? Why else pay so much damn money for us? Or do ya plan on usin’ us as bate fer yer favorite there?” Another voice, one rough and sounding rather angry drew Noriko’s attention from Wolfbane and the damaged bitty in her hands, the little edgy bitty who first stepped out of the cages pointed at Wolfbane from the floor, chest rising and falling after his little speech.

            “Look, I know you guys probably don’t trust me, and I respect that. I don’t plan on you guys going back to the rings, not unless you want to help our mission, and only after you guys heal if that is the case. In fact, if our mission goes well, those rings will be broken with all those demons locked up for hurting you guys and the other bitties I haven’t gotten out yet.” Shaking his skull at her, a fond smile on his face, Wolfbane sighed before turning to the edgy who looked at Noriko like she had just sprouted a second head.

            “Look pal, this ain’t exactly how things were supposed to go with all this but… well I’m officer Wolfbane, this is my partner officer Noriko Nebula of the Ebott special bitty unit. We’re undercover to break up the rings but we need to make it to the heart of the operation to get the big dogs.” Wolfbane spoke up, puffing out his chest as the edgy looked at him like he was delusional and back to Noriko like they couldn’t even believe someone would let a bitty think anything like that.

~*~

            Mind still spinning, all Teddy could think about what how he had hurt the human that was holding him. He had bitten her, had hurt her, Violet would be so mad at him for hurting a nice person, good bitties didn’t hurt people. A stab of pain and fear went through him at a flash of memory, another human, dark and mean tossing him harshly into a cage, spitting curses as they shook the hand that his teeth had punctured moments before, pain radiating through his cracked skull as he licked the blood from his teeth. No, he… this person wasn’t like that one, she wasn’t tossing him into a dingy cage, even if he could still taste her sweet blood on his teeth. Another flash, a disappointed little girl looking at him with scolding blue eyes after he had nipped at the hand of a boy that had tried to steal something from her.

            “Teddy, I know you were trying to help me, but you still shouldn’t be mean to others, good bitties don’t hurt people.” The high sweet voice of his human spoke in his mind, Teddy grasping at the memory even though it hurt.

            Violet wouldn’t want him anymore, not after all the bitties Teddy had dusted, not after he had found joy in biting any human he could get his teeth on. Tears dripped from his sockets as he sniffled and clung tighter to the bleeding finger of the human that was holding him, doing his best to stop the blood from leaving her finger. Teddy hadn’t meant to hurt a nice human, hadn’t meant to be a bad bitty. His soul aching at the flood of memories, the waves of LV coating him again as he finally had enough magic to register everything he had done since he was snatched, ripped from his Violet, tossed into rusty cages, kicked into the dusty rings.

            “Hey, it’s okay little guy, breath for me please. I know it hurts, I know this isn’t easy but you’re going to be okay now.” that soft, kind voice spoke above him, hazy vision lifting to try and see the face of the human, more memories flooding him as he remembered his last fight, the other bitty was stronger, faster, his magic too low and unstable for Teddy to have a hope of winning.

            He knew the bad human that had been his… his handler, the greasy haired man that had given… someone money for him… tossing him in the ring, having starved him more than he was used to, the hunger growing and growing after he fought back, bit the greasy guy when he thought he could keep Teddy complaint, submissive. Teddy wanted out, wanted food, wanted… at that time he hadn’t known where he wanted to go, just wanted away from the rings, away from the pain, the hunger. This human, this wasn’t the greasy man, no this human was a woman, long black hair, pretty dark eyes with so much… sadness, yes sadness in her eyes as she cooed and rocked him, pushing comfort from her bright soul as she tried to sooth him. Darkness closing in, dragging Teddy under, the soft voice getting more urgent, his sockets fluttering closed, body going limp as he hoped he wouldn’t hurt when he woke up.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14

~*~

            The feeling of the bitty in her hands going limp had a spike of worry going through Noriko, the bundle of bones still clutching her injured finger as their skull rested against her fingers. Breath held, she watched closely and felt a wave of relief that the bitty was still breathing, though that didn’t mean they were okay. If she had to guess, they had passed out from the stress, though that wasn’t exactly a good outcome. For now though, she had things she had to tend to and explanations to make to all of the bitties she had gotten out of the ring. First though, she needed to wrap her finger even though she wasn’t exactly comfortable putting the sleeping bitty down.

            “Wolfy, could you be a love and grab the first aid kit for me please.” Turning her gaze onto her bitty partner, Noriko gave him a soft smile that had him huffing before he popped out of existence before showing back up with the first aid kit.

            “Ya know I’m startin’ to wonder if yer as smart as I thought ya were sugarplum.” Giggling at Wolfbane’s grumpy response, Noriko shook her head as she shifted enough to open the kit to get out what she needed to tend her finger, though she wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to manage that with the passed out bitty still clutching her damaged finger.

            “Fuck, what the fuck are ya two goin’ on about anyway? It ain’t exactly subtle that ya two are close but… are ya both really cops? What the fuck is goin’ on in the world?” Throwing his hands up, the edgy bitty stomps around in frustration as a few of the other bitties nod in support for his confusion.

            “Let me get this sorted out and I’ll give you all the information you need, is anyone else in need of first aid while we have the kit out?” Noriko answered absently as she worked on gently prying the fingers of the bitty in her hand off her bleeding finger, working towards getting the wound cleaned and bandaged while not disturbing the traumatized bundle of bones in her hand.

~*~

            Okay, he could admit this whole thing had his interest, though the edgy didn’t believe that this chick and her little lust bitty were really cops. Like fuck, who would think a lust bitty could keep his dick in his pants long enough to even hope to go through whatever training was needed to be a cop. The chick was another one, she was small for a human, petite little body that was actually pretty nice if the edgy let himself think about it beyond the fact that she was human. There was no way a little slip like her would be able to keep up with the few cops the edgy had seen, those guys were big, strong, and sometimes almost as nasty as the criminals they fought against. Honestly, this little girl didn’t make sense as a cop but that glint in those dark eyes as she calmly bandaged her hand, not even disturbing the poor cracked bastard in her hand… if she was a cop, the edgy was sure the pricks that ran the rings wouldn’t even come close to suspecting it. That… it made a sort of sick sense to have someone like her infiltrate, get the information needed to break up something a little girl like her could be accused of stumbling into. No one would suspect her as being more than a pretty face with too much money, the perfect sort of flower to attract the attention of the big dogs in the ring looking for an easy payday.

            “Okay, now that my hand is sorted out, I’m sure all of you have some questions about why I was at the fights, and why I pulled you each out when you lost. The simple answer is that me and the rest of the department are working on breaking up the rings, and it is a hell of a lot easier to convince people like that to give up a fighter that failed then to pull the winners. I would have if I could, but we have to get to the heart of the operation before we can put those people away properly for what they have been doing.” Sighing, the human, officer… what had the lust bitty called her again? The edgy was going to have to ask again, or maybe just call her some little pet name for now, she used her uninjured hand to give the lust bitty a pat, the poor cracked bitty still in her injured hand as her thumb ran up and down the guy’s spine in a comforting way.

            “Okay, but why? Ya ain’t gettin’ nothin’ out of all this. Wait, ya said somethin’ about us not going in the rings unless we wanted to, what did ya mean by that?” A wry smile spreads over the human’s face, the other bitties nodding along with the edgy as he crosses his arms over his chest.

            “Well, Wolfbane here used to be a fighter before he ended up on the street, that’s where I found him and… well once he found out what my job is, he wanted to help me break up the rings. If you guys want, and can pass the physical and mental exams, you would be able to join the force with us and work towards breaking up the rings. Once the rings are done and over, the chief wants to keep a few bitties on the force to help with protecting and serving our smallest citizens and their rights.” Blinking, the edgy takes a moment to digest what the human just said, the fact that this chick was offering him and the other former fighters a foot in the door to legitimate jobs. Not just any jobs, but ones that might just put the skills they used to good use, ones that gave them a chance to make a difference. It was… honestly it was more than he ever thought would happen when he had been snapped up from the center by the first sleazeball that had chosen him as a fighter.

            “What do you mean by rights, as far as I am aware, bitties have little to no rights that are protected by law.” Another bitty in the group spoke up, the edgy noticing that it was one of those sharp versions of the baby blue bitties, what were they called again? Some called them raspberries, others called them blackberries… there was a difference though, what was… oh yeah, it came down to their color. This one was a purple color so probably one of those blackberry fuckers that tended to be a bit spoiled even when treated like shit in the rings.

            “That used to be the way things were, though laws have been passed that have classified bitties as small monsters rather than a separate species. That gave you guys all the same rights as your larger monster brethren, including the right to not be exploited in the ways you have been in the past as well as the rights to seek and maintain employment and your own funds. There are a few things that are specific to bitties, including the necessity that you have to have a larger being as a sort of helper, someone that you live with and is responsible for making sure that your wants and needs are met within reason, but in the end you have the right to choose who you appoint as your designated person.” What the fuck, since when had bitties been given that sort of freedom? The edgy could feel his magic boiling at how not even a few hours ago the greasy fuck that had tossed him into the ring was going on about him having no rights at all. Did the people that put bitties in the rings know about the rights thing? Did they know that based on what this chick was saying they were breaking the law?

            “Wait, ya mean we ain’t got to be tossed in the rings just ‘cause some dick wants us to fight for their sick entertainment?” Another bitty called out, this one standing beside that blackberry bitty and looking like oh, the edgy knew those two, they were a tag team that he had seen fight a few times. The one speaking went by Dog, some sick joke about his type being called mutt bitties.

            “The rings are very much illegal, though breaking them up and punishing those responsible is hard to do without the proper evidence. That is why Wolfbane and I are under cover, we are trying to get all the evidence we need to shut them down forever while getting as many bitties out of that situation as we can.” Huh, this was… if the edgy believed all of this it was honestly a pretty sweet deal for him and the others. Though that’s the thing, he couldn’t believe it without some sort of evidence. Sure, one might see them all being here as some sort of proof to what the human was saying, but that only proved she was collecting bitties from the rings, not all the other things she was saying.

            “Could… maybe… possibly… would it be asking too much for some… some proof of… of what you are saying miss?” Yet another bitty showed enough guts to say something, the timid sound of the voice throwing the edgy for a moment till he saw it was a rather roughed up baby blue that probably should have never been put in as a fighter. Those guys were far too soft for life in the ring, though he would have said the same about a lust bitty and he got his coccyx handed to him by the lust bitty sitting on the human’s shoulder.

            “Wolfy, could you get the pamphlet from the kitchen please?” Gaze shifting to the lust bitty on her shoulder, the human gave a soft smile as the lust bitty blushed before nodding and popping through a shortcut without a second thought.

            A few seconds later, the lust bitty shows back up holding a bit of paper that was nearly twice his height and looked like it was awkward for him to carry. The lust bitty looked between the human and the rest of the bitties, a sigh leaving him before he hopped from her shoulder to wander over to the bitties who were still scattered around the mostly empty food tray with the paper in hand. Laying it out for the bitties to see before backing away and giving them freedom to approach at their own leisure. While it was nice that it wasn’t some big book, that didn’t do a hell of a lot of good for those that hadn’t learned to read, which was a fair bit of those gathered.

            “Um… this is all well and good, but… unfortunately, a good number of us are unable to read what the paper says.” Cheek bones purple, the blackberry looked away from the human as several of the other bitties nodded in agreement, the edgy sighing before moving over to the paper himself. While he wasn’t as good at reading as he would like to be in order to read things out loud, that didn’t mean he was going to not share any information he could gather from the paper.

            Looking over the paper, the edgy can’t help the shift of his expression as he reads what is laid out in black and white. A list of rights, specifically rights for bitties. Everything the human had said was right there, with more details than she had dropped in the conversation. Sure, this could be something she made up, some bit of fake evidence she made to gain their trust but… he could see the seal on the paper from the police department, even a phone number that could be called if there were questions about bitty rights. That… would the human let them use the phone? Let them call the number to ask questions? Sure, it could be a fake line, something the human set up to trick them. Though it could be be legit too, that was something the edgy wasn’t sure he was ready to believe though.

            “This is all well and good, but ya ain’t really proved it’s real sweetheart. What ya got that proves yer tellin’ us the truth?” Tapping the paper, the edgy looked up at the human with searching eye lights as she sighed before pulling her phone out.

            “Okay, how about this.” Tapping the screen a few times, the human pulled something up before having the lust bitty bring the phone over to the edgy bitty.

Sockets going wide, the edgy bitty couldn’t believe what he was seeing, but couldn’t help but use a spark of magic to press the option on the screen to call the number that was displayed. The human didn’t even flinch, the edgy bitty putting the phone on speaker as it rang a couple of times before a gruff voice came through the speaker.

            “You are calling pretty late Noriko, and why are you using the bitty rights line?” Blinking, the Edgy bitty looked between the phone and the human before clearing his nonexistent throat and speaking.

            “She’s not the one callin’ can ya explain why she snapped us out of the ring?” A sound of shifting comes through the line, the voice on the other end getting closer from the volume change.

~*~

            Watching as the edgy bitty looked over the sight she had pulled up, Noriko couldn’t help but smile as the chief picked up. If the bitties couldn’t believe her, maybe having the chief fill them in on the plan would go further in gaining their trust in the situation. Listening to the chief as he explained the laws, the changes that had been made in legislation and why the choices had been made, even the explanation of her job in the force and her history of under cover work, she couldn’t help the blush spreading over her cheeks as her boss praised her work and the bitties kept looking between the phone and where she sat against the wall. The passed out bitty was still in her hand, though he was calm and breathing easily as she cupped him against her chest. From what she had been told, after that sort of episode, the bitty was going to need his rest so she wasn’t too worried. That didn’t mean she wasn’t already making plans to go get all of them checked up by Mamma Cry, Noriko just hoped that they would be willing to go with her and Wolfbane to the center for a check up. If not… maybe the monster woman would be willing to make a house call, it shouldn’t be hard to get the chief to sign off on the expense of such a thing.

            “Ya know yer kinda crazy sugarplum, ya just handed a group of fighters yer phone with the hopes they just get what info they need from the chief and not go off lookin’ for shit ya don’t want them to.” Wolfbane’s voice beside her ear has Noriko smiling a bit more, her head leaning towards him to give a soft nuzzle as she keeps rubbing the broken bitty’s back as she snorts in his slip.

            “I’m not worried about it, they need answers and I know I don’t look the part of an under cover cop. Being able to call from the official sight, that has to count for something in showing that what information we have provided is accurate.” Sighing, Wolfbane nuzzles against Noriko’s cheek as he grumbles softly.

            “Yer too trustin’ for yer own good sugarplum, ya know ya just handed them the keys to the world and ya don’t even know if any of ‘em are gonna want to help us get others out.” Giggling softly, Noriko uses her free hand to reach up and pet over Wolfbane’s skull.

            “Sweety, I’m not worried if they want to help or not. The first thing is going to get them to trust us enough to help them, see if they are willing to have Cry check them out. If they want to help us, that’s fine, if not, well the point is to help them start their new life away from the rings. If that means helping them find people they can trust, that is fine, if that means helping them get themselves to the point you’re at and able to join the force, that’s fine too. I just want them to get the chance to experience the freedom the law says they are supposed to have, get them out of the ring and figure out where life is going to take them.” Grunting in something that could be agreement with her statements, Wolfbane tugs lightly on a strand of Noriko’s hair as he keeps watching the bitties talk with the chief.

            Honestly, seeing the bitties asking questions and getting excited was good, seeing them come out of that high state of fear that they had been in since Noriko had first gotten them out of the ring… she couldn’t help the smile on her face as she kept petting the back of the poor bitty that had bitten her. It wasn’t a perfect first mission, but she could say it was a bit of a success. She had gotten a decent amount of bitties that were in danger of dusting out of the rings, given them a chance at freedom and was slowly working through getting them to open up enough to trust this wasn’t some sort of trick. It could have gone better, she could have been deeper in the rings on the first round, but she made contacts that were going to get her further in, she could have gotten more bitties, but the ones she wasn’t able to get were still strong enough to hold on while she worked. She just had to keep pushing forward, keep doing her job.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15

~*~

            If he could believe what he was hearing, the edgy had to admit this was a pretty sweet deal. The issue was that all he really had was the person talking to him on the phone, though the guy seemed legit from the steps he had gone to verify that he was the chief of police. The edgy even looked the guy up using the phone and was able to confirm the information the guy was giving him, though it all just seemed… too easy, too good to be true. That didn’t make how much he wanted it to be true any smaller, didn’t mean he didn’t crave the information to be accurate. The idea that he wasn’t just some toy for humans, that he was recognized by the government as a whole person… that was more than any bitty he knew had ever dreamed of.

            “This all seems… I do not know what to think of all of this. While I would love for it to be true… how can we trust it after everything we have seen and been through?” The blackberry bitty voiced as he looked over the edgy’s shoulder, a spark of annoyance going through the edgy as the baby blue moved up to his other side.

            “Lust boy over their said to give the chick a chance, let her prove she’s for real. Ain’t sure about y’all, but I’m willin’ to chance it a bit. Not full trust, ain’t no way she’s come close to earnin’ that, but… maybe play it slow, watch, wait, see what comes out of all this?” The edgy shrugged as he glanced over where the human was smiling while still snuggling the poor broken bastard that had bitten the shit out of her finger. The edgy could admit that she wasn’t squishing the guy, tossing him aside to dust against the wall but was holding the bastard close to her soul as she smiled softly while chatting with the lust bitty on her shoulder.

            “I will admit that seeing the human not hurting that fellow is… honestly I have seen humans dust bitties for far less than that one committed yet she holds him as though he were something precious. I am loath to admit it, but it does lend a measure of… legitimacy to her claims to be wanting to help us. Also it is not common for fighting bitties to be so… trusting of their handlers. That bitty has been guarding her like a loyal dog and seemed genuinely distraught while the other had her finger between his teeth… I think I too am willing to give this a chance.” Nodding to himself, the blackberry huffed as the mutt bitty that seemed to be his shadow thought for a second before humming in agreement.

            “Okay, so lets take a vote, if ya don’t trust this shit, raise yer hand.” All of the bitties fidgeted before about half of them put their hands up. “Okay, and if yer willin’ to give the chick a shot to prove she ain’t a lyin’ piece of shit, raise yer hand.” At the edgy’s question, he is greeted with all the bitties looking between each other before one by one their hands raise in the air with varying degrees of reluctance.

            “I… I don’t know about the rest of you… but… well I don’t think trusting her is such… well I know some humans are very very mean, but… this lady seems to be different… I… I want to trust that… that there are still good people in the world.” Speaking up, the baby blue puffs up even as she stalls through his little speech in a way that isn’t very much like a baby blue normally would. Honestly, the edgy gets it, baby blue bitties are soft and sweet, shouldn’t even be used as practice in the rings yet this guy was in real fights.

            “You are all making this more complicated than it needs to be, while I will admit that trust needs to be earned, you all forget something, we don’t have much choice in this situation. The human paid for us, we are too small and our magic levels are too low to even hope of overpowering her or her little pet. If we cooperate with her, then perhaps we will continue getting fed proper food like she has already done for us.” A Boss bitty said as he crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the rest of the bitties with his right socket closed, the normal cracks that boss bitties often had there looking far worse than the edgy was used to seeing.

            Ya know I hate to admit the edge-lord is right, but we ain’t exactly in a position to do much against a healthy human and bitty. Even if we bolted out that open door, there ain’t a way out since it just leads to the rest of this place and we don’t know shit about where we are.” A sansy bitty that had been quiet till there spoke up, jabbing his thumb towards the open door the edgy himself had been contemplating making a break for earlier.

            “Okay, so we’re pretty much in agreement that we’re givin’ the human a chance and seein’ where all this goes?” looking from bitty to bitty, the edgy watched as they each nodded or simple bowed their skulls while he took stock of the bitties that the human had pulled from the rings. This lot really was pathetic, though the edgy had to admit that made him pathetic by association.

            The blackberry, boss, and mutt were the best out of the group for not looking like they were half dust, though he was a bit surprised the sansy wasn’t the only one of his type, there was also… oh shit, what was a fucking cherry doing in the rings? People always compared his own type to the cherry, hell, he had heard the rumors that cherry bitties were just broken edgy bitties but the edgy couldn’t see himself ever being close to that pathetic. The fat red tears flowing down the cherry bitty’s cheek bones as he sniffled and cringed behind what looked like a messed up lil bro with a cracked skull. Yeah, this lot wasn’t about to be making any breaks out of this place, let alone surviving out in the streets. It was honestly a shock that these guys weren’t dust on the ring floor, though maybe they all had the human to thank for that if he thought about it in a generous light.

~*~

            Watching the bitties, Wolfbane caught most of what they were saying, even if the baby blue was crazy quiet for his type of bitty. Part of him was pissed they didn’t trust his sugarplum, another part, the part that had been hardened in the ring, could understand their caution. He wasn’t exactly the most trusting when he first met Noriko, after the rings then the breeding facility… ending up on the streets, Wolfbane could understand not trusting easy, even if he was upset that these bitties couldn’t see just how sweet Noriko was. Stars, more than half of the bitties in the group should easily be able to sense her soul and know she wasn’t going to hurt them.

            “You have that look going on wolfy, what’s floating around that skull of yours.” Noriko nudged Wolfbane with the side of her face, his cheek bones heating with his magic at being called out.

            “Just… how bad did they have it to be so… so distrustin’? Ya ain’t done nothin’ to show yer a threat, stars, her still holdin’ that sansy bitty that bit the shit out of yer hand like yer afraid he’s gonna dust. But their over there discussin’ if they should give ya enough trust to let ya help ‘em.” Sighing, Wolfbane leaned harder against Noriko’s neck as he rubbed a hand over his face.

            “I get it, they went through a lot in the rings and almost lost their lives and then find themselves in a situation that… well if I’m honest, it has to seem far too good to be true for what they are used to. I mean, you should understand to some extent, but you were strong enough to get yourself out, imagine how little you would have trusted me if I had waltzed into the rings and pulled you out? Or if I had found you before you ended up on the street and offered you the chance to serve justice to the ones that hurt you, offered you real freedom and not just some home where you would be a pampered pet. Hell, from the way they reacted to learning the laws changed, they have probably been gaslighted the whole time they were in there and not told that the laws have changed till now.” Sighing, Noriko gave the sansy in her hands another pet to his spine, the broken bitty shifting a bit under her gentle touch as he nuzzled into her in a way that had Wolfbane holding back a jealous growl.

            “Don’t mean they ain’t bein’ stupid about it, ya keep showin’ yer a good soul, how can they not see how good ya are sugarplum?” A giggle from Noriko greats Wolfbane, her free hand moving up to cup around him in a comforting way.

            “Wolfy, you and I know each other, of course you can see I don’t mean them any harm and want to help them. Give them a break and let them figure it out on their own, it’s a big change and I figured it would take them some time to warm up to all of this.” Sighing, Wolfbane slumped against Noriko as he didn’t want to argue with her, he knew she was right even if he didn’t like it.

~*~

            Part of Noriko had been worried that having other bitties in the apartment was going to be stressful for Wolfbane, and honestly she was seeing that right now, though he was handling things better than she had first expected. It wasn’t hard to see that having so many bitties that had been in the rings was messing with his skull, though she honestly hoped that helping them might help him too. Sure, Wolfbane had gotten himself out, but she could see how he carried himself when they had been at the fights. Even now there was a tension in the way he moved around the other bitties that could only come form his time in the rings, a rather big part of her hating that the job they were doing put him back into that world. Even if it was only in short bursts, even if he got to come home with her when they were done and not have to be shoved into a cage like she had seen the other winners of the fights.

            Noriko knew this couldn’t be helping him, though the fact that he seemed to have some sort of block to letting the other bitties have their suspicions… honestly, Noriko could understand him wanting to defend her honor, though she also understood why the other bitties weren’t ready to trust her yet. It would take time for them to see the truth, time for them to see that she wasn’t trying to trick them. She knew it wouldn’t be right away that any of them were ready to join, the bitty in her hand with the broken skull was proof enough of that with how badly the magic supplement had messed him up. Wolfbane had told her a little bit about what happened, how the damage combined with low magic had kept the poor bitty from being able to remember all the bad and probably a good portion of the good. That didn’t make it easier to see the little guy break down like that, though Noriko got the feeling that Wolfbane was still on edge with her holding the bitty after they had bitten her finger like that. Honestly, she wasn’t kidding when she had told Wolfbane she had suffered worse, breaking up dog fights had left a few scars on her arms and hands.

            Speaking of the bitty she was holding, Noriko noticed as the little bundle of bones shifted in her palm, skull pressing against her skin as they nuzzled into her with a little grumble. A name falling from between their teeth in that crazy deep voice “Violet.” that… Noriko made a mental note to get the other officers on the job of seeing if they could locate people that had their bitties stolen, maybe she could find this Violet and reunite the bitty in her hands with their person. She honestly hoped that the person was someone good, not someone who sold the bitty off to fight in the rings. Both options were crap, on one hand if the person had sold them… Noriko feared how that would affect the poor bitty. On the other hand… being stolen from a loving home was just as damaging but to both the bitty and the person.

            As things spun in Noriko’s mind, the bitty in her hands stirred more, sockets blinking open as a single red eye light lit in one, hazy and fuzzy on the edges. Honestly, it was cute how the bitty sleepily blinked and scrunched their face up in confusion. That was until the poor dear jerked, jumping up in her hand with their skull whipping around till they were able to orient themselves enough to piece together where they were.

            “W-what?” Running her thumb over the bitty’s back again, Noriko drew their attention back to her as she offered a small smile in an attempt to reassure them that they were safe. It took longer than she wanted to admit, but the bitty eventually sagged in her hand with a shuddering sigh.

            “Are you feeling any better hon?” Offering a small smile to the bitty, Noriko watch as their eye light grows and shrinks a few times before nodding slowly.

            “Do ya feel up to tellin’ us what happened big guy?” Leaning forward from Noriko’s shoulder, Wolfbane watched the bitty in her hands with a calculating look on his face, her free hand going up to sooth her partner before he jumped to conclusions.

            “I… memories… too much… pain… hurt… scared…” Haltingly, the bitty in Noriko’s hand tried to explain themselves, her heart breaking at the lost look on the poor bitty’s face as she kept petting his back in a soothing way, the bitty not seeming to mind as they leaned against her thumb.

            “I’m sorry you were hurting so bad, I’m glad you are feeling a bit better now though. Is there anything we can do to help you hon? If you are up for it I have a friend that we can see to get you checked out to make sure you don’t hurt so much.” Blinking, the bitty in Noriko’s hand seems to think for a moment, their jaw working a few times as their eye light fluctuates before they grumble in frustration.

            “Ya don’t got to rush yerself big guy, but we want to make sure yer healthy. Sugarplum’s friend’s real nice, ya might’ve heard of her Mamma Cry?” At Wolfbane’s words all of the bitties in the room snap to attention, the quiet bickering of the group over by the food tray stops as the one in Noriko’s hand looks at Wolfbane like he had grown a second head before turning their focus back to Noriko with a look of wonder.

            “Wait, wait, ya know Mamma Cry? There ain’t a bitty alive that don’t know of her at the very least. Why didn’t ya lead with that?” The edgy bitty pipes up from his place on the floor as he puts his hands on his hips with a grumpy look on his face like Noriko had been hiding something important.

            “I mean yeah, she was the one that helped me when I found Wolfbane. I was planning on seeing if any of you would be willing to go with me in the morning to have her check you guys over, but I didn’t really want to stress any of you out more than you already are.” At Noriko’s words, the edgy bitty smacks his forehead with a heavy sigh. One of the other bitties, another sansy though in better condition than the one in Noriko’s hands moves up next to the edgy before speaking.

            “If ya had said ya wanted to have us see her, the bitty angel, ya wouldn’t have had to deal with all this back and forth over what we think. Mamma Cry is someone all bitties know, she’s the one that made sure we got taken care of, worked her ass off to try and find good homes for us and made damn sure we were taken care of in the centers while we waited. If ya really know her, and yer friendly enough with her that ya plan on havin’ her check us over, then yer good in my book at least.” Several other bitties nod in agreement with the sansy, Wolfbane grumbling to himself in Noriko’s shoulder as she giggled while reaching up to sooth her little partner.

            “Well, that settles some things. So would you all be willing to see her? It does require a car ride unless I ask her to come for a house-call that is.” Several looks are exchanged between the bitties before Noriko gets a round of agreement from the group, even the bitty in her hand nods his skull with a gleam of excitement in his single eye light.