"Y'know...I've woken up in a lot of weird scenarios over the years. Locked in a toy chest, sandwiched between a couple I intended on robbing, in the crow's nest on a Navy ship holding a bag of what I'm gonna call oregano...but this?" I held up the chain-link leash attached to a steel collar around my neck, shaking it for effect. "This is the weirdest. Care to explain?"

Sure, sometimes I could be a heavy sleeper, especially when I was emotionally and physically exhausted, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how anybody could have put this on me without my knowledge. It was heavy, and every time I moved it made a loud clanging noise.

Kid smirked down at me, something he did a lot of, and rattled his end of the chain, curling it tight around his wrist before threading it through his hand again.
"We did say you'd slowly move up the ranks with each job well done, right? So, congratulations. You've been promoted from prisoner to pet.~"

Ex-fucking-scuse me?

It had been almost two entire weeks since I had successfully retrieved the keys to the Navy artillery storage, and the only faces I had seen had been Killer's when he snuck me scraps, and Heat's, when he came to change my bandages.

My wrist was still incredibly sore, but thanks to whatever medical supplies they had been lucky enough to steal, it was healing well. No longer swollen, but still kind of bruised, I could use it with only mild discomfort, if I took it easy.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'd prefer to keep my current position. No offence to your creepy kinks, Kiddo, but pet play doesn't tickle my pickle." Folding my arms, I looked away from him, knowing that whatever aggressive expression I had conjured from him would shrink my confidence.

With a harsh yank, Kid had me sprawling on the ground much closer to him, my nose almost kissing his leather boot.
"Let me phrase this in a way that you'll understand. You're my pet, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it unless I say so. Do I make myself clear, bitch?"

Gritting my teeth, I slowly sat myself up again, spitting out a bit of dirt and muck from my intimacy with the floor.
"Woof woof bark bark. That translates to fuck you, you used tampon-headed sadist."

One moment I was on the ground, but the next, after a loud, metallic rattle, I was face to face with the fearsome pirate, wheezing and tugging at the metal around my neck.
"Dogs. Don't. Talk." The register in which he spoke made my skin crawl, so I zipped my lips. Antagonising him was fun and all, but I wasn't a match for him. Not in my current condition, and likely not at full health, either.

He's really serious about this. Oh God, please don't let him try to make me lick peanut butter off his ba-

"Good girl." The sly grin that Kid gave me sent another, deeper shiver up my spine as he set me back down, my head getting a little dizzy once I was able to properly breathe again. "Come on. I'm not spending my day in this shitty room."

Kid tugged me into a walk, but stopped the moment I made a move to stand, whipping the chain so it almost hit me in the face. He didn't have to say anything for me to realise he intended to make me walk on all fours. It was going to hurt, both my pride and my healing injury, but I wasn't in any position to refuse.

It's fine. This is fine. If he pisses me off, I can just piss in his boot. Dogs do that kind of stuff, right? I'd just be in character...

As I hurried, slightly limping after Kid's steady pace up the stairs, I realised I was no longer wearing my stolen Marine uniform. Instead, I was wearing black sweatpants and a white shirt with black spots. Somebody had changed me and I dreaded to think who. Into a discount dalmatian, no less.

It was overcast up on deck, so at least this time I wasn't blinded by the bright sunlight after being trapped in the shadows. The members of the crew began to gather once they saw me, and I kept my head down, feeling embarrassed and ashamed. Who wouldn't in such a predicament?

"Wow, I didn't think you'd actually do it." Wire approached us, glancing down at me with a mix of both amusement and pity. "All that's missing is a tail and some ears."

Don't give him ideas, Legs!

Kid dug into his pocket and pulled out something small, holding it up to show his crewmate before crouching down beside me.
"The finishing touch. Can't have everyone mistakin' you for some filthy little stray, hmm?" Oh, he was enjoying this too much, and I glared at him before focusing on what he was showing me.

It was a small, diamond shaped tag, ever so slightly rounded at the edges. As he flipped it around repeatedly, I saw it had two inscriptions. One being 'Sneaky Bitch', and the other 'Property of Eustass 'Captain' Kid.

How the heck did he fit all that onto something so small..? Wait, PROPERTY OF WHO-

I leaned back as far as I could, but he still managed to clip it onto the front of my heavy metal collar, giving it a flick before standing back up, looking proud of himself.
"If I say sit, you sit. If I say heel, you heel. If I say beg, you fucking beg. Understand, Bitch?"

I couldn't tell whether it was my true self or the non-consensual cosplay I had been forced into, but in that moment I really wanted to lunge forward and bite him. Despite that, I made myself nod once.

For the rest of the afternoon, Kid made sure to parade me around the entire ship, really solidifying my mortification. Most of his men thought it was pretty funny, and some even went as far as to call me cute and treat me like an actual dog.

Killer and Heat were the only two who seemed genuinely unimpressed by the idea, though neither of them really spoke up about it, apart from Killer saying a word or two about how sadistic it was.

Dinner time rolled around, and I was forced to sit on the floor beside Kid's chair, right at the head of the main table. All I was given was two bowls, one filled with water, and the other empty.

The smell of hot food had my mouth watering and my stomach bellowing in want, but I just dealt with it. What would I have done about it, anyway? Fought a dozen or so bloodthirsty pirates for a bite or two? No way.

"Oi, Bitch. Ya hungry?" I glanced up to find that Kid had leaned back on his chair, eyes trained on my pitiful form. I wasn't sure why I had nodded and gotten my hopes up. I knew I never would again once he dropped a single bone into the second bowl, mostly picked clean aside from a shred or two of sinew.

Just hold out. Killer will probably sneak me something later.

Oh, how wrong I had been. Kid didn't let me out of his sight for the remainder of the evening, so my pipedreams of something to tide me over were dashed. He only permitted me to use the bathroom on my own, on two legs, which in all honesty, coming from him, could actually be considered generous.

Our final destination for the night was, to my horror, Kid's private quarters. Once I realised where he was leading me I stopped dead, resisting his initial tug to get me going again.
"You're seriously gonna start acting out now? After you've been such a good little dog all day? Fine."

My entire body tried to curl up on instinct when Kid picked me up by the scruff, carrying me into his room and shutting the door behind him. He could just as easily have dragged me by the chain or the collar itself, choking me in the process, but for some reason he opted for the least violent approach.

Please don't let this actually be a kink please don't let this actually be a kink please don't let this actually be a-

"I'll tell ya what. Since you quit running your loud mouth today and did what I told you to, I'll give you five minutes every night to talk like a human. You give me grief, I'll make it less." He announced, removing the chain from his arm and attaching it to the frame at the end of his bed.

"I'd rather you let me sleep in the cell." I spoke rather flatly, averting my eyes when he began to change his clothes, shedding his fur-lined coat and letting it drop to the floor.
"So Killer can spoil you with leftovers like he's been doing since he saw your tits? No chance."

Kid was more perceptive than I had initially realised, and I cussed under my breath, resting my back against the end of his bed.
"You're a horrible person, Kid. You know that, right?"

I listened to him change, keeping my focus on my throbbing wrist. I'd had no option but to use it all day, and it had likely set my healing process back a great deal.
"You chose to try and steal from me. This is your punishment, nothing more. It's just a bonus that I'm making it fun for myself and my guys." He replied, the bed creaking under his weight as he sat down.

He was right. I'd been cocky enough to think that I could pull off every heist without a hitch, so it was my comeuppance, in a way. Still, he was going way too far in my opinion. I was tough, but I could only take so much before my body gave out on me.

"I'm not breaking for you, I hope you know that." I muttered, folding my arms as he blew the candle out, washing the room in a pitch blackness. The man snorted under his breath, settling down under his fur covers for a much more comfortable night than I would have.

"You keep telling yourself that, you little bitch. Everyone breaks for me eventually..."

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***Kid has a pet play kink? Nah. Probably not. Maybe.

(I'm kidding he doesn't)

I'm trying to write what I can before the school holidays start, because work is going to be crazy busy and there's a good chance I could be called in on top of what I've already been rostered for.

Next Time: That's The Spirit***