Work Text:
Mac is kneeling next to his owner. He is bored and his knees hurt. Sometimes he is able to shut down his mind while waiting, but today his owner had been demanding his attention.
When he is finally taken to the bedroom and told to wait, he starts remolding the paperclip he found on the floor in the office. He is just about to put it under the dog bed where he is waiting.
Under the bed there are almost a dozen creations. They represent his former life. His owner sometimes shows his pictures of Jack, Riley or Bozer, going on with their lives. But they are always on his phone so he can´t ask to keep one, not that he would be allowed that. The paperclip creations make him remember he had a life before this.
Owner comes in and he is still fingering the small metal object.
‘What is that, sweetheart?’
Mac cringes, owner’s voice is questioning but calm and gentle. Not at all demanding or threatening. It is always unsettles Mac when his owner shows this side of himself and not the monster Mac knows him to be.
His chin is lifted but he keeps his eyes downcast the way owner taught him.
‘You are such a good pet, but I want you to look me in the eye.’
Mac slowly looks up, not sure what to expect. Owner looks straight at him while holding up the paperclip creation.
‘Why do you make them?’
Mac tries to look down but gets a warning shake, so he quickly locks eyes again.
‘It gives me something to do, ‘ he whispers.
Owner seems to think that one over. Since he is not allowed to watch TV, listen to the radio or read, he is bored out of his mind. Reshaping the paperclips makes him remember his had a home, a family. It keeps him sane, tells him that he had a life before this. But he also knows he can’t tell them. Owner will take them away.
‘What are they?’
Owner twirls the paperclip between his fingers.
‘They’re just paperclips. They give me something to do.’
He can feel owner’s eyes study him, ‘you must be really bored.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘No, pet, I haven’t paid attention, I should have noticed you were not intellectually stimulated enough; Do you have more of these?’
For a moment, Mac doesn´t move, he can feel tears burn in his eyes. He is not ready to part with them, but he can feel owner’s eyes on him and he slowly points at the corner of his large dog bed and owner lifts the corner. He scoops up all the small metal pieces. Mac’s eyes start to water up, even though he doesn´t want to show how important they are to him.
‘Hey, hey, it’s OK. I’m not throwing them away. We are going to find something to put them in.’
Owner wipes away his tears with a thumb.
‘You can still make them.’
The moment his chin is released, Mac looks down, angrily wiping away his tears.
That night owner doesn´t have sex with him, he is just held until he falls asleep, looking at the large glass jar on the night stand that holds his creations.