FSE

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Ash felt the asphalt scrape against his skin and fur as he hit the ground. His head banged against the brick wall behind him. The bruises on his arms, legs and chest still throbbed. The door above him slammed shut as his assaulter retreated back inside. The human girl looked on, eyes wet and head downcast.

Ash grunted as he stood himself up. He stumbled a bit. He leaned his body toward the door. "Yeah, well fuck you too!" he shouted. He clenched his teeth and groaned as he felt his back with one paw and rubbed his head with another. The paw he pressed against his back felt warm and wet. He took the paw away and looked at it. His light grey fur was stained with blood. He rolled his eyes. "Just perfect," he said.

Ash leaned back against the brick wall. He dug around in his pocket for a cigarette and a lighter. He put the cigarette between his lips and lit it. The harsh, smoky taste filled his mouth as he took a deep breath.

As Ash breathed in, the thought of revenge briefly came to mind. It could only make him sad. Badly as he'd like to, there was nothing he could do. Ash just leaned back against the wall behind him.

Half an hour and half a pack of smokes later, Ash put away his pack and lighter and started walking home, before remembering that he had been evicted two days prior. He looked down at his feet.

Ash wandered aimlessly through the streets for a while before finding himself in another alley. He sighed. He found a flat cardboard box to use as a blanket, and propped his head up on the side of a dumpster. He sat down, and then lay back. Roof or not, he had to sleep. Ash closed his eyes.

---

Ash awoke on a warm, soft, white, bed, to a light shining down on him. "Hello there," Ash heard. He looked to his left, where the sound seemed to have come from. His eyes widened. It wasn't a human, and it wasn't any kind of Anthro he'd ever seen. The thing had a tall, black, anthropoid form, with long scruffy hairs lightly dotting him all over. The hair was thin enough that Ash could make out the black, not quite scaly skin underneath. He flinched, pushing himself back and off of the table. "What the fuck are you?" he asked, scrambling toward a hard, white wall behind him.

The creature who'd spoken stepped forward. "Oh come on, I don't look that weird, do I?"

"Fucking_yes_. Yes you do."

The creature let out a chuckle. "Oh well then." The thing walked toward Ash. Ash scooted away. "Well, to answer your question," it said, "I'm an alien."

Ash took a few deep breaths. He felt the pads of his paws sweating. "I... I'm dreaming. The last thing I remember is falling asleep, so I'm dreaming."

"No, actually, though a good guess."

"Which is what an alien in a dream would say."

"Maybe. I did admit it was a good guess. Now, stand up." The creature walked up to Ash and offered his hand.

Ash sighed and took the creature's hand. "Fine then, say I'm not dreaming, what do you want? You here to rape me? Anal probe me? Eat me?"

"I have an offer for you."

"I don't do anything harder than my three packs--"

"No, not that kind." The creature reached into his pocket. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, half-empty. Ash's eyes widened.

"Hey, that's mine. Give that back!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. It'd be unethical for me to let you carry around a toxic or addictive substance, let alone a toxic and addictive--"

"What the fuck do you know about it?"

"Not much, admittedly. We don't have anything like this, perhaps because we value our lives."

Ash's eyebrows curled. "Fuck off!"

"An interesting thing to say." The creature smiled as he put the cigarettes back in his pocket. "I've been watching you for a while, now, mostly in public, don't worry, and while it baffled me at first, I think I've finally got an idea about why you use them."

"Fuck off."

"You use them because you want to die, am I correct?"

Ash's eyes widened. He started to flick his tail up and down. He looked up at the alien.

"Your parents died when you were seven, if I recall?" the alien said. "You were raised in a foster home; not the best one either, by the looks of it?"

Ash looked up. "How... how do you know that? How long have you been watching--"

"Only a few months. I did some research. You grew up in a foster home from the age of seven. You stayed in the system for the rest of your childhood. On your eighteenth birthday, you moved straight out of the home you'd been living in. You've never made more than minimum wage. You often spent months between jobs because humans are unwilling to hire you. You lose your jobs in weeks because they are unwilling to retain you. Before I took you, you were injured from an altercation with a human who had discovered that you'd been interacting with his daughter."

Ash felt his back. His wounds were gone. He raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going with this?"

The alien smiled. He took a step forward. "Your life has been nothing but a collection of sadnesses, disappointments and frustrations. I don't blame you for wanting to die more quickly. I would too. However, I can offer you an escape from that life."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I will take you away from this planet, back to mine. There, you will be permitted every luxury you can imagine. Our society long ago evolved beyond the limitations of scarcity. Just as most of the people on your continent live better than Kings of past centuries, so do we live better than your highest aristocrats. There is a mansion for everyone to live in. Replicators supply any luxury we should desire. Technology enhances our bodies so that we live forever in perfect health. All of this is free. There is no one who would profit by charging for it. We all have the lives we choose. Any improvement which we desire can be made." The alien took another step closer. "Tell me, Ash, does that sound like a nice life to you?"

Ash begrudgingly smiled. "I'll admit I like the sound of this so far. What's in it for you, though? Am I just a charity case or..."

The alien smiled. "Ah, good question. There is only one condition. On top of the modifications you will receive to improve your health, to fix the damage you've been doing with those paper sticks of yours, and to make you smarter, faster, stronger and more skilled at most everything you're likely to do, you will receive a few modifications meant for my benefit."

Ash took a step backward. "Oh." He paused. "How so?"

"If you accept, you're to be my pet."

Ash took another step back. "Oh. I uh... see."

"If you're worried about whether or not you'll be happy, don't. The modifications will see to that. You will enjoy every moment of your life more than you could even if you returned to that planet and became the richest, most beloved and most powerful being there. The joy you feel every moment will not even be chemically possible in your brain right now." The alien took a step closer, and caressed his hand down Ash's arm. "You will not be compelled. You will want to fulfill my every desire."

Ash took another step back. "Woah, man or... are you a... I'm into chicks..."

"I apologize," the alien said. "That was out of line. Please forgive me."

"Uh... okay..."

"I must be honest with you though. One you awake from surgery, that barrier will too be removed. If you are not okay with that, you may refuse."

"I..." Ash thought. He weighed the options. If he let this... guy go into his brain, he'd... gods, what would he do? "After I'm modified, will I still even be me?"

"In most ways. You'll look the same as you do now, and the only things that will change about your personality will have to do with how you interact with me. Most of who you are will remain intact. The enhancements will be the biggest changes, really."

Ash looked down. He clinched his fist. He gulped, and looked up. "And I'll be better off than--"

"Than you can comprehend."

Ash thought.

He took a deep breath. "Fine," he said. "Alright. But I reserve the right to change my mind."

"Absolutely, though I'll warn you, after the modifications, you'll never want to."

"Because I'll be so well off or because you'll make me want to fuck you?"

The alien smiled. "Both." He took another step closer. "Don't worry. You'll live in almost the same way as me. I have robots for most of my house-work. There are replicators everywhere, so there's no need to bring me things. I simply want a companion and..."

"Fucktoy?"

"Pet," the alien said. "You can say no if you want to."

"No, it's just..." Ash sighed. "Nevermind. Fine. Turn me if you want. If you can make my life as awesome as you say... fine."

"Alright then. All you need to do is lie back down on the bed. It's actually a medical pod. By the time you awake, we'll be back at my planet. First, though, is there anything you need to collect from your world?"

Ash shook his head. "No. I own nothing but the cigarettes you took."

"Alright then. Lie down."

Ash gulped. He looked at the bed. As he moved toward it, he felt some last minute hesitation, but he powered through it.

Ash turned around. "Why not just build a sexbot?"

"Oh, I did. It's not the same, though. It's not really a person. It has no history. Plus, I'd not get to save you from your squalor here." The alien grinned.

Ash turned back around. He took a deep breath and got into the pod. As the pod closed, he looked at the alien. "Oh, what's your name?"

"Your mouth could never pronounce it. You may simply call me master."

"Oh... Alright." Ash took a deep breath and lay on his back, his tail fidgeting a bit. He looked up. The pod was closed. He felt drowsy. He gazed at the alien for another moment before he closed his eyes and soon let himself drift into sleep.