A boy and his dog

1. Walking the stress out       “Father, what’s the meaning of this?” Ichirou asked, puzzled because the sight in front of him didn’t make any sense.       “You said you’ve always wanted a dog,” said Kengo like it explained everything. Ichirou would laugh at the absurdity of the situation, but in his father’s presence he had to withhold from such reactions, so his face remained blank.       But how should Ichirou react when there was his younger brother kneeling at their father’s feet? And yes, he was sure it was Riko, even if the man’s head was covered by a puppy mask – he’d recognize his brother’s tattoos everywhere.       Beside the mask, Riko was wearing a collar, which was attached to a leash, the end currently held in Kengo’s hand. His hands and knees were protected from the ground by paddings at least. The boxers were the only article of clothing Riko was allowed, apparently because otherwise, his body was bare.       “You should take him for a walk,” Kengo said, ignoring his son’s shock. Ichirou was handed the leash and then shooed away. Still processing what had just happened, he left his father’s study.       Riko crawled silently behind his brother, as he had been instructed earlier. Ichirou ignored him for now, his mind still reeling from the interaction with Kengo. Still deep in thought, he didn’t notice that he was standing in the garden, his legs unconsciously taking him where his father suggested.       The garden was a private part of the estate, shielded from the onlookers. Ichirou went there every time he needed to be alone (or as alone as one could be under the guard’s watchful gaze). Among the trimmed green grass and colorful flower beds stood a small fountain, its breeze falling delicately on Ichirou’s face. The aura of tranquility let Ichirou relax, the tension in his shoulders easing off. He sat down on the bench beside the fountain and took a deep breath. Finally, his gaze turned to Riko.       His brother kneeled at his feet, looking at him intensely. Ichirou patted his cheek and Riko leaned into the touch. Something warm bloomed in Ichirou’s chest at the behavior and he couldn’t help but smile.       “We’ll figure this out, yeah?” Ichirou said to Riko, cupping his brother’s cheeks. Riko only nodded, the mask restricting his speech, but it was all the confirmation Ichirou needed. For now, he decided to enjoy the sunny afternoon with his brother.        2. Food is love Ichirou had to admit that he quite liked having a companion. Riko was starved for his affection, which he gladly gave to his younger brother. In Ichirou’s care, Riko didn’t need to worry about being an exy champion - he could turn his mind off and follow his brother’s orders. The best part, in Ichirou’s opinion, was that spending more time with him meant less bruises for Riko. Sadly, the brothers couldn’t spend every day like that – both of them had their duties, so they tried to bask in the happiness of these moments spent together. Currently, they were enjoying dinner. As always, Riko sat at a pillow between Ichirou’s feet, his head resting on his brother’s thigh. The mask was taken off for now, so that Riko could eat, and later take care of Ichirou’s needs. The only thing remaining from the usual attire was a tail plug, which sometimes put a beautiful blush to Riko’s cheeks, especially when they went out. But for now they were alone at the table and a sigh of contentment escaped the kneeling man, his features relaxed. Ichirou kept feeding Riko from his hand, having found out that this way he could make sure everything from the plate would be eaten. Besides, he really liked the intimacy of this – the feel of Riko’s lips gently closing around his fingers, the soft tongue cleaning off the remnants of the food. “Good boy,” Ichirou said when the plates were empty. Riko perked up at thr words, smiling at his brother shyly. Praise wasn’t something common in the Nest, especially towards Riko. Failure was something to condemn, success – considered a standard. It wasn’t the first time Ichirou felt such resentment towards Tetsuji rules. But he couldn’t do anything about the place or not now, at least.       Riko tugged at Ichirou’s pant leg with his teeth, stopping the thoughts from spiraling. Ichirou looked down at his brother.       “Yeah?” He petted Riko’s head, giving him a few scratches occasionally.       His brother looked at him intently.       “You want your treat?” Ichirou put his thumb against Riko’s lips and the man opened his mouth eagerly. A smile rose to Ichirou’s face as the finger was sucked gently. “Alright, go for it.” Ichirou unzipped his pants and it was all the encouragement Riko needed. He started tugging at the underwear’s waistband and, with some help from his brother, soon freed Ichirou’s cock. A groan echoed in the room as Riko’s lips closed around the head and sucked gently. “Good boy,” said Ichirou and put his hands on Riko’s head. It seemed like the gesture encouraged the kneeling man to take more of the length. When it hit the back of his throat, Riko gagged and it sent a shiver of arousal down Ichirou’s body.       “Shhh, just warm me for now,” Ichirou soothed Riko, stroking his brother’s cheek gently. They weren’t in a rush, so they could enjoy a peaceful evening together.       3. Sleeping arrangements       Finally the day ended, Ichirou noted with relief. Every minute had felt like an hour, and during the meetings he had been daydreaming about curling up in his bed.       Ichirou opened the door to his apartment, unclipping the leash from Riko’s collar. He couldn’t help himself and gently caressed the man’s neck, eliciting a shiver from him.       Riko accompanied Ichirou through the evening routine, his presence giving a sense of comfort after a very stressful day. He was quietly sitting near Ichirou, observing what he was doing, but not getting in the way. Ichirou was glad that his brother understood what was needed of him.       Finally, it was time for bed. Ichirou took the dog mask off of Riko, smiling at the mess the man’s hair was. It had to be taken care of before bed, otherwise it would be a tangled disaster in the morning. “Turn around,” he said as he took out a brush from the bedside drawer. Riko did as asked without a second thought, giving Ichirou a warm feeling in his chest. His brother trusted him and in that moment he vowed to himself to never misuse this trust.       Ichirou started brushing Riko’s hair slowly, being quite proud at the silky feel of the strands between his fingers. He had taken it upon himself to take care of Riko’s hair, learning everything on hair care. It was satisfying to see that it paid off.       Riko was sitting relaxed at his feet, nearly asleep. Ichirou’s chest nearly burst from the feelings inside him.       “What do you want, boy?” Riko only looked at him, whimpering quietly. Then it clicked for Ichirou. “Come here,” he patted the mattress and Riko perked up. He hopped on the bed and snuggled up to his brother.       “Good boy.” Ichirou petted Riko’s head resting on his shoulder. It earned him a few licks to his face and he laughed at the sensation. He tried to move Riko’s head away, but the man was relentless in showing his appreciation.       After Riko deemed it was enough, he put his head back on Ichirou’s shoulder and let out a content sigh. Ichirou kept caressing his brother back, feeling the body beside him relaxing more and more. Soon, Riko was sound asleep, his deep breaths ticking Ichirou’s skin. Ichirou was resisting his heavy eyelids because he wanted to stay in the moment longer.       It saddened him that they couldn’t be like this more – warm and happy. Instead they had to lead a life full of misery, with their father dictating their relationship. At the thought of Kengo, Ichirou pulled Riko closer, as if to shield him from the world. The man didn’t wake up from the motion thankfully. In the morning, they’d need to go back to their assigned roles: Ichirou being the heir to their father’s empire and Riko – the forgotten son, being trained to be an exy star. But for now, Ichirou could bask in the feeling of just being himself.       Soon, the warmth from Riko’s body put Ichirou’s mind to rest, thoughts of a better future following him into the dreamland.              +1 Promises of a better future       Ichirou despised the Nest – it was too gloomy and suffocating in his opinion. But he had decided to go get his brother personally, rather than sending one of his servants to do it, so didn’t want to couldn’t back away now. He walked the dark corridors, his guards following him silently – only the echo of their dress shoes could be heard.       They arrived at the destination and Ichirou knocked on the door in front of him. He heard shuffling, then his brother was standing in front of him with a look of disbelief on his face.       “Ichirou?” Riko asked weakly, clearly still not believing that his brother was standing in front of him.       But Ichirou ignored his question and took Riko’s chin in his hand instead. His blood was boiling at the sight of ugly bruises covering his brother’s face. He pushed the other man gently, so that they could close the door behind them and have some privacy. The guards knew to stay outside and watch the door.       “What happened?” Ichirou was seething. Apart from the bruises, Riko’s eyes were reddened, making it obvious he was crying earlier.       “Nothing,” Riko mumbled, but the grip on his chin tightened.       “Tell me,” Ichirou demanded, but soon noticed the slight tremble of his brother’s body. He quickly let go of the other man and tried to reign in his anger. “Please, tell me what happened,” he tried in a softer tone.       Riko took a deep breath and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. It was a thing he always did when he was really nervous. “I made a mistake during training.” He avoided Ichirou’s eyes. “It won’t happen again,” the words were quickly added.       Anger simmered in Ichirou, threatening to overflow. The missing pieces of the story weren’t hard to guess, and Ichirou was overcome with the urge to strangle Tetsuji. But now wasn’t the time for that – he had more important things to do.       Ichirou led Riko to one of the beds and sat down. “Sit.” He patted the mattress beside him. Riko did so gingerly, like he was afraid of what would happen next. It added to the rage in Ichirou’s chest. His brother was meant to be happy, not scared for his own life at every corner.       Carefully, Ichirou embraced Riko and guided his brother’s head to his shoulder. Riko was tense all over, as if he was expecting the gentle touch to turn violent. Ichirou gave him time, patiently waiting for his body to relax. He raised his hand towards Riko’s face and the man flinched involuntarily, at which Ichirou immediately stopped. After a moment, he cupped his brother’s cheek, hiding his face from the world.       “Nobody will hear,” Ichirou said and the confirmation made Riko finally let go. His tears stained Ichirou’s shirt, but nobody cared at that moment. Ichirou was caressing Riko’s arm, his heart clenching with every sob Riko let out. Fire burned in Ichirou’s veins at the injustice of the world. He vowed that from now on he’d protect Riko at all costs.       And if he needed to take out his father and uncle out of the equation, so be it.