Their Pet (MxM)

Chapter 12:

Life was not the easiest back then. Cooped up in a small room with nothing but a large bed and window to keep me company.

I used to stare out that window until my brother blocked it out with wood panels.

It was the only highlight of my day, and I was devestated when I woke up to nothing but the dark.

But it was done, and I had no authority in that big house, and little room.

But... Things changed when I met him.

A boy like me. He was quiet, and had a blank expression that only I could understand.

And desperate for anything other than my daily life, I reached out to him, like everyone wanted.

We were like brothers. We played together, lived together, and cried together. It was like my old life was nothing but a bad dream.

But... then I realized that we were nothing alike.

He was strange. While I dealt with my problems in my head, he resorted to... a more extreme route.

He needed to hit something. I first noticed this when he would punch simple toys, to the point of breaking them. The sight of a teddy bear torn open, while he sat in the middle of a pile of stuffing was not uncommon.

But then he started to hit the walls, to the point of bloodying his knuckles and leaving scars on his clear skin.

And then there was people. At first, anyone would do. Anyone that slightly angered him would see his wrath. All I could do was watch, feeling hopeless and powerless against him. After all, words echoed in my head. Words that demanded I never disobeyed him.

And then it was just me. The worse part about it all, is that no one seemed to care. I know they noticed, but they just let it happen. Some would eye my bruises, and some wouldn't even look at me. It was like we had switched roles. I let them get hurt, so it was only right that they let me.

It really made me wonder if I was the object of his anger. If I caused him to be the monster he was turning into.

I put up no fight and took it, the guilt eating away at me. I was responsible for all this. I turned him into the monster he became, so I never disobeyed.

Except for one time.

It was the anniversary of our brother's death, and I had went alone to visit his grave, seeing as how no one else would.

So I gathered some flowers on my way there and presented it to him, feeling nothing but the empty regret.

And then he showed up. Angry that I had left the house without his permission. He began to thrash at the flowers and picture I had brought. I tried to contain the my anger, annoyance. But watching him disregard something so important to me left my heart thumping loudly.

Before I knew it, I had shoved him to the ground, and hit him over, and over, and over, until my own fists were covered in blood, although it wasn't mine.

And as I looked down to the mess I had caused, I felt ashamed.

Ashamed that I didn't do anything sooner.

So I got off of him, and waited.

But he never got up. The energy he had before was gone, and as we both sat there, the only noise the sounds of our heavy breathing, we were joined by the man I realized I had always hated.

My brother. The brother that owned my life. The brother that took over our older brother's place as the head of the family.

All those years of fooling myself was over, and the moment I turned my back, I never looked at him. I erased him from my memories, and ran.

I ran so far, I didn't know my way back. But that didn't matter anymore. I never was going back.

But living on my own was hard. With no money and no family, I was lost.

So I sat in the rain, alone. Shivering from the cold, and watching the trains pass by was all I could do.

But it didn't matter anymore. Nothing did.

But then I heard a voice.

The softest, kindest voice.

I looked up.

He seemed worried about me. A stranger. He asked me all sorts of questions, but I couldn't answer any of them, and just cried like a child.

But he didn't yell at me, or hit me, or blame me.

He just listened. And when I was done crying to him, he lead me to his home, and let me stay. Despite his home being small, he let me live there.

And I stayed. He helped me, after that. He showed me how to live, and how to survive.

He got me a job, so I could support myself.

He showed me how to be happy.

We went everywhere together, and he once brought me to a carnival.

It was my first time every seeing that much color in one place, and I watched with such glee.

He then pointed out something fluffy.

Never seeing anything like it, I watched as children ate it, completly confused.

And then, I tried it. Deciding my reaction would be funny, he bought one for me, and with a smile, told me to eat it.

And when I did, it was quite shocking. The sweet taste lasted, but the soft sugar disappeared almost instantly.

And as I looked up, at the person who changed my life, I cried. But those tears were different than any I had ever experienced.

I was happy. And I finally realized it.

"That's the first time I've ever seen you smile." He had said, briniging it to my attention. Time stopped, and all I could see was him. Standing in the crowd of people cheering and shouting, face lit up by the assorted colors of the different attractions.

He softly laughed as we walked together, and I couldn't help but wonder... why.

He helped me, a complete stranger. He was different from everyone else. He treated me with love.

And I soon fell for him. Maybe I was just new to all this. Maybe I was confused. But I wanted to stay woth him.

And then... she came.

He introduced us, and I came to know his new wife. I didn't hate her, she was kind, and sweet, and treated me as I was her kin. But she stole him, even though he was never mine.

But I didn't want to hate her. She wasn't the one at fault. I would probably just get in the way of everything. So I backed off.

And then, he came to me, and for the first time ever, he had tears in his eyes. So, I helped him. I didn't care about the consequences. I just knew I needed to repay the kindness he had shown me.

But, I never would've thought all this would happen.

This...

Madness.