Care
By Li'l Ninja
nifty_little_ninja@proton.me

Super serious disclaimer: The characters and events in this story are entirely fictional. Any possible resemblances to real-life people or events within this story are purely coincidental, I swear! This story contains naughty things that you might find...well... naughty. If naughty stuff offends you or it is illegal for you to read in your state, country, town, city, or whatever, then bugger off elsewhere! - Or just use a VPN or something - If not, then grab a box of tissues [for your eyes, you dirty sod!] and let's get started.

Chapter 3: Puppies!

The two brothers noisily bustled in through the front door of the Berrycloth residence.
"Mum, Dad, we're home for lunch," shouted Dominic. His little imp was attached lovingly to his waist.
"Come on through, boys," called Mrs Berrycloth. "Lunch is nearly ready. Don't forget to wash your hands on the way."

The boys stopped by the bathroom to quickly wash their hands. They then piled through to the Dining room, ensuring they each gave the pooch a fuss and a cuddle on the way.

Once in the dining room, Dominic ran to his mother and gave her a hug.
"Hi Mum," he said. She returned the hug. She then felt the small pair of the little imp's arms wrap around her lower torso. This was the first time Dylan had come to her to initiate a hug. Ecstatic with emotion and joy, she simply hugged her two boys back. However, it was over all too soon for her liking. The boys broke away and sat in their chairs around the table next to each other.

"Where's Dad?" asked Dominic.
"Sorry, Dominic. Your father got called into the office on an emergency," his mother replied.
"Oh, I see," Dominic said sadly.
"He said he's sorry," she said. But the boy still looked glum.
"Does that mean we can't take Mackie to the rec. later, then?" he asked.
"Look, Dominic," she started, "you need to talk to your father about that. I think he will let you take him to the park on your own. He has a lot of trust in you, you know. It's just he doesn't want anything to go wrong. There's been a few stories of expensive breeds, like Mackie, getting stolen recently. All it takes is for someone bigger than you to come and take him from you both and then what?" She tried to explain the situation as softly as she could but she also knew her boy was growing up and wanted to start developing his own independence and trust.
"I wouldn't let anyone take him." Tears started to well in the tween's eyes at the thought of losing the beloved family pet.
"I know you wouldn't, Honey," she said. "It's just..." she paused for a moment. "There are some not very nice people around in this world. You're big and strong, but a fully grown man is much stronger."
A tear ran down Dominic's cheek and Dylan noticed instantly. This was the first time he'd ever seen his brother shed a tear of sadness. Right away he sprang into action, starting by climbing off his chair and standing next to Dominic. He put his head in Dominic's lap, wrapped his arms around his waist and turned his head to stare up into his eyes.
"It's otay Dom-nic," he whispered, almost inaudibly. The sweet little boy melted Dominic's heart. It's impossible to be sad when you have that face smiling up at you.

Mrs Berrycloth lost her train of thought. She thought she heard Dylan say something but she couldn't be certain what it was or even if she actually heard it at all. She looked at the two boys together and thought it incredible that Dylan was comforting the older boy. It was usually the other way around. She suddenly remembered she was in the middle of a conversation.

"Dominic," she said, "he hasn't said 'no'. He is just very sceptical and he's scared, too. I'm just trying to explain to you why. And I don't want you to get your hopes up either."
Dominic just nodded. He was lost in his boy's eyes.
"I need to finish off making lunch, boys. I'll only be five more minutes," she said. But Dominic just nodded his head again. She rolled her eyes and smirked before heading back to the kitchen to finish making sandwiches and a Greek salad.

"Are you feeling better now, Bwother?" asked Dylan softly. Dominic pick the small boy up from under his arms and pulled him onto his lap.
"Yes, thank you," he replied, wrapping his arms around the boy and rocking him gently.

They both enjoyed the embrace for a short while and then Dominic said, "So it seems you made a best friend out of Sophie, Little Bro."
Dylan giggled. "Yeah, I fink so too. She's got pwoperly soft hair."
"Nathan likes you a lot too."
"I like Nay-fan, too. He makes me laugh. Will we get to see him again weally soon?"
"Well, we're going to see Tyler after lunch. So we can't do today," Dominic explained. "But we might be able to go over for a little while again tomorrow." Dylan smiled in approval.
"What we doing at Tylews?" quizzed Dylan.
"He has some new puppies. I thought you'd like to meet them since you make friends with dogs so easily," said Dominic with a smile on his face. Dylan looked like he was going to have a seizure.
"PUPPIES!" the little boy shouted, totally unable to contain his excitement. He fist-pumped the air several times like he'd seen Dominic do when he was excited.
"Yeah, I thought you'd like that," chuckled Dominic. Dylan climbed off the seat and threw his arms around his big brother.

Mrs Berrycloth came in with a tray containing three plates of ham, cheese and pickle sandwiches. There was a bowl of salad, two glasses of orange juice and a mug of tea. She placed a plate of sandwiches down in front of each of the boys. Dylan's sandwiches were sliced into little triangles and the crusts had been cut off, just how he liked it. She also placed down a glass of orange juice each. They were already stuffing the sandwiches into their mouths by the time she had laid out the salad and sat down with her tea and cheese sandwich.

"So, boys," she said, using some metal tongs to put some salad on her plate, "did you have a nice time at Nathan's house?"
"Yeah," said Dylan before she could barely even finish her question. He said it quietly, but he definitely said it.

Mrs Berrycloth's jaw fell open. Even Dominic stopped in his tracks and stared at the young boy. This was the first time the boy had ever spoken a word to her in the entire week he had been there.
"Dylan," said Mrs Berrycloth, still not believing her ears, "you spoke." Dylan blushed a little and carried on eating his food. "You did just speak, didn't you?" she asked. She was seriously starting to worry that she was going absolutely batty.
"Yes, Mrs Bewwycloff," he replied, still speaking quietly. Mrs Berrycloth gave Dylan a puzzled look.
"You know, Dylan," she said softly, "you Don't have to call me Mrs Berrycloth. You can just call me Iris."
"Okay, Mrs Bewwy... Uhh, Eye-wiss."
Iris gave the boy another puzzled look. She wondered why a boy of nearly 9 years of age would have a speech impediment still. She considered that, perhaps, he was uncomfortable about it and that is why it had taken him so long to start speaking. She decided that she would speak to the social worker about it this afternoon. Maybe she could shed some light on the situation.

***

Hunter rode his bike as fast as he could to get home. He was going as fast as his 11-year-old legs would pedal. The cool air blew through his medium-length brown hair and it felt refreshing in the warm afternoon sun.

Once he reached the driveway he rode up to his front door, hopping off his bike at the last second. The bike dropped to the floor and the back wheel was still spinning as he flew through the front door of his house.

"Mum," he shouted. "Mum..."
"I'm in the kitchen, sweetie," his mother shouted back to him.

The boy ran into the kitchen excitedly, nearly running straight into his mother who was carrying a tray of cookies.
"Mum...Mum..." the boy said excitedly.
"What is it, honey?" she said, placing the tray of cookies by the window to cool.
"Cole's dad says he will take me and Cole to the cinema. Can I go please, Mum? Can I, Can I, Can I?" Hunter blurted out rapidly. He was bouncing up and down on his toes with excitement.

His mother sat down on one of the dining table chairs and held a hand out, gesturing for her son to come and join her. He stepped forward and held his mother's hand, face-to-face. She stared into his beautiful green eyes that were so full of hope. He had the same eyes as his father used to have.

She missed her late husband terribly. After dying from skin cancer when Hunter was only 7, she had been left to bring him up on her own ever since. Hunter missed his father dearly, too. The father's untimely death was hard on both of them. But mother and son were there for each other and they both came out the other side stronger and closer than ever before. She was highly protective of her little boy, the only man in her life. He was her entire world. But he was growing up now and she realised that she couldn't coddle the boy for his entire life.

She placed her other hand on her son's cheek and stroked his soft, unblemished skin and gave a smile.

"So, can I, Mum? Pleeeeeeeeease?" Hunter begged.
"Oh, alright," she conceded.
"Yesssss!" He let go of his mother's hand and started doing a victory dance around the kitchen. His mother couldn't help but laugh. She opened her purse and rummaged around, pulling out 2 crisp £5 notes. When her boy had finished with his victory dance she handed them to him.
"Here," she said, "I want you back by dinner time at the very latest."
"Yes, Mum. Thanks, Mum," he said, slipping the money into his pocket.
"I mean it. If you're late then I won't let you out to do something like this again, okay?" She was using her serious tone.
"Okay," Hunter agreed with a nod.
"And hunter," she said.
"Yes, Mum?"
"Have a good time." She took her son in for a big hug and he hugged her back. "Go on, you'd better get going."
"Okay, Mum. Love you." He gave his mother a little kiss on the cheek and grabbed a cookie. Then, just as quickly as he came, he was gone.
"I love you too, Hunter," she called back. But he was already out the front door.

***

"What are your plans for this afternoon then, boys," Iris asked, clearing the plates and glasses from the dining room table.
"Dylan and I are going to go and play with Tyler's new puppies," Dominic replied.
"Oh, how fun," Iris said. "Just remember to be back for 4PM, though. I know I sound like a broken record, but you must meet with the social worker, Dylan."
"Otay, I'll we-mem-buww," replied Dylan.
"Yeah, I'll remember too, Mum," added Dominic.
"Okay," she said. "I need to get lunch cleared up and then start preparing for dinner." She gave both of the boys a kiss on the cheek and they scuttled off to Dominic's bedroom.

"I'm really happy you feel safe enough to be able to speak to Mum now," Dominic said, sitting down on his bed. Dylan scampered up beside him. He was so close, he was practically sitting on him.
"It's just..." Dylan took a pause to try and articulate what it was he was trying to say. He was a smart boy for only 8 years of age. But everything he had gone through had made understanding people and emotions properly extremely hard. He was still trying to adjust to a certain level of 'normality', whatever that meant.

Dominic looked into the boy's stoney-grey eyes. He could see the cogs turning so he gave Dylan as much time to figure out what it is he wanted to say. The boys had spent almost every waking (and sleeping) second together for the past week and they had an understanding of each other that came almost naturally. It was like they had known each other for their entire lives, somehow. This is why Dylan was ready to open up to the boy so quickly. He hadn't told him any of what really happened yet. But he had told Dominic enough to know that his short life was full of neglect, abuse and trauma.

As he focussed on his boy's beautiful face, he noticed Dylan had hit something. The gears had stopped turning. The boy had analysed all possible outcomes and the conclusion was there, behind Dylan's eyes. The young boy started to well up and Dominic instantly wrapped his arms around him and pulled him in for a hug.

Dylan bawled his little soul out into the chest of his brother. Dominic knew this was bad but all he could do is hold him tight and gently rub his back.

It was a good solid 5 minutes of crying before Dylan showed any signs of stopping. Dominic's tee shirt was sodden with tears, but he did not care. His little brother needed him and nothing was going to get in the way of him doing so. He kissed the top of Dylan's head. The small boy tried his best to rein it in.
"D...*sniffle* D...*sniffle* Don't...*pant* make...*pant* me...*pant* go," Dylan sobbed into his brother's chest. "I...*pant* I...*pant* I want to stay with you!" He was back into full bawl mode again. Dominic felt useless. Here he had this amazing little boy bearing his soul to him and he had no idea what to do or how to help. All he could do was cry along with his little brother.

Some time later, they had cried all their tears and energy away. They were laying on top of Dominic's bed. Dominic had Dylan in his arms. Dylan had the arm his big brother had wrapped around him pulled tight to his chest.
"It's just..." Dylan continued. This actually made Dominic smile. That conversation started a good half an hour ago. "It's just if I speak to them and I'm nice to them. Will they let me stay do you fink?"

Dominic thought hard about this. He knew his parents were emergency foster carers. They typically provided children with a safe place to stay with a loving family on a very short-term basis until Social Services found somewhere more suitable. He had seen dozens of children pass through. Most only stayed for a few days to a week. That's when it dawned on him... the social worker is coming this afternoon!

His heart started to race and his palms went sweaty. Were they going to take Dylan away from him today? He felt sick and dizzy. He felt... a kiss on his hand.
"Dom-nic?" Dylan pleaded.
"I won't let them take you anywhere," Dominic said, his voice cracking.
"How? I fink the so-tul wouwwka will take me today," Dylan sniffled. He was trying his best to not get overwhelmed again.
"Dylan, baby brother," started Dominic, "I love you and I won't let them take you anywhere."
"But — "
"There's only one kid that came through this foster home and wasn't gone within a fortnight," said Dominic, gently sobbing. Dylan was confused.
"Otay, so?" he asked inquisitively. He thought what Dominic had just said sounded bad. He wondered what it was he was missing.
"Dylan, that kid was me."

***

Hunter hurried out of his house after telling his mum he loved her. Of course, he grabbed one of his mother's delicious homemade cookies on the way out. He was super excited to go to the cinema with his best friend, Cole and his dad.

The boy picked his bike up and realised he was unable to eat his cookie and ride at the same time. 'No problem' he thought to himself. He decided he would simply wheel his bike along while he ate his cookie and then bike the rest of the way to Cole's house. He didn't live too far away and he had plenty of time before he had to get back for dinner; it was only lunchtime.

Hunter was in his own little world. He loved seeing the bumblebees buzzing around as the sun gently warmed his skin. His mind slipped into thinking as he dawdled along. He thought about the people in life that meant a lot to him. He thought about his mother and his best friend, Cole.

Cole and Hunter had only been boyfriends for six weeks. But they had a lot of fun together. They had known each other for most of their lives and they went to the same school. Neither of the boys were out to their friends or their parents. Although, they had their suspicions that their parents might already know. After all, Hunter wasn't exactly quiet when they had sex. Cole was able to be a little more discreet, but only marginally.

Once Hunter had finished his cookie, he hopped on his bike and rode the rest of the way to Cole's house, still in his own little world. In fact, he didn't even notice the van that had been following him since he left home.

Cole was already waiting for his boyfriend on the doorstep when Hunter returned. Hunter jumped off his bike and into Cole's arms. They both shared a soft kiss.
"So?" asked Cole impatiently.
"She said I can come," Hunter reported, full of excitement.
"Woooooh!" cried Cole. They both did a little victory dance, shuffling their shoulders and bumping their hips against one another's.
"Com'on," said Cole, "let's tell my dad and then we should go 'celebrate' in my room until it's time to go."
"I think that's a great idea."

Hunter and Cole delivered the good news to Cole's dad. He was happy that Hunter's mother allowed her son to come along. He knew how protective she could be over Hunter sometimes, but he completely understood where she was coming from.

All three guys went through the newspaper that had all the cinema movies and times and, eventually, they all agreed on what movie they would watch and what time.

"Okay, lads," said Cole's dad, "we will be leaving in about an hour. Go get yourselves ready. I'll shout you boys five minutes before we have to leave."
"Thanks, Dad," said Cole, giving his father a hug.
"Thanks, Mr Walker," said Hunter.
"Hunter, you know I hate it when you call me that," said Cole's father in a jovial tone.
"Sorry, Gordon," Hunter corrected.
"That's better," Gordon smiled. "Now go get ready and I'll shout you boys when it's nearly time to leave."
Both boys said, "Okay."
"Oh, and, boys," Gordon said, "keep the noise down and make sure you shower after you're done." Both boys turned bright red with embarrassment.
"Daaaaaad!" Cole squealed. The couple scampered upstairs to Cole's bedroom as fast as they could.
"I'll give it 5 minutes 'till they're at it again," chuckled Gordon to himself.

The boys chased each other upstairs and closed Cole's bedroom door shut with a slam. The two boys faced each other.
Drooping his arms around Hunter's neck, Cole said, "I'm so happy you can come with us."
Hunter started to say, "Me too." But before he could, Cole's tongue was in his mouth. The two preteens' passion for each other was evident. They loved one another and they needed to express that love, right then and there.

Both of the boys' hands got busy undoing belts, pulling off tops and tee shirts, removing trousers, and, of course, underwear. This was all done while remaining lip-locked and tongue-tied. These boys had clearly had a lot of practice in the six weeks they had already been together.

As both boys stood there naked, their cocks rock hard and mashed up against one another, the boys slowed their kissing.

Both boys, panting for breath, headed over to Cole's big, comfy memory foam mattress atop his bed. They had already knackered the springs in Cole's last mattress so Gordon had to buy him another one. Not only are memory foam ones more comfortable, but they make less noise when you fuck on them.

"I love you so much, Hunter," said Cole, running his nails lightly up and down his lover's back.
Hunter let out a soft moan. "I love you too..." before he could finish his sentence, Cole pushed him back onto the bed and pounced on top of him. He licked the boy's neck and kissed downwards towards his belly button.

Hunter's moans became more apparent. He loved to be dominated like this by the one he loved. He also loved that Cole was nearly one year younger than him. They were in the same year and class at school. But Hunter was one of the oldest in his year and Cole was one of the youngest.

It didn't take long until Cole was licking and sniffing around the older boy's crotch and balls. Hunter's erection was so, so hard and was oozing precum everywhere. Hunter's boy scent made Cole's eyes roll into the back of his head and sent him wild with desire and passion. He tentatively licked the underside of the older boy's penis, starting from the base and heading to the tip. Hunter made another moan when his lover gently licked away the precum that was oozing uncontrollably from his member.

Then, in one swift motion, Cole took the entire five inches of Hunter's succulent cock into his mouth. Hunter let out a cry of pleasure.

Downstairs, Gordon heard the cry. A smirk crossed his face as he looked at his watch.
"4 minutes," he chuckled to himself as he turned up the volume on the TV.

Cole went to town on his lover's hot pole. His lips were tightly pursed around the boy's stiff member as he slid them up and down, making Hunter wriggle, writhe, and moan in ecstasy. He flicked his tongue around the tip of the boy's sensitive head while at the zenith of his strokes. Then, when plunging back down on the tween's throbbing delight, he used his tongue to wrap around the shaft, further teasing and exciting the boy. Hunter had no control over his body. There was little he could do but moan and wriggle about as the boy he loved gave him round after round of pleasure.

"Wait, wait, wait..." pleaded Hunter. "I don't want to finish like this," he panted. "I want you inside of me. I want your cum... inside of me."
Cole didn't need telling twice. He slipped his lover's hard staff from his mouth and reached for the drawer next to him to pull out the tube of KY Jelly. Hunter got onto his knees in the middle of the bed and leaned forwards. He used his arms to support himself and made sure there was a pillow nearby to support his head if he needed to; Cole could get a little rough at times. Not that he minded at all.

Cole squirted some KY onto his hand and spread it up and down his five-and-a-half inches of meat. Cole was incredibly well-developed for his age. Not only was he long, but he had some good girth, too. His balls had already started to drop and he had some black pubic hair growing around the base of his dick. Hunter knew that Cole was going to be hung like a horse when he got older and he liked that idea very much so.

Cole then used the remaining KY that was on his fingers to apply some to his lover's puckered hole.
"Wait," cried Hunter.
"What?" Cole looked bemused.
Hunter blushed, "I... I'm going to need a towel or something." Cole grinned and grabbed a used towel out of his laundry hamper. He laid it underneath Hunter and got himself into position. He was on his knees behind his best friend and lover with his throbbing vessel lining up to Hunter's tight little hole.

Cole teased the hole with his member. He rolled the tip of his dick around the tight muscles that protected Hunter's insides. He rubbed his own special blend of precum and KY Jelly around the boy's hole. Hunter bucked his hips backwards, his hungry boy prostate needing to feel the sensation of its lover's caress. Hunter whined and moaned in frustration.
"P... Please," he begged, thrusting his hole at his lover. He needed his boy inside of him.
After one more tease, Cole gave Hunter what he wanted. He pushed the tip of his fat wand up against the tight, twitching sphincter. Hunter let out a gasp. His heart was pounding. So was the throbbing of his steely-hard erection that thump-thump-thumped along to his racing pulse.

Then, in one single, slow, deliberate thrust, Cole slid all that he had into Hunter's backside. They both let out low groans of pleasure as Hunter's rectum was filled. Cole wrapped his arms around the boy he loved so much and they both simply enjoyed the extreme level of closeness between the two for a few moments.

Cole slowly started to pull backwards. His thick shaft made the boy below him shudder as it rolled over his prostate. When he was far enough back, he slowly thrust in again. As he did, he kissed Hunter on his neck. Hunter was trembling with sensory overload.
"Cole, I'm not going to be able to hold on for long. I'm too damned close," said Hunter, a quiver of pleasure in his voice.
"Good," chuckled Cole. "Me neither."
With that Cole started to slow-fuck the older boy's pucker, never once disengaging contact with his lover's prostate.

"Ohhhh," hunter moaned. He let his eyes roll back into their sockets.
"You feel so good," panted Cole, thrusting his fat rod into the boy's tight fissure once again. He continued kissing Hunter's neck and started increasing the tempo of his thrusts.
"Oh, shit, Cole," moaned Hunter, "I love you so much. Oh shit!"
"I love you too, Hunter," Cole spoke softly into his ear. His thrusts were becoming faster and more deliberate.
"Ohhh. Ohh. Oh," moaned Hunter in a state of total bliss. "Oh. Oh. . . . Oh shit. . . Oh... shit. ." The boy was nearly at his peak. "Cole. . . Cole. . . Oh shit, Cole. . Oh shit . . . . Coooooooole!" Hunter cried out as he shot 4 jets of clear boy juice on the towel below him. He bucked and tensed his rectum in the throws of his orgasm. This was all Cole needed to push him over the edge. He was surprised he hadn't blown his load already.
"FuuuUUUuuuUUUCCKKK," Cole cried out as his own orgasm began to envelop him in its warm blanket of passion and relief. He instinctively thrust himself as deep as he could into Hunter's ass, ensuring that his incoming seed would be planted as deep in his mate as possible. "Fuck..." he cried out as he splashed his first shot of semi-developed ejaculate into Hunter's tight little boy hole. "Fuck..." he cried again as he pumped his lover with more of his seed. "Fuck..." another huge splash filled the older (but smaller) boy's anal cavity. "Fuck...Fuck...Fuuuuck" Cole was absolutely spent. Shaking, he collapsed onto the back of his lover, wrapping his arms tightly around him. They both lay there for a short while, basking in the heady high of their orgasms and their love for one another.

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth of yours?!" teased Hunter when he got his breath back. Both boys burst out laughing. Hunter's laughter caused Cole's softening cock to plop out of his boyfriend's ass with a pop. This only made them laugh more.

When the laughter calmed down, Hunter turned so he was facing Cole. Cole leaned down and they shared a deep passionate kiss. Both boys knew everything was right with the world as long as they had each other in their arms.
"Com'on. We should grab a shower and then we can nap until Dad wakes us to go to the cinema," he suggested.
"That sounds like a great idea," agreed Hunter. He wrapped his arms around Cole's neck and lifted himself up for another kiss. "I love you, Cole."
"I love you too, Hunt. I can't imagine my life without you."

***

Dominic's eyes flashed open and he sat bolt upright.
"Crap," he whispered to himself, "what time is it?" There was a sleeping Dylan pinning his arm down and he really didn't have the heart to wake the boy. He tried arching his neck to see the clock beside his bed. The movement made the little boy stir.
"N... n.. no. No, no, no," Dylan murmured in his sleep. "No, Dommie. Don't leave me. I love you, Dom-nic. No, no, NO!" with a scream the boy sat up straight and started wailing. Tears were pouring down his face. Dominic wrapped his arms around the small boy and Dylan climbed into him, wrapping his legs and arms around him. He did his best to soothe the boy. "There, there," he said softly, rubbing Dylan's back. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." He gently rocked the boy that was attached to him back and forth.

Dominic managed to catch a glimpse of the time. It was only 1:57pm. There was still plenty of the day left. The older boy was both touched and distressed by what Dylan had shouted in his sleep. He kept rocking his baby boy and rubbing his back. It wasn't long until both boys fell asleep wrapped in each other's bodies.

***

Dominic dreamed of little star sparkles floating from the sky and exploding in flutters of happiness and joy on his cheeks. He could hear the giggle and chorus of angels singing to him.

An intense feeling of comfort and belonging covered Dominic from head to toe.

His eyes fluttered open. What was before him took his breath away. He saw the most incredible thing he had ever seen in his entire life. It was what he saw when he reached the blinding ball of light in his dream. He saw his little Dylan.

As the little boy showered him with kisses on his cheek, his lips, and his neck, he felt those little exploding pockets of happiness from his dream fill his entire being. The sensation was overwhelmingly incredible.

Dylan had his eyes closed, so he was unaware that Dominic was now awake.

Up until now, when the two boys kissed each other, those kisses had been polite. They had been dainty and sweet. Both boys had kept their mouths closed. But now... Now Dominic wanted to show this boy what kissing really meant. He had never kissed anyone else but his mum and dad, though. In fact, the most advanced kissing he had ever done had been recently... and it was with Dylan.

He wasn't sure why. He wasn't sure how. But Dominic knew there was something inside of him that could teach this young boy he loved so dearly to kiss. Dominic tried opening his mouth like he'd seen people do in movies sometimes. He didn't actually understand how that would make anything better. In fact, it seemed rather counterintuitive to him. How can you kiss if your lips are out of the way? He tried it anyway.

As soon as he opened his mouth, though, Dylan pulled away.
"Oh shit," he thought. "I've nobbled it up. I've ruined everything with this incredible boy."

Dominic looked up as the younger boy above him stared into his eyes. It felt like he was searching deep into Dominic's soul. "Yep, I've fucked it," he thought as tears began to well in his eyes.

Dylan kissed him softly on the lips again. He felt exactly the same sensation he felt in his dream.

Dylan scooted up a little so he could stare down at his big brother. The younger boy's eyes scrolled and scanned every inch of his own eyes for information. He could see the usual turning of cogs happening in the boy's head.
And then, with no warning at all, Dylan darted down for their first open-mouthed kiss. The sensation was explosive.

It took no time at all until the youngest boy was sat straddling his big brother, legs on either side of his torso. Dominic had no idea how to wrestle tongues, but Dylan was a great teacher, especially for his age. The two boys had found their new favourite pastime.

"Woah, wow, what?" gasped Dominic when they finally came up for some much-needed oxygen. The look of love, lust, and smugness couldn't have been more apparent on Dylan's flustered face.
Dominic almost asked "Woah, where did you learn to do that?!" but he didn't. He knew enough about Dylan now to know that neither of them wanted to discuss the answer to that question. Especially not right now. Instead, he took his young lover's mouth into his again to learn another lesson.

***

There was a knock at the bedroom door.
"Boys, we're leaving in five minutes," Cole's dad said. Hunter and Cole opened their eyes. They were looking directly at each other. Both boys smiled and they shared a gentle kiss.
"Hey, Beautiful," Cole said, sweeping Hunter's bangs to one side.
"Hey." Hunter smiled at his lover with a twinkle in his eyes.
"We need to get up if we're gonna catch this movie." The two boys extricated themselves from one another's arms and shared another quick kiss before getting up and heading downstairs.

"Well hello there, sleepyheads," chuckled Gordon. The boys smiled back at him. "Get your shoes on and we'll get going shall we?" he said, taking the last swig of tea from his mug. The boys put their shoes on and they all headed out the door.

The drive to the cinema didn't take long. Gordon gave the boys some change to go and play in the arcade while he queued up to get the tickets. Once he had the tickets he headed to the arcade section to see the boys laughing and joking away with each other.

Gordon had his suspicions that both his son Cole and his best friend, Hunter were gay since they were considerably younger. He had seen Hunter grow up alongside his boy and treated him as if he was his own son. He had always been close to Hunter's family and had become an integral part of it after Hunter's father died as he offered all the support and aid he could to the boy and his mother. As the boys grew older, he could tell that each of them were crushing on each other. There was something about the way they stared at one another, always talked about what the other had been doing, and the way they had to spend every waking moment together. Gordon found this adorable and simply left them to it. A little over a month ago, however, he started hearing sounds coming from Cole's bedroom. They were having sleepovers a lot more often and they both seemed closer somehow. When he saw them snuggled up on the sofa, holding hands together one day after school, his suspicions were confirmed. Neither of the boys saw him walk past the lounge as they were too engrossed in watching cartoons on the TV. However, when he had finished making his cup of tea and went to join them in the lounge, the boys were both sitting upright and they were no longer holding hands. He felt bad that the boys felt that they had to hide their love for one another from him. Obviously, he wanted them to keep their lovemaking to the bedroom. But he felt the boys should be able to cuddle on the sofa together watching TV in their own home. He decided that he needed to speak to the boys about it if they didn't come to him soon.

The "Game Over" scene came up on the screen of the arcade machine the boys were playing on. They were happy and laughing with each other.
"Woahh, that's our highest score yet," Hunter said excitedly, pointing at the screen.
"Yeah, you kicked ass," Cole replied.
"You were pretty sick yourself, too," said Hunter, trying to figure out how much better they needed to play to land the number 1 spot on the high-score leaderboard.
There was a silence as each boy caught the eye of the other. They turned to face each other and their faces slowly moved closer.
Their lips were about ready to touch when Hunter says, "We shouldn't do this here. If someone from school sees us, we're both dead."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," replied Cole, looking thoroughly disappointed. "Com'on. Let's go and see where Dad's at."
With a nod from Hunter, both boys turn round to see Gordon standing only a few feet away, looking at them with a smile.
"Dad!" Cole said, sounding a little more surprised than he meant to. Both boys went bright red. How long had he been watching them?
"Have you got the tickets, Gordon?" asked Hunter, trying to act normal.
"Yeah, we have a good fifteen minutes to grab snacks and stuff." He looked at both the boys and thought quickly. "Boys, follow me a minute. I want to talk to you about something." Both of the boys' stomachs sank. They both knew they were in deep, deep trouble.
"Shit," Cole whispered.

Gordon took the boys to a quiet section of the cinema where there were some comfy seats to sit on. There was nobody in hearing distance. He sat the boys down and he sat next to them.
"Look, boys," he started, "it's fine. I know."
"What do you mean?" asked Cole.
"I know you two are a couple now," he said. "I just want you to know I'm okay with it. Honestly." Both boys looked at each other in utter disbelief.
"Wait, how long have you known?" Hunter blurted out.
"That you're both gay?" he asked. Both boys nodded. "Me and your mother had our suspicions since you were both about 8 years old."
"You mean my mum knows, too?" Hunter asked frantically.
"Of course she does. She's your mother," Gordon stated matter-of-factly. Hunter's eyes darted all over the place as he tried to process the information. "Calm down, Hunter. She's fine with it. You're both good kids and we will love you for whoever you are. The only thing is, she's a little upset you haven't told her yourself." He waited for a little while for both boys to let what he said sink in.
"You mean, you're not mad with us, Dad?"
"Of course not, Son," Gordon replied. "Come here you two." He held his arms out and they all engaged in a three-way hug.
"Look, boys," Gordon continued after they broke the hug, "both me and your mother, Hunter, have already spoken at length about this." Both boys blushed up again at the thought of their parents talking about their homosexuality. "We don't mind you holding hands around the house or snuggling together on the sofa. Just as long as you keep anything else to the bedroom and you clean up after yourselves."
"Dad!" Cole squealed.
"I mean it, boys. And try to keep the noise down a little, too. I think the entire neighbourhood knows that Hunter's a little screamer." Hunter went another few shades of red darker and just wanted the ground below him to swallow him up.
Gordon couldn't keep a straight face any longer and burst into laughter. Even Cole couldn't hold back a little chuckle. His dad was right, after all, Hunter really was a little screamer.
"Come on, lads," said Gordon, still chuckling "Let's go to the food stand."

Gordon got some popcorn, nachos with extra jalapenos, and a Pepsi. The boys got popcorn and a pick & mix to share, along with a mixed foamy ice drink each. Loaded up and ready for the movie they headed for their screen. A man at the door checked their tickets, tore off the little perforated tab and handed them back.
"Can we sit at the back please, Dad?" asked Cole excitedly.
"Fine," Gordon replied with a smirk.

The boys ran up the steps and found a nice place in the middle that had a good view. They could have sat practically anywhere they wanted. There were only about a dozen other people in there with them as the movie had been out for ages and most people had seen it already.

Once seated and waiting for the movie to start rolling, Hunter grabbed a piece of popcorn and threw it at Cole. The popcorn bounced off of Cole's nose and Hunter started laughing. Of course, Cole couldn't let Hunter get away with that so he fired a piece back, bouncing off Hunter's chin. Laughter and popcorn flying everywhere ensued. The boys were having a right good time until a piece of popcorn veered from its intended trajectory and bounced off Gordon's temple.
"Boys!" he snapped at them. Both boys gulped and slunked back into their chairs. He stared at both boys and with a grin, he grabbed two pieces of his own popcorn and fired one at each of the boys. Both were direct hits, bouncing off each boy's foreheads. The laughter and popcorn flying everywhere continued with an additional participant.

The lights dimmed and the three guys stopped their popcorn fight as they got ready for the pre-roll clips and trailers to start.

By the time the movie had started, the boys had already settled down and were holding hands with each other. One fed the other popcorn with his free hand while the other used his free hand to feed sweeties. Gordon looked over at the adorable couple and smiled.

All three guys enjoyed the movie. It was called Drop Dead Fred, starring Rik Mayall. It was about a woman who had an imaginary friend when she was a kid. When she grew up, she found her imaginary friend locked away in a jack-in-the-box and let him out. Her imaginary friend got her into all kinds of trouble and had to try and find a way of getting rid of him. Everyone in the cinema (all fifteen of them) laughed, especially the boys.
The three guys left the cinema, laughing and talking about their favourite parts of the movie.

***

Hazel was a mix of emotions as she got herself ready for her first appointment working on her own. It was a hard read, but she had finally managed to work her way through the dossier of Dylan Lee Brown. Some of the things she had read had given her nightmares. It didn't help there were pictures and video files to go along with it, too.

Hazel looked at the clock on her kitchen wall. It was 2:37pm. Her appointment was a good forty-minute drive away so she still had plenty of time. However, she wanted to arrive at the Berrycloth's house early to lay as much groundwork as possible. She decided to leave there and then. After all, waiting around was only making her nervous and antsy.

Hazel had worked with the Berrycloth's before when she was working with Dave Harris. It was another abuse case, but not as severe as this one. Hazel knew the Berrycloth's were a lovely family; very warm and welcoming. Furthermore, she was very impressed by how well-mannered their own son, Dominic was. They had clearly raised him well. There is one thing that she did know for certain, though: Dylan would be safe there for now; he would be loved and well looked after. But she knew it was only emergency foster care accommodation and that she had very limited time to arrange somewhere more permanent for the boy.
She took one more deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves and let it out. She grabbed her keys and her bag that contained her case notes and headed for the door. But she froze as she passed the bookcase.
"You can never be too prepared," she said to herself as she reached in and picked out her nephew's favourite book, 'Funnybones' by Janet & Allan Ahlberg. Her nephew was a couple of years younger than Dylan. But heck, even she liked the book herself and she was 26 years old. She slipped the book into her bag and set off to meet Dylan for the first time.

***

Dominic and Dylan came up for air once more. Both boys had goofy looks on their faces as they stared into each other's besotted eyes.
"You know, I love it when you straddle me like that," said Dominic while arranging the boner in his underwear. "It makes me feel like you can do anything you want to me."
"Oh, weally?" smirked Dylan.
"Yeah. Maybe you can come up with some ideas?" suggested Dominic. Dylan chortled out a giggle. "I love your laugh, you cheeky little imp." This just made Dylan chortle out more giggles.

When Dylan stopped his giggling, he scooched down Dominic's body a little. When he was in place the small boy leant forward and rested his head on Dominic's chest. He could hear his heart beating. The older boy ran his fingers through the small boy's hair causing him to purr.
"Aww we stiww going to see Tyleww's puppies today, Dom-nic?"
"Sure we can," replied Dominic. "Can you see what time the clock says?" Dylan lifted his head and arched his back a little to check the bedside clock.
"Two fouwty-fwee," Dylan reported, laying his head back down to continue listening to Dominic's beating heart.

Dominic couldn't help but smile at the way Dylan sang out "fouwty-fwee". And then something struck him. He lay there quietly considering his thought as he continued to slide his fingers through Dylan's hair.
It took a while to think it through. But there was something he needed to know; something he needed to ask. He was afraid to say anything though because Dylan never spoke about it. He didn't want to offend the boy.

After a couple more minutes of thinking, he took a deep breath in and said, "Dylan?"
"Yeah, Dom-nic?"
"How come when you sang earlier at Nathan's house, your speech impediment didn't come through?" he asked. Dylan slowly sat back up, once again straddling the older boy. He cocked his head slightly and stared down at Dominic.
"I don't know," Dylan said, surprised he never even consider that himself.
"Well, I have an idea of something to try," suggested Dominic. Dylan cocked his head a little more.
"Otayyy?" Dylan was intrigued.
"We could try using your singing to fix your speaking," exclaimed Dominic excitedly. Dylan did his usual 'Loading, please wait...' face for a few seconds.
"That might be a weally good idea, Dom-nic," said Dylan.
"Do you wanna give it a try later or something?" Dominic suggested.
"Otay, yes. Fanks, Dom." He leant forward to give his brother a kiss and a tight cuddle.
"We should go now if you want to see the puppies today," said Dominic. He really didn't want laying with Dylan like this to ever end. But he also wanted to see the delight on his boy's face when he sees the puppies.
"Otay." After another kiss and a cuddle, both boys reluctantly got up and got themselves ready to go to Tyler's house.

"Mum, we're going to Tyler's. We'll be back before 4 o'clock," shouted Dominic as he opened the front door.
"Okay, boys. Be safe. I love you," Iris shouted from the kitchen. "Your father will be back home from work soon, too."

The two boys held hands, talked, and giggled like they were long-lost lovers all the way to Tyler's house. As they got closer, Dominic could sense that Dylan was getting a little anxious about meeting new people. Dominic was starting to get used to this now and understood what was happening. He tried his best to keep Dylan relaxed, reminding him about how cute the puppies are, their little waggly tails, and their little wet sniffly noses. He actually did a great job of keeping the young boy's anxieties, more or less, under control. This made Dominic feel proud that he was being a good big brother.

They got to Tyler's house and Dominic pressed the doorbell.
Tyler answered the door.
"Yes, Dominic!" Tyler greeted his friend with a hug. "Are you here to see the puppies?"
"Yeah, if that's okay, Ty. We can't stay for long. Dylan and I have to be home soon," Dominic said, returning the hug.
"Is this your new little brother?" Asked Tyler.
"Yeah, this is Dylan."
"Wow, I see what you mean. He is really cute, huh?"
Dylan blushed and rolled his eyes at Dominic. He wondered how many of his friends he'd told that to.

"Nice to meet you, Dylan," said Tyler. He was holding his hand out for a handshake.
Dylan took his hand. "Nice to meet you, too, Tyleww," Dylan said, shaking his hand gently. Tyler smiled.
"Com'on," Tyler said, still holding onto Dylan's hand. "My mum is with the puppies in the lounge. You have to come see. They're soooo cute." He practically dragged Dylan into the lounge by the hand. Dylan looked back at Dominic who was following right behind them. Dom simply laughed and smiled at him.

"Hey, Mum. Dominic and his brother Dylan are here to see the puppies," Tyler explained excitedly.
The lounge was like any typical lounge. A sofa, a couple of armchairs, a cabinet that had ornaments of dogs on it, a gas fire, a TV in one corner, and other homely knick-knacks. Along one wall were two dog training crates, metal cages large enough for a dog to comfortably sleep in. One housed a beagle bitch that was on her side, nursing 5 puppies. The other housed a very worn-out-looking male beagle.
Dylan saw the cages and froze. His eyes widened and his heart started to thump harder and harder in his chest.
"It's very nice to meet you, Dylan," said Tyler's mother, standing up to greet the small boy.
Dylan didn't respond. He just stood staring at the cages. A highly-unpleasant shiver went up his spine and shook the young boy to his very core.
"He's a little shy, Mrs Jones," explained Dominic.
Dylan's heart raced. He started to feel dizzy. All he could focus on was the cold, restrictive bars of the cages.
"Shall we go and look at the puppies, little bro?" asked Dominic softly.
Dylan was now feeling sick and tears began to well in his eyes.
"Com'on, look how cute they are," said Dominic moving in front of Dylan, reaching for his hand to lead him over.
Dylan didn't hear anything. All the sounds around him had turned into a single high-pitched tone. All he could look at was the cages. His breathing had become shallow and laboured.
"Dylan. Are you oka — " Dominic stopped before he could finish his sentence. He saw the look on Dylan's face. He had seen it before and he knew it wasn't good. Before Dom could respond, tears began to stream down the young boy's face. He yanked his hand away and ran to the front door. He needed to get out of there right now!

Dylan bawled and screamed as he tried to open the door. But it was locked. He felt trapped... again.
Sobbing loudly, he sat in the corner with his knees up to his chest, arms around his knees, pulling them in tightly. He rocked back and forth bawling to the heavens.

Dominic came running in as soon as he asked Mrs Jones to call his parents. He sat next to Dylan and wrapped his arms around him, doing his best to comfort the boy. Seeing Dylan this distressed broke Dominic's heart and his own tears began to flow. They both sat together as brothers. They both cried together.

It wasn't long until there was a *pip-pip* of a car horn outside.
"Com'on, little buddy. Dad's here to take us home." Tyler, who was standing nearby, feeling terribly helpless to the situation and shedding a few tears of his own let the boys out.
"Is he going to be okay?" Tyler asked?
"Yeah, he'll be fine," Dominic said, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect this."
"You don't have to be sorry," stated Tyler matter-of-factly. "You know that. Call me later or tomorrow or something and let me know he's okay, please."
"Will do, Ty. Thank you. You're a good friend."
With a nod of understanding between the two older boys, Dominic escorted a sobbing Dylan down the driveway and helped him into the back of his father's Mercedes.

***

"So," said Gordon, "would you like me to drop you off at your house, Hunter?"
"No thank you, Gordon," replied Hunter. "I have my bike at your house."
"Yeah, we need to split the pick-and-mix sweets, too," stated Cole.
"I have some time before I have to be home anyways," explained Hunter.

The boys tickled, poked, and prodded at each other for the journey home, giggling away in the back seat of the car. Gordon smiled to himself knowing that the two boys were so happy.

"Okay, lads. We're here," Gordon said as he pulled into the driveway and applied the hand brake.
He climbed out of the car and unlocked the front door to the residence.
"Thank you for taking us to the cinema, Gordon," said Hunter.
"Yeah, thanks dad, you're the best." Both boys hugged him on either side of his torso.
"You're welcome, boys. We should do that more often. It was fun."
"Yeah, it was a lot of fun," Cole said. "Come on, Hunter," he said, pulling his boyfriend upstairs. "I have something to show you." Gordon smirked at the boys as they ran upstairs together.

"I don't have time," said Hunter in a sad voice.
"I know, I know," Cole said. "You said your Mum wont ever let you out again if you're late. I just wanted to give you this first." Cole pulled Hunter in close for a long, passionate kiss.
Once they had finished licking the taste of buttery popcorn and cola bottles from each other's mouths they broke their kiss.
"I... I should go," said Hunter, stumbling towards the bedroom door, drunk on love.
"See you tomorrow?" asked Cole.
"Yup," Hunter replied. "It's Sunday so I'll be round at 9am as usual." Both boys smiled at one another.
Hunter turned to open the door.
"Wait!" Cole cried as he ran up to the boy he loved so dearly. He kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Hunter left with plenty of time to get home. He didn't want to leave any chances. However, he decided he would walk the short ten-minute walk home as he pushed his bike along and daydreamed about how awesome his day had been.
"I'm so lucky," he said to himself out loud. He was grinning to himself from ear to ear.

Hunter was about halfway home, still in his daydreamy state, when a plain white van pulled up just ahead of him. He actually didn't even notice it until a tall, lanky man stepped out of the passenger's side and blocked his path.
"Gerr'in the van," he said. This wasn't a question, it was an order. The side door of the van slid open. "Ah' said, gerr'in the fukkin' van!"
The cold reality of the situation hit Hunter hard and fast. Who are these people? Why are they here? What do I do? He suddenly felt like he had to pee.
Hunter's eyes dashed around for an escape route. He was pretty nimble and could run fast so he made a dash for it.
Before the boy could even take one step, someone lifted him from behind. Hunter started to scream, squeal and kick.
"No. Put me down! Let go of me! Get your fucking hands off — " a hand covered his mouth but he continued trying to scream through it.
The boy was helplessly pulled into the van. The door closed. And the van drove away, its tires kicking up stones as it sped off.

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Well that all went downhill very fucking fast, right? Yeah, well, sorry. It can't be all sweetness and cream now can it? No good story ever started with "...and they all lived happily ever after." and a lot of great stories don't end that way either. Will this one? There's only one way to find out.

Feedback and suggestions are always welcome. Hit me up at nifty_little_ninja@proton.me

A HUGE thank you to those who have contacted me already. Your praises, comments and suggestions mean a lot to me and really make me want to engage more in this whole writing thing. Even if you've already emailed me, then I would still love to hear you comments on this chapter. I reply to all everyone who drops me a line.

You can do whatever you like with my story as long as you credit me. Also, if you would drop me and email to let me know, too then that would be highly appreciated.
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Check out these other authors and stories. They have been a huge influence to me and they are highly talented writers:
Counting - Tux
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/counting/

Geeks - Paul Schroder
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/geeks/

Inspecting A Cum Pewter (Short Story) - John Candu
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/inspecting-a-cum-pewter

Timmy and the Travellers - David Clarke
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/timmy-and-the-travelers/

Nexus - David Clarke
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/sf-fantasy/nexus/
.....actually, anything by David Clarke is pretty freakin' awesome.

The Boys of East Harbor: Michael
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/the-boys-of-east-harbor-michael/

Li'l Ninja x