Rin has learned not to whine during the day while Yukio is away. No one can hear him, it only gives him headaches, and it makes him feel lonelier. Rin knows he should be grateful; the kennel is large enough for him to crawl around in, and Yukio leaves him food just within his reach - today is sukiyaki, even. Yukio also leaves him his manga, and doesn't pitch a fit (too much) if Rin cries all over it.

His brother is good to him, Rin realizes. He just wishes that his missions didn't take him so long and that he could go with. But if he must be a prisoner, being a prisoner to Yukio could never be a bad thing. He thinks on this whenever he feels the loneliness creeping up inside of him, and he is overjoyed when Yukio comes home later and lets him out of the kennel.

Yukio shrugs out of his coat and hangs it up. Rin crawls to him when he sits on his bed.

"Nii-san, you've been good today," Yukio says, running his fingers through Rin's hair. Rin leans into it like a pleased cat. It's become normal now how Rin kneels at his feet without direction anymore.

Sometimes it pains Yukio that he has to keep Rin like this, as a pet because the Vatican ordered it as a condition to Rin's continued survival. It's better than the alternative, he reminds himself. Better to have Rin at his feet than to have him buried next to Father. He doesn't know if he could handle a reality without Rin in it.

"That means I get a treat, right? Don't back out of your promise now, Yukio," Rin responds, a glimpse of his normal self coming through in his grin and the sparkle in his eyes. He's still the big brother, even if Yukio is holding his leash.

"Yes, that's right," Yukio says with a smile. He pats his thigh. "Come here."

Rin does as he is told, climbing up to straddle Yukio's lap and pressing his palms against Yukio's strong chest to feel his heartbeat. Now, this is what Rin lives for. He lives for these moments with Yukio, and the precious few moments he is able to walk upright when Shiemi and the others come to visit. Yukio brushes his lips across Rin's, teasing him with soft touches and just the hint of a kiss.

Yukio's tongue darts out to lick at Rin's lips and he makes a show of trying to catch it between his teeth. Yukio deepens the kiss then, drawing Rin close and wrapping his arms around his brother. Secure in Yukio's embrace, Rin allows himself melt into the kiss, letting Yukio draw out his desire with the right touches of tongue and sharp nips of his teeth.

This new life they lead blurs the lines of their roles in each other's lives. With every day that passes, Rin finds himself falling into a new type of protective role. Instead of being the one who always fights, always in it to win it, he is now the thing that keeps Yukio smiling and tethered to life in a world determined to break him of his humanity.

Rin is breathless and flushed when he finally pulls away from Yukio's kisses. He buries his face in the crook of Yukio's neck, and he can feel Yukio's racing pulse against his lips. He feels every inhalation of breath Yukio takes and subsequently feels it coming when his little brother speaks.

"Do you wish it was different, nii-san?" Yukio murmurs. It's a loaded question if Rin ever heard one. He's not sure how to answer. He's never sure how to answer.

Of course, he'd love to be free to be a person again. He'd love for the collar around his neck to be of his own volition. But if he were free, if he had more choices, would the thing between him and Yukio exist? Would he still be the center of his brother's world?

As much as Rin hates his position in life some days, he's too selfish to want to think about regretting the knotted threads of fate that he and Yukio are bound by.

So he says, "No. Things are like this for a reason."

Yukio chuckles and presses a kiss to the top of Rin's head. "You always say the same thing, no matter how many times I ask."

Rin's lips tickle Yukio's neck when he responds. "Consistency is good, right?"

"Yes, consistency is good."

Rin knows that that's a thank you from Yukio. Thank you for understanding, for not complaining, for letting things be.

For now.