Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 43: The Stray Dog

Chapter 43: The Stray Dog
Nathan stepped closer to the box, nervous. Before he could touch it, the door to the changing room quietly opened.
Leo walked out.
Perfect timing, almost too perfect.
His hair was damp, sleeves rolled up, expression composed as if nothing in the room was strange at all.
Nathan froze. "You’re here...? I thought—"
Leo blinked once, calmly. "I was changing."
His eyes flicked to the box for half a second, so brief Nathan almost thought he imagined it, but Leo’s face didn’t change.
Not even a twitch.
"You were looking for me?" Leo asked, smiling.
Nathan swallowed, feeling awkward. What should he say now? It was impossible to admit he had come because he saw a shadow and followed his curiosity. That would be crazy.
"Hm, nothing. Just..." Nathan struggled to explain. "Just making sure you’re okay."
His face flushed just saying that. The reason felt too cringe-worthy. He wanted to run away right then and there.
Nathan wanted to leave, but his gaze returned to the box in the middle of the room. "What’s inside? I heard something kicking."
Leo glanced at the box again, this time with a soft, almost amused exhale.
"Oh. That." He walked over and rested a casual hand on top of it.
"The dog inside keeps kicking. He’s supposed to be sent to his owner for Christmas, but he’s restless."
Leo’s tone was light, warm even. "He hates being in the dark."
Nathan stared at him, then at the box. The explanation made sense. It should make sense. Leo looked so relaxed and normal, that Nathan felt his suspicion shrinking.
"A... dog?" Nathan repeated.
Leo nodded, smiling faintly. "A very spoiled one."
Nathan let out a small breath, relief loosening his shoulders. "Sorry. I just... I thought you needed help."
"I appreciate it." Leo stepped closer and ruffled Nathan’s hair gently, making Nathan step back.
Leo smiled again. "But next time, don’t enter my room alone, okay? I don’t want you getting bitten. Sometimes I bring stray dogs."
Nathan nodded. "Okay... sorry for interrupting. You like dogs?" For some reason, he was curious. He should have kept his distance from his older brothers instead of being friendly. But he couldn’t help it, he also liked dogs.
Leo nodded. "Yes, I take in stray dogs I find and help them get their forever home. A lot of people like to adopt dogs, you know..."
Nathan nodded; he liked dogs too. If the orphanage had allowed pets, he would definitely have had several by now.
"If you find another dog, tell me. I want to take care of it too," Nathan said. He was sure Alexander wouldn’t mind.
Leo’s smile widened. "Yes, of course. You want to go out now?"
Nathan gasped, remembering he had to leave immediately.
"Yes, I have to go." He gave the box one last uncertain glance. He waved and left the room.
"Bye!" Then he closed the door behind him.
The latch clicked.
Silence.
Leo’s expression dropped instantly, softness draining from his face like a mask slipping off. He exhaled slowly, then turned back to the box.
He hooked his fingers under the taped lid and lifted it away.
Inside, a young man lay cramped and tied, wrists bound, a strip of cloth between his teeth. His eyes were red and wet, breathing shallow with panic. He flinched violently when the light hit him.
A muffled sob shook his whole body.
Leo crouched down, his expression turning eerily calm. Almost tender. But it wasn’t kindness.
"You really don’t know when to stop," Leo said quietly, tilting his head as he studied the trembling man. "Always testing limits. Always making noise."
The man whimpered, shaking harder.
Leo’s voice dropped to a soft murmur. "You want attention so badly?"
He reached out, brushing a tear from the man’s cheek with a gloved thumb.
"Don’t worry." His smile grew. "I’ll give you plenty... before I send you to Freya."
The man screamed behind the gag, thrashing inside the box.
Leo gently pushed the lid back over him, muffling the noise.
"Shh," he whispered, pressing his palm against the cardboard.
"You’ll ruin the surprise."
***
Inside the car.
The car hummed softly as it pulled away from the mansion gates, snow gathering in thin layers on the windows. Nathan sat in the back seat, hands in his pockets, eyes fixed on the passing scenery.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Louis kept glancing at him through the rearview mirror, sensing Nathan’s quiet tension.
Finally, Nathan broke the silence.
"...Louis."
"Yes?"
"What kind of person is Leo?"
Louis’s hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel. He didn’t answer immediately. His eyes flicked to the mirror. Nathan was watching him closely.
Louis inhaled. Then exhaled. A long pause stretched between them.
"...Mhm. He is a good guy. He loves you very much," he said at last.
"No, I mean..." Nathan didn’t know how to phrase it. He was too confused. "I rarely see him."
Louis nodded slowly. "He’s like that. He likes being alone. He can stay in his room for over a week without coming out."
Nathan pursed his lips. "If I did that, you all would freak out."
Louis chuckled. "They worry about you. Leo is different. He really doesn’t like meeting anyone."
Nathan felt the same way. He hated everyone. But maybe it wasn’t that bad. Or maybe he just didn’t know Leo well enough.
"Does he work?" Nathan asked again.
"He helps Master Alexander with a lot of things. Tracking people, gives some informations, something like that."
Nathan frowned. "So he’s...?"
"A hacker, mostly," Louis said simply. "A very skilled one."
He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "He doesn’t look it, but Leo plays a big role in keeping the family safe."
Nathan leaned back, processing that. He remembered Leo’s calm smile, the perfectly controlled expression.
"...I see."
Louis glanced at him. "You don’t need to be afraid of him."
Nathan didn’t agree or disagree. He simply turned toward the window again, hiding the small crease in his brow.
The rest of the ride passed quietly.
***
Vale’s House
Louis parked in front of a modest two-story house, warm light spilling from the windows. Snow coated the front steps.
Nathan stepped out, pulling his jacket tighter. His breath puffed in the cold air as he walked toward the door, Louis following at a respectful distance.
He rang the bell.
It opened almost immediately.
Vale stood there, messy hair, warm eyes, wearing an oversized sweater. He brightened the moment he saw Nathan.
"Nathan! Oh, bro! I thought I would never see you again!" he exclaimed, excitement written all over his face.
Nathan chuckled. "You’re not busy? I have a lot to tell you."
Vale shook his head quickly. "Nope. Nothing to do. We can play games in my room. And yes, you need to tell me everything. I have a lot to tell you too."
Nathan chuckled, knowing the boy definitely wanted to talk about his boyfriend.
Then Vale noticed Louis standing behind Nathan. His smile faltered.
"...Who is that?"
Nathan glanced back and jerked a thumb at Louis. "He’s... the bodyguard my adopted family assigned to me."
Louis bowed politely. "Nice to meet you."
Vale’s shoulders stiffened. His eyes narrowed slightly, not hostile, just wary and protective.
"A bodyguard? For what?"
Nathan shrugged as he stepped inside. "I don’t know. He’ll just follow me around."
Vale stepped aside for Nathan, but Louis waited politely at the doorway until Vale hesitated.
"You’re coming in too?"
"Nathan cannot be out of sight," Louis replied gently. "But I’ll stay near the entrance. I won’t intrude."
Vale still looked uncomfortable, but nodded reluctantly.
"...Okay." He didn’t want anyone standing awkwardly at his door, so he invited Louis to sit in the living room.
Nathan walked deeper into the warm room and smiled at Vale. "Sorry. But he’s harmless."
Vale didn’t look convinced, but he sighed and gave Nathan a small smile.
"If it’s you... I’ll deal with it," Vale said softly.
They spent a lot of time playing games, and they kindly let Louis join in and eat with them.
Nathan got Vale’s phone number and explained his situation so Vale wouldn’t worry.
"So you’re a rich kid now."
Nathan shook his head. "Only six months until I graduate. After that, everything will probably change again for me."
"Why is that?" Vale asked curiously, leaning forward a little as he waited for an explanation.
But Nathan chose not to answer, feeling the question press on something he wasn’t ready to talk about yet.
"Will you have dinner with me after Christmas?" Vale asked. Usually, Nathan joined Vale’s family for dinner after Christmas Eve.
Nathan nodded hesitantly. "I think so."
But it turned out he couldn’t keep his promise. Who would have thought Salazar had such a large family? And he had to meet them for the first time.
And among them were people he wished he had never met. He didn’t expect to have such annoying cousins. One of them was Franc. And the bad news was that Franc was the same age as him and would be attending the same school later.
Nathan was already in a bad mood just thinking about it.