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Toya grew up in a very different type of city than others.
His entire life was full of different complexes and hierarchies that he never understood nor wanted to take part of.
There where two types of citizens: hybrids and humans.
The humans had higher power, they made all of the rules.
The hybrids had to listen.
They were often sold as pets, outlets, or slaves of some sort. Whatever the humans wanted them to be.
It wasn't unusual to see a human walking down the street with their hybrid on a leash or muzzle on their face. It was normalized, it was the law.
The torture, humiliation, harm... it was normal.
Toya hated it.
He never wanted to buy one of the hybrids, it felt wrong, dehumanizing.
Every weekend, an auction would be held. The highest bidder would get the creature of their choice. Toya often ignored that part of town, not wanting to see any of it.
However, today he had no choice but to walk past the alley on his way to the store. He was running low on food and he needed to go before the store closed.
He tried his best to ignore the yelling and calling of numbers, covering his ears and closing his eyes as he picks up the pace.
With his senses blocked, he finds himself running into someone and knocking them both to the ground.
"I-I'm sor—" When he opens his eyes to apologize, he saw the last thing he was expecting.
On the ground in front of him was another man, completely naked aside from a collar and muzzle strapped too tightly against his skin. He had orange hair with matching colored dog ears pressed flat against his head. Just over the top of the muzzle, a barcode was imprinted into his skin.
The moment he sees Toya, he backs away against a wall and shoves his tail between his legs, trying to at least save some of his decency. His eyes were completely blown wide with fear as he stared at the human.
"Are... you okay? I didn't mean to run into you..." Toya slowly shuffles towards the other, trying his best not to scare him any further.
The closer he got, the louder the canines growls became.
"O-okay... I won't go near you if that's what you want. I'm not going to hurt you."
Unsurprisingly, the other didn't trust Toya. He was a human, they are not to be trusted.
Toya sits down in front of him. Not too close, but not too far. "Did you... come from over there?" He points down the alley where the weekly auction was being held.
The canine slowly nods, eyes narrowed with distrust.
"Okay... did... you escape? Or did someone... you know..."
The other shakes his head and points to himself.
"You... escaped?"
He nods.
"Okay, uh... now, I'm sure you don't trust me, and i can't blame you, but... if you want... I can get you away from here."
The dog squints in disbelief. He's heard those words too many times from different people and they were a lie every time.
"I promise I'm not lying." As if the human read his mind, he makes a promise.
"Where is the damn mutt?!"
Yelling. They noticed that he's gone.
The canine curls up even further, shaking at their voices.
"Whaddya mean he escaped!? Go find 'im!" A door slams, the dog flinches.
"I promise i can help you, but you have to trust me." Toya stands and holds his hand out. "They won't find you."
The others eyes dart between Toya and the alley, unsure of who to go to. Not until he hears a crack.
The whip. No. No no no. Anything but that.
As his body completely freezes from fear, Toya grabs him and forces him up before running away from the alley.
When they reach another secluded area, the human lets go and catches his breath. He immediately turns to check on the other who was still shaken up.
"I'm sorry, I just couldn't let them find you. I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if that happened."
He carefully walks up to the man, respecting his boundaries as much as he could. "If you still don't want to come with me, I understand. But please... just think about it." He pulls out his phone and checks the time.
"I need to go to the store before it closes..." He hums in thought.
"Okay, how about this. I'll come back when I'm done. If you're still here, that means you agree to come with me. If you're gone... I won't look for you. The choice is entirely yours. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
The canine takes a moment to think before hesitantly nodding.
"Thank you. I'll be back shortly, I promise." He moves the man to a hidden area before rushing off to do what he was out to do in the first place.
Half an hour later, he returns, groceries in hand. To his surprise, he sees the canine in the same spot he left him in.
"You're still here?" He kneels in front of the man. "So... you'd like to come with me?"
He nods slowly, still unsure if this was the right decision. If it wasn't... he'll be used again. He's lost count of how many times that's happened up until now. If anything... he's started to get used to it.
"Wonderful."
But this human... he smiles so warmly. It doesn't look sick or hungry like the others.
"Come on, my home isn't too far away." Toya already knew the dog didn't want to be touched, so he simply waved him up.
The other slowly stands up and begins to follow him.
"Oh! Right!" Toya suddenly stops and takes his jacket off. He turns and hands it to the canine. "Cover yourself up, I'm sure you're uncomfortable like that."
The man just... holds it with a look of confusion as if he's never seen clothes before. He doesn't know what to do with it.
Toya seemed to notice as he grabs it back. "I'm going to wrap it around your waist, is that okay?"
The shorter looks down at himself before nodding.
Toya carefully maneuvers the fabric to cover the other as best as he could without actually touching him.
"There we go. Is that better?"
The dogs tail wags ever so slightly at the feeling of being less exposed as he nods.
"Good!" Toya beams. "Alright, now let's go."
They continue their walk in silence until finally reaching Toyas house ten minutes later.
"Okay~!" Toya stretches and removes his shoes. "This is my home. It... can be yours too if you'd like."
Even when Toya fully enters the house, the man remains in the entrance, waiting for permission.
"You can come in, don't be scared."
The other slowly enters the house, shuffling his feet against the cold floorboards.
"Do you... want those off?" Toya points to the muzzle and collar. They looked extremely uncomfortable.
The man immediately begins to panic and shakes his head before gripping onto the restrictions. He's never been allowed to remove them before. At least, not unless he was being fed.
"Hey, it's okay." Toya makes calming gestures with his hands. "I'm not going to force you to do anything. But... you're allowed to remove those here. If anything... I'd prefer if you didn't wear them..." He mumbles the end, he couldn't stand seeing the other in such a state.
The tone of the human sounded completely foreign to the canine. Nobody had ever spoke to him with such genuine kindness. He slowly lets his hands fall.
"Can i remove them?" Toya walks closer.
The man looks around in thought for a second before nodding.
"Okay." Toya raises his arms, causing the other to flinch and shut his eyes. "I promise all I'm doing is taking these restraints off. Don't worry."
And he did. He removes the leather straps with extreme caution and tosses them to the ground before backing away a safe distance.
"There we go." He smiles and the dog slowly opens his eyes. "You won't need to wear those anymore. Not with me." His eyes dart lower, reminding him of the obvious fact that the other man was naked.
"Let me get you at least some underwear first..." Toya heads to his room, grabs some boxers, and offers them to the canine.
"Do you know how to put these on?"
The man tilts his head at the item before denying.
"Okay... well, here. I'll tell you." He hands the shorter the clothes and calmly explains how to put them on until he does so successfully. It was a bit awkward with his tail, but it works until they can figure that out.
"Perfect! I'll get you situated with more clothes in a bit. Right now, though... I have some chores to do, so... you can explore the place if you'd like. You know... get to know the area better. We'll talk a bit more once you're ready, okay?"
With one final nod, Toya begins putting his groceries away and doing his chores for the night.
The canine remained close by the whole time, unsure of what to do on his own. He's worried that Toya will switch on him if he does something wrong.
Once Toya was done, he turns to the other. "I... see you didn't move." He sighs. "That's fine. Let's sit on the couch for bit, get to know each other." Toya moves to the couch and sits down, the dog sits on the floor a few feet away.
"You can sit up here. I don't mind." He pats the couch and the other slowly sits next to him, remaining a safe distance away.
"Well..." Toya starts. "I guess I'll introduce myself. My name is Aoyagi Toya, I'm twenty-five, and... I work with runaway kids for a living."
The canines ears perk up.
"Oh? That got your attention." He chuckles. "Let me continue then. I work with kids that run away from abusive households. We get them settled into a different house that's run by a few of my friends and they take care of them. I started the program just a few years ago because I want to give these kids the help I wish I had when I left..."
He sits back on the couch with a sigh, showing the other that he was calm and willingly letting his guard down.
"I ran away from my father's house about ten years ago after he, I guess, had enough and threatened to kill me. At that time, there was nowhere for me to go. So... I spent many years sleeping in subway stations, alleyways, parks... anywhere I could find. Day after day I was tossed around, forced to sleep with adults that swore they'd help me, physically and sexually assaulted... every day was something new."
He looks over at the man that was starting to relax a bit knowing that Toya went through something similar to himself.
"That's why I hate the way people like you are treated. I don't fully understand what you all go through, but... I understand the fear. The fear of not knowing if you'll survive the next day or if the next person you meet will be kind to you or not. I understand that much."
Toya smiles. "But... that's enough about me. What about you? Do you have a name?"
The man points to the barcode under his eye and Toyas heart shatters. He's been a number for as long as he could remember.
"An actual name..?"
He denies.
Toya sighs, he couldn't believe what he was learning. "Would you... like one? I need to call you something, right?"
The man nods. He would like to have a real name.
"Okay! Hmm... let me think..." He searches through names in his head until... his eyes widen when he finds the perfect one.
"Akito!" He beams. "How does that sound? Do you like the sound of it?"
"Aki...to?" The canine echoes quietly.
"Yeah! 'Aki' means clear, or obvious and 'To'... means human."
Finally, the ginger smiles. "Akito!"
"Perfect! Your name is now Akito." Toya giggles. "Well, Akito... how about i show you around? You didn't move from your spot when i was working..."
Akito nods much more confidently this time. Toya stands and he follows close behind. A few minutes later, their final stop is Toyas bedroom.
"And this is my room. If you want, you're welcome to sleep in here with me. If not... you can use the couch or wherever you feel comfortable."
Akito points to himself then to the bed with a head tilt.
"You... bed..? Oh! You're asking if you're allowed on the bed?"
He nods.
"Of course you are!" Toya quickly confirms. "You can go wherever you want. I don't really have any rules here... just don't break anything I guess. But, I dont think I'll have to worry too much."
"By the way... I'm sure you'd like a shower, right? I doubt they let you bathe in there..."
Akito nods with an embarrassed shift of the eyes. He was sure he looked disgusting.
"No worries, the bathroom is over here. Do you need any help or can you do it on your own?"
He points to himself. He thinks he remembers how showers work. It's been a while, but it sounds self-explanatory enough.
"Okay, perfect. There's a towel over there, and... hmm... here, some pajamas." Toya hands him a clean pair of pajamas.
"Th-thank... you."
"You're welcome~!" Toya hums. "I'm going to make some dinner while you're in there. Are you allergic to anything or is there something you can't eat?"
Akito shakes his head. With him being a dog, a primary carnivore, Toya figures he'll just make something with meat. "Okay, cool. Well... just join me in the living room when you're done. Shout if you need me~" He leaves Akito alone with a smile, trying to make him as comfortable as possible.
He remains by the door for a moment until he hears the water turn on and the curtain close, just to make sure Akito didn't need help. Once everything sounded fine, he heads to the kitchen to find something to make.
"Does he eat like a dog or a human..?" Toya wonders. Then again, it might not even matter. He's sure whatever he makes will be better than what he was being fed before.
He decides on a simple chicken dish and starts cooking. As he's waiting on the water for sides to boil, all he could think of was Akitos current state. Both physically and mentally, Akito was destroyed.
He can't trust people, he can barely speak without second guessing every word, he's scared to do anything Toya doesn't directly tell him to do... he's been conditioned nearly beyond repair.
Not only that, he was covered head to toe in marks. Cuts, bruises, burns from the tight muzzle and collar constantly rubbing against his skin for god know how long without a break... it broke his heart. Nobody should be treated like that, part animal or not.
He pushes his worries to the side for the moment to finish their food. As he's putting the plates on the table, a crash followed by a high-pitched yelp was heard from his room. He runs in to find Akito on the ground, staring at a broken vase in the corner.
"Akito! Are you alright?!" He rushes to the others side, Akito was consumed by fear as he backed away.
"I-I'm sorry, I— I didn't mean to— please don't hurt me— Sor— I'm sorry—!" He bows on his hands and knees, shaking and begging for forgiveness.
"Hey, it's okay..." Toya gently raises the canines shoulders. "I'm not mad. It's perfectly fine, Akito."
"B-but, you— you said not to break anything..."
"I... that's true, I did..." Toya sighs in regret. "But, it's okay. I promise. It was an accident, right?"
Akito frantically nods. "My— my tail— I couldn't see it— I'm sorry..."
"Aki..." Toya speaks even softer, just trying to calm the other down. "I'm not upset. It was an accident. Just breathe, okay?"
Akito nods as Toya helps him get proper breaths in.
"Good boy." Toya smiles once Akito calmed down. "Now, are you hurt anywhere?"
"I... I stepped on it..." Akito points to his foot, it had multiple small pieces of glass stuck on the bottom.
"Ouch... okay, let me get something to help really quick." Toya hurries to the bathroom to grab his first aid kit and returns to Akito.
"This might hurt, sorry." He makes sure to get all of the glass out as Akito whimpers and tries his best not to move. Once Toya was sure there was no more glass, he wraps a bandage around the wounds and sits up.
"Better?"
Akito nods. "Thank you..."
"Of course. We can't have it getting infected."
"No." Akito shakes his head. "Not... not that..."
"Oh... you mean... for bringing you here?"
"Mhm..." Akito stares at the ground. "I... I've been there for years... can't 'member the last time... someone cared."
Toya frowns. "Do you... want to talk about it? Maybe that'll help you feel more comfortable."
"...Later?"
"Sure, later. Let's go eat first, yeah? Dinner's done."
"I... can eat with you?"
"Of course, my table has room for two~ Come on, join me." He holds his hand out and Akito, after seconds of contemplation, takes it and stands with him.
While they eat, Toya watched as Akito slowly became more comfortable around him. Very slowly, but surely.
After dinner, they return to Toyas room. The human cleans up the forgotten vase and makes himself comfortable at the edge of his bed.
"You... sure I can... sit on the bed?" Akito was still a bit skeptical.
"Yes, Aki. I don't mind in the slightest." Toya pats the mattress next to him. Akito cautiously sits a bit further away, just in case.
"So... do you... want to tell me about yourself? Maybe... what you went through?"
"...'ts fair... you told me, so..."
"You really don't have to." Toya reassures.
"Mm-mm... you... won't hurt me for talkin'..."
"That's right. I won't, I promise."
"...'kay." Akito takes a deep breath and starts talking. His voice was still a bit rough from rarely being used, but he's missed speaking.
"I... I've been there for... ten years..? I dunno... lost count. Humans, they... sell us. When we get bought, that human has us for a week to do whatever they want before returning us." His eyes fall. "Nothing is off bounds."
A shiver spreads down Toyas spine. "...Nothing?"
Akito nods and curls his knees to his chest. "Fighting, treating us like pets... sex outlets... anything they wanted, they got. We have no say in it 'cause 'animals don't talk back'."
Toya could hear his voice starting to break.
"I-I mean... why, you know? I... I had a life!" Akito yells. "I— I was in high school, i had friends, i was—!" Tears slowly start falling. "...I was happy. Then... they found me. Now i don't even 'member my own name. It's like... i was never part human to begin with." He sighs. "I didn't even know how to put clothes on properly 'til you showed me..."
"I'm... I'm sorry." Toya hands him a tissue. "But... I'm glad you told me."
"Y'are?"
"Yeah." Toya smiles through his own tears. "Because it means you're starting to trust me. You barely spoke to me until now."
Trust? Is that what this was?
"Why... did you take me in? Y'coulda left me there..."
"No I couldn't. Like I said before, I hate what those people do to you all, I wasn't going to just... make you go back. You... looked terrified."
"But... humans aren't s'posed to like us."
"That never applied to me. I've never minded you guys. If anything, I found you all to be extraordinary, fascinating... beautiful. There's no reason for you to be treated like that... absolutely none." Toyas tears fell harder. Not from sadness, but anger.
Akitos eyes went wide. Seeing a human speak so kindly to him, a human crying over what he went through, a human... treating him like one of them. He never knew how much he craved that feeling, whatever it was.
"Tou—" He freezes. He's never been allowed to say their names before. It was a rule, the human that gets them must be referred to as master. But maybe... this one wouldn't mind.
"T-Toya..?"
Not only did he not mind, he seemed to enjoy Akito saying his name. He immediately smiled at the sound of it. "Yes?"
"Thanks..."
"You're welcome." Toya suddenly lifts his arm towards Akito, making him flinch slightly. He stares up at the hand with worried eyes as it slowly moved closer before landing on his head. He shuts his eyes at first, half-expecting a painful hit, but... that's not what he got.
What he got was a gentle, careful hand. One that began to pet just in between his ears with the intention of showing affection. He slowly opens his eyes as his brain instinctively lets him melt into the touch that he's never felt before, his ears falling to the side to give the hand more space.
His body relaxes and his shoulders fall to a slouch, his eyes closing shortly after. This time, from comfort. His tail unconsciously wags in slow, calm motions. He's never been touched so softly by anyone, especially a human.
He was... getting tired.
Toya chuckles at the sight as he moves his hand away. "Sleepy?"
Akito nods, his eyes still closed.
"You can sleep with me if you want. Or, if you don't trust me to that level yet, the couch pulls out into a bed."
Akito slowly opens his eyes and tries to continue the conversation before falling asleep. "Uh... out— out there." He's not sure he's ready to be asleep around Toya yet.
"I thought as much. I'll go set it up for you." He leaves, Akito close behind, to do just that. It was the nicest thing Akito has slept on in nearly ten years. He was surely going to pass out the second he hits the mattress.
"There we go. All done. I'm going to take a shower then head to bed, I've got work in the morning..." Toya yawns. "I'll leave my door open so if you need anything, just come in. And, you can wake me up if you absolutely need to, I won't mind."
Akito slowly nods, still taking in the comfort of the pull out bed.
"Alright... goodnight, Akito."
"G-goodnight, Toya. Thank you again..."
"It's no problem at all~" Toya sings as he returns to his room to get himself ready for bed.
Many hours later, Toya was fast asleep. Akito, however, was not.
Despite how exhausted he was, he just couldn't sleep. He wasn't sure if he was scared, uncomfortable, or just... felt wrong.
It felt weird to sleep without a muzzle, with actual clothes on, on a bed... without being used to the point of simply losing consciousness after.
He wasn't used to comfort.
Though, he felt safe. He quickly became obsessed with Toyas scent. It made him feel... liked. It reminded him that he wouldn't be hurt if he could smell it. He knew that Toya was around and wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt him.
Maybe... that's why he can't sleep.
He can't see Toya.
He carefully shuffles over to Toyas room, standing in the doorway with his blanket wrapped tightly around him. He cautiously enters the room, and just... looks at the human.
He knows that Toya said he wouldn't mind being woken up, but... over something this simple? Surely he'd be at least annoyed, right?
As Akito begins to overthink his decisions, he hears rustling. He immediately backs away slightly as Toya turns around, his body now facing Akito.
"Mm..? Aki?" He mumbles. He woke up. "You okay?" He rubs his eyes to get a better look at the canine.
"I-I'm sorry... I just... I can't sleep."
"Here..." Toya turns flat and pats the other side of the bed. "You can—" He yawns. "Sleep with me..."
"A-are you sure?"
"Mhm~" Toya closes his eyes. "Come..."
"O-okay... thanks..." Akito walks over and crawls onto the bed, still worried about being so close to the human in such a vulnerable state such as sleeping.
Once he's up, Toya turns to face him. He gives the man a sleepy smile before falling back asleep.
All Akito could think of was how Toya trusts him enough to sleep by him without a muzzle. Everyone else made sure he was locked up in another room first so he couldn't attack them. But Toya... he just... fell asleep next to him without a care in the world.
Akito was always labeled as one of the most violent ones. Even though that should've scared people off, it made them more interested. He was bought more often than the others for that fact alone. People took it as a chance to be rougher with him with whatever they were doing.
But Akito doesn't like violence. He doesn't like being rough. All he ever wanted was to be treated softly.
Finally, after ten years... that's what he's getting.
Knowing that, he shuffled a bit closer to Toya and curls into a comfortable ball against the humans chest and closes his eyes for the night.
Maybe... everything will be okay after all.