Bigger Little Brother [Old Work]

A/N: Read at your own discretion.

Chapter 1

Ryan knocked on the door of his childhood home, anxious yet excited to be back after his first three months of being a freshman in college.

He made a note to himself if his mom answered to retrieve the turkey and other baked goods he had in the back of his car into the house. He rang the doorbell with hesitant fingers and waited.

And waited.

His thoughts drifted to the last time he was here. His younger brother had a checkup that day, probably to track his growth in testosterone supplements, and he had all of his pots, pans, and other stuff packed in a U-Haul in front of his red semi-convertible. He had hugged his mother goodbye, sent his bro a goodbye text, and with that hug he hopped in his car and followed the U-Haul to his new campus.

That was in June.

Since then, he had seen his mother on one other occasion, but not his baby brother Max. In fact, the last time he brought him up his mom looked a bit scared.

"Hope he didn't change too much while I was gone," The eighteen-year-old thought to himself.

He was still waiting. Suddenly, his phone buzzed a couple of times; it was string of texts from his mom.

Hey sweetie.
Just letting you know that no one's home, use the spare key at the back of the mailbox.
Your brother's coming home in about an hour, he's currently at a friend's.
I might not get back until later, but don't forget that I love you!

Ryan smiled softly. Nursing was such a tiring job, but her mom was trying her best. He was glad she tried to be around, and even when she couldn't, Ryan had taught himself the necessary skills to take care of him and his bro.

Although his responsibilities didn't stop him from picking on his younger sibling...

"But that was the past," Ryan said softly to himself as he retrieved the key and opened the door, "hopefully Max doesn't hold a grudge."

He entered in the house, and automatically got to unpacking his stuff in the guest room. After an hour, Max still hadn't entered, so Ryan starting unloading all the stuff in his car, specifically his cooking utensils so he could make dinner. He remembered the empty takeout boxes, and set it aside in case his mom had to make a quick stop at the house and head straight back to work. He remembered that it happened so often that even beginning at college with no meal plan he cooked for himself and left a plate for his roommate (which, fortunately, helped the two become close friends).

While he waited for the rice to set in the boiling water so he could season it, he trudged back to the guest room and swapped his iPhone off his bed. Setting it on top of the radio, he spiced up his cooking session with a variety of new music and new artists he started listening to because of all his friends at uni. His feet started to move to the rhythms his ears picked up, and as he added garlic powder and parsley to the rice he found that he had a bit more bounce in his step.

He finished the rice, and decided on the fly that it was too late for meat. He made two plates of rice and put some in the takeout box for his mom, sprinkling them all with salt before working on the veggies.

He grabbed a cutting board and a knife and set them on the table. Then, realizing he needed full concentration when prepping them, he turned off his music and returned the phone to his room. After that, he took the veggies out the fridge, and once he washed them, began working on dicing them on the cutting board.

He boiled some water on the lowest setting while he worked. When he was done, he dropped the green beans, carrots, and peppers all in the same pan as the water (which he had added a bit of apple cider vinegar to so that the tastes would be amplified).

At 9 PM, everything was ready; the takeout was on the counter (soon to be stored in the fridge if she didn't arrive), and Ryan sat patiently at his placemat for his brother to arrive.

About 5 minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Ryan, figuring that it was probably his brother, hesitantly got up to open it.

"I got it," he mumbled to no one in particular, adding, "where has he been?"

He took a deep breath, and opened the door wide with his eyes mid-blink.

"Miss me?" He said smugly, not daring to open his eyes until he felt his brother tackle him into a hug.

Unfortunately for Ryan, that never came. Instead, a voice much deeper than his asked:

"Ryan? Is that you?"

Ryan opened his eyes, and found his eyes even with the man's midsection. He dared to look up, way UP until he found his brother's icy blues staring him down.

"Let me in, will ya? It's cold out here!" His massive brother continued.

Ryan moved to the side, and was surprised to feel his brother's firm, powerful arm brush against his jelly-like ones.

What...happened?

"Mmmmm...did you cook big bro? Smells delicious!"

Ryan was still in shock as his sibling took the freshman's plate (which, mind you, had more food), and stomped up to his room.

How did this happen...in the course of a few months?

Ryan doubted the testosterone worked THAT well, the twerp he once knew must have taken matters into his own hands and started pushing himself at the gym.

For some reason, Ryan found his pride wounded at this discovery. Not to mention his hulk of a brother didn't even bother to sit at the table with him, he just went on upstairs and did his thing.

That infuriated Ryan.

In his blind rage, it didn't matter how strong his brother had become. He needed to be taught manners.

And even though plummeting his little bro was a past he didn't want to return to, he realized that his dignity and his baby brother's docility were at stake if he didn't.

Chapter 2

When Ryan reached his brother’s door, he didn't expect to hear his brother moan.

In fact, in the few seconds he talked, if someone had told him his brother moaned that high Ryan would've laughed at his face and called him a liar.

Ryan would be right, by the way.

He knocked on the door, still angry but now less so and more intrigued. No answer. So when Ryan busted open the door, the last thing he expected was his brother with an almost empty plate of food, watching porn like it was a movie.

Well, at least he isn't masturbating.

"Hey, fuckface!"

Max turned around. Usually Ryan would be intimidated at this point and mutter something before sulking back into the guest room. But after his first couple of months at uni, he didn't just return with new cooking skills and Honor Roll.

He returned with a backbone.

So he took a deep breath instead, and kept going:

"Hell yeah I'm talking to you! Even though you suddenly grow muscles and gain some inches while I was gone, you should still have enough human FUCKING decency to sit down at the dinner table and eat with me, okay?!"

Ryan huffed after all that, satisfied with his rant but after watching his brother’s eyes narrow he felt his heart beat faster than ever.

The mammoth of the man stood and dared to loom over his elder, "So, the usual top dog of the house is mad because in his absence someone else has rose to the top and made their own rules. Huh. And on top of that, he doesn't knock, raises his voice, and curses at me."

Max sneered as he cornered his smaller brother against the door.

"Twice."

Ryan's pupils got smaller, not once in his life did he ever think he'd be in this position. "So what should I do? Oh right, teach him a lesson, of course!"

Suddenly he wrapped a large, muscular arm under his brother’s balls and palmed his bottom, and with his other hand firmly on his shoulder, carried him over to where he was sitting. Max turned off the porn and shut his laptop with an elbow as he sat and placed the older teen on his knee. Ryan swore at him, wanting his brother to stop but knowing deep in his heart it was futile.

As Ryan felt his belly pressed against his brother’s gargantuan knees, he paled as he realized what was about to go down. His brother, with his powerful hands ripped off the older brother’s pants so he was clad in his underwear. Then, with utmost precision he exposed Ryan's bare ass cheeks with two fingers on the waistband, as his right hand prepared to punish.

It was ready.

Max wound his hand back, and in an instant connected his gargantuan hand with his brother’s jiggly bottom with a satisfying SMACK. The hit was so hard that it left a red mark where his hand was, and Max paused to let the pain sink in as his brother screamed bloody murder. Max did it again, this time restraining his brothers flailing arms with his meaty palm as he once again connected with a SMACK. Max grinned as his brother howled in pain, winding up his hand for another.

SMACK.

SMACK.

SMACK.

SMACK.

SMACK.

SMACK.

SMACK.

SMACK.

Max began to enjoy punishing his older brother, laughing as he screamed bloody murder and whined for his mother. Ryan felt tears prick his eyes with every hit as he began to whine for his mom and curse his brother out. His cheeks were a violet reddish color by the time his brother stopped, but that wasn't the end of it.

Max had boned up quite a bit from the power he had over his ex-tormentor, and his smile became sinister as he let his brother down only to restrain him by his shirt and spin him around.

"Now that you've been disciplined to be a good brother, I want you to BE a good brother. A good gay brother, that is?"

Ryan, who was getting used to the sting lingering from his beating, was confused until he saw the massive outline in his younger brother’s shorts.

"But I had only came out to mom," Ryan said weakly.

Max paused, thinking for a bit before clutching his head, ushering the smaller boy out of his room.

"Out, out!" He said, in some sort of pain, "I'll talk to you in a bit!" Ryan pulled up his pants as his brother shut the door on him. What...happened?

At first he thought he was going to actually have to give his brother a hand job, but then...nothing.

He could only wait until his brother explained himself to understand.

Chapter 3

Max came out ten minutes later.

He was dressed in leisure clothing, a stark contrast from the athletic wear that Ryan remembered his brother wearing while beating him only a few minutes earlier.

He stopped in his brother's doorway, and with two veiny fingers beckoned Ryan to follow him. Ryan winced, expecting more torment, but instead he was surprised that his brother gave him a more innocent gesture.

So, despite his hesitance, he followed.

They were in the dining room. Max sat where his original dinner was, untouched. Ryan's stomach gurgled.

Max hesitantly slid the dinner to Ryan as he sat in his usual spot. "T-thanks," the older brother muttered, still afraid of his monster of a brother. Max spoke first, "How's the bruise?"

Ryan noted that the question didn't seem proud or sarcastic in any form, in fact, it was quite off putting that it sounded...concerned.

"It...still hurts," Ryan offered, stirring his rice around his plate, "but, not as much."

Max nodded, his head downcast. Ryan took a bite of his food, and reminded himself not to eat any more until he put it in the microwave for at least thirty seconds.

Max spoke up, "I guess...I owe you an apology,"

Ryan gave him a look, despite looking up at his brother with a bit of fear. Max smile softly.

"Okay, I guess I owe you an apology AND an explanation."

Ryan went to the kitchen and warmed up his food in the microwave.

"I'm listening," he said in the kitchen as he pressed start on the microwave.

"I'm sorry bro. I screwed up your first impression of an improved me, humiliated you for my entertainment and high of dominance, and -"

The microwave beeped.

Ryan sighed, "outed me without even telling me that you knew."

The older brother felt the atmosphere changed as he felt his bigger brother sigh.

"Yeah," he breathed, as Ryan got a mitten to carry his food back to the table, "that."

Ryan looked at his brother as he sat back down. Sincere, quiet, reserved...it was his brother all right. Now he just wanted to know -

"Why? Why do all this?" Ryan asked.

Max gave him a look.

"You were never really the best brother."

Ryan scoffed from the other side of the table, rebutting:

"I tried to be better to you, did I?"

"How was I supposed to know that?!"

"Whaddya mean how? I literally started buying you stuff and driving you around last year when you were a freshman!"

Mark scoffed back, "I just thought you were trying to get me to miss you when I left!"

Ryan choked.

"Which I did, mind you," Max added softly.

"But why this discussion then? If it was all a revenge plot, surely you'd want me to feel bad until I left for college again, right?"

Max sighed, rising to his feet as his head brushed against the ceiling. He walked into the kitchen, explaining:

"I just...didn't know whether to be excited you were back or mad at you for all those times you pushed me around. And even though that revenge felt good, I probably wouldn't do it again if the thoughts I had after stuck around. I kept thinking of how you were a second mom to me, and how I looked up to you, even though you pushed me around a bit too much."

Ryan sighed as his brother opened the fridge. His past wouldn't go away anytime soon, would it? He wished, watching a piece of his brother open up the fridge, that he could go back in time and fix everything, so he could protect him more than he had.

But he couldn't.

So he just kept on listening.

"I was depressed, y'know. When you left. I occupied myself with dieting and exercising, and the testosterone helped me grow taller. I think they added something to it though, because I heard everyone chatting about it the first time I came for a checkup. Later, I had snapped at mom, and told her I wished I was never born."

That's why she was so scared during that one week in October.

He paused, putting the Jell-O on the table, "I apologized to her when she got back from her trip, and promised to treat her better, which I did. I grew a lot more and made some strength buddies at school. I worked a part time job for a month or two to provide for my bigger meals, but mom found out and I resigned a week before you texted her you were coming over for Thanksgiving."

Ryan finished his plate, refusing to make eye contact with his brother. A part of him was still scared, a part of him wanted to go back to uni, and a part of him felt for his brother.

Suddenly, after inhaling his dessert, the macho man stood up, and approached the hunched over freshman in college. Ryan flung a hand over his head, afraid to get bashed by the very hands that pinned him down and spanked him, but instead his brother took his left hand away from his face with his right hand, delicately placing the smaller hand in his palm as he pressed it gently in his much larger hand.

Ryan opened his eyes, and found his brother watching their size difference in fascination. He felt the much larger thumb glide over his knuckles and then opened his brothers clenched fist, only to have the rest of the larger sibling's digits attempt to match up clumsily with his much more petite but worked fingers.

"Your hands are really cute, big bro," Max exhaled after playing with his hand a bit more.

Ryan turned a bit red, and slipped his finger out of his brother's palm, turning his face the opposite direction. The sophomore in high school huffed.

"Listen, about your sexuality...I'm sorry about exploiting it. I guess I was just...mad that you didn't trust me enough to tell me first."

Ryan nodded, and hesitantly faced his brother's icy blues on his crouched form. There were not cold, nor analytical. Just...sad.

Ryan turned red.

"Dude, I'm really gay." He muttered, holding his left hand up to cup his cheek as he turned away in embarrassment.

"I know. I'm not, but I'm sorry I made you so uncomfortable."

Ryan turned to look at his brother, smiling softly.

"It's okay. And I guess your feelings are fair, since you've shared EVERYTHING with me in the past."

"Are women...just easier to talk to? You being gay and all?"

Ryan rose from his chair, "Yeah, I guess."

Ryan watched his brothers head get higher and higher as he stood, wincing when his hair brushed against the ceiling.

"How tall are you now, anyways?"

His brother shrugged, "Six foot nine, last time we measured. Pretty sure I'm 6'10 or more now, since it's been a month,"

"When will you stop?"

Max smirked, "Probably before the new year. I'm crossing my fingers that I hit seven-foot though."

Ryan returned his smirk, standing. Max looked down at his brother now, realizing their full height difference for the first time. Last time Max was hunched over, but this time he could see his 5'6" brother perfectly.

"How's the weather down there, shorty?" He asked playfully as he rubbed his brother’s head.

Ryan sucked in his teeth as he felt his brother's large hand mess up his hat of hair.

"Jeez, I don't know, the same as up there?" Ryan retorted.

Max chuckled, watching his brother tuck in his chair when an idea hit him. The younger brother positioned himself behind his older brother, crouched slightly as to be on his level, then as soon as Ryan backed up he hugged him from the back, making sure it was secure enough so he couldn't escape.

Ryan yelped as his brother's muscular arms crushed his torso into those defined abs and bouncy pecs. Ryan's head ended up wedged in the middle of his brother's pecs, which were so defined their outline appeared thick on Max's shirt.

With a grunt for what the younger brother hoped was comedic relief, Max hoisted up his brother a few inches in the air, taking a detour from the kitchen to their backyard.

Ryan started sweating as he was carried a few inches off the ground outside. What was Max planning? What if he could get considerably hurt? Ryan's once tightly controlled life was spiraling into the hands of his younger brother.

And he was...sort of enjoying it.

His brother's body heat was surprisingly providing Ryan comfort as Max set him down and asked him to sit crisscross on the leave-ridden ground.

Ryan obeyed.

The freshman then felt his brother's steps halt near his back, his breath down his neck as the muscular brother sat and touched his powerful legs outside of Ryan's, the duo witnessing the sheer contrast between Ryan's healthy yet only so legs, and Max's stone hard worked out legs.

Max smirked as he hugged his brother from behind once again, this time resting his gargantuan head on his brother's shoulder as he leaned onto his brother's head.

"Are you proud of my muscles, big bro?"

Ryan hummed in reply.

"Are you proud...of me?"

Ryan turned red. He didn't want to admit that his brother made his own ego deflate as he reminisced on his authority being smacked out of him, literally, and he could do nothing but whine, which didn't change the situation at all.

The boys stayed like that for a bit as the clock struck midnight, Ryan too afraid to talk about how he felt and Max too embarrassed by himself to push him.

"It's midnight," Ryan said stoically, as his brother eased up on his form and let him go.

However, he refused to open his legs, leaving Ryan trapped there unless he got up.

Ryan knew this was a trick, by the time he could get up his brother could restrain him and get him back to their original position. He was that powerful now.

Ryan feared it.

Max cleared his throat, "Yeah, but I'm guessing mom won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. You wanna...compare some more?"

Ryan, although couldn't see it, could feel his brother's eyes softening, and the older brother knew what he wanted. However, he felt a bit too stunned by what happened to him today and too fatigued to pursue it for now, so he politely declined.

"Not right now, sorry. But maybe after breakfast?"

Max groaned, but he agreed.

"Fine. But since we won't do it today, let me carry you to bed."

Ryan choked. What?? He really wanted to compare strength, didn't he?

Well if it made Max happy...

"Bridal style?"

Max hummed as Ryan groaned.

"What do you want me to do?"

Max smile widened in the darkness, "I'm going to get up and let you move a bit. What I want you to do is lie down sideways so I can pick you up."

Ryan shrugged. At least it wasn't the more awkward approach with Max changing his position AFTER lifting him.

"Fine...just, do it quick, okay?"

He felt the grass ruffle, and as promised the muscular restraints against his legs brushed off of him as Max stood and took a step back. Ryan shifted himself sideways with his hands and feet, and laid back first into the grass, muttering "ready," as his cheeks grew hot.

The eighteen-year-old didn't know what to expect. He closed his eyes, hoping for a slight struggle picking him up. Definitely not his brother's muscly arms wrapping around his bottom and back, and hoisting him up in the air.

Ryan couldn't explain it if he tried. Once second he was on the ground, the next suspended about chest high and feeling his brothers body heat radiate off his arms onto Ryan.

Not to mention that he bumped into Max's bare chest a couple of times before they got to the kitchen (he soon found out that Max had taken off his shirt and slung it on his shoulder).

So…muscular, and sweaty.

Did he even weigh anything to his titan of a brother? He hoped so, the remains of his pride depended on it.

A soft yet deep voice interrupted him, "Hey, bro?"

Ryan responded while slowly opening his eyes, "hhyeAHhh?"

Max stopped outside the guest room.

"Don't open your eyes...try to sleep."

Ryan stumbled, "hYuhh?"

"I'm going to walk around a bit more, this is a good pre bed exercise for me,"

"Okkaaaay..." the older brother slurred, feeling his heartbeat in sync with the sound of his brother's stomping.

He never did answer how he felt that day, as he found himself drifting into a deep slumber in his sibling's muscular arms.

--------

Max chuckled to himself as Ryan fell asleep in his arms.

The excuse he gave was semi-true, lifting his brother made him work a sweat. But after Ryan had fallen asleep, Max knew for sure that the real reason was to build their trust up again...

And so Max could keep comparing them while Ryan laid undisputed.

Max smiled at his older brother. He may have been shitty at times, but Max didn't forget the times Ryan saved him from his bullies or cut of some of his friends cuz they didn't approve of Max hanging out with them. Max had never omitted those moments from his memory.

He just suppressed them so he could hold his grudge.

But as Max looked into his brother's sky-blue eyes and child-like face, all the memories came rushing in. As he walked around the house, when he finally decided to set his brother gently in his bed, and right before he touched his palm to his brother's petite hand.

Max had smiled bright when his hand enveloped his brother's.

It was finally time for the younger to protect the older.

Chapter 4

Ryan woke first.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes before looking at his alarm clock.

5 AM.

He groaned. This was usually the time he'd wake up back at university, so he could touch up assignments or simply chill for a bit before getting ready for his 9 AM lectures.

The late teenager set his feet on the ground, said a quick prayer, then made his way to the kitchen.

He looked at the sink, and then the dishwasher, and inwardly scolded himself for not doing the dishes before he and Ryan went out.

To be fair, though, Ryan didn't really have a say as Max picked him up and dragged him outside.

Ryan looked at the dishes, and realized that he'd have to do them this morning if the pair would hope to be able to eat dinner in plates.

Does Max not do chores often?

Ryan huffed as he got gloves out of the sink cabinets, and began scrubbing. As he gave all the silverware a general clean and filed them into the dishwasher nearby, his thoughts drifted to Max, and how much things had changed. Ryan realized that he could probably no longer boss his brother around unless he was in a good mood.

It was like appeasing a toddler.

A giant, nearly seven-foot muscular toddler with a grudge.

After finishing the dishes, Ryan sat down to take a breather. Less than 15 minutes had passed, and he soon heard his brother stomping upstairs getting ready for...whatever. As Max raced down he explained:

"I'm late! I was supposed to jog to the gym 10 minutes ago," He said, grabbing a sweater that obviously wasn't there when Ryan left.

"Wait, do you want me to drop you off?"

Max stopped, and looked at Ryan like he was crazy, but then pondered his offer. Finally he answered:

"Usually I would tell you I need to get my exercise in, but since you're only here for a bit, I guess I can stay at the gym a little later,"

Ryan jumped off the chair he reclined off of and grabbed his keys and his phone off the counter. The taller brother followed him outside, where he awkwardly adjusted the passenger seat all the way back for his bigger little bro.

When they both got in, Ryan noticed that his brother's legs were still a bit together, but Max reassured him it was fine.

"Plus," Max added, as Ryan backed out the driveway, "This is sort of an exercise, so it's a win-win for both of us,"

Ryan sighed, his right hand temporarily gliding over Max's midsection before going back on the wheel.

"What's the matter, big bro?"

Ryan chuckled, but his eyes betrayed his action, and he found himself sighing again.

"It's stupid...I should just -"

"Bro..."

They reached a red light. Max put a hand on his brother's thigh, and gave him a reassuring look to continue.

"It's just...you're so big, and strong...and now I feel like you're gonna be the big brother, and I'm practically useless..."

Max frowned as his brother kept driving. So that's why he was so eager to drop him off - he wanted to be useful. Max smirked as he put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"That's not true, bro. I mean, look what you've done in less than twenty-four hours. Your cooking skills can't be beat, you did the dishes, AND you're driving me to the gym."

Ryan huffed, "I…guess a part of me still wants to be your bigger brother. You probably think I'm stupid, huh. I had so much time with you while you were smaller - and I ruined it."

Ryan made a turn on the road where the gym was, as he continued:

"Now you're bigger and…a part of me just, I-i guess a bit of me is jealous of how much of a good big brother you are. You discipline me, play with me, make me feel comfortable about my sexuality..."

Max looked down on his bigger brother as he parked. Sure he was smaller, but didn't he do the same when they were younger and he was bigger?

"Maybe he only chooses to remember the bad parts, like I did," Max thought, getting out of the car to stretch.

The bigger teen stretched out his back, "FUCK that feels good."

His brother got out of the driver's seat, glaring at his brother and his foul language. Max turned to Ryan, and with an apologetic look on his face, ruffled his hair.

"Sorry about that bro, it was getting cramped in there."

Max started heading towards the entrance, then stopped when he didn't see his brother next to him.

"Aren't you gonna come with me?" Max asked, "I can introduce you to my buddies,"

Ryan smiled, but shook his head, "I'm not really feeling it right now, but I'll do it some other time, okay?"

Max nodded.

"Okay, I got to go cook breakfast, want anything in particular?"

Max was about to shrug, but realizing that he wouldn't have to eat cereal for breakfast, shouted as he entered, "Bacon and Potatoes sound nice!"

Ryan smirked, ducking his head in the car as Max conversed with the lady at the front desk.

As Ryan drove home, he couldn't stop thinking about what Max had said. He was important to him, but why? Hadn't he always been a bully, and despite raising him off the necessities in life refused to spoil him from time to time?

Odd.

Ryan parked in the driveway, and reentered the house (that they had forgotten to lock in their haste). Ryan looked at his phone.

The time read 7:10 AM, and a thread of messages from his mom appeared.

Hey darling, I stopped by this morning to say hi but neither of you boys were there-

I figured you went to the gym with him and I took the food.

PS: Ryan it smells delicious, I missed you so much!

Ryan smiled softly to himself as he locked the door behind him. He appreciated that his mom wrote to him, and added that she'd missed him, not just his cooking.

Ryan took a look at the tea he had brewed the night before and figured since it was still in the kettle he should brew it. After waiting a few minutes for it to warm up, he poured some in a cup and added a dash of apple cider vinegar and a few dollops of honey, mixing it all together with a spoon before trying the concoction himself.

He sighed in content as the liquid touched his lips, its aroma alluring him from his depressed state into a state of grace, peace as he might have called it. The warm beverage went down his throat and soothed it as he took occasional sips until the cup was empty.

He took the kettle off the stove and put it on a placemat on the dinner table. Grabbing a pan from the bottom drawer of the stove oven combo, he put oil in a pan and added bacon that he'd brought from his fridge back in college and cooked it until it was crispy to his content. He took them off with a spatula and cooked the batch a bit more on its opposite side, before putting most of it in a plate for his bro, and leaving the rest for himself.

His mother probably wouldn't be back until dinner, if she had taken the food and left.

Ryan sighed as he took out the cutting board and his favorite knife, searching the fridge for potatoes. He groaned.

They had run out.

Ryan opened the freezer, and saw a bag of fries. He shrugged, and putting them in the toaster oven he set them to heat up for 60 minutes on the highest setting. He would season them with Old Bay later.

Ryan covered both his and his brother's plate of bacon before entering the guest room and flopping down on his bed.

He had finished his assignments before he had left, and so he whipped out his phone and made decent conversation with people until the fries were ready.

"Finally," he said, opening them to see the fries an orangey-goldfish color. Ryan uncovered the plates of bacon and brought them over to the open toaster. He smiled at his work, and seasoned the tray with Old Bay before using prongs to put fries (more) for his brother, and (less) for him as well.

He admired his work, and before long the doorbell rang. He scrambled to the door, and sure enough, his brother's silhouette filled the doorway. He smiled, opening the door to a VERY sweaty Max, towel and shirt on his shoulder as he grinned down at his big bro.

"MmmMMM! Something smells good," he bellowed, patting his flat stomach before adding, "let me in so I can eat, I can't stand you TORTURING me with this delicious scent anymore!" He said dramatically, moving his brother by the shoulders so he could duck in and sit at the table.

"The plate with more food is for you, by the way," Ryan said as his brother eyed the food from around the table, sitting in his usual spot as he gaped over the generous amount of food his brother gave him.

Ryan cleared his throat, "Sorry about the potatoes, we didn't have any and I didn't want to make a trip to the grocery stor-"

"You're good, bro!" Max reassured him, "Just c'mon down here so I can eat, I'm starving!"

Ryan raised an eyebrow, "Did you wash your hands first?"

Max looked to him, then the food, then his sweaty body, then the food, and paled. He got up solemnly, and quietly made his way to the bathroom sink. Ryan heard the water running, and exhaled as he muttered under his breath:

"Fucking amateur."

Chapter 5

After Max had washed his hands and sat right back down at the table, Ryan found a soft smile tug at his lips as his brother went on about his day at the gym.

"And then this HUGE ASS bodybuilder slaps my thigh outta nowhere and compliments how firm it is! I was red as FUCK when my buddies suddenly chimed in too - "

Ryan let his head sag into his propped-up hand as he watched his brother go on and on about his day.

He missed this.

Max had stopped talking to ask Ryan how his day had been going when he realized his brother was zoned out. He looked at his brother, and then at his food laying there untouched. Max reached across the table for the plate, but instead of getting it he maneuvered his hand toward his brother's elbow and -

SLAP!

He smirked when his brother's head fell on the table, but his smirk morphed into a frown of concern when Ryan didn't get up right away.

"Bro...BRO!"

Ryan jolted up, and Max grinned at him. The older brother responded with a thumbs up, and began eating his food.

"Hey Ryan, how was your day?" Max asked again.

Ryan swallowed his food, before replying nonchalantly, "Pretty dull. I cooked a bit, cleaned a lot, got started on projects due weeks later, the usual."

Max faltered for a second, an expression of pity on his face before it got swept away by one of undeniable excitement.

"You ready to do some COMPARISONS, bro?" Ryan dropped his fork. He had forgotten! "Y-y-yeah little bro, totally," He sputtered, smiling weakly.

Max's eyebrows lowered slightly as he teased. "Really?" He questioned, standing to his feet and making his way towards Ryan, "You sure you hadn't just forgotten right then?"

Max was playing, but Ryan wasn't familiar with the sarcasm that his brother had used often in his absence. Ryan shrunk in fear, and nodded quickly.

Max sighed, letting his eyebrows go back to their normal position before rubbing Ryan's hat of hair with a meaty hand.

"I was just kidding, if you couldn't tell..." he breathed.

Ryan timidly looked up at his younger brother, and managed a small smile before the brother took a step back and let his older bro stand.

"I'll be right back," Max told his brother, as he ran upstairs to his room.

When Max came back, he held a pencil and ruler in one hand, and Ryan's old boxing gloves for later. He threw the boxing gloves on a nearby sofa, and gestured his older brother to a nearby wall.

"Measurements?" Ryan asked, as he was guided to stand straight up against the wall.

Max nodded, using the ruler on his brother's head so he could make a mark.

"I got a red pen, if you want," Ryan offered, and gave it to Max.

Max didn’t reply as he made the mark with the pencil, stashing it away before taking the pen for a second, then looking back at his older brother.

The bigger brother gave it back, answering, "No, you keep it. Now you have to measure me."

Ryan felt his legs turn to jelly as he tried to move out the way. He watched as the pencil mark disappeared completely under Max as the giant teen stood against the wall.

"I'm going to get a step stool," Ryan said weakly, as he went to the basement.

Max noticed his fear, but refused to press him about it, even after Ryan almost fell after staring at Max and tripping over the closed stepping stool.

“Besides,” Max reasoned with himself, “whenever I get involved it always gets worse.”

Eventually, the older brother did get to the top of the stool, and with Max's hand pressed on his thigh to steady him, Ryan marked where his brother's hat of hair ended and hit his pen (which he had on top of it all).

Ryan jumped down, startling Max before he left again to put here step-stool away. Max took his pencil and ruler and ran upstairs to put them back on his desk.

The two met back at the bottom of the stairwell, and Max managed to snatch Ryan again by his butt and shoulder, but this time Max threw him into the couch as he laughed.

"Grab those boxing gloves, big bro," he commented cockily, "I wanna test my resistance against you."

Ryan obeyed, slipping the gloves on as Max took off his shirt and pounded his chest with both his fists.

"C'mon bro! Give it all you got on me," he teased, as his brother got ready to test how long he could last.

Ryan landed a medium hit on Max as a test.

Max didn't flinch.

Ryan aimed for in between his brother's pecs and lunged his right hand at it.

It hit Max's chest, but now Ryan had his hand stuck in between Max's pecs. Max bounced them until his hand slid out, then offered his brother some advice.

"Hey bro...you're holding back a lot. Why don't you try channeling your anger and fear from the spanking incident and use that to fuel your swings?"

Ryan clenched his fist through the glove, remembering the embarrassment. He remembered the dignity he lost and the pain he felt, and he wound up his right arm, before lunging for Max's middle.

BAM!

The older brother managed to budge the muscular torso a few inches, as a red mark appeared where he hit. Max winced, surprised by the brute force of his brother, but recovered quickly as Ryan's fury subsided along with the effectiveness of his quick punched.

Max blocked both his brother's fists, and sighed.

"You're gonna hate me for this," he started, looking at the ground with remorse, "but..."

Max let go of one of his brother's fists and drove an uppercut through his brother's middle.

"This is how a REAL man punches!"

Ryan hacked up blood as his middle scrunched up in pain, his body being lifted a few inches in the air as it bent and formed a skewed 90-degree angle.

Max laughed as his brother's feet returned to the ground. His laughing gradually lowered, though, and was immediately replaced with concern when his brother didn't say anything.

"Bro...are you okay? I didn't hurt you that bad, did I? I made sure to hold back a bit, but if it hurt that ba-"

"I'm fine," Ryan interrupted, "A little blood is all. What next?"

Max narrowed his eyes, but ignored his doubt screaming something was wrong as he answered, "Just lifting you on my shoulder, you up for that?"

Ryan exhaled, "Sure...? But how are -"

Max took Ryan by the legs and scooped him into his arms bridal style. Then, pressing him above his head, he allowed Ryan to reorient himself until he eventually was vertical again before lowering him onto his broad shoulder, flexing his biceps to show off his strength (and prevent his brother from falling).

"Where to, captain?" His brother jokes, and Ryan managed a weak smile before answering:

"Around the yard, if you wa-"

"Off to the yard it is!"

Ryan chuckled as his still in high school brother roamed around the grassy field, allowing him to see the yard from a new height (Ryan even got to walk on a branch that would be way too high on his own). Eventually his brother got him down from his shoulder blade and pressed him against his chest before the mammoth of a being collapsed on the grass, exhausted by their adventure.

"Today was fun," Max said as he let his brother free from his grasp, allowing him to roll next to his bigger younger brother.

"Yeah...I guess it was,"

Max sat up, "Hey bro, could you do me a favor?"

Ryan replied nonchalantly, "Sure, what's up?"

Max drew in the grass with a bulky finger, "Well...okay, so my feet really hurt. And...well, it would be great if you could massage them for me, since you're hands are more delicate and skilled than mine."

Ryan stiffened, and Max quickly added, "Just a request, you don't have to do it if you don't feel comfor-"

"I got this," Ryan replied as he too sat up, and shifted over to his brother's soles, "besides, you carried me for part of the day, that deserves something, right?"

Max smiled as his brother pried off his size 18 military boots. Ryan pinched his nose as a foul smell hit him, causing his younger brother to laugh.

"Dude," Ryan remarked, "your feet reek!"

Max just shrugged.

Ryan took a dramatic breath in as he peeled off both his brother's socks, placing them in his boots that Ryan discarded upright off to the side.

With hesitant hands, Ryan pressed both his palms on his brother's left foot. He felt his brother shake under his touch, and chuckled silently to himself before pressing circles onto the top and bottom of the foot. Max released a deep moan of pleasure as Ryan also scratched along the outline of the foot. The younger brother felt it all, and couldn't help but throw his head back as his brother scratched the ball of his foot and yanked each individual toe.

"Hey bro?" Max managed weakly.

"Yeah?"

"Could you...put some tongue into it?"

Ryan shook his head.

"Your feet stink too much...maybe after a shower..."

Max nodded as Ryan turned to his other foot and started up the same treatment. Max couldn't help but let a soft wail escape his lips as he felt Ryan' little fingers do wonders on his right foot. Max's breathing also got more uneven as his package began to grow because of the extraordinary things he felt in the massage. Outline, inside, rub, scratch - both brothers got lost in the process.

Max sat up and offered his brother a soft smile, signaling that it was okay to stop. Max shifted towards the brother, Ryan's eyes resting as the muscular one lifted his sibling onto his lap, cradling his brother into his pecs.

"Thank you," he muttered, as Max stood up "Now get some rest, you'll need it when mom comes later on."

Ryan barely managed a nod as he found his head drawn to his brother's pecs, cushioning him like a pillow.

"Is this...?" Ryan asked himself, but stopped the thought, dismissing it.

"No, it's something different - something longer lasting." He thought as his eyes inevitably relaxed in the pull of his brother's mounds.

It's a brother's care.

And with that in mind, Ryan lost himself to slumber surrounded by only his brother.

Chapter 6

Ryan woke up in his brother's arms.

He was also on the couch. Go figure.

"Oh, you're awake?" His brother asked groggily, "What time is it?"

Ryan jumped out of his brother's grip onto the wooden floor, and walked into the guest room. He stared at his digital alarm clock.

1:46 PM

It took a moment for him to register the time, and then suddenly Ryan was panicking.

"Max get up!"

Max hesitantly stood to his full height, "what's the matter, big bro?"

Ryan stared back, his eyebrows narrowing, "Mom comes back in about an hour,"

Immediately Max raced to the basement and started vacuuming from the bottom of the house up, Ryan rushed to the fridge to find something he could prepare.

"Something new, something different...," he muttered to himself, going through their ingredients.

"Ah screw it," he finally decided, grabbing and thinking about random dishes until he could decide on one.

Ryan sighed, and decided to start with the vegetables. He brought out his cutting board, and chopped the ends of the green beans (moving them to one side of the board) and also chopped up the carrots into bite sized pieces (which he put on the other). Ryan admired his handiwork, moving from the dinner table to the kitchen, where he found a clean, empty and added cool tap water to until it was a quarter way full.

He set the pan on the stove, making sure to put the fire on low before balancing the veggies from the dining room on the cutting board. Ryan then transferred them on one hand, grabbing the salt shaker on the counter nearby and sprinkling some into the water that begun to boil. After setting the shaker down, he huffed as he slid the vegetables into the pan, the water rising slightly but not enough to disrupt the flames below. He set a timer for ten minutes, and scrambled to put a lid on them, before checking up on his kid brother, who was vacuuming the upstairs bedrooms.

Ryan jogged up the wooden stairs, subconsciously counting each individual step before he reached the top. He smiled softly when he heard the vacuum sputtering at the end of the hall, his brother had done what he'd asked.

Ryan walked across the top floor, stopping once he reached the door of the room Max was working on. He exhaled before gripping the doorknob, twisting it slightly and slowly pushing it, wanting his presence to be cloaked for a few seconds by the loud inhales of the vacuum.

Ryan choked at what he saw. Of course what was to be expected was his brother's chest exposed to the world, his tee thrown haphazardly on his bed. But what Ryan wasn't ready for, was the fact that Max had ditched his pants too.

He was VACCUUMING in his underwear.

Ryan bit his tongue as his indignant emotions subsided. He wouldn't get angry at his hulk of a brother for something as stupid as this.

"Besides," Ryan rationalized as his disgust morphed into glee, "if all goes well, this could be used as blackmail..."

Yes, Ryan decided as he whipped out his phone, a trump card is just what he needed.

The older brother snapped a pic just in the nick of time as he barely heard his timer ding. Ryan slammed the door before Max could whip his head around and sprinted down the stairs so he could spread the vegetables.

He immediately put the green beans in a bowl using a big fork, but decided to wait out the carrots a little longer until they were soft enough. Ryan smiled to himself as he warmed up the leftover rice from the day before in the microwave for a couple of minutes.

He used the same fork he used for the green beans to put the carrots in the same bowl. Ryan groaned as he heard his brother's footfalls pound down the stairs, but his body couldn't help but betray his action and tense in fear.

Max smelled the food and grinned.

"Making something special?" Max asked, and Ryan finally looked up, his body unstuck from its paralyzed state.

Ryan shrugged, "Not really, just combining meals I know how to cook since I'm too lazy to search up a recipe,"

The 6'10 teen chuckled, slapping his brother on the back with his large, thick hand, "Nice," he commented, his deep voice penetrating through Ryan.

"Hopefully she doesn't hate it," Ryan responded weakly, to which Max slugged an arm around his neck and noogied him with his free hand.

"Don't worry about that, bro," He responded, and chuckled lightly as Ryan tried to remove the hand from his head, "If it's anything coming from you, I'm sure she'll love it!"

Ryan just grinned back.

~le time skip~

"This is amazing!"

Ryan beamed as his mother dug into her food, enjoying every piece of it at a speed that Ryan never thought was possible.

"Woah! Slow down mom, I don't want you to choke on anything," Ryan commented, relaxed in his chair for the first time since he got to the house.

"Easy for you to say," His mother said through her chewing, the 5'4 woman dashing her face with a napkin before continuing, "You get meals like this every day at university,"

Ryan laughed, and playfully replied, "Well it was either that or conveyer belt food, and in the long run I save some money off of the college experience by buying the ingredients in bulk myself. The meal plan is SO expensive!"

His mother giggled as she set down her utensils, "I would know, you and I looked at the thing before you went there. $3,800 per semester, in what kind of world..."

Ryan and his mom shared a laugh before May got up to put her empty plate in the sink, insisting that she wash the plates in the sink while Ryan looked to his brother, who hadn't touched his food and sat idly on the other end of the table during the whole conversation.

"Hey bro, you okay?" Ryan whispered as the water ran in the kitchen.

Max made hesitant eye contact and nodded quickly, inhaling his food as he quickly broke his stare.

Ryan sat there idly (other than the constant tap of his foot) until his brother finished. He sat there for a bit even after his brother said thanks to his mom and rudely dumped his plate on top of those she was already cleaning. He fiddled with his thumbs a bit more until he saw his brother making a quick getaway to the stairwell, to which Ryan shouted:

"Hold up!"

Max froze, despite being a foot or so taller and having 100 pounds or so on his puny sibling.

Ryan waited for his mom's head to pop out of the kitchen, before his eyes softened and he said to her:

"Don't worry about the dishes right now. Me and Max will tackle them in a little bit, after we mess around, okay?"

His mother nodded, grateful to the older son as she proceeded to the basement to get some rest. Max groaned as Ryan squeezed past him into the stairwell, stopping halfway up and looking to his brother:

"What are you waiting for, ya dingus? Don't you want to play some more?" He teased, as Max's frown turned into an eager smile and Ryan raced up the remainder of the stairs into his brother's room, to which he let Max slip into before closing the door shut.

"Let the fun begin," Max said happily.

Chapter 7

"Not exactly," Ryan replied, and Max's excitement lowered slightly.

"Whaddya mean?" Max asked, sitting crisscross on the ground, his older brother just inches in front of him.

"W-w-well..." Ryan trailed, frustrated that he couldn't speak to his sibling in the way he wanted, "you were acting...sort of weird at the table at dinner today. And also, you stiffened when I mentioned mom was coming..."

Ryan was twiddling his fingers in his lap as the words tumbled out of his mouth, and when he looked up he felt saddened to see Mark staring at his toes instead of his face while he spoke. The older boy cleared his throat and continued:

"So what I'm asking is...well, what I really want to know is...what's going on between you and mom?"

Max sighed as his hand slid towards his brother's left foot, giving it a squeeze before making its way to Ryan's right hand. He enveloped it in his grasp, and let his eyes mull over the scene as he groaned.

"That's...not what you should be focused on right now," he said softly, watching with sad eyes as his large fingers slid over Ryan's knuckles.

Ryan huffed, and yanked his hand out of his brother's gentle grasp, "Bullshit!" he called, then put his hand over his mouth when he realizes what he had done.

He made eye contact with his brother, expecting rage to come over him. Instead he was surprised to be met with a distraught expression on his brother's chiseled face, Max's huge hand stuck in suspended animation where Ryan's once was.

Max managed a broken smile, as his voice broke, "I guess I have no choice then."

Max sighed, and then continued:

"Fine. But can I hold you while I tell you, big bro?" He asked softly, but when Ryan looked up to meet his eyes he turned away and added:

"I know it's childish, and stupid, and just random, but I -"

"Okay."

Max returned his gaze on his brother with wide eyes.

"Are...are you sure," his voice rumbled hesitantly, opening his arms slightly as Ryan turned and nestled himself into his brother's torso.

"Of course!" Ryan responded confidently, sitting crisscross in his brother's crisscross as he smiled up to him, "Besides, I want you to be comfortable when you tell me...isn't that what brothers are for?"

Max squeezed his hands around his brother, smiling wide with tears in his eyes before letting him breathe, resting his head on his smaller brother' shoulder. He turned to his ear.

"Thank you," he cooed before sitting upright in criss cross, "I needed this,"

Ryan grinned at his bro as he looked up into his eyes, "I wouldn't be any good if I didn't allow you any fun, wouldn't I,"

Max smiled wider, then with his left wiped his tears away and took a deep breath.

"It actually started a little before I began to take the testosterone supplements..."

~le evil time skip muahahaha~

"Wow dude, that's harsh," Ryan said, wiping the tears off his face with his brother's arm.

Max managed a grin as his brother used him to wipe his tears, massaging his brother's chin as he let a sigh escape his lips.

"Yeah, too bad I can't just tell her that we're two different people," He managed shakily, petting his brother's hat of hair.

Usually Ryan would swat his behavior off, but something about what they just talked about kept him from doing so. He leaned into his brother's touch, following up his remark with one of his own:

"Yeah...I guess so. No wonder why you hated me so much..."

Max stiffened when Ryan finished his sentence. He forced himself to swallow his spit before replying quickly:

"Well I don't hate you anymore and that was wrong for me to do so I -"

Ryan interrupted: "Hey, hey, HEY!! Chill bro, it's okay. I get that you felt that way, and I don't blame you."

Max exhaled as he embraced his brother, letting his warmth and bad feelings pour out into Ryan.

"And Max?"

Max perked up and looked at his brother:

"Yeah?"

Ryan smiled softly as he looked straight ahead.

"Don't let it get to you, okay? You're much better of a person than me...I just have some of the traits that she prefers," Ryan ended jokingly, but hoped his point got across.

Max chuckled as he released his brother from his embrace, scooting back before coming to a stand.

"I'll keep that in mind," Max said, a he prepared himself to clean up in the bathroom.

"Wait!" Ryan called while standing up, and Max turned, "Don't you want to have some fun first?"

Max laughed, nodding, "I thought you'd never ask."

Chapter 8

Max grinned shyly, "So…what do you suppose we do first?"

Ryan shrugged, "Actually, I was hoping that was your call."

Ryan watched with a smirk plastered on his face as Max lit up like a Christmas tree to the eight words he uttered.

"R-really?" Max said hesitantly, letting himself loom over his brother, and the older brother noted how his brother's shadow engulfed his, "Are you sur-"

"Of course I'm sure!"

Max blinked, and looked directly into his brother's face for the first time since he gave him permission.

He was...shaking. Scared of his decision. His eyes were shut tight, his hands were clenched beyond feeling pain, and his face was...distressed.

Oh no.

Max looked to him, determined. With one gargantuan step, Max closed the distance between the two siblings, and slapped both of his humongous hands onto Ryan's trembling shoulders.

Which only caused him to shake even more.

Max groaned, and since Ryan's eyes were shut, he became afraid of his brother's possible anger and started to force himself to inhale and exhale, force himself to stop shaking.

What Ryan missed though, was the soft smile that betrayed Max's outburst as he slid his hands down to Ryan's hips, counting to two before lifting him up and carrying him to Max's bed.

Ryan's mind raced as he was carried effortlessly onto Max's bed. He felt as Max turned around and sat on the edge of the bed, and a familiar sense of fear hit him as his chest hit his brother's knees. Ryan croaked pathetically:

"Please don't hurt me, Max..."

Max looked down to his brother, who's eyes were still closed.

"You have to get used to me now, older brother," he said sympathetically.

"Take off your shirt for me."

Ryan turned beet red, but didn't hesitate in fear of being humiliated further. After seeing all his brother's pecs and other muscular parts, Ryan had grown to hate his slight pudge. But he took off his shirt anyways, throwing it somewhere on the floor.

His belly jiggled slightly against his brother's knees that anchored him up. Max smiled at his brother's slightly chubby frame - it was one that he has grown to secretly adore after all these years.

Max cooed, "Relax little one. I know you'll like this as much as I will."

Max exhaled, and on an inward count of three started to do karate chops on Ryan's upper back. Ryan exhaled sharply.

"You have a lot of knots, little bro." Max commented gently, as his brother opened his eyes, "Am I going too hard on you?"

Ryan's shy voice piped up, "A-a little, yeah," he replied, and Max grinned as he put a little less punch into his chops. Max moved on to massaging his upper back with his giant knuckles, which pressed into Ryan's knots with great care and precision. Max heard Ryan's breaths get louder and less constrained, and for that he was grateful.

He was doing a good job.

He ended his massage routine by rubbing his palm gently across his brother's scapulae, back and forth until Ryan had stopped trembling completely.

"Relaxed?" Max asked, and smiles wide when his brother nodded.

"Don't worry Ryan, big brother Max got you covered," he taunted, but then Ryan piped up:

"I actually like the sound of that."

Max paused, a blush apparent on his face as he turned his brother upright and made him face him.

"What?" Max asked, not believing his ears.

"Well," Ryan said, his eyes glued to the floor as he kicked up some dust with his left foot, "It makes me feel...small. But the way you say it isn't discouraging, in fact...it's almost...encouraging, in a way."

Ryan looked up to his brother, whose mouth was wide open but no words were coming out. He continued:

"You say it in a protective way, like you care about me. I-i don't know why, it just makes me feel...secure."

Max closed his mouth and grinned as his brother finished, enveloping his arms around him before hoisting the smaller brother up in a hug.

"Thanks for trusting me..." Max said softly in his ear.

Ryan smiled as he replied, muffled into Max's chest, "No problem,"

Max set his brother down as he gently commanded, "Get me a big bowl of Tupperware filled halfway with water, the biggest you can find, okay?

Max grinned as his brother nodded vigorously, racing to fulfill his request. Within two minutes, Ryan came back with one of Max's desired size, although now he wasn't even sure if it was adequate.

Max smiled at Ryan, patting him on the head as he leaned into his brother's touch.

"Thanks bro, but you're not finished yet."

Ryan gulped, but nodded.

Max leaned back towards the bed, and let himself fall partially on it as the bed groaned from his weight. He wiggled his toes from within his shoe, taunting Ryan:

"Could ya do me another solid and free my stompers for me? A whole day of working and cleaning has got them beat!"

Ryan obeyed, untying the left and struggling to pop it off until it slid off into his chest. Ryan's eyes widened as he pulled off Max's blue high tops, as he held them in both of his hands he felt puny all of a sudden.

"Something wrong?" Max asked, concerned his brother was frozen in place.

Ryan's mind was racing with thoughts and predictions and possibilities, but he shook his head no as he discarded the shoe to the side.

"Your feet still reek, dude," he said, and Max let out a laugh that vibrated through Ryan, who was startled by Max's sudden outburst.

"Aw c'mon, bro. I can't keep them high maintenance ALL the time, right?"

Ryan nodded as he pried the other shoe off Max's socked feet. He began to peel off Max' left sock, but per Max's request peeled it off slower - "like a strip tease, but for my feet" Max had said, and Ryan had complied.

He felt as Max's stench filled the air, the sweat mixed with the fungi he never cleaned off almost suffocating poor Ryan.

But Ryan didn't comment, and instead waited on his brother's next instruction.

"Okay, might've underestimated the size of my feet. I guess you'll have to do them one at a time." Max commented, and Ryan nodded.

"Take the Tupperware bowl and bring it over here so I can rest my foot into it."

Ryan obeyed, grunting slightly as he brought the bowl closer. He watched as Max's long, humongous right foot splashed into the tap water.

"Oh, and Ryan?"

Ryan looked up to his brother, who was sitting peacefully on the edge of the bed as his right foot soaked.

"You might want to get some gloves for this, and a sponge...just saying,"

Ryan complied, dashing out of two room for the second time in that session, coming back minutes later with clear gloves on his hands and a sponge in his right.

Max wiggled his right toes as Ryan knelt before them. With great precision, he passed his soapy sponge along the outline of Max's foot and went back to fill in the rest of it. Max felt a chill go down his spine as his foot was worked on, but suppressed a moan. Ryan set the soapy sponge on the floor as he massaged the foot with his gloved hands, occasionally throwing water onto the foot until Max felt that his foot was no longer covered in soap.

"Okay, no more water Ryan. Massage it some more," he boomed, but his voice didn't lose its kind edge as Ryan obeyed his younger brother.

Max let out a loud moan as Ryan worked on his foot. He even worked in between his toes, slicing a finger through each space in between them all as Max released all that he was feeling in loud bursts. Ryan waited until he finished massaging to gently reprimand him.

"Shhh..." He said timidly, "Mom's asleep."

To Ryan's delight, Max nodded, sending off Ryan to close the basement door and the door to his bedroom.

Ryan came back with a towel, and with utmost precision dried off the size 18 foot. "Good," Max breathed, "Now repeat the process with my left,"

Ryan nodded, adding a mock, "yes sir!" He brought the bowl to his brother's left foot, and began to lather it with the soapy sponge. Max groaned quietly as Ryan worked on it, unable to suppress his feelings as Ryan moved to massaging his foot and splashing water on his toes.

Once Ryan finished drying his toes (and spraying the room with Febreze as his bigger brother opened the windows), Max exhales deeply, satisfied with his brother.

"Come sit on my lap, little bro," Max beckoned him, and he complied.

"You've been great," he commented, grabbing Ryan's ankles in one hand before standing to his full height, dragging the 18-year-old upside down.

"Let me return the favor, then."

Ryan felt fear cripple his voice as he nodded, feeling as Max moved his fingers through his brother's foot. Ryan's eyes widened as he saw the outline of Max's member. Max must've noticed, for he cooed to him:

"Go on Ryan, feel my appreciation for your service,"

With hesitant hands, Ryan touched Max's dick through his underwear, which Ryan noted was only semi erect but could be comparable to a pot when it was beginning to heat up over a fire.

Ryan also noted it was about 10 inches long but still soft.

The college student rubbed his hands around Max's member, feeling for it as suddenly his brother's free hand stopped massaging his barefoot soles and pushed his back high so Ryan was facing Max as he was bent in a V shape.

"Woah!" Max exclaimed, "Easy there, slugger!"

Ryan blushed.

"I never thought you'd be so big,"

Max perked up, "Really?"

Ryan buried his head in his hands, but let out a, "really..."

Max let Ryan's feet drop out his grip, letting him in the air for a millisecond as he grabbed him on his sides. He let his left hands guide his brother's wrists so that his petite hands weren't covering his embarrassment.

"Hey," Max breathed, "It's okay. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"I know, but -"

"Hey, you're alright, you're alright. Don't worry about it."

Ryan smiled in his grip as he was let go, his feet touching the floor for the first time in a few minutes.

"Now," Max said sternly, "sit near my feet as I sit down."

Ryan obeyed, waiting for Max's butt to shake the floor before sitting with his legs straddling Max's right foot, Max's left foot right beside him.

"It's time~"

Chapter 9

Ryan went pale as Max practically sang the words to him.

"T-t-t-tongue?" Ryan asked, trembling slightly as he realized the full effect of what he was about to do.

Max nodded, "Tongue," he commanded, pointing at his foot with a thick, meaty pointer.

Ryan gulped. If he proceeded with this, their relationship would be changed forever. He could possibly lose every ounce of respect his brother had for him, along with the possibility Max could use this as blackmail in the future. It all depended on Ryan now.

A thought interrupted his inward panicking. You could always back out.

Ryan hesitated a moment, unsure of his decision. He watched Max purse his lips out of the corner of his eyes as the older teen slowed his breathing.

He wasn't mad.

Ryan considered telling his brother that this was ridiculous, taking things too far - but he couldn't. He remembered how almost an hour earlier Max talked about feeling unloved, and he reminisced the embrace they had just minutes earlier.

Thank you for trusting me.

Could Ryan ever fail him now? If all else failed, their trust would be all that remained. Ryan tensed, a shudder traveling down his back as he leaned into the foot, and with utmost care pressed a kiss a little below the toes. The older teen looked up to see his younger brother beaming, goading him on with a thumbs up and a nod. Ryan looked back down.

He had made his decision.

Max beamed when Ryan began to slowly swipe his tongue all over the bigger man’s size 18 foot, watching him wet the recently cleaned foot with his saliva. Ryan went around the sole, forcing himself to continue to lick as Max watched with excited eyes and a salivating mouth. The muscle giant’s boner throbbed in his shorts as Ryan worked from the inside out - he was really dedicated, it seemed.

Meanwhile, Ryan was intrigued by the different tastes on his tongue. Although most of Max' foot tasted like foul leather, he found that some spots he missed during the initial cleaning tasted even more horrendous. A mixture of salty sweat, dirt, and mysterious fungi occasionally touched his lips as he went all around the foot - skipping the toes but circling it up to Max's ankle.

And yet, despite Ryan's disgust, it occurred to him that this was quite arousing - and his own penis began to inflate inside his jeans. As the smaller brother got more aroused, he started to lean more into the foot bigger than his head, ingraining unique designs with his tongue and slathering with different intensities. Max smirked as Ryan attempted to hide his arousal, shifting uncomfortably to into stances that hid his wood until eventually Max bursts out laughing.

Ryan stopped, confused.

"Why...?" Ryan asked, turning beet red. Was it all a joke? Ryan looked down, and was horrified – he was erect! The eighteen-year-old looked back at Max, ashamed. His cheeks puffed red as he sputtered to try and justify himself.

How would he explain that he liked serving his feet platonically?

Max let his laughter die down a bit before reassuring him: "Oh, oh don't worry...you're fine. It's just...your boner!"

Ryan reddened further and stood to his feet, pushing his penis back into his shorts with his hands over his crotch. Max calmed down a bit more as he cleared his throat, attempting to put his brother at ease:

"Hey hey hey! There's nothing WRONG with that, Ryan. Hell, I'm getting boned up - and I ain’t even gay!"

Ryan chuckled weakly as Max's eyes softened, slowly revealing his crotch region.

"Hey...you're good, okay. We're both men here. I do have to say though, boning me up by worshipping my feet,” Max scoffed to himself. "Amazing."

Max returned his focus to Ryan, who was staring at him curiously, "Anyway, just take off your jeans and jack it off if you want to."

Ryan hid his face in his hands as his dick throbbed, desperately trying to knock down the fabric. Max chuckled as he put his pointers and thumbs on either side of the waistband, surprising both again. The younger recovered first, saying:

"Hey, it's alright I told you! I don't care how big or small it is - you already see mine is the biggest one here! Besides-"

Max lowered his voice.

"If you continue to be cooperative, I'll reward you later," he said with a wink.

Ryan sighed and unfastened his belt as Max dragged his shorts down to his ankles, the smaller brother tugging them off the rest of the way before sitting back to his place in front of Max's left foot.

"Now that you're free," Max gestured, smiling, "it won't be as hard to finish what you started, won't it?"

Ryan nodded, extending his tongue around Max's big toe as he moaned. The older brother made sure to lick in between the spaces as his brother started shaking in ecstasy, bringing the whole floor to a tremble with him. Ryan circled around each individual toe, slathering it from the toe part, before licking the toenails, too.

Eventually Ryan finished up, and Max's last request was for him to massage the saliva into his brother's foot. Ryan, grateful that he had been wearing gloves, had been prepping himself to massage when suddenly a blur of red smacked him in the face. He groaned on contact, feeling the recently dampened fabric fall off Max's foot as he hollered in laughter.

"aHAHAHAHA," he rumbled, as Ryan tried to process what just happened. Max stiffened before scratching his neck apologetically:

"Err...sorry bro. You got me so boned up, so I figured I'd just go ahead and finish the job and flicked -"

Ryan paused. Wait, finish the job? He looked to the red garment, and almost shrieked if it hadn't been for Max who butted in:

"Sorry, sorry - it's just my underwear, though. I got a little too excited, heh heh. I should've given you a warning though - sorry about that."

Ryan scowled at his brother, but his eyes softened as he realized more things about his brother that he had missed for the past few days. He had now known the extent of the obvious fact that the teen had more testosterone than ANY 15-year-old right now - and that probably also contributed to his heightened libido - which constantly had to be satiated.

Damn.

Not to mention his depression.

"Okay, go ahead - you can finish up now," Ryan gulped as he spotted the snake of a dick in Max's hand. It was enormous – the mushroom head rivaling the size of Ryan’s balls and the shaft being almost the width of his arms. Ryan dazed out of his astonishment, and Max winked as Ryan got back and worked hard on massaging Max's foot. Ryan picked up the pace while watching the colossal titan moan louder and louder, Max’s hand jerking faster and faster across his fiery hot rod, which seemed to stretch on forever.

Ryan paled - it was at least a foot and some change erect at this point.

His brother was a monster.

At that point, his brother let out a huge roar before letting his seed splatter all over the room, hitting Ryan in the face and torso as the white goo splattered across the rest of Max' room. Ryan found himself pushed a few feet back by the sheer force of Max's climax, and held onto his brother's now drenched undergarments as Max came to a stand, advancing in his direction.

Ryan immediately tried to get up and get cleaning supplies, but found he couldn't due to the (one) gooey mess he found himself stuck in and (two) the weight of Max's gargantuan hand pressing firmly on his chest. Ryan's eyes widened in fear.

Here it comes, his brain chanted, the moment where all you had left goes down the drain.

He pressed his eyes shut, failing to notice the smile plastered wide on Max's face.

"Man, I never shot that much in my life!"

What?

Ryan opened his eyes, and lo and behold, his brother was staring straight into his eyes, the bigger brother's eyes filled with nothing but thanks and compassion on the smaller one. The large digits worked on removing the goo from his shirt and face, brushing ever so gently across his skin as Max continued:

"Sorry I made such a mess, especially on you little duder. I'll clean it up though."

Ryan watched as his brother loomed over him, walking over to the red underwear he had dropped in his fright, and tossed them over to the surprisingly unscathed laundry hamper at the corner of Max's room.

Swish, thought Ryan as it sailed in.

Max smiled to his brother as he commented, "Go ahead and shower, bro. Let off some steam, jack yourself off - whatever. I'll be around here tidying up, okay?"

Ryan nodded, scampering past him before stopping at the door.

“Hey Max?”

The bigger brother turned around, facing towards Ryan’s back as he responded.

“What’s up?”

Ryan scratched the back of his head, still refusing to face his brother.

“Do you think any less of me because I got you off?”

Max sighed softly, and gave his brother the most reassuring smile he could muster as he replied:

“No way, man. You’re part of my jack circle now.”

Ryan cleared his throat, trying to hide his laughter. Max picked up and started teasing.

“Hey now, what’s so funny?”

The older brother turned around and laughed, pointing.

“Are you sure you aren’t secretly bi?”

Max flustered, “Can’t a heterosexual enjoy women with his fellow men?”

Ryan smirked, teasing right back, “Fellas, is it gay to jack off alone? Cuz technically, you aren’t sharing your love for women, which is gay.”

Max rolled his eyes, “If that’s true, that means you must be attracted to me. You looked like you were enjoying yourself back there,”

Ryan choked, and narrowed his eyes playfully at his giant brother.

“I’m attracted to people LIKE you, but there’s more to people than just looks. I’m not shallow like you,” Ryan recovered, giggling into his closed palm.

Max crossed the distance between them and playfully swatted his brother’s finger, “Whatever Ryan!” He groaned dramatically, “Go shower before the world smells otherwise!”

Ryan chuckled as he slipped into the bathroom, leaving Max’s bedroom door open a crack. Before he closed the bathroom door, he whisper-shouted down the hall.

“Don’t forget we’re doing dishes later!”

The younger brother sighed in exasperation.

“Yeah, yeah…whatever.”

Chapter 10 [Epilogue]

~A week later~

"Do you really have to go back?"

Ryan chuckled softly to himself as his brother watched him load the last bit of his stuff. Well, load the only stuff he managed to carry. Max had been generous enough to do most of the heavy lifting for him, his backpack being the last thing to be put in, which Ryan insisted the bigger brother at least let him carry.

"Aw, missing me already?" Ryan teased as he slammed his trunk shut, jogging back to his brother.

Max sighed and looked away, mumbling, "yeah, you got me."

Ryan frowned, and in a split second gathered his brother's palm in his hands, tracing over his knuckles and palm delicately with his fingers. Max looked back at his brother, a twinkle of kindness in the smaller brother’s eyes.

"Hey now," Ryan cooed softly, "How are you supposed to be the bigger brother if you can’t wait for my return?"

Max felt a soft grin spread on his face, but turned to the side in shame. Ryan offered him a small smile in return, and as he dropped Max's hand the older brother couldn't help but let himself sink into his younger brother's chest.

Max sniffled as he felt his brother attempt to hug him, and as he felt tears prick the sides of his eyes, he wrapped his arms around the shorter teen and hoisted him up. Ryan’s eyes widened as a scream got caught in his throat, but calmed down once the younger brother had practically melted into the older. The eighteen-year-old did his best to return the hug, but his arms could only wrap so far around Max’s expansive back. Ryan settled for a couple of goodbye pat, and Max began to lower his head.

"Thanks to you, I can be the big brother I always looked up to," Max sniffled into his brother's shoulder.

Ryan felt rigid as his brother returned his hug more aggressively after those words, but suddenly found himself relaxed. His brother's chest was...oddly comfortable. Ryan sighed as he was put back on the ground, wiping a few of his tears on the verge of spilling with the back of a hand.

"Heh," Ryan managed, clearing his throat as he added, "to think that when I first saw you last week I thought I couldn't wait to leave..."

Max nodded, his tears now spilling as Ryan made his way to the driver's seat of his car. Ryan felt Max turn around, ready to burst inside the house and let out all he was feeling when the older brother remembered something:

"Oh, and Max?"

The titan turned back around. Ryan offered the boy a small smile as he looked at his large mass from over his shoulder. Ryan exhaled as he started:

"You aren't the same as I am..."

Max's head drooped.

"You are so much better than I could ever be."

His sibling's head perked back up as Ryan waved goodbye, got in his car, and made his way back to his college campus. He waited until he could no longer see his larger sibling at a stoplight to mutter.

"The world isn't ready for you, my big little bro."

And that was only the beginning.