Walls to climb
The Crib was like Alex's second home, as well as her business venture and hobby workshop at the same time. She had her own private residency, where no one else was allowed to set foot in. After play sessions, when she needed a shower and a change of clothes, she used one of her live-in pets' rooms.
Every member of her pack lived in The Crib, and they felt honoured to keep some of Alex's personal belongings in their wardrobe. She stored her clothes separated based on style. The cosy and sporty stuff was in Mikey's room, where she was heading. Being homosexual, his connection to Alex was not dependent on her physical appearance or attire.
Truthfully, none of the puppies would mind seeing her in sweatpants and a hoodie. Rather, it was Alex who was reluctant to let go of her femme fatale persona with them. Besides her exhibitionist nature, she also thought that a proper domme should be desirable and erotic in front of clients.
She was a traditional, textbook dominatrix in that regard.
Mikey was a sole exception, and her only gay trainee. When they met at a nightclub five years ago, the still underage boy was selling himself for rent and food to cover. He was reckless, ignorant and blind to the danger around him.
He was regularly drugged and raped on top of his concentual clients. Although he realised the unnatural frequency of this occurrence, he blamed only his own bad luck. His self-esteem wasn't functional to begin with, and with time, he slowly accepted everything as the natural way of life.
It took Alex a mere two visits to the same club to notice Mikey was set up by a local pimp. Without his consent or knowledge, Mikey was sold to monsters without receiving anything in return. The bartender was part of the scheme too.
As soon as she put the pieces together, she reported the club, the bartender and the pimp to the police. Mikey didn't want to press charges against anyone at first, but Alex convinced him. Naturally, she footed the bill of medical and legal fees, and contacted one of her former colleagues. In the end, a few of his rapists got caught too.
They were inseparable ever since.
Alex knocked on Mikey's door. Her keycard had access to the pets' room, but she didn't want to spook him.
"I'm fine, Rob, leave me alone!" He shouted from deep inside, and didn't walk to the door.
"It's me, sweet. You don't have to open it, I just wanted to hear you." She replied.
Heavy steps reverberated through the floor, and the door crept open. Mikey looked at her from head to toe, noticing her after-play state. He poked his head out to the hallway, looked around, then pulled Alex inside by the belt of her robe.
"Don't show yourself like this, for fuck's sake. Seth will beat up anyone who lays eyes on you." He begged with much concern in his voice.
"We can talk about others, but I'm here for you." She said with arms wide open, offering a hug. Mikey tried to stand his ground, but as tears welled up in his eyes, he gave in.
"Will I ever feel normal again?" He asked, clinging to Alex like a child.
"Not to pop your balloon, honey, but your normal is so bad I really hope you never feel that way again." She said with an understanding smile on her face.
"I know, but… I just… Don't find my place sometimes. It's scary to have it this good. What if you get bored of my mess?!" He was on the verge of another emotional breakdown.
"Okay, okay. Let me stop you there for a moment. Can we sit down first?" Alex tried to get ahead of the imminent downward spiral.
Mickey reluctantly nodded, so they settled on his bed.
"My goal is for you to get bored by me bossing you around. Until that happens, I'm not gonna get bored, ever." She promised.
"What are you talking about? Do you want to force me out of the pack?" He missed Alex's point big time.
"God, no!" She backpedalled instantly. "What I mean is I wish for you to value yourself more than be my toy, eventually."
Before Mikey could step in and complain again, she held up a finger to shut him up.
"You still need me as a domme to cope with feelings of uncertainty and unfamiliarity. Believe me, as you get used to your own agency, you'll eventually grow out of our relationship. You may find later on that the submissive role doesn't really suit you. All I hope is for you to reach such a level of self-awareness. Although you have many walls to climb ahead, you're not a quitter." Now she let him speak.
"You think way too much of me." Said Mikey, rolling his eyes.
"On the contrary. You think too little of yourself. Keep in mind, I'm never wrong about these things. When was your last session with your shrink?" She asked.
"Why don't you just ask her? You two are like besties, no point in nagging me." He pouted.
"Now you are getting on my nerves a bit. I don't go behind your back, even with my bestie. You are a respectable human being, get it through that thick skull of yours." Scolded Alex playfully, ruffling his hair.
Noticing Mikey's considerably better mood, she let up with the motherly approach. His earlier desperation was mostly gone, he had energy for theatrics again.
"I need a shower and a set of comfy clothes. Be dear, and prepare me something, also for you to match mine. I have something in mind that will cheer you right up." She instructed, and headed to the shower.
Thanks to Alex's expert guidance, they both fell back to their usual roles naturally. Mikey loved everything to do with clothes, which would be a cliché with other gay men. He on the other hand had to learn about fashion after he gained access to it. Growing up where he did, thinking of clothes was an utter waste of time.
By now, he had his own style and preferences, and his wardrobe started to get a decent enough size and variety. First, he checked what Alex had in his room. She could afford luxury pieces easily, but still preferred thrift shops and obscure designer brands.
Mikey was not sure if there's anything of his that could match her taste. To his surprise, he found two complete, matching sets of gym attire on top of Alex's drawer. One in his size, one in hers.
They were washed and folded neatly.
< Not going behind my back, my ass. Gym date baby, here we gooo. >
Fought Mikey with an impossibly wide grin on his face.