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Russ was once again trying to work on the plans for his ship, but he was distracted tonight. It was Saturday, the night he was supposed to accompany Tyler on his night out with friends. Russ didn't have high expectations for this night; he'd probably end up getting beat up again, and the cruel cycle would continue. The best case scenario was that they just ignored him the entire night. He decided that if things began to look really bad, he'd make a run for it. Probably go back to the junkyard, try and make some progress.

Two weeks. Well, a week and a half. That was how long he had to finish his project. Any longer and he would be left here forever. But that wasn't going to happen. He wouldn't let it happen.

His thoughts were interrupted when Tyler stepped through his door without invitation. Ever since their fight a few days prior, the two had been especially cold to one another. They didn't speak to one another and actively avoided each other at school. Now that they were being forced to hang out however, they had virtually no choice.

Russ spared him a glance, a quick appraisal before going back to his work. "You look nice." He said sarcastically.

Despite his bitterness, the wolf actually did look rather spiffy tonight. He was dressed in a form-fitting green polo shirt with blue jeans that accentuated all the right areas. He had forgone his usual sports sneakers for some nicer shoes, a pair of slip-ons that gave him a more casual appearance. To complete the look, the wolf had discarded the snapback as well, and his headfur was spiked up a bit.

Tyler inspected the husky's shorts and t-shirt from his position at the door, grumbling, "You should dress nicer."

Russ snorted. "That's funny coming from you." He now turned and gave the wolf a proper look. "You look like you're going on a date."

Tyler flicked an ear in annoyance. After he had lost his girlfriend, the mere mention of anything romantic brought back feeling of hatred for the husky. "Where we're going, you need to look nicer."

"Yes, Mom," Russ rolled his eyes, but complied anyway. He took off his t-shirt and dug through the closet for something nicer to wear. "Where are we going anyway?"

Tyler hesitated for a moment before answering. "I can't tell you yet." he said, earning a raised eyebrow from the husky. He waited until Russ had finally found a collared shirt and put it on before saying, "Just don't mess this up for me."

"Really? How would I mess anything up? I'm way outnumbered and you won't even tell me where we're going." Russ crossed his arms and glared skeptically at the wolf. "Hell, I might even start doing shit just to spite you."

The wolf's hackles raised and he stomped toward the husky, growling threateningly. He jabbed a finger at his chest. "Don't you dare! If you screw shit up, I'll fucking -"

"Jeez, calm down!" Russ didn't have a clue what had him so worked up. "What are you so worried about? I'm not gonna try anything! I'll likely get beaten to a pulp if I do."

Tyler stood there glaring silently before turning to leave. "Just don't fuck shit up. Come on, their probably waiting outside."

Russ was overcome by a wave of nervousness at the statement. He was about to go out with a group of testosterone-charged jocks to god-knows-where. What had he gotten himself into?

Russ and Tyler went downstairs toward the front door with Abigail waiting for them.

"I want you back by eleven," she said, arms crossed.

"Yeah, Mom," Tyler muttered absently.

"And by the time you get back, I expect you both to be on civilized speaking terms," she added.

"Yeah, Mom."

"I mean it, Tyler!"

"Okay!_Jeez..." _

Russ barely even heard the exchange in his nervousness. He followed Tyler out the door and sure enough, there was Rod waiting for them in a red convertible. The three other jocks, the lion, Alsatian, and hyena, sat in the car with him. They balked when they saw Russ approaching.

"Shit dude, I forgot he was coming!"

"Where's he gonna sit?"

"He'll have to go in the middle."

"No way, man, I don't want him sitting next to me!"

"Well, I'm not sitting in the middle!"

"Settle down, bros!" Rod called out tiredly. "Let him sit in the middle." He then addressed Tyler, who was getting in at the front. "Remind me why he's coming again?"

"Because he's a fucking asshole that's why," said Tyler as he sat in the passenger seat with his hyena friend atop the center console. "He fucking made Roxy break up with me."

"For the last time, you deserved it," Russ spoke up, still standing outside the car. "And you're one to talk about being an asshole."

"Still got spunk after that lesson I taught you? Figures." Rod seemed oddly nonchalant about the whole situation. He turned his glare on the husky. "Hurry up and get in. We haven't got all night."

Fingers crossed...

Russ reluctantly climbed into the convertible, securing himself in between the two figures in the back seat. He couldn't reach the seat belt in the cramped space, but it was just as well. The lion and Alsatian on either side of him took up so much space by sheer bulk that he was tightly stuck in the back seat.

Once he was in, Rod pulled away from the curb and sped down the road, definitely faster than the speed limit.

"So are we still doing you-know-what?" Tyler asked.

"Fuck yeah, dude. Ain't no dipshit husky gonna spoil our fun," Rod responded.

"How about dinner?"

"Nah, bro. I'm not paying for him."

"Wait, we're not goin' for pizza?" The Alsatian exclaimed. "I'm fuckin' starving, dude!"

Rod sighed. "Fucking idiots, I told you all this yesterday. Just snack on these for now." He reached into the door and grabbed a can of peanuts, offering them to the wolf. "Peanuts?"

Tyler jerked away. "Fuck, get those away from me, dude! I'm allergic!"

"Shit, sorry," he passed them to the back, where the Alsatian eagerly snatched it from his paws and started stuffing his face.

Russ listened to the exchange with ever increasing stress, trying to figure out what they had in store for tonight. It was clear by now that they weren't simply going to a friend's house. Now that he took the time to look, the rest of the group were wearing nicer looking clothes as well. Where were they going?

"So are you sure we want to let him come along?" Said the hyena.

Rod shrugged. "Ain't no harm in it. Besides -" The bear fell silent, and then a wide mischievous grin spread across his face. "On second thought...I think I _will_pay for him."

Russ couldn't help the chills running down his spine. The last time he had seen that expression on the bear's muzzle, things had gotten very ugly.

"What are you thinking, dude?" Tyler said, having also picked up on the bear's grin.

Still driving, Rod leaned over and whispered something to the wolf. The hyena between them also heard his words and snickered.

Tyler's reaction, however, was an expression of pleading. "Dude, don't do that! My parents will have my hide for that -"

"Fuck you, man," Rod cut in. "You two can deal with your 'family issues' on your own time. We're gonna have some fun tonight!"

No one in the back seat had heard what was whispered, but whatever it was clearly had Tyler very upset. The wolf protested desperately while the bear and hyena ignored him and grinned knowingly. Russ suddenly felt like a victim of a prank; things were going south already and they hadn't even left the car yet!

They soon pulled into a crowded parking lot and got out, finally giving the husky some room to stretch. While Russ stretched out, the others were more concerned about their looks.

"Dude, how do I look?"

"Like a jackass."

"Not me, you dumbass, my clothes! And I'll get you for that!"

"Don't ask me! Ask that husky, he could tell you!"

"Guys, don't sweat it," said Rod, looking almost bored while the other fretted over their appearance. "My bro's at the door tonight. He'll get us in."

"What the fuck? Then what did I get all dressed up for?!"

"Because you want to not look like a dumbass, you dumbass." Rod shook his head and headed toward the street. "Just let me get in line first and we'll be fine. Same as always."

They crossed the street toward a building with a line of furs extending from the front door. The place was covered in bright neon lights that made his eyes hurt. Russ was intrigued. What kind of place needed a line just to enter? Was it some sort of screening test?

He was about to get his answer. They joined the long line of furs, Rod getting in first and the others behind him. Russ was last, and as such he got to observe the line in front of him dwindling away through a door. A large and muscular bear stood at the front, appearing to be checking the IDs of those in line. When a person was let past, they went through the door at the end, loud music becoming momentarily amplified as the door swung open and closed again.

Soon it was their turn. Russ began to worry, realizing that he did not have an ID card with him. All he had was his school ID, and somehow he got the feeling that that wouldn't make the cut. Then again, if he wasn't allowed in, that meant he could leave...

Rod muttered something indiscernible to the large bear, and the bouncer glanced up at the husky. With a small nod, he motioned for them all to pass. Still not entirely sure what was going on, Russ just followed the rest of them into the building.

"Hey! You didn't check them!" A new person behind him complained.

The bouncer shook his head. "They're regulars here. I know they're old enough." That must have been Rod's brother. Having a sibling who worked here seemed to have its perks. As the husky passed, he thought he heard the bear mutter, "Poor kid."

The doors opened and Russ struggled to process everything that was going on. Loud music boomed throughout the room like a roaring thunder, accompanied by violent flashing lights that sought to blind the husky. A sea of furs danced to and fro, bouncing up and down in waves to the beat of the music. A bar setting stood at one wall, providing customers a minor reprieve from the chaos of the dance floor.

"It's show time, boys!" Rod announced proudly as they pushed forward to the bar. "I'm buying the first round! You're on your own now, fellas!" Rod bought six beers and gave one to Russ, devious grin back in place. "Drink up, nerd. It's time you learned what real fun is!"

And just like that, the other five of the group dispersed and disappeared into the crowd. He thought he saw Tyler shoot a worried glance back at him before leaving as well. Russ eyed the cold bottle in his paw skeptically. The bear's idea of fun was clumsy dancing to bad music and drinking soda? And what an odd looking soda, too. It was a sickly yellow color, reminding him of something one would never want to drink.

He twisted off the cap and took a sip. He immediately coughed and sputtered, reflexively trying to rid his mouth of the repulsive drink. That tasted horrible! He had swallowed some and the foul taste lingered in his throat. Although he had to admit, there was something vaguely...pleasant about the strange liquid.

He tried again, this time taking a larger gulp. It still tasted gross, but something about it appealed to him. He took the drink with him as he reluctantly joined the crowd in the dance area. Might as well try to have some fun, right?

The crowd was so thick that Russ almost found himself carried by the unrelenting flow of furs, people either dancing erratically to the beat or trying to cross the room with their friends. Before long, some random girl - a spotted cat - took notice of his blue fur and tried to dance with him. Russ had no clue what to do in this situation, so he just went along with it and started to dance awkwardly with the girl. He couldn't dance for the life of him, but the beer made it better. Soon he had finished his beer and was fully rocking to the beat with the stranger.

At one point, Rod reappeared briefly to push another beer into the husky's paw with a knowing grin and disappear again without a word. Russ immediately started guzzling from the bottle, draining a third of it in one go. The husky had started to mind the taste less and less the more he drank. By the time he had finished his second beer, he had left his pleasantly buzzed state and entered drunk territory.

By the time he'd finished his third beer from Rod, he was positively smashed. It seemed it didn't take much to get him drunk, a testament to his Solarian heritage. Russ didn't think about that though. He was having too much fun dancing with this girl he'd found and having a good time. He had completely forgotten what he'd been so nervous about before. All he knew was that this was the best night of his life.

What he didn't notice was that a certain wolf was watching him.

Apparently the cat he was dancing with had consumed a fair bit of alcohol as well. She got an odd knowing glint in her eyes and grabbed his arm to lead him away from the crowd, but not before Rod showed up again to push yet another beer into his paw. Russ took it without hesitation, and was already halfway through it by the time they had gone through the doors.

They went to the parking lot and found her car, piling into the back seat. Before he knew it, Russ was pressed against the opposite door firmly as the two began to make out. Beer forgotten, the cat and husky were lost in their drunken hormone-charged frenzy.

Russ ignored the nagging voice in the back of his mind and let himself enjoy that moment. He wasn't even fully aware of what he was doing, only that it felt good. She unbuttoned his shirt to expose his chest and torso. With a wink, she sat back to remove her shirt, and then her top. The husky's eyes drifted down from her face and onto her -

The voice of reason previously smothered in the back of his mind suddenly became a shrill scream of terror.

Ewww! Boobies!!!

In a brief moment of lucidness, his paws fumbled for the door handle and he fell backward out of the car, narrowly avoiding cracking his skull open on the asphalt. He heard her frustrated screams as he scrambled to his feet.

"Hey! Where are you going?!"

"Sorry," he panted. "I can't do this."

"Come back!"

But he didn't come back. Rather, he started running in the opposite direction, down the familiar road on which he came. He nearly tripped a few times due to his drunken state, but he wasn't able to run for long anyway. He eventually slowed to a wobbly stroll. His head spun and he began to giggle uncontrollably.

"Hehehe...boobies..."

Somehow he found his way home, but he didn't go inside immediately. He stared at the house blankly for a bit and then looked at the green lawn surrounding it. It looked soft.

I think I'll sleep here for a bit.

Russ staggered his way to the side of the house against the wall and sat down. The grass was indeed very soft. He laid down on the soft green bed and closed his eyes, quickly falling into a dreamless sleep.

He was later awoken by the slam of a car door and boisterous laughter. Russ groaned as he sat up, searching for the source of the interruption. At the side of the road, Rod and his friends laughed uproariously as Tyler climbed out looking very worried. Their ruckus continued as they sped down the road again, leaving the house in silence.

Russ scrambled up and ran to the front of the house, the wolf spotted him looking very surprised.

"Thank fucking Christ!" Tyler said in relief. "Where the fuck have you been?!"

Russ blinked as if surprised as well to see him there. Still thoroughly intoxicated, Russ blurted out, "Hi Mom!"

Tyler sighed in disbelief, shaking his head. "You're still drunk. Shit."

"I'm not drink...drank!" Russ slurred, fighting to keep his balance as the world seemed to float around him. "Just ti...tired...yeah..."

The wolf sighed again, walking up and wrapping an arm around the husky's shoulder. Russ leaned against the wolf as they made their way to the front door of the house.

"Look, don't say anything when we get in," Tyler warned, his paw on the doorknob. "Let me do the talking."

When he didn't get a response, he pushed through the door anyway, entering the cool atmosphere of the house. Bryan was waiting for them watching a television show on the couch. The older wolf glanced back and then stood once he realized who it was. He immediately noticed Russ' stance holding onto Tyler and frowned.

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine," Tyler answered, but his father seemed to want to hear it from the husky himself. Russ offered a small "...yeah just tired" and resumed staring at the floor.

Bryan appeared skeptical, but let it go. "Okay. Well, did you boys have fun at least? Back on speaking terms?"

Tyler's expression hardened a little as he remembered why this event had happened in the first place. "For now."

Bryan sighed. "Well, it's progress at least. Hurry up and get to bed. It's getting late."

Tyler and Russ continued across the living room and headed upstairs, the husky doing an impressive job of not tripping on the way up. They found Russ' room and Tyler closed the door behind them in case his father decided to check on them. Once the door was closed however, Russ' attitude took a sudden shift.

"Mmm...you work out, bro?" Said the inebriated husky, his grip on the wolf's shoulder moving down to squeeze a hard bicep.

Oh fucking hell, not now. Tyler had not often dealt with drunk people, but he did know this to happen sometimes. And it now seemed that the husky's libido had flared up suddenly. The only time he had dealt with a bad drunk was when he had to convince a drunk Rod not to drive after a night of partying.

Tyler wrested the arm out of the husky's grip and began leading him toward the bed. "Come on, dude. You need to sleep."

Russ' other paw came up to rub his muscled chest. "You're se...sex..._hawt." _

Tyler couldn't help but blush a little as he pulled the paw away. He usually appreciated this kind of attention, but not from the husky. This was just weird.

"Come on, man. Just get in the -"

Tyler didn't get to finish as the husky suddenly flung his arms around the wolf's neck and locked lips with him. He only stood stunned, eyes wide as Russ sloppily made out with him, even going as far as to shove a slippery tongue into his muzzle.

He recovered after a few seconds and pushed the husky away, grimacing at the kiss and the rancid taste of stale alcohol on his tongue. Russ landed on the mattress with the squeal of bedsprings.

"Dude, what the fuck?!"

Russ didn't answer. He had already passed out on the bed and was snoring softly. Tyler shook his head and retreated from the room. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He had just kissed a guy!

He soon locked himself in his own room and tried to forget the ordeal.

..........................

Russ woke the next morning with a splitting headache. It hurt to even move his head as he sat up from the covers. The rays of light reaching through the window burned his eyes as they seemed five times brighter than they should have been. And he felt parched as if he hadn't had anything to drink in several days.

The door slowly creaked open and Tyler came in. In his paws was one of his sports bottles filled with water. He stood silent and looked the husky over.

"You look like shit."

Russ rolled his eyes and winced. It hurt even to do that. "Thanks, you too."

Tyler gave him the water bottle and dropped two pain pills on the bedside table. "Drink that, you'll feel better later." He watched at the husky eagerly gulped down the water. "You were pretty wasted last night, dude. No wonder you're so hungover."

Russ lowered the bottle after the wolf's comment. So this was a hangover? He couldn't imagine why anyone would get drunk if they had to deal with this feeling afterwards.

Tyler shifted nervously as if trying to find something to say. Eventually he settled with, "So how much do you remember from last night?"

Russ had to struggle hard to recall any memories. "Well, I remember getting really drunk...and then I left with that girl," he said, grimacing at the unpleasant image that came to mind. "Then somehow I got here, and I talked to Bryan...and that's it. I don't remember anything else." He took another gulp of water before adding, "What was the big deal anyway? What was it Rod was trying to do?"

Tyler sighed in indignation. "Well, the plan was to get you really drunk and then just leave you there. Not my idea, I promise!" He threw his paws up in surrender when the husky suddenly looked angry. "I was against it! I knew Mom and Dad would have my ass if anything happened to you."

While the motivation wasn't spot on, the gesture was appreciated. "But if you were so worried, why didn't you follow me out?" Russ asked.

"Because I didn't see you leave!" Tyler protested. "All I know is you got totally hammered and then you were gone!"

Russ sighed and closed his eyes to escape the bright lights for a moment. "Well, thanks for taking care of me anyway."

Tyler snarled. "Look, don't think we're friends or anything. I was only doing it to keep myself out of trouble."

"Still, thanks anyway," said Russ. He groaned as the headache didn't seem to be going away. "Remind me never to drink again."

The wolf gave a derisive chuckle. "Don't have to tell me twice. You get really touchy-feely when you're drunk -" He tried to stop himself before he said too much.

But it was too late. The husky's eyes snapped open and were wide with terror. "Oh no...what did I do? What happened?!"

"Nothing!" Tyler replied unconvincingly. "You were just groping me and shit. That's all!"

Russ held his face in his paws, assuming the worst. "Oh, fuck me..."

Tyler seemed to want to make a joke at the husky's latest statement, but thought better of it and kept his muzzle shut. He turned to leave.

"Just drink that, take your pills, get some sleep, and you'll be fine," he said over his shoulder. "And stay in, don't go outside."

"Tyler?" The wolf paused at the door. Russ looked up and met his gaze. "Thanks. Seriously, thanks."

The wolf didn't answer, just grunted and closed the door behind him. Russ set down his water and laid back on the bed, groaning again as the movement hurt his head. All things considered, it could have turned out much worse. Rod's plan could have worked and...he didn't even want to think about what could have happened. Or anything, for that matter.

He took the pills, chased them down with some water, and went back to sleep.

.............................

"So how was your weekend?"

"Could have been better."

It was Monday again, and Russ fortunately was over his hangover so he could attend today. He and Scott sat in the cafeteria at their usual spot chatting about this and that. It had been a rather uneventful Monday so far. His first two classes had been nothing but dull lecture, and they'd had a free day in programming today, which he had used to make progress on the GPS module for his ship. Some students had thought this was rather odd, but dismissed it due to his reputation.

"Are you good to come over again on Friday?"

"Yup," Russ said. "I managed to convince them to let me skip another game. They really want me to watch Tyler play, but I can't be bothered."

Scott pumped a fist in approval. "Yep, that's why I never go. What's it like living with that guy anyway? I imagine it must be terrible."

Russ shrugged. "It's pretty rough, I'll admit. It's getting better though. I think we're finally starting to get used to being around each other."

Scott chuckled. "Still, it's pretty funny how -"

The bear was interrupted by an announcement on PA system. "Attention students and faculty. A laptop from computer lab B has gone missing as of this morning. If the laptop is spotted please return it to room B-134 immediately."

Scott chuckled again. "Really, someone stole a school laptop? Who does that?"

Russ frowned as he ate. "What makes you think it was stolen?"

The bear raised an eyebrow behind the rim of his glasses. "Oh, come on. A school computer doesn't just go missing. Either someone stole it or it's just hidden somewhere as a joke. And that would be a pretty lame joke."

Russ laughingly agreed and continued his lunch. Scott was right. The idea of someone stealing one of the useless school computers was simply ludicrous.

......................

Russ set his school bag down on the bed and pulled out a rather thick laptop. It hadn't been easy sneaking the device off campus, let alone the classroom. He had needed to quickly snatch the laptop while the rest of the class wasn't looking, and then stick it in between his books to hide it. He felt lucky not to have been spotted walking down the halls with it, although it could have easily been mistaken for his own device.

Russ took out a toolkit that he had "borrowed" from Bryan's garage equipment and found a small screwdriver, carefully unhinging the laptop shell. Once the internal components were exposed, he gently took out the hard drive and set it aside. He then powered on the old computer Abigail had lent him for school work and dug in his bag for a thumb drive. The thumb drive contained a program that he would use to wipe the hardware.

He soon hooked up both the thumb drive and the old hard drive, and began to erase the data. It was only now that he realized just how radical he was being in order to meet his goal. He had just stolen school property and was now essentially destroying it.

Was he truly ready to go through with this? Was he ready to leave everything he had built for himself on this planet. A new friendship, his love for music, a possible love interest? The memory of his father's holographic visage made the decision for him.

I'll see you soon, his father had said.

And so it would be. He wasn't about to abandon the family he had almost lost once, his real family. The husky promptly shook off his doubts and uploaded his GPS code to begin testing.