Samel's Summer 9: Hunter

Story by Apatapa on SoFurry

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#9 of Samel's Summer

Just as 19 year old Samel and 46 year old Davie settle into a routine for their questionable relationship, Samel's closest friend returns to town and the young tiger is eager to open up about his new experiences.


Samel lifted his bed sheet over his head as he ran his paw pads down Davie's chest. The boar snored loudly in his sleep. Samel pressed his nose against the ten inches of stiff morning wood between Davie's legs. He ran his tongue up the side of it, enjoying how it still tasted of last night's sex. This had become part of their routine. Whoever woke up first was treated to pleasure the other in any way they saw fit. It had been five days since the forest, five days since Davie became his boyfriend. He worked his tongue up and down Davie's shaft, stopping to lap at the fat head atop it. Davie's snoring stopped in place of quiet grunting. Samel lifted his head to swallow part of the boar's cock. Davie's chest sunk as he exhaled, his entire body reacting. Samel kept working his way down, slurping on morning wood.

"Morning." Davie spoke between long moans. A fat hand came to rest on the back of Samel's head and scratched at his ears as he started gently bobbing up and down. The added pressure wasn't forceful, only encouraging. This was something fairly new to them, 'boyfriend sex' Davie called it. Slower, more sensual, more caring, so different to their rough evenings. Then they'd lay there in a warm bed, cuddling up to each other. Sometimes they talked, shared stories and secrets about themselves. Other times they'd lie silently in each others arms, savoring the moment despite all the chaos that had allowed it to happen.

Samel purred as he bottomed out, rubbing his nose against the boar's sack. Davie groaned, the sound trailed off into quiet laughter. "You're so fucking good." Davie lifted Samel's body over his own and ran his tongue down the young tiger's taint then suckled on Samel's furry balls. Pleasure rumbled through Davie's belly as Samel started purring again, the tiger's warm body flush against his own. No matter how many times it happened, he never felt like he'd get used to how intensely pleasing the vibrations were. Samel's throat was around his entire length, he couldn't picture what was happening within, only feel the warm press of a thousand different points of contact that barely lasted long enough to feel at all. He ran his tongue down the underside of Samel's dick, hands pressed against the tiger's back, feeling all the muscles tense and contract. Samel's purring stopped as he moaned, the sensation so different to the purring but exciting all the same. They both paused a moment, holding onto the joy before they took each other within their mouths and worked each other to a pleasant climax.

Davie exhaled, rubbing gently at the small of Samel's back. The tiger's stamina had much improved in their week and a half of frequent sex, no longer did he spurt moments after Davie started to please him. Samel pulled himself out from under the sheets and settled into the older boar's arms, rubbing the side of his face against Davie's neck.

"Are you working today?" Samel asked.

"A few jobs in the afternoon." Davie kissed the tiger's forehead. "We can stay here." He traced his fingers down Samel's spine.

"Actually, my friend got back last night. We're going to meet up in town and get coffee."

"Oh?" Davie smiled. "That's good. What's his name?"

"Hunter. He was- uh, is my best friend. Just haven't seen him for a year." Samel rubbed at an eye. "It'll be good, I think, to go see someone else. Sorry, that sounds harsh."

Davie only laughed. "Kid, I wanted to say something similar." All they'd done since they started dating was keep each other company, the only exception when Davie had work, mostly odd pool jobs that didn't take long, but some days he had to go into the pool shop and run things for hours. "When are you meeting him?"

"Pretty soon."

"Alright." Davie bundled Samel into his arms and yawned as he picked the tiger up. It was another thing he'd grown so fond of, Samel was light and lithe and settled into his hold like a house cat would. Unlike a house cat however, there was complete understanding between them. Samel loved him, and he Samel. All this contact was a delight made sweeter by the generosity of their surroundings. Most nights, Davie had stayed in the manor Samel was house sitting. It was almost like a vacation, with posh furnishings and extravagances beyond anything he'd be able to afford. Far better than his dingy apartment and made almost saccharine by how intimate he'd become with Samel.

He carried Samel into the shower, kissing his neck and they finished their morning ritual by washing each other, still exploring all the sensitivities of their bodies. He no longer felt weird for being so close to a young adult not even half his age. They'd found their rhythm, a groove for their relationship. Still, there was residual doubt and a pouch of shame. He wasn't at all sure how this would progress, how open he could be about it all. He didn't have much else, few friends and little family, but what about between coworkers? How would they judge him for falling in love with a 19 year old? He put it out of his mind as he finished rinsing soap out of Samel's fur.

Samel made blueberry pancakes again, another reminder of how far they'd come from the morning after the day they met. Then he kissed Davie on the lips, waving off the offer for a lift into town and started walking. Davie sat alone in the manor, at ease as he relaxed into a couch he didn't own to vegetate to morning television. Life was good for him, even better than he thought it could have ever been.

The walk into town was somewhat nostalgic for Samel. He'd stayed enough at Step's manor throughout highschool to have walked it dozens of times, but all the streets closer to the heart of town were the stomping ground of his youth and passing through never failed to paint the walls of his chest with longing for a simpler time. Moving out to the city to go to college had been weird. Most of his friends stayed in the country, pursuing trade skills or comfier lives on the back of family money, like Step had. There was still so much uncertainty around Davie and what would happen. If he could live the rest of his life like he had the last five days, he would choose to do so in a heartbeat. But there'd be complications, obvious ones like whether or not Davie would be able or perhaps even willing to uproot his life and move and more subtle ones, like how little they had in common. Though that in particular they'd already made good headway against. They'd taken to watching movies, things neither of them would usually watch just to comment on scenes, talk about characters and stories and what had been imparted upon them.

Samel caught himself smiling as he recounted a few moments Davie had given strong opinions on some of these movies, spoken in a way that only he could. Coarse, uncompromising and full of 'fuck's. He was smitten and he knew it.

He and Hunter had planned to meet at a small cafe they'd grown fond of in their final year of highschool. They'd often study or just hang out there and Samel had been avoiding it in his time back in town for fear of being sad that Hunter wasn't with him. But as he neared the cafe, his belly glowed with warmth.

Hunter was a German shepherd, same height as Samel but a little more muscular. His face lit up as he spotted the tiger headed towards him. "Samel!" He ran straight into a firm embrace. Samel purred as he nuzzled his friend. "It's been so long." Hunter's tail wagged back and forth at an alarmingly fast pace. They were both grinning as they entered the cafe, ordered coffee and settled into their favorite seats on the far side, in a quiet spot beside a bookcase filled with books, poems and pieces of art from local creatives. Hunter went first as they started catching up, though they spoke often online there was always things that got missed, or would be told better in person. Hunter was an apprentice carpenter, and not much else. He was still with his girlfriend from highschool and had just spent a few weeks in a riverside town a few hours south where his partner's family had a nice cottage.

"But what have you been up to?" Hunter asked, once he'd shared all that was worth sharing.

All the words were right on Samel's tongue. "I got a boyfriend." Saying that out loud felt so good. So freeing. He trusted Hunter, they'd known each other for so long.

"Oh shit!" Hunter grinned. "Congrats dude."

"Yeah!" Samel smiled wide. "It's still recent."

"Oh? What's he like?"

"He's a boar, big guy." His smile drew even wider, showing off his fangs. "Really caring, bit gruff but he's actually so sweet."

"Nyaw." Hunter chuckled. "That's awesome."

"It is."

"Really happy for you." Hunter sipped at his coffee. "How'd you meet him?"

"You won't believe this." Samel glanced around, nobody else was seated on this side of the cafe but it was a bit of an awkward thing to admit. "He's the pool guy for Step's house."

"Wait, what?" Hunter laughed, a little forced. "How old's he?"

Samel nibbled on his lower lip, nervous but ready. He'd always shared everything with Hunter. "46."

"Sorry, what?"

"Yeah."

Hunter was scowling. "Are you serious?"

Samel was prepared for something like this. "Yep."

"Dude what?" Concern backed Hunter's words. "No, you're joking right?"

"No?" Samel scoffed.

"That's not... like, you're dating? You and this old guy?"

"Yeah. Full on. Pretty intense too." He snorted. "Not a virgin anymore either." He pushed all his pride into that statement.

Hunter's brow tightened, he rubbed at his face. Concern so potent he couldn't keep it in anymore filled him. "Samel." Hunter's voice was serious. "Are you being groomed?"

"Huh?" Samel's ears twitched. He opened his mouth, his brain tripped over the meaning of the word. His heart stopped in his chest. "What? No." He tilted his head, his heart quaked back to life and started pounding hard. "I'm legal, he can't even-"

"You're inexperienced. I know you haven't really been with anyone. Sure, you're over 18 but..." Hunter sighed. "I don't know what to say. I'm really worried for you."

"Don't be." Samel nibbled on his lip. Nerves squeezed at his belly. "He's a good guy." His jaw was clenched. That was a lie, Davie himself had even said he wasn't.

Hunter whimpered. "I care for you so much dude. You know that. I wouldn't say something like this otherwise."

"I know that." Samel's hands were shaking. His mind was racing. "But Davie's not the one who pushed for it. I did." That was also a lie, he realized. Initially, yes, that was true. But Davie was the one that really encouraged it to grow into a relationship.

"Samel." Hunter was staring him straight in the eyes. "If he was a responsible person he would never have let this happen."

"He tried to stop it, actually." A spark of anger filled the tiger's chest. Hunter was still with his girlfriend from highschool. He wouldn't understand even if he tried. "We messed around then he told me he felt guilty. That we shouldn't have done it. The day after I met him he left me with the intent of never coming back."

"So then how'd you get back with him?"

"He gave me his phone number..." Samel's voice softened. He knew from the moment he had Davie's number he was going to reach out again. That was obvious, wasn't it? "I-"

"Samel." Hunter's voice cracked. He sniffed, there were tears in his eyes. "Has he hurt you at all?"

"No." Samel frowned. "Just a bit, part of the sex."

"How often do you two..."

"Every time we're together." Samel's heart thundered in his chest. He felt sick as the doubt assailed his thoughts. He hung his head, breathing heavily. It wasn't like that.

"Fuck." Hunter shuddered, tears spilled down his face as he wrapped his arms around his friend. "It'll be okay dude."

"I don't understand." Samel's fingers went numb. "He's not- he's stupid. I don't even think he could."

"He knows where you're staying, right?"

"Huh?"

"I think you should go crash with your parents. Or stay with mine." Hunter rubbed Samel's back.

"No, I don't want to." Samel frowned. "I don't think he would- don't even think he's capable of what you're saying."

"Samel..."

"You're right though, if he was a responsible person he wouldn't let this happen. He's not a responsible person, and that's fine because this is legal. So mind your own." He shook Hunter off of him. "There's so many ways to look at this, and you don't know him. So shut up."

"It just sounds like..." Hunter brushed tears off of his face. "Sounds like he's using you."

Davie had been using him, but he liked that. It was part of their thing. "He loves me."

"I'll bet he does." Hunter sniffed.

"I'm 19 dude. He can't fucking groom me."

"Not criminally." Hunter sighed. "It's still manipulation, playing off of your inexperience to get what he wants. Dammit dude."

Bringing up Samel's inexperience felt like a low blow. Like Hunter was judging him for it. "Get fucked." Samel hissed.

"Man, no. Don't be like that." Hunter's ears flopped down. "I'm just trying to look out for you. If it's not like that then it's not like that."

"All my college friends thought it was cool." Samel added, almost cruelly.

"Alright, dude. I get it." Hunter whined. "I'm not trying to piss you off. Let's just leave it."

"I don't understand why you can't be happy for me."

"I was!"

"But you're not now."

"No. I'm just kinda scared. Like, this doesn't happen. It doesn't." Hunter frowned. "If you'd told me you banged the pool guy, I'd have laughed it off. That sort of thing happens, kinda. Don't care about the age so long as it's legal. But dating? He loves you? That's-"

"I'm just gunna go." Samel snorted, and left without another word. The discomfort and disbelief on Hunter's face was painful to witness.

The walk back to Step's manor was agonizing. Frustration lashed his thoughts. For Hunter of all people to not understand. To try judge. They'd been friends since first grade. They shared everything with each other. Supported each other through all kinds of things. So then why was Davie the breaking point? The last week was the happiest Samel had ever been, and sure, it had been accompanied by some difficult moments but overall it was overwhelmingly positive. That's what sex was meant to be, wasn't it? It was true Davie often made some wild decisions, but largely they were positive too. The only one that truly hurt beyond the moment was when he decided to leave, to break it off. But he'd given Samel his number so that...

Samel scrunched up his face, muttering to himself. Advice. Davie had given it so if Samel had questions... no, Davie confirmed that was a lie right after saying it. And that ended up being a good thing. But Hunter wouldn't start conflict over nothing. That doubt lingered as he stood on the porch outside Step's place. He drew a deep breath. It was nothing, he was sure. As monument to the fact that he and Davie had a healthy relationship, he resolved to simply ask. He shut the door behind him and strode into the kitchen where Davie was sitting at the counter, flicking through one of his work notebooks.

"Hey," he said, looking up. "That was fast." He leant forward upon seeing how heated Samel looked. "You okay?"

"Why did you give me your phone number?"

"Huh?" Davie's ears twitched.

"Why'd you do it?" Samel glared at him. "You wanted to leave but you gave me a way to contact you. Did you know I'd reach out?"

"No? What? What's wrong?" Davie looked like he'd been shot. "It felt like the right thing to do. Soften the blow instead of completely axing you off."

Samel's breathing grew heavy. "Did you groom me?"

Davie stiffened. "No." There was anger in his eyes. "What the fuck Samel." He ground a hand against his face. "Where'd this come from?"

"I told Hunter about you. He was worried. Started crying and he's not a dramatic person. He was really upset, really scared for me." Samel's arms shook. "I didn't believe it, but I started thinking and it's..."

Davie shook his head. "I didn't. I promise you I didn't. This all happened because I'm a fuck up. I know that. But things kept going, we were making the best of a fucked situation." His composure shattered. He slumped his shoulders. "I don't know what to say." His voice went all breathy and soft. "I'm trying not to shout Samel. This is fucked up. I can't argue this. I can't fucking hand you a note with my intentions written all over it. Fuck." He sniffed back tears. "What am I meant to do Samel? The fuck am I supposed to say?"

"I don't know." Samel's legs shook. "I believe you. I do."

"Fuck." Davie smeared tears out of his eyes. "Should we just stop?"

Samel's heart froze. "No."

"All this fucking shame." He thumped a hand over his chest. "Fuck."

"I love you." Samel spat the words in a panic.

"Oh god." Davie covered his face. "If you were under 18 it'd be grooming no matter what I fucking meant for it to be."

"But I'm not."

"The fuck's a year matter?" He was shaking.

"A lot. I can give consent."

"Did it matter when I got you drunk and fucked you?" He dropped his hands, tears on his cheek. "What about when I put my cock in your mouth when you were sleeping?"

"I was fine with that."

"Fuck." Davie jumped to his feet. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck." He stared at Samel, breathing heavy.

"We're both consenting adults." Samel placed a hand on Davie's shoulder, afraid he'd lost control of the situation.

"Did I fucking groom you?" Davie winced. "Good fucking god. I don't know. Fuck."

"You didn't."

"Shut the fuck up." Davie clutched his head. "I don't know what the fuck to do." He groaned and sat on the floor. "I fucking love you kid. I do. And I shouldn't but it's too late for that. Fuck. I don't want to hurt you. I don't."

"Then stop this." Tears filled Samel's eyes. "You're scaring me."

"Maybe you should be scared." Davie stared at the ceiling. "Of fucking course I knew you'd try message me. I was surprised it took you as long as you did. But I wanted to push you away more when you did. Couldn't even fucking do that."

"You tried to do the right thing." Samel knelt beside him.

"And clearly I fucking failed." Davie scrunched his eyes shut. "Fuck."

"Stop it. Forget I said it." Samel shook his shoulder. "Please, stop it. It's fine."

"What happened with you and Hunter?"

"We got in an argument."

Davie shuddered into a second wave of tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Yes it is." He tumbled into Samel's lap clutching at the tiger's belly as he cried into Samel's shirt. "None of this shit should be happening. You can't go losing your friends over me. You can't. You need them."

"I need you mo-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Davie roared into his chest. "Just stop. Fucking shut up. You're so fucking stupid. Fuck."

The silence that followed the outburst was painfully long, only broken by Davie's snorts as he kept crying into Samel.

"I dunno what to do," Davie said eventually, voice bare of any emotions. "You need to make up with Hunter. I feel like such a piece of shit."

"I love you." Samel was desperate as he ran a paw over Davie's ears. "Calm down, it'll be fine. You can even speak to him." He pulled out his phone, a mess of emotions in him as he dialed Hunter. The dog picked up immediately.

"Hey. Sorry." There was no audible anger over what had happened, just a friend being loyal. Samel put it on speaker.

"I asked Davie if he groomed me." His heart raced.

"Oh shit. Is everything okay?"

"He's currently crying into my lap." He lowered his phone to pick up the boar's rushed breaths.

"What the fuck, is that him?" Hunter sounded so uncertain.

"Hi." Davie sniffed. "Don't listen to Samel. You might be right."

"Davie what the fuck?" Samel hissed.

"I fucking told you I don't even know." Davie raised his head. "Hunter. I tried to do right by him, I promise you I did, but everything is fucked."

"You're real messed up dude." Hunter growled.

"Yep." Davie sighed.

Hunter went silent for a moment. "That's it?"

"Yeah I love a kid I'm nearly thirty years older than. Of course I'm fucking messed up."

Samel huffed. "There's nothing wrong with-"

"There's everything wrong with this." Davie shot back. "You just don't fucking get it."

"Wait." Hunter sounded confused. "You think so too?"

"Yeah. Tried to make it clear every step of the way."

"He did." Samel added.

"Hmm." Hunter paused. "Can I come over? I want to be there for Samel."

"That would be good." Davie drew in a deep breath.

"You're at Step's yeah? Be there soon." Hunter hung up.

"He lives nearby." Samel frowned as he rubbed some of the tears off of Davie's face. They sat there in petrified silence while they waited.

It only took a few minutes before there was a knock at the door. Samel led Hunter into the kitchen, where Davie still sat on the floor. They stared at each other for a brief moment.

"What did you mean when you said I might be right?" Hunter asked.

"I made some shit decisions." Davie held his gaze. "Samel and I..." Davie winced. "Do you mind if this gets real honest?" he asked Samel.

"Guess it has to." Samel shuffled awkwardly. He didn't mind Hunter knowing everything, he just wanted his friend to understand.

"I came here one day to do the pool." Davie started. "Noticed Samel kept staring at me. I knew he was in college, so I asked if he wanted to mess around, and we did."

"You just... you're a pool guy and you asked to what? Bang your client?" Hunter scowled.

"It was a little more physical than that." Davie exhaled a long breath. "Like, got real close to him to get a feel- uh, a sense, for if he was game and he sure seemed it, so I asked."

"Samel?" Hunter turned to him. "That doesn't sound like you."

"I've been repressing this my entire life." He answered, chewing on his lip. "You've known I was gay since we were 15, and you were the only one I told for ages. It's why I told you about Davie at all."

"That's... yeah, alright." Hunter frowned. Davie waited until they'd finished speaking.

"We finished up, it was Samel's first time and he liked it enough to invite me back later. I was so close to not coming." Davie rolled his shoulders. "So close. But I'd already said I would, and I didn't wanna hurt him? Does that make sense? I don't fucking know anymore. I didn't want to ghost him because he was clearly someone looking to explore parts of himself he didn't understand and that shit hurts to think about if you've got no one." Davie pointed to one of the stools in the kitchen. "I was sitting right there that night when I told him something pretty important, Samel?"

"He said: just because you're legal doesn't mean it's right. Something like that. He had a lot of doubts."

Hunter's brow tightened. "And what convinced him?"

"Me." Samel held back an awkward smile. "Specifically my hand on his dick."

"Dude." Hunter sighed.

"Yeah, well, I'd just gone through my first year of college without anything happening, and I come back here to find all my friends were off doing other things. I felt pretty pent up, really bored, about time something happened."

"Then what?" Hunter turned back to Davie.

"We had some fun. I stayed the night, I had work the next day, but we did some more things in the morning. I tried to excuse myself, he wanted me to stay. I felt like trash and I really, really didn't want to hurt him. Uh. Emotionally, at least. Physically... things get a bit... Maybe this is too much detail. Things get rough between us."

"And I like it that way." Samel added. Hunter only stared.

"I felt so guilty, like it was choking me or something. I knew I shouldn't have come back. And then Samel tells me he's starting to realize he's a bit of a freak. But I was starting to think he was also finding other feelings. After he made me breakfast, I was going to leave. Cut him off, and leave it at that but he asked for my number. I came this close to putting in a fake one instead, but I gave him my number. And that's where things get really fucked."

"Why's that?" Hunter asked.

"Cuz I knew he'd try message me."

"This is what I mean Samel." Hunter turned to his friend.

"That's what I mean too." Davie grimaced. "I'll tell you this. You probably won't believe me. But I was ready to shut him down when he reached out. I wanted to turn him away without being brutal, so he could take the experience I'd given him and still move on without hurting too bad. And I kinda did a little, then he sends me some photos and I- there's no excusing this. I came fucking running back."

"Davie can't control his impulses well." Samel stabbed a finger at Hunter. "And don't go thinking that makes him a shitty person, you don't have much discipline yourself."

"Fucking shut up Samel." Davie sighed. The tiger winced. "I just fucking said there's no excusing it. My actions matter so much more than what I wanted to do."

Hunter nodded. "I have a pretty good idea of what's happened." He rubbed at his nose.

"Oh, no, trust me it gets worse." Davie snorted. "We fuck some more. I invite him back to mine, and this is what I mean Samel. I wanted it to be something pretty modest. I wanted to make him dinner, get to know him a bit better, try suss out if he reckoned he had feelings for me or not and really directly help guide him over that, cuz we'd gone too far for me to just tap out. Instead we're messing around from the moment I meet him at the door. He's bare ass naked on my couch before I've even got dinner ready. We spoke about what he was feeling, and why it wasn't romantic. It was just sexual. And it was intense, but sex is all it was going to be between us." Davie laughed. "I told him I loved him like an hour later."

"What the fuck." Hunter scowled.

"He meant for it to just be sexual, dude. It's not that bad." Samel growled.

"Kid. You and I both agreed it wasn't just the sex."

"That was later."

"Yeah but it happened in the moment, didn't it?"

Samel had no answer.

"And that was kinda it." Davie frowned as he stared at the young tiger. "I woke up the next morning, Samel was still in my arms. My heart was all jerky and I couldn't really believe it, tried to distract myself and failed. Ended up making it worse. It's no excuse but, I've been pretty lonely. My last ex hurt me something awful. I was playing with fire and I'm still fucking burning. I love Samel. It happened so suddenly and since then we've been trying to make things normal. It almost felt that way until just now."

Hunter drew in a long breath then sighed heavily. "You both should just walk away."

"You're not wrong." Davie stated. "But I'd rather fight this shit out til it actually ends than break his fucking heart."

Samel smiled at that. "Same." They stood in silence until the awkwardness of it was jarring. Samel hugged Hunter. "I'm so sorry you got dragged into this."

"Just wanted to make sure you weren't getting hurt." Hunter thumped him on the back.

"And what do you think?"

"I still think this is wrong." Hunter looked at Davie. "But it's a bit late for that to matter. There's... I feel so uneasy." He tightened his hold on Samel. "I've known you since you were a cub. I was so god damn scared but I- I don't... you're sensible. Always have been. I get it, this isn't something I should stay involved in. I just want you to know you're still one of my closest friends, and I want to be supportive. I'm glad you uh, worked some things out. Nobody's really that vanilla, right?" He stepped back, an awkward look on his face. "If he has, or ends up hurting you. Just know that I'm here for you. Always, dude. Always."

Samel nodded, a whirlwind of emotions running through him. "Thank you. You're a good friend."

"So are you." Hunter flashed him a smile. "I think I should go now, leave you two to it. Sorry to uh, cause some drama I guess."

"Honestly." Davie exhaled heavily. "About time someone said something."

Hunter nodded stiffly. "Um," he addressed Samel. "I'm not going to tell Step that you two have been uh... at it. In his house." Then he left.

"Fucking hell." Davie picked himself off of the ground. "I'm still shaking."

"You didn't groom me." Samel stated, voice firm.

"Let's just... not talk about this for now." Davie stared at the ground. "I skipped telling him somethings. Actually... there's something I'm only just realizing now that is way more fucked."

"What?"

"That night back at mine. When I handed you that first beer. I told you that you weren't allowed to say no."

"I remember that. It's fine." It sounded bad but it wasn't like that. "If I really didn't want it, you wouldn't have forced it. I know that."

"Samel." Davie exhaled sullenly. "I don't have a great handle on why I do the things I do. But you have to understand. I got you drunk. I told you I loved you, then I waited until we were in the middle of fucking to see if you reciprocated. You were drunk when you answered. Then you woke up the next morning and that was when it all started."

Samel stared at him strangely. "I don't see the problem."

Davie scrunched up his face. "I'm trying to be honest kid. You've made me feel so much better about everything. And that scares me."

"Why?"

"I already told you about Fey. I just do shit to make me feel good. Don't understand it until later. And I'm realizing that it might be happening again."

"Maybe it is. But you're not sure, and you're being so honest with me about it." Samel smiled at him. "So we'll work that out together."

"Fuck." Davie shook his head. "Can you just agree that my actions haven't been as pure as you make them seem? Fuck my intent. That's been a mess from the start. But look at how I treat you. It's not right."

"It's fine."

"Samel..." Davie sighed. "I'm going home. I need to think. Please don't text me, don't call me. I'll be back. I promise you, I'll be back. Just not tonight. Maybe not even tomorrow. I need some time. Clear my head."

It hurt to hear that. It hurt even more to see him so flustered, struggling with something that shouldn't have been an issue at all.

"Wait," Samel said. He wrapped his arms around Davie. "Don't be sad."

Davie hugged him back. "Need to be sad to think, else I'll end up horny then I won't think." He tussled Samel's ears. "I'm serious though. I need a break from you. The only time I've had away from you is work, and that's not enough for me to think about something as big as this."

"A break?" Fear lashed at Samel's gut. "Are we still-"

"Fuck." Davie nuzzled the tiger's face. "You're so naive. We're still dating. I need a day or two to myself, that's all. Go hang out with Hunter or something. Show him that things are still normal for you. Fuck, prove that to yourself too. You're obsessed. So am I. That's what it's like when you start dating someone." He kissed Samel on the lips. "I'm not gunna say it, but you know how I feel for you."

"I'm going to miss you."

"Me too kid. But I need this." And then he left.

Samel stared as the door closed, panicked and pained. This had become so much more than it was last time Davie left him, but that only made it hurt more. Last time he only feared that Davie wouldn't come back. Now he feared he'd grown so reliant on having the boar around he couldn't function without him. Like he'd just taken a punch to the guts, he lay on the floor, tears in his eyes as he stared at the ceiling. Hunter was always an honest and caring friend. Always tried to do what was right by him. Would this happen every time he told someone about Davie?

Was this something he'd have to hide? He shuddered, tears fell from his eyes. It wasn't something he wanted to hide. He'd spent so long in the closet, didn't even realize he was still in it after he'd told his friends he was gay. He thought that was it, what more could there be? Then Davie had found what part of him was still hiding and freed it. But he wasn't the only 19 year old with a thing for older guys. He couldn't have been the only one to end up in a situation like this. He fetched his laptop, determined to research. All he wanted to know is if there was a chance this could work out.