Terry
It was Terry's freshman year in college. He was a young gray wolf of the age of 18, slightly tone from working out his senior year in high school in the school's gym. Terry wore small, rounded, pewter coloured glasses with hardly any magnification to them for he only wore them to keep from getting headaches from the light. Behind those glasses were two of the deep brown eyes with a solid black ring around the iris, dreamer's eyes as some of the girls used to tease him with. He stood just a bit under 6 feet tall with decent sized paws that made his father proud that he inherited most of his genes. He had already taken every class he needed to graduate but still had 3 periods a day of nothing to do back then but he didn't want to go home and listen to his parents about being the only gay member in the family.
He was 17 when his parents found out. His father suspected for a long time but didn't want to say anything when his son always came home alone. He never brought anyone over to study with him or just to hang out. Terry's dad always pushed "His little trooper" to be everything he wanted to him be, always pushing him out the door to go help the neighbors with yard work or to help cut down that tree that's always seemed to be in the way of the view. His father has even gone as far as to try to set the poor pup on dates with the girls at school but Terry would just smile, shake his head and pat his father on the shoulder and go back to writing in his journal his tales of fantasy and his dreams.
Terry's family got their first computer when he was 17 and since Terry was the only one that really knew how to use it, he was on it the most. He would spend hours upon hours transferring his old stories to file, typing his heart and soul out, turning words on paper to words of light on the screen. 3 years of stories, dreams and poems had be turned into an illegible mass of words into a uniform work of art that anyone could read. He'd never imaged his parents would go through his files until that faithful day that decided for him what he had to do.
Most of that day was a blur to him, his parents erasing months worth of typing, wiping years of work in a matter of seconds and came down on him like two starving hellbeasts ripped from the bowels of dark dimension. He just walked home from what he thought was going to be a good day since he just checked the mail and found out he didn't have to ask his parents for money to go to college.
He opened the door to his mother poised on the couch, looking like someone ran over prized rose bush and dad just leaning against the wall next to the door telling him in a solemn voice to get inside as he started closing the door. Terry felt as if someone just walked across his grave as he stepped through the door into the heated battle, which was just to come. He slid his glasses back along his muzzle as he set his backpack door as his dad slammed the door.
Terry jumped a little, never really heard a door slam in his own home before. "H..hi? What's going on?" Terry swallowed hard, felt like he had a basketball in his throat.
Terry's mother started in. "Don't you act like you don't know what's going on! Look at this smut!" She screamed at him, slapping the monitor to spin it towards his direction.
"Mom! Those are MY files and I..."
"Shut up! I'm not done with you. You think you can live under our roof and be this way... No wonder you..."
"I what? Say it!" He growled back balling up his fists.
His father just kept quiet, folding his arms across his chest as he looked at Terry with a cold look.
"You, like guys! I've read through your stories...all of them. This is nothing but filth, being held in another guy's arms...caressed until you fall asleep together. You make me sick!" She said with a smug look on her face, with fire in her eyes as she erased everything in the folder with a few keystrokes.
Terry fought to stay strong like his father always taught him to do...just to spite him this time. "You know what..." He said, slowly lifting his head up from looking at his hind paws. "You don't have to put up with me much longer." He tossed the letter stating he had a full scholarship to the college he applied for.
"What!? What are you talking about?!" She snapped at him, as his father's eyes grew larger...
"You're leaving?" The news of his son leaving weighed a bit heavier than the news of his pup being gay. "But you have it good here, I thought we could put you through college here... in town."
The young wolf huffed. "After today, you think I want to stay?"
"Don't talk to him like that..." His mother snapped again, waving her fist.
"Or what, you'll kick me out?" He snapped back.
"Hun, shut up..." Terry's dad said in a low shaking voice. "He doesn't have much longer with us..." For the first time...Terry saw his father cry. A tear, one solitary tear feel across a muzzle that he thought has stayed free from emotion since he could remember. "Let's not make his last days here...hell on him. I want him to come back... he IS my son after all."
--
Yeah, those days were a blur. Every morning I woke up and just laid in my loft bed, staring at the ceiling thinking to myself... "What are they going to fuss about now?" I'd slowly climb down the ladder and gather my clothes for the day and my towel off the railing of my bed. I'd just rush into the bathroom, hoping not to make eye contact with anyone and just sit under the shower, letting the water just wash over me. I'd even stopped eating breakfast with them. Dad would have already had a place set for me but I couldn't sit there and stare into his eyes, I knew I'd just sit there and it would tear me up inside.
I started getting up just a little earlier, leaving the house before my parents got up. I figured it was a lot easier on them as well as it was on me if I just wasn't there. Out of sight, out of mind as the old saying goes. School wasn't that bad, hardly anyone knew I was gay and to a lot of furs, I was just one of the guys. That's why I spent most of my time working out, trying to build a little mass before heading off to college. The last thing I wanted was to be picked on and not be able to defend myself if the situation arose. It wasn't long before graduation hit, and then the summer blew by.
--
Terry's dad stood in front of the bathroom door, nodding off before Terry's door opened. Terry looked up, and bit his lip as he pushed his round glasses back up his muzzle. "Something wrong dad?"
His father just wrapped his paws around him and held him tightly. "I'm sorry Terry..." He said. "I just wanted to be there for you, I thought we could share everything. I'm sorry you couldn't come to me with this...." His voice broke up as he started sobbing on his son shoulder. He sniffled a bit as he pulled his head back to stare into his boy's eyes. "I...know there are things..." he wiped his nose, "that we can't ever take back. Things we can't change." He slid his paw to his forehead as he closed his eyes tightly. "Remember one thing...if all else, remember this. I love you son, you've made me very proud of you. You did more than I could have ever expected of you. You've never were any trouble, never did anything really wrong... You've made me, very happy. And now..." He slid his paw back down his muzzle, wiping it as he slowly opened his eyes. "You've grown up and ready to leave me."
Terry started to crumble inside and just held his father, doing the only thing he could do... listen. He softly stroked his father's cheek, fighting back the tears himself as he tried to be strong for him. "I... I don't know what to say dad." He sighed softly as he looked down, looking for the words to comfort his father. Terry smiled softly, "I can still make you proud dad. Show you I can make it on my own. All I need is a little time away, to get things clear in my head."
Terry's dad slowly pulled his muzzle back and half smiled. "Promise me... Promise me you'll come back to visit. I don't want to lose you, don't want to feel we've pushed you out forever. It was just all the sudden y'know?"
Both of their ears trained on the master bedroom door as it slowly opened. "I'm going to jump in the shower hun." Terry's mother said as she closed the door.
"I know I can never apologize enough for what happened that one night. What we did was wrong and we still love you. Give us a little time to get used it. Give us time to clear our heads." He said with a smile. "I..." He looked around; making sure his wife wasn't listening before whispering in Terry's ear. "I have a gift for you, consider it a late graduation gift."
Terry tilted his head, a little confused. "What is it?" He asked, curious as to what his father got him. He stood there as his father just looked at his bare chest.
"Close your eyes son." He said with a smile as Terry slowly closed his eyes. He felt his dad fasten something around his neck and felt a somewhat heavy, cold object lay on his chest fur. "Now hurry up, get in the shower before your mom finds out. If she asks, you used some of the money you got from graduation to get it... ok?" Terry felt his father push him into the bathroom and closed the door. "Terry... I love you."
"I love you too dad." He reached over and flicked the light switch on as he took a hold of the melt object and inspected it.
--
I didn't know what to say. It was a set of keys on dog tag chains. I found out later it was to a car that my dad put in my name. He didn't want me to have an excuse not to be able to come back home and he knew I wanted and needed a car for college. After a quick shower and brushing, I slipped on my shorts that day and grabbed my shirt as I bolted out the door to get a good look at it.
It was a black Chevy Lumina with a tan interior. I couldn't wait to sit in it. I took the keys off my neck and unlocked the door. I took a deep breath and grinned as it still having that new car smell when I tossed my shirt on the passenger's seat and took a hold of the steering wheel. I popped opened the glove compartment and found a payment book inside. Dad had already paid the first three months on it, leaving the rest up to me. It was my first big responsibility, just sitting in it made me feel that I was a step closer to being my own wolf.
--
It was a week later since Terry received the car from his father and it was time for him to pack up and head on a two-hour drive to make it to the college. Things became a little more somber around the house as Terry was packing away.
"You know I'm going to miss having you around son." His father said as he took a hold of one of the overstuffed duffle bags and slung it across his broad shoulders. Terry nodded softly and took a hold of the last box of his clothes and made his way to the front door. They both padded silently out the front door, down the old wooden steps and out onto the gravel drive way. They set the last bit of Terry's clothes in the trunk and closed it with a hard thud.
Terry looked around, burned the place in his memory as he looked back as his dad and hugged him. "Thanks for everything dad..." His father wrapped his paws around him as Terry's mom stepped out on the porch with a tear in her eye. "Love you dad..."
Terry's father just closed his eyes and nodded softly. "Love you too... And make me proud..." With that, Terry's mom just went back inside crying. "It's best if you leave now son. She'll be crying for days." He chuckled, trying to make light of the situation. "Give me a call if you need ANYthing..."
"I will dad... but I'll try to handle it on my own first." He smiled and as his father took a step back and put his paws in his pockets.
"Oh! Almost forgot...here." He handed Terry a small envelope. "It's something I've been saving up for you since you were a pup. I've put whatever I could aside for you when you went off to college. It's not much but it might come in handy one day."
Terry took a hold of the envelope and nodded, sticking it in the back pocket of his white cut offs before walking over to the driver's side of the car and opening it. "Tell mom I love her...regardless."
His father nodded and stood there watching as Terry got into the car and rolled down the driveway. He waved as Terry looked back one last time and headed down the road to finally start his own life.
**
Terry took a look at the directions on his map he printed out before leaving home; checking to see which exit was the one he had to take, as he got curious. He reached back in his pocket and pulled out the envelope and opened as he veered off onto the off ramp. He slowly stopped the car as he pulled up to a red light and looked down into. His eyes got large as he thumbed through what looked like around a thousand dollars. His eyes darted back up to the light to see it turn green and quickly put the envelope down on the seat to put the car in gear.
"Damn! Dad was saving all this for me?" He asked himself, shaking his head as he turned at the next light. "That's a lot of money..." He looked around a bit at the sites, seeing "Burger Row" with all the fast food restaurants you can think of and a few video store places mixed with two or three hotels along the same strip. "Well, since it's Thursday and registration isn't until Monday... I'll just spend a few nights at one of these hotels. OH! Twenty-five dollars a night! Can't beat that." He chuckled and pulled into the parking lot. He quickly scooped up the cash and stuffed it back in his jeans and parked the car.
He headed up to the office and waited at the counter. He looked up at the clock, gauging the time when he heard a soft male voice.
"Can I help you sir?"
Terry turned around and blinked, "Oh...hehe, Hi! I was just looking to get a room for a few nights." He was staring at what he thought was one of the cutest huskies he has ever seen. He was just wearing a pair of black jeans with a collared shirt on with the hotel's name stitched over the left breast pocket. He stood roughly six and a half feet tall, with a strawberry huskie fur pattern.
"How long do you plan on staying sir?" He huskie smiled as he just stared into the wolf's eyes.
Terry though for a moment and then smiled. "4 nights, checking out on Monday morning."
"Well good! Should give you a bit of time to relax then. We have a heated pool and a spa located in the center of the hotel..." He walked behind the counter and slipped a map on top of the counter and circled the area. "Here. I just need to see a driver's license and a major credit card please."
Terry's heart sank a bit. "A major credit card?"
The huskie nodded. "Yes sir, a major credit card in case of any extra charges to the room. We use that instead of a deposit, unless you want to put an additional fifty dollars down. It will be refunded to you upon check out."
The young wolf smiled again and nodded. "That would be a lot easier."
"Ok sir! I need you name please." The huskie looked back to the computer and started typing.
"Sure. It's Terry Thomas." He stood there and watched the huskie's large paws type with a blinding speed before swiping a card key through the magnetic reader.
"And what's your phone number Mr. Thomas?" The huskie grinned slyly as he glaced over at Terry.
"Hmm? Oh It's (955) 555-9596." Terry watched the huskie pull a sticky note off of the cube and jotted the number down and folded it up, sticking it in his pocket. The huskie then pulled another one off and jotted down "Tory (935) 555-1068" and put it on the papers to be signed.
"Just sign here and here. The top copy is yours..." He slid the card keys over to Terry and grinned. "And I just need a hundred and fifty dollars from you."
Terry signed and then reached in his pocket...pulling out eight twenties and handed over to the huskie. Tory reached over and took a hold of Terry's paw, sliding his fingers along the wolf's fingers as he slowly took the money in his paw. He quickly put the money in the register and pulled out a ten and tore the receipt out of the printer. He held the ten-dollar bill up for a second as he placed his elbow on the counter. "If you need anything...anything...call that number and I'll see to it personally that you're taken care of." He winked and lowered his paw, giving the wolf his change.
The insides of Terry's ears turned bright red as he took the ten out from Tory's paw. "I..um... Well... Thank you." He swallowed hard. Tory grinned and looked down at the papers, pulling them apart and handing the copies to Terry. He slowly took them and folded them up, stuffing them in his back pocket as he looked back up at Tory. "You...um, wouldn't know where a good place to eat is around here do you?"
Tory's ears perked up. "Dinner huh?" He grinned wider. "Tell you what. My dinner break starts in two hours. I'll come up to your room and we can go from there. What do you say?"
The young wolf was kind of taken by the forwardness of the huskie but smiled and nodded. "Sounds like a plan!" He chuckled.
Tory shook his head. "It's a date." He flashed a smile as he winked at Terry. "See you in two hours."
Terry waved goodbye as he trotted out of the office and across the parking lot to his car. "A date? Wow...not even out of the house a day and I already have a date." He chuckled to himself as he fumbled with a keys a bit and unlocked the trunk, pulling out his duffle bag. He then took out the map to find where his room was and smiled to himself as he saw a heart shape around the number. "He's something else alright..."
--
I couldn't help myself. My heart was racing in anticipation of my first real date. I dashed up the stairs of the first building and quickly opened the door and set my bag on the bed. I tore through the bag to find something suitable to wear. It wasn't long before I had everything unfolded and sorted on the bed. "Causal? Dress?" Kept on going through my mind... "He was wearing jeans and a golf shirt." I didn't think he'd change just to go to dinner so I put on a good pair of blue jeans and a white button down shirt and waited. I laid back on the bed and turned on the TV to see what was on.
--
Terry's ears swiveled as he heard a knocking at his door. He hopped up off the bed and ran to the door. "Who is it?"
"Room service" A familiar voice ran out as Terry smirked and opened the door. Tory stood there dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a plain white t-shirt as he looked at the wolf with a big grin on his face. "Well didn't you clean up nicely, but you've got to change..." He laughed. "Oh! Here are your clothes." He padded past Terry and looked down on the spare bed. "No...no...no... no... Oh these are cute." He picked up a pair of white cut-offs and then thumbed through a few shirts finding a button down with blue print on it. "Put these on..." He said with a smile.
Terry tilted his muzzle and looked confused, not really sure what to say. He took a hold of the items Tory picked out for him and looked around a little embarrassedly. "One moment." He tosses them over his shoulder as he heads for the bathroom and slowly closes the door.
The huskie whined playfully. "Oh come on! Not even a peek!?" He clawed at the door trying to sound as pitiful as he could.
"Now now..." Terry chuckled. "We just met."
"I know I know...doesn't mean I can't pick with you." He laughed before sprawling out on the bed. His ears perked up as Terry opened the bathroom door and stepped out with his button up shirt buttoned up. "Oh no..." Tory hopped off the bed and padded over to his wolf friend with a sigh he starts undoing the buttons, fending off Terry's paws trying to stop him. "Look here, if you're going out with me...you're going to have these buttons undone..." He smirks as he swings his paws out to the side opening up the wolf's shirt. The huskie lets out a satisfied grunt as he stares at the wolf's chest.
"What? I didn't think I needed an undershirt...or do I?" Terry asked, blushing a bit from the huskie undoing his shirt.
"You know...you didn't even have that thought...it's gone." Tory slid a finger down the wolf's chest along the centerline of his front as he stops right at the waistband and grins as he curls his finger and hooks the band. "Let's go...I'm starving."
Terry tried batting at Tory's paw only to find out it was futile and chuckled as he was being lead out of the room by his waistband. "So... Where are we going?"
(To be continued...)