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An Unusual Family Uncontrollably Curious

(October 18th)

Only now and again is a day especially significant.

Only now and again, do events come along that truly change someone's circumstances...events which make a normal day into a milestone: into a corner piece in the puzzle of a life.

Loved ones die, and lovers stray. Police come knocking, and secrets are exposed. Dreams come true, and nightmares return. And, whether in victory or defeat, conflicts come to an end. These are the moments...these are the days which stand tallest in the measure of a life.

But they are only a fraction of the whole. It is all those days in between which truly compose a life, and which give it its meaning...

...days such as a Friday, in mid October: when a teenage boy simply awaited the arrival of his newest friends.

And this late afternoon, that teenage boy, Jeffery nearly-Hammond, was springing on his toes at the foot of his and his master's bed. His tail flicked about behind him, his shamelessly exposed sack bounced and swayed with his every movement, and not a bit of it went unnoticed -- least of, all that swaying sack -- by the eyes of the fox in the doorway.

Neither, of course, did that fox, Scott actually-Hammond, miss the sprawling lines of clothing strewn out across his bed. Jeffery had organized them all into rows -- shirts, pants, and underwear -- as he appraised them all, side-by-side, to piece together the perfect outfit.

And he was a kitten again, as his master looked on. He was so excited that he couldn't stand still, so nervous that he clearly had yet to make even the simplest of decisions, and so focused that he hadn't even detected the fox's approach. It was like the clock had spun back weeks: to a time before Tony, before James, before their final decision...and before all of the changes in Jeff that had come with them.

And before Scott had even opened his muzzle to speak, he already felt terrible for interrupting such serene and innocent joy...

...but he had little choice. "Shouldn't you already be dressed? They could be here any minute, now."

"Huh?" Jeffery's bouncing stopped, half startled out of his concentration as he looked up at his master, "But I just got out of the shower..."

"That was about a half an hour ago."

The boy's brow furrowed as he realized just how long he'd been standing there looking at his clothes, and then he turned back to them with a disheartened sigh, "...I just can't decide what looks best."

"Don't worry, Jeff," Scott laughed, enjoying the cuteness of his flustered pet. "I'm just picking on you. I know what it's like to get ready for a date."

"It's not a date!" the kitten snapped.

"Really?" Scott approached the bed, with his eyes on ONE row of clothing in particular, "Then why are you so worried about which pair underwear to wear?"

And left with no defense against that, Jeff simply flashed a shy but honest smile, "Do you think they'd like the blue ones...like you do?"

"The blue ones?" the fox eyed the underwear in question: a rich, bright blue pair of briefs, hemmed white at every edge and seam. He imagined them on the boy, how the blue nearly glowed, how the white drew such flawlessly enticing lines, separating his dark gray fur from the azure cotton...and how -- about a size too small -- they clung to him and framed his tight, delicious, little package.

They were Scott's favorites. He had convinced his kitten to choose them at the store, and Jeff often wore them just for his master's entertainment. So should the fox be jealous, now, that the boy was considering wearing them for someone else?

But after the moment's pause, he looked up and answered his pet's question: "At their age? I doubt they'll care one way or another." He raised an eyebrow, "But are you really expecting to find out?"

"Not expecting." Jeffery rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "...maybe hoping?"

Smiling wryly at the honesty, Scott took a breath and moved along to the heart of the matter: "Well, before they show up...and especially if you think there's a chance of anything like that happening..." He leaned against the bed, careful not to upset his pet's carefully arranged rows, "I think we need to go over the rules."

"I know. I have to wear clothes," the cat parroted back his earlier instructions...

...and Scott playfully amended: "...at least until there's a reason to take them off, anyway?"

Jeff just smiled as his master went on.

"But that's not all," the fox's voice turned a bit more serious. "No matter what, you have to remember that they can NOT find out you're my pet. Just because they're gay, doesn't mean they'll be okay with that. And I can't-"

"I know dad, I know," Jeffery cut him off. "It could get you in trouble. I know better than to say anything."

Scott shook his head, "It's not just what you say. It's what you do. They could pick up on a million different little hints without you ever having to say a word about it."

"Like if I ran around naked?"

"Or even if you just act too...too wild and free in general." He could tell immediately that the boy didn't understand, so he continued: "You're gonna' have to pretend like I'm really your dad. You need to act like we're normal...or at least as normal as a single gay parent and his adopted bisexual son can possibly be."

"So..." the kitten tried to clarify: "you mean I shouldn't be too affectionate with you?"

"That's the least of our worries!" Scott paused in thought for a moment and then motioned at the blue underwear to his side, "For instance: what if you're right? What if they get a little frisky with you? You'll have to at least PRETEND like you're trying to hide that sort of thing from me. You can't do anything right in the middle of the living room, or anywhere else out in the open. It has to look like you want to do it somewhere private...like you wouldn't want me to see it." He took a breath and summarized himself: "Basically, you need them to think that you're doing something wrong, and that you'd get in trouble if you were caught."

And at that, Jeff looked worried, "...would I?"

"If I really DID catch you? I'd have to play the role of the normal, protective, and disapproving dad, yeah." The fox shook his head, though, and rolled his eyes at the very thought, "But...I really don't want that to happen. I mean, when we made this whole new arrangement with James and me dating, and with you being the pet again...the whole point was that you'd have the chance to really live your own life, and to make your own friends and playmates. So you could go date, or fuck, or do whatever...and do it however you saw fit."

But even as he spoke, a surprising feeling churned in Scott's stomach. Discomfort. Uneasiness at the thought of his pet engaged in any activity of the sort, with these other boys. A part of him hated the idea. It wasn't the largest part, or the loudest, but it was there...and it surprised him. His surprise, though, wasn't at the feeling itself. It was at the cause.

These weren't the feelings of the jealous lover: feelings that he should expect and could understand. He didn't feel forgotten, spurned, or betrayed. And he didn't even selfishly want to keep the boy to himself. He just wanted to protect him. These feelings -- the queasiness rumbling its way up his chest -- they were the feelings of a father...a father faced with leaving his son alone and unprotected, in the company of a tiger and husky who seemed, suddenly, the very image of the dangerous, lustful predator.

These were the feelings of...how had he just worded it, himself? 'The normal, protective, and disapproving dad.'

But again, it was neither the largest part of him, nor the loudest. And he knew it was best to push it aside. "This," he pointed for emphasis, "is the sort of chance you've been hoping for, and I've no interest in being a cockblock. So, I'm gonna' do my best to give you boys all the privacy you'll need."

"Thank you," Jeffery laughed, mostly at hearing Scott utter the phrase 'cockblock.' "And, uhm...I'll try not to..." he considered how best to say it with a cute euphemism, "...I'll try not to 'ruin my appetite' with them, just in case you wanna' to play later, too."

"Oh, don't you worry about that. James is coming over tonight, too, and I'll be fine," Scott winked, but then continued. "But you understand my point, right? You have to make them really believe that you're my son and nothing more."

"Yeah. I understand."

"To be honest, I'm even a little worried about them finding out that you're bisexual -- when they already know that I'm gay -- and what questions THAT might raise." The elder fur rubbed his forehead in frustration, "But I can't expect you to hide that from them...especially not if you're hoping for any sort of playtime."

Feet away, his kitten's brow pinched tight in thought, as he ran through the whole scenario in his head. And after a moment, something occurred to him, "Uhm, Dad? I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"If I'm your son," he paused to look slowly around his and his master's shared bedroom, "shouldn't I have my own room?"

And Scott's eyes shot open wide, "Oh shit."

"They'll...they'll probably expect us to be hanging out in my bedroom, won't they?" Jeff explained nervously, despite the fact that Scott clearly already understood. "I mean, that's what I'D expect."

"Yeah, that IS a problem. If you're gonna' be having friends over, we really need to fix that. The problem is: we're a little short on free rooms." The fox turned his eyes upon the ceiling in thought, speaking more to himself than to his kitten, now: "Maybe I could move my punching bag and stuff out of the basement, and James & I could do a little construction down there..."

"Maybe? But how does that help us, today?"

~

"I'm telling you, Elliot: he's not gay," Hunter tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, while stopped at a particularly slow traffic light.

"And I'm telling YOU," Elliot argued, "that you weren't the one talking to him all night, last Friday. He is definitely gay." He shrugged as he added: "Or at least bisexual."

"That's impossible," stubbornly, the tiger shook his head. "I absolutely refuse to believe it!"

"Why?"

"Because everyone we KNOW is either gay or bisexual!" He counted off on his fingers: "Me, you, Mic, your uncle, your dad, Stan's brother...and even two of our TEACHERS, who we just magically ran into last week! And now you're saying that their adopted son is gay, too? No. Just no. That's too many coincidences. I refuse to believe that we're some sort of gay magnets, attracting every non-heterosexual in this town." Finally, the light turned green, and they rolled on through the intersection, "Not everyone we meet can be gay...and I'm drawing the line on Jeffery."

Elliot, though, just rolled his eyes, "Well, I'm sorry sweetheart, but you need to find a better place to draw your line, because there is no way Jeff is straight."

"And how can you be so sure?"

"Because he was clearly flirting with me, last week!" he reminded his orange lover. "You even said something about it."

"Seriously?" Hunter laughed shortly, "I was joking, Elliot."

"Were you really?" the husky replied skeptically. "You were there. I know you saw how he kept holding my paws, and how he just about smothered me in that hug right before we left...and let's not forget about how he was almost BEGGING for us to come over to his house."

Hunter nodded at that, but contended: "That's just because he's a lonely kid, hun."

"A kid? He's my age. And, besides," Elliot leaned back, smugly certain of his final point of evidence: "Loneliness doesn't explain why he was SNIFFING me!"

"To quote Stan..." the cat grinned, as he matched his boyfriend's smugness, "I think you're just being hopelessly optimistic."

"Really? Stan?" Elliot's eyelids dropped as he tilted his head in disbelief. "Out of everyone, you chose to quote Stan? After what we saw last week, hasn't that quote been a little...undermined?" he smirked mockingly.

"Not at all!" Hunter argued, jumping to the absent rabbit's defense: "A little experimentation doesn't change anything. Stan is still straight."

"And I take it that that's what he's been telling you?"

"Well it's true!"

"You know, just because a guy doesn't accept your advances...it doesn't necessarily mean they're straight." The dog reigned in a smile as he deliberately provoked the cat: "Maybe he's just not into you."

Hunter, though, surprised him, and instead of taking the bait and defending himself...he just smiled, "You know what? Fine. Maybe you're right. Maybe Stan IS a little bi. But if so, that just makes my point even stronger!" He pointed at his monochrome lover, "Not only are you & I, and Mic, Aaron, Scott, James, and your uncle & father all gay or bi...but even MY GRANDMOTHER'S DOCTOR might be! Or at the very least he's curious. Do you REALLY think -- after all of that -- that our lives have room for another big gay coincidence?"

Elliot, though, simply met his cat's triumphant smile with another shrug, "I don't care how unlikely you think it is. Jeffery's gay."

Clearly, the argument was getting them nowhere. Both were too convinced -- and too stubborn -- to back down. And so Hunter turned to a slightly different approach...

"Okay then," the tiger nodded. "How about we bet on it?"

"Bet?" Elliot arched an eyebrow. "With what? We don't exactly have any money."

"Then we'll bet with something else!" Hunter hummed softly as he considered exactly what that might be, though it only took him a moment to suggest: "Something sexual, maybe?"

"How?" the husky turned up his paws in another shrug. "There's nothing either of us wants that the other wouldn't already do, willingly."

Suddenly and completely distracted by that, Hunter's muzzle split in a colossal smile, "Really?"

And Elliot met it with a sigh, "I already told you, Hunter: so long as no one else sees it, and you shell out the cash to buy it, I'll wear it for you." He pointed at his boyfriend, "You just remember your end of the bargain."

"Right. My end..." the big cat's smile faded. "I still don't know if I'm a good enough actor for that, though."

"Oh, I believe in you."

"Well, whatever, fine! So, we can't bet with sex. What CAN we use, then?"

And now, it was Elliot who stopped and hummed, a thumb absently rubbing the top of his nose as he searched for an answer. But while that humming outlasted Hunter's, it still didn't go on for very long. "Oh! I know! I know!"

"That was quick!"

He sat straighter and began: "When I'm right-"

"IF you're right..." Hunter cut him off...

...but the dog just repeated himself and continued along, "When I'm right, and Jeff has admitted that he's either gay or bi..." he paused for dramatic effect, "...you have to fondle Stanley!"

"What?" Hunter shook his head, quickly, "No!"

"And why not? You're always threatening him with it!" And with a smirk and a wink, Elliot leaned closer to his boyfriend, "And besides, I KNOW you want a fist full of bunny balls..."

"Well, maybe, yeah, but..."

"And," he interrupted his cat's stammering to continue, "depending on his reaction, it might even shed some light on HIS sexuality, too!"

The tiger, though, just shook his head again, "But how could I even look at him, after doing something like that?"

And Elliot's smile grew wide and arrogant, "...so you're scared you're gonna' lose?"

"Fine!" Hunter glared, pointing an angry finger at his passenger, "But it's tit for tat, puppy!"

"Really?" The husky's eyes widened, and his smile shifted again, now to nearly that of an innocent and ecstatic child on Christmas morning, "You mean, if I lose, I get to grope Stanley, too??"

"Oh, no," Hunter shook his head in a long, slow, and exaggerated motion. "If YOU lose, you have to walk up to Mic, without saying a word to warn him, and kiss him right on the lips."

"Fine," Elliot's answer was immediate...

...and so his cat amended: "Oh, and I mean at school. Where everyone can see!"

"Fine!" Elliot simply repeated himself, but in a louder and almost mocking chirp.

"You'd really be okay with that?" Hunter eyed him in disbelief.

"I don't have to be. 'Cause, it's not gonna' happen."

"Whatever." Eyes back on the road, Hunter simply shrugged and continued on with their drive as nonchalantly as possible, "I just hope you make the most of your kiss. Because you will NEVER live it down!"

"And I hope YOU enjoy Stan's balls!" his husky replied in kind. "They looked quite hefty, though. So don't be ashamed to use both paws."

A silence filled the car, then, save for the sound of the road beneath their tires. Both boys minds had shifted focus somewhere along the line...shifted away from thoughts of who was right about Jeffery, and even who would win their bet...and over, instead, to the possible repercussions.

In their imaginations, an orange paw rolled heavy tan balls in its fingers. In the mind of one, the owner of those balls was nude and passed out again on a couch, while in the other's, that orange paw had delved unexpectedly into his pants. And alongside this image, much the same, the imagined paws of a husky roamed about the body of a hyena...as the two were locked in a deep and passionate kiss, with countless eyes bearing down on the scene.

"Elliot?" Hunter finally broke their silence. "Are you as turned on as I am, right now?"

And his lover could only whimper in return: "If I don't unzip my pants, soon, I think my dick's gonna' break."

~

Jeffery was finally dressed. Elliot was still zipped.

A pair of blue underwear lay hidden behind denim, despite protests to the contrary. Teased canid privates lay dormant and sheathed, yet unsatisfied. And nearby, a fox and a tiger chuckled inwardly at their loved ones' plights.

Elliot and Jeffery, though, remained all smiles and politeness -- the cordial host and the humble guest -- as the young gray cat ushered his arriving friends through his home and out into the back yard. There, was set a barely used grill and an assortment of various lawn furniture, all crisp, clean, and clearly brand new...but little else.

The cat took a seat in one of the chairs around a thick glass table, and his canine guest followed close. Hunter, though, lingered, eyeing the yard and the closed door behind them...

"Uhm, Jeff, buddy?"

"Yeah?" Jeffery looked up from the table at the larger, orange cat.

"Why are we hangin' around back here? Isn't it a little..." Hunter's head sunk into his shoulders as he wound his paws into his pockets, "...nippy for this?"

"Yeah...maybe a little bit?" the gray cat nodded. It WAS a little cooler than he'd realized, "But I don't really have my own room, yet."

And Elliot's ears perked, "You don't have a bedroom?"

"It's..." Jeff struggled to explain, "Well, it's gonna' be in the basement, when it's done, and it should be pretty nice. But it's just...it's still under construction. Dad and James are still working on it." He smiled uncertainly, "So, until then, I get to sleep on the fold out couch in the living room."

The couch in the living room? That was his best lie? What was he thinking? The stupid thing wasn't even a fold-out bed! What if they noticed that when they went back inside? And plus: there was NO WAY Scott would have been allowed to adopt a child without even having a proper bedroom for him, right? Weren't there living condition requirements before an adoption agency could just paw a cub over to somebody? Especially a bachelor! And what if Elliot and Hunter knew that too??

Of course, though, he was putting far more thought into his lie than they ever would, and between the two, they had only one question:

"Okay, so you don't have a room," and it was posed by Hunter: "...but there's nowhere else we could hang out? Y'know: inside, where it's warm?"

"Only the living room, but...I didn't really want Dad walking in and out the whole time, and looking over our shoulders while he was cooking. I thought it might be nice to have a little privacy," and the kitten had to restrain a smile. He was quite proud of himself for finding the chance to work that particular lie into the conversation so soon. "After dinner, he'll probably go back to his room, though...and then we'll be able to have the run of the place! Video games, movies, whatever we wanna' do..."

"He's cooking right now?" the tiger asked, slowly padding closer to his boyfriend, their new friend, and the patio furniture.

"Yeah," Jeff nodded.

"Well, I guess it shouldn't be TOO long then."

Hunter wrapped himself in his arms as he, too, took a seat around the table...with an audible and frustrated huff passing his lips, as he did. And at the sound, Jeffery's eyes drooped: already nervous about having his friends over, and now suddenly feeling like he was being a bad host. Elliot, though, jumped in to comfort him...

"Oh, don't pay him any mind, Jeffery!" the husky chirped happily. "He just doesn't like the cold."

"You hush!" Hunter argued. "You're a husky. You're built for this."

"This is just autumn, sweetheart, not winter." Elliot motioned at his boyfriend, "With all that fur you've got, YOU'RE built for it too. You're just being a wimp." And he turned his gaze on their host, "I mean: look at Jeff! He has the least fur of any of us, and he's not complaining."

Of course, if he was being entirely honest, Jeffery was actually more than a little bit uncomfortable, himself. He understood Hunter's complaints entirely, and was even wishing, now, that he had at least worn a thin jacket. But...he just smiled and nodded.

"Fine," the tiger huffed again.

"So...uhm..." the gray cat hesitantly changed the subject, eager to move things along, "h-how have things been going since last week?" He looked to Elliot in particular, "Any new trouble with your mom?"

"Well," the husky leaned in on the glass table, "I told you about her plan to have me taken away because our apartment was 'too small,' right?"

And Jeff just nodded.

"Well, I've been told that she already put the paper work through," Elliot explained. "They're lining up hearings and inspections and all sorts of stupid shit...and my dad is just beside himself over it!"

"I can imagine. It must be...frustrating."

"Oh, no! He's not mad," the dog clarified with a wide, gleaming smile. "He finds it hilarious!"

And Jeffery's brow furrowed, "Why?"

"Because we're already getting ready to move into a new place! Everything's all set up and ready to go. And it's just a three bedroom apartment in the same complex, so it'll be a quick and easy move!" Elliot shook his head through a short laugh, "By the time anything could possibly come of her paper work -- any hearings or whatever -- we'll already be moved, and all of her effort and money will have been for nothing..."

Jeffery laughed along with his friend, and, in fact, more loudly, "I bet she'll be happy about that!"

"About losing? Oh, I'm sure!" The husky shrugged, though, as he amended: "But she's got enough money that she won't mind the waste."

"What about you?" abruptly, Jeff turned his head to the side...

...and Hunter was quickly roused from his quiet frustration wirth the cold, "Me?"

"Yeah! I, uhm...I heard you talking to James last week about living with your grandmother. Is everything going okay, over there?"

"Oh, yeah! Things are fine," Hunter nodded. "I mean...she's kind of in the hospital right now, but-"

"In the hospital??" Jeffery interrupted him frantically. "What are you doing over here, then? Shouldn't you be with her? You could have canceled for something like that!"

The tiger, though, just laughed, "Calm down, kitten! It's nothing serious. She just had a little fall, is all. That happens sometimes. And it's not like I haven't visited her, anyway," he explained. "I took off some classes earlier today to be with her, and I'll be going back tomorrow. But she doesn't want me hanging around there, twenty-four seven any more than I do!"

"...if you're sure."

"I am," he assured their new friend. "Besides, Stan keeps telling us that she's his strongest and healthiest patient. Better off than most of his younger ones, even!"

Around the small glass table, neither the husky nor the kitten ventured a response...clearly not entirely convinced, but not certain how to argue...

...Hunter, though, simply changed the subject, "But hey! Speaking of James...I didn't see him around." He pointed back at the house, "Doesn't he live here with you two?"

"What? No," Jeff shook his head. "He visits enough that he might as well! But...no, he doesn't live here, yet." And he motioned toward the house, as well, "If you're hoping to see him, though, he WILL be over later tonight. He just hasn't shown up, yet."

"Oh. Sorry. I just got the impression, last week, that you all lived together."

"Nope! Just me and Dad."

"Yeah, y'know...so, about that..." At that, Elliot found himself reminded of an earlier curiosity, and inserted himself back into the fray, "What's it like, exactly, having a teacher for a dad?"

"And a step-dad, too, for that matter," Hunter added. "Don't forget about James!"

And Jeffery smiled apprehensively, "I, uhm...I don't know. Pretty normal?" He stammered to come up with any sort of answer, "N-not that much different from anyone else, I guess."

Elliot, though, countered: "My dad is bisexual and we live with my gay uncle..."

"...and my dad ran off when I was a kitten," Hunter added.

"So normal WOULD BE quite a bit different than what we're used to, right now," the husky concluded with a smirk.

And so Jeff laughed, before moving along...having used those few moments to formulate his next little lie: "Well, I mean, he's a bit more strict about grades than your parents are, I'm sure. He knows a lot more about what really goes on in a class room, so he expects more from me. Expects me to do at least as well as any of his students, or better, you know?"

The truth, though -- were that he could tell it -- was that James and Scott were, at the moment, both his parents AND his teachers. They had taken, as of late, to assigning him the same homework they were giving their classes at school. This was only two subjects' worth of work, of course -- a far cry from a real school, or even homeschool -- but it was better than nothing.

"That sounds like Mr. Hammond," Elliot agreed with the lie.

"Not like James, though," the tiger pointed out. "I assume he's easier on you?"

"Oh, by a long shot!" Jeffery confirmed, that part, at least, true. "But...is that what they're like at school, too? I mean: what are they like as teachers? I take it James is a lot nicer?"

"Kind of? Yeah?" Elliot answered uncertainly.

"But that's not fair to Scott," Hunter argued. "Calling James 'nicer' makes it sound like we're calling Scott mean."

"Yeah. And he's..." the dog thought for a moment, "Mr. Hammond can be unforgiving, but he's fair."

His big orange cat shook his head and corrected him yet again, "Or I think it's better to say that he's unforgiving BECAUSE he's fair."

"Yeah! Exactly!" Elliot snapped his fingers at that and went on to explain: "He's a great teacher, gives us all the time and instruction we need, and gives us every chance to do well..."

"...so when someone doesn't do well, he doesn't have much sympathy for them," his boyfriend finished his thought. "But it's usually their own fault, anyway."

"And James?" Jeffery asked.

"Huge pushover!" Hunter threw his paws up in a laugh. "It's like...he only really puts any actual effort into pushing and disciplining the kids who are actually worth his time. Cause, there are the students who'll actually put out the effort, and those who won't." He shrugged, "And he doesn't waste his time on the ones who won't. He just lets them goof off."

"Sounds about right!" the little gray cat nodded, believing that completely. But his curiosity was far from sated, "So...uhm...not just with the two of them, but what's high school like in general?" Remembering that he was supposed to be in a high school of his own, he quickly added: "Yours, that is. I mean: Sibirskaia High. I've never been to a normal public high school before." And this, at least, was the truth. He'd run away from home the summer before his freshman year was to start. The only dishonesty here, was simply in letting them believe the lies he'd already told: that he'd been in the system, been homeschooled by his last family, and then put into a private school by Scott. "So, all I've got to go on is what I've seen on TV."

"Oh...the TV is completely wrong!" Hunter shook his head...

...and Elliot added: "Just like it is about most other things, too."

"How so?"

Hunter shrugged and offered the first answer that came to mind: "Well, to begin with, there are the cliques."

"Cliques?" Jeffery tilted an ear.

"Right. Uhm..." the larger cat coughed and offered the best definition he could muster: "Super exclusive groups of like-minded teenagers: the cheerleaders, the jocks, the stoners, the geeks, and all that. You've see that on TV, right?"

"Oh! Right," the other boy nodded.

"Well that's nowhere near as big of a deal in real life as it is in movies and TV shows. Not at our school, anyway." Hunter waved a paw in the air as he explained, "On TV, they make it look like...like warring factions. Everyone belongs to one and they all hate each other! But that's just not what it's really like."

"Except for the band kids," Elliot interjected.

"Except for the band kids and stoners, yeah." His boyfriend went on, "I mean, everyone has their own little groups of friends, and they can be kind of exclusive at times, but it's not so damn clique-specific. Everyone's just friends with whoever their friends with."

"With whoever?" Jeffery asked, trying to clarify. "So like...in a lot of movies and TV shows, there'll be this group of kids that have nothing in common, right? They all belong to different 'clicks,' I guess. But then they come together for some reason, anyway, and it's supposed to be some big unbelievable deal when they actually become friends." He paused and moved on to his point: "...and what you're saying that sort of thing is actually the norm?"

"Pretty much," Hunter nodded...

...but this time it was Elliot who argued, "Except that those movies are a bit too...what's the word? Formulaic?"

"Yeah, that's true," the tiger conceded. "In those, it's always like...there's one kid from each major clique, you know?" His voice took on a tone of supreme sarcasm: "And they come together and learn to love and accept one another, and to find out that they're not so different after all!" He batted his eyes for effect, before moving along, "...but real life is a bit more random, and a lot less life-lesson'y."

"And, cliques aside," Elliot took the reins, to steer the conversation on to something else: "A real high school -- or at least ours, anyway -- is a lot more strict than what you see on television, too."

"More strict?" Jeffery raised an eyebrow. "I've seen some pretty harsh teachers and principals on TV. It's really worse than that?"

And the husky shook his head, "I'm not talking about mean teachers or scary principals. I'm just talking about the rules and regulations in general, and the...structure of everything. The television doesn't usually show that sort of stuff very much, because it might get in the way of the story they're trying to tell."

"Or the cool image they want to give you!" Hunter concurred. "Which is why they never try to show a realistic dress code. I mean, I'm sure your school is worse -- what with uniforms and all that -- but even public schools have dress requirements. Belts, tucked in shirts, no shorts, no earrings on guys, rules on what can and can't be written on T-shirts...et cetera, et cetera..." he rolled his eyes at it all. "It's nowhere near as liberal as it looks on TV.

"And then there's the passing periods, that they never seem to get right on television, either!" Elliot jumped back in, emphatically. "In every television show I've ever seen, the students spend WAY too much time just standing around in the halls. It's like they never need to go to class, or something. When really, we only have a couple minutes free during our passing periods to just rush from one room to the next."

"Yeah. The only free space to hang around like that is at lunch..."

"But there are even rules in the cafeteria!" the dog threw up his paws. "There are special tables for the seniors, places where you can and can't bring your food..." He pointed at Jeffery, "And a lot of those shows like to have the kids eating their lunches outside, too. And I'm not sure about other schools, but WE'RE not allowed outside at ALL after the bell rings for first period."

"Oh!" Hunter held up a finger, as another very vital difference came to mind. "And also, in real life, people don't burst out into song quite so often..."

Elliot only shook his head with a half hearted chuckle at his tiger's little joke...but Jeffery, caught entirely off guard, met it with a shameless, albeit short, belt of laughter.

And, that subject side, the husky shifted gears, again, this time laying the focus back onto their host, "But hey! What about yours? Neither of us knows anything about private schools...and it's gotta' be a lot different than ours, right?"

"Well, uhm...I..." at first, Jeff nearly froze, stammering in helpless confusion. "W-well, like you said: we have to wear uniforms there." And even once he did manage to form a single coherent sentence, he immediately hated himself for it. A uniform? He had to mention a uniform? What if they were curious and wanted to SEE it?? What would he say?

Laundry! That was it! It was in the laundry!

"That's all? It's just like our school, but with uniforms?" Elliot arched an eyebrow skeptically. "'Cause...it's private, right? So, doesn't that mean that it's an all boys' school?" He leaned in with a hungry, lascivious grin, "I mean, I gotta' say...I'm more than a little bit curious about what it would be like to be in an all male environment like that..."

And to the side, though no one saw, Hunter's eyes narrowed. Was the dog really trying to settle their bet, already?

But all Jeffery could manage to say was: "It's...different?"

Because, of course, the kitten's singular concern was to hide his REAL secret...or more precisely: Scott's. And every question his new friends asked about the life he'd invented, was one more chance for them to catch him in a lie...one more risk that they might begin to suspect the truth...

Elliot and Hunter, though -- their eyes scanning one another in the moment of silence -- judged his nervousness in another way entirely. Clearly, he had something to hide. He was embarrassed, even. But they had no reason to assume that the kitten had a collar stashed away in Scott's bedroom...no reason to assume that he called Mr. Hammond 'Master' more than he than he called him 'Dad.' They simply assumed that his evasiveness had something to do with his fancy private school. For instance...perhaps he really DID enjoy attending class in an all boys environment, much like Elliot or Hunter would.

And the tiger sighed aloud at the thought of his impending defeat...

...while, again, his husky leaned across the table, "Look...I'm pretty sure I know why you're so nervous, Jeff. And it's okay." He smiled, petting the other boy's paw comfortingly, "I mean...you know you can be honest with us, right?"

And the kitten's eyes shot open wide as his jaw dropped to speak, but nothing coherent passed his lips...only a sharp little whimper laid upon a guttural and terrified whine. Could they have really figured out the truth??

But Elliot just squeezed his paw, "Jeffery...really: I get it. Nothing but boys everywhere? You're enjoying it, right?" He smiled wide, watching as every tensed muscle in the cat immediately relaxed, before he continued: "Cause, I mean: it only makes sense. With no girls around, that means that the guys are a lot more likely to get...curious. After all: teenage boys need an outlet! And if there aren't any girls there, who ELSE do they have to turn to?" Waggling his eyebrows almost cartoonishly, he finally came upon his point: "For a gay guy..." he paused to look his new friend directly in the eye, "that's gotta' be kinda' like heaven, right?"

More than anything, Jeffery was simply relieved that THAT was all they were thinking, and that they hadn't even considered the truth. "I uhm...I'm not gay, though." But even as he answered, he wasn't entirely sure where he should go from there. Should he explain that he wasn't gay, but he WAS bisexual? Or should he be a good boy, and protect his father's -- his master's -- secret? Should he do his best to avoid any unwanted questions about just what it might mean that both he and Scott were...something other than heterosexual?

At what little had said, of course, Hunter sparked a hopeful smile...

...but Elliot wasn't about to give up! "Oh, come on, Jeffery," the husky rolled his eyes playfully. "You can be honest with us. We're gay too! Why in the world would you need to hide that sort of thing from US?"

And the gray cat just smiled. Who was he kidding? He had no intention of being a good boy. "I...I didn't say you were wrong about the rest. Y'know: about the school being like...heaven?" He shrugged, "I just said I wasn't gay."

The dog looked confused, "But..."

"...but I didn't say I wasn't bisexual!" Jeffery finally explained...

...and Hunter's eyes immediately sharpened with a frustrated growl. He'd lost.

Elliot laughed and threw up his paws in playful frustration, "Well, why didn't you say something sooner, instead of making us wonder?"

"Because, I...I dunno," Jeff shrugged, playing off the moment it took him to invent an answer, as nothing more than his continued shyness. "I just didn't want you to think I was hitting on you by inviting you over."

"If you didn't want me to think you were hitting on me," the husky arched an eyebrow, again, "then maybe you shouldn't have been sniffing me last week."

His host sunk into his seat and blushed behind his fur...for the first time this evening, embarrassed for the actual reasons his guests assumed.

And beside them, Hunter drew in a breath. He had sat, these last few moments, with his forehead in his paw, imagining and dreading the final outcome of his and Elliot's bet. But finally, begrudgingly, he lifted his eyes and joined back in on the conversation.

"Okay...so, at this magical all boys' school of yours..." he offered his own friendly smirk, "...have you ever actually done anything?"

But Elliot interrupted, before the cat could answer: "Hey, now! Don't limit him. He could have done something a long time before he got to this school!" Beaming an eager smile, he turned back to Jeff, "Like maybe back when you were still in the system...with some of the other foster boys?" And he snapped his fingers as an even better thought came to mind, "Oh! Or maybe with that last family of yours: the religious ones? Maybe they had some poor, sexually repressed, biological son you wanna' tell us about?"

And Jeffery laughed, "No. I've never done anything..." It seemed the easier lie. He obviously couldn't tell them the truth about Scott, James, or Tony, so why put the effort into making up an encounter he'd never had? Besides... "I'm definitely interested, though." ...playing the starved virgin served his OTHER interests as well.

Hunter, though, had different ideas, "Hmm. A virgin?" The tiger's teeth showed through a dark smile, "I know this hyena who REALLY likes virgins. He likes to, uhm...teach."

"H-Hyena?" Jeff blinked.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Mic?" Elliot stopped them both. "I'm not so sure that's the sort of thing Jeffery needs."

"Well, that really depends on whether he wants a boyfriend or just to have a little fun!" Hunter argued. "Cause, Mic's definitely not the boyfriend type, but-"

"Hey," the husky held up a paw. "Maybe we should ask Jeff before we start trying to set him up."

And at that, they both turned expectantly to their host...who, with an uncontrollably delighted little grin, asked: "Do hyenas have knots?"

"No..." Hunter stretched out that single syllable, matching the smaller cat's smile completely, before slowly leaning across the table, himself. "But Elliot does..."

At once, Elliot's eyes shot open wide. Jeffery, meanwhile sharpened his little smile...his gray tail flicking about madly behind his chair...

...as the tiger went on: "You wanna' see?"

"Hunter!" his husky barked.

"Oh come on! Don't try to pretend like you don't wanna'!"

"I, I...I mean..." the dog stuttered nervously, eyes darting between the two felines, one nearly begging in silence and the other overtaken by his wicked little smirk. "W-would it really be okay?" he asked his orange lover, "I mean...aren't we...?"

"Boyfriends? Yeah." Hunter raised a mocking brow, "So what? Are you saying that this would be like cheating?" He shrugged and looked aside innocently, "Y'know: I just asked if he wanted a peek...if your mind took that all the way to touching, then that's all on you!"

"I...I...well, I was..."

And the big cat just laughed at his boyfriend's panic, "Hey! I'm right here, right? It can't really be cheating if I'm sitting right beside you, can it? And besides...I know you're a little jealous of all the stuff I've done with Mic and everybody else. So, isn't this your chance to explore a bit, too?"

'Your chance.'

This wasn't the first time Jeffery had heard those words today. It's what Scott had called this entire night for him: his chance to make his own friends and playmates. His chance to explore. And now, as it was so very close at paw, it was everything he could do to KEEP his begging silent, to not plead with both the husky AND the tiger to give him that peek and so...oh, so very much more.

Elliot meanwhile, continued looking back and forth between the two, and soaking in the scene: Hunter's shameless, elated urging...Jeffery's barely contained desperation...and, of course, his own quickly retightening pants. He knew what his answer would be. He'd known the second Hunter had offered the boy a peek. But he had to at least pretend to put up an argument...to have some small bit of self control or chastity.

For a moment, he'd even considered eying the house and arguing that Mr. Hammond might see them, but he knew it was fruitless. It would only delay the inevitable. And so...

"You wanna' see, then?"

"Please."

Metal scraped concrete as three chairs moved. Elliot's skidded back from the table, revealing his lap and already bulging pants; Jeffery's stopped and started again and again as it was scooted uneasily around that same table, closer and closer to the impending show; and Hunter's simply shifted back, as the tiger stood, walking around to the kitten's and husky's side.

Elliot may as well have been on stage. Or at least, that was how he suddenly felt, crowded there by his boyfriend and their host. But, surprisingly...it wasn't a bad feeling. In some odd way he liked it. He liked the attention: the tinge of shame and embarrassment. He liked that his new friend could see his shamelessly unhidden tent...and that he would soon be seeing much more.

Only then did he realize just how much he liked this. The exposure. The risk. He remembered the photo booth, the locker room, the bathroom, the field, and the car...and smiled as he slowly unbuttoned his pants.

And Jeffery just watched. Two months ago, he wouldn't have imagined he'd like something like this. He had been straight. He had only been interested in girls. Or had he? Had he ever really been interested in ANYONE before Scott?

Nevertheless, here he was, watching as a husky he'd only barely met unzipped his pants...the blue of his straining, tenting boxers showing through. Blue. The same color as his. And the smell hit his nose immediately. He loved it all: the already hard, but still sheathed meat pushing against the fabric, the smell teasing his nose...

...and when the dog pulled aside the waistband to expose himself completely, that scent grew a hundred fold. And it wasn't the scent of sweat and musk: the scent of a pair of balls locked away all day in those boxers. It was the scent of the marbled shaft, itself -- slipping, already, half way free. It was coppery and sharp. It smelled like Scott's. But it was different; it was pure. Scott's scent was always so shrouded by his musk and his age, but Elliot was still too young for that.

And as his new friend pushed back his sheath, exposing his knot with a barely audible pop, Jeffery thought: would he TASTE like Scott too? Scott was almost sweet. Elliot was so much younger; so would he be sweeter? Or were dogs, in general, saltier than foxes? More savory?

Only then did he realize that his paw had risen, slowly inching toward its prize. And he remembered how Scott felt: how his shaft, even at its hardest, remained fleshy, alive, and pulsing, held straight by the bone within...but how his knot was like steel. Wet, shining, red steel...

Would Elliot feel the same?

Only millimeters from that flesh, though, his fingers withdrew, clenching into a frustrated, gray, little fist. "Damnit, we can't," he looked away as his arm drew back, and then he turned his gaze up, with a hopeful, apologetic smile. "M-maybe later, though! Maybe when Dad's asleep."

"Are you sure?" Elliot asked through a shaking breath. "I was gonna' let you touch..."

"Probably a lot more than that..." Hunter added.

The kitten was slow to respond, hesitant to answer, and quite clearly doing his best to not look down again, for fear of his faltering will, "Y-yeah, I'm sure. Put it away..." There was no real reason to stop it, of course. He knew that if Scott saw them at all, it would only be through the window. And he wouldn't to stop them. He would let it go on. But Jeffery had been given rules to follow. He'd promised Scott that he would at least PRETEND he was worried about being caught. "I'm sorry. Dad could be out any minute."

"So?" Elliot argued, but struggled, nonetheless, to put himself away, as asked. "Why would he care? He's gay, too."

"Yeah...but he's still my dad! What dad DOESN'T try to keep his kids from having sex too soon?" Jeff paused when he realized what he'd said, "Well...except yours, I guess..."

"Wait..." Hunter, still standing aside the scene, held up his paws with a sudden realization. "If you've never done anything with anyone...then how did you know you liked knots? How did you know ANYthing about knots?"

Jeffery's face tensed at the very subject, and his guests looked away immediately...their eyes locking onto one another, as they each stumbled upon the same simple little thought: foxes have knots, too.

And they pieced it together aloud from there. Each one voicing just a single part of the whole, as -- like a game of verbal tennis -- they batted their thoughts back and forth, each one building upon the last until the picture was complete.

Hunter began: "Scott."

"Scott is a fox."

"Scott is a GAY fox!"

"And Jeffery's gay!"

"Well...bisexual," the tiger wavered a paw at the last bit...

...and his husky's head spun back to face Jeff. "You and your dad!" he nearly yelped, "You two have done something together, haven't you?"

"What!? No!" the gray cat waved his paws in near hysteria. "I've never done anything with Scott or James!"

"James?" Hunter asked...

...and Elliot added: "We didn't say anything about James."

And it began again -- their verbal tennis -- the couple volleying their words back and forth, without leaving even a moment's grace for Jeffery to interject. Though, this time, some of what they had to say was at least superficially directed at him...

Looking at Elliot, Hunter began: "I knew he was hiding something."

"Yeah, but I didn't expect this!"

"So you've you been having sex with BOTH of them?" the tiger turned back to Jeffery...

...and his husky did the same, "Like...both at the same time? Or separately?"

"Of course it's at the same time!"

"Maybe..." Elliot tapped his chin. "Or maybe it's JUST with James."

"Holy shit!" Hunter leaned closer to the boy, "Does Scott know?"

"Are you and Mr. Callaway fooling around behind your dad's back?"

"Who knows?" the big orange cat stood straight again. "Maybe they're BOTH cheating with him, and NEITHER ONE knows the truth!"

"No," the monochrome dog shook his head. "There's no way they could all keep something like that a secret."

"Not for long, anyway."

"You know?" Elliot snapped his fingers, "I bet you he's not even really adopted and they're just keeping him as a pet."

"You mean like a sex slave? That DOES sound like something Scott would be into."

"Hmm...I wonder if they have any openings for a second pet..." the husky turned a dreamy eye on the clouds...

...while his boyfriend turned a hungrier one on their host, "...or if they're willing to share their current one?"

Jeffery -- with no hope of interrupting his new friends -- had spent their entire tirade in silence, simply twisting his head back and forth between the two, as they went. He watched and listened while, in just a few short seconds, they worked it all out: his and Scott's every secret. And now the only thing keeping him from shaking in terror was the power of his will, and his desperation to not do or say anything that might confirm their accusations.

But, in truth, the cat was lucky. He was luckier than he knew.

He was lucky...because they were only joking. They did know, of course, that he was hiding something. He was nervous, and shifty, and holding back. But they didn't REALLY believe that it was any of the things they'd said. That's not to say that they would have been surprised if it WAS -- especially with Elliot's own history -- but they both understood that their wild, fantastic guesses were just...hopelessly optimistic.

They had no idea how right they really were.

"I'm not...I..." given the moment to speak, Jeffery tried, "...I swear, I'm just..." but managed nothing worthwhile to say.

"Look," Hunter stopped him, "you're clearly hiding something."

"And if you don't wanna' tell us what it really is..." Elliot added, "...then we're just gonna' go with this."

"Yeah! Sex slave sounds like as good an explanation as any!" his tiger nodded.

"Fine!" Jeff blurted out the first answer that came to mind, "I've thought about it, okay? About...m-me and my dad, that is. I mean, I've seen knots in porn, right? And I've always been curious about them, and...and, well, Dad IS a fox."

Sunken into himself there in his chair, he smiled a hopeful little grin. But looking them over, it was obvious that they weren't exactly convinced. And why would they be? He'd 'thought about it'? That was his best excuse? That wasn't something worth hiding! He needed a better lie, and quick! Something racier. Something WORTH being embarrassed about...

So slowly, he continued, "And so I...I've been curious, you know? I've..." he paused with a big fake sigh, "...I've spied on him in the shower, I've watched him and James having sex through his cracked door, and I even pawed off in his bed once, afterward, while they were in the shower, and..." he averted his eyes, "...and while the sheets still smelled like them."

Half of him expected them not to believe his lies. The other half worried he'd gone too far and that they'd think less of him for these things he'd never even actually even done. He had a lot to learn about Elliot, of course...but as for Hunter...

"You watched them?" only one part of that had truly caught HIS attention. "Who was on top?

"My dad."

At that, Hunter stared off into the distance, losing himself quickly in the fantasy image of his teacher, of James, taking a dick from Scott...and then from HIM, as well...

...while Elliot continued along with their host, "Well, how long until you take the next step?"

"Huh?"

"You know: touch him in his sleep? Wake him up with a blow job?" The husky smiled, "Or crash one of their parties instead of just watching from the door?"

Jeffery only shook his head: "I couldn't do anything like that!"

"And why the hell not? You obviously want to, and I'm sure he'd welcome it!

The kitten raised an eyebrow, "Would you do something with YOUR dad just because he's bi?"

Hunter, dragged from his fantasies by that, couldn't help but wonder the same thing...especially thanks to Elliot's fervor...

...but the husky just deflected the question: "Mr. Hammond's not really your dad, though!" He turned to his boyfriend for support, "Back me up here, Hunter."

But the tiger just shrugged, "If he's that uncomfortable with the idea of doing something with Scott...then why not James? James isn't even his ADOPTED dad!"

"Yeah, but James doesn't have a knot," Elliot argued.

"You do, though," Jeffery interjected, his voice soft but sure, as his guests turned their eyes back upon him. "I mean...yeah: the idea of being with an older guy, my Dad especially, sounds kinky and fun and everything..." the boy was more confident than he'd been all night. He could see his chance as clearly as if Elliot's cock were still hanging out of his pants, and he wasn't about to pass it up, "...but why do I need either of them, and all that stress, if I have two new gay friends my own age?"

Hunter raised an eyebrow, "And how do you know we'd be interested?"

"Well...you DID just make Elliot show me his dick."

"He's got a good point," the husky agreed.

"And, y'know...I still haven't seen yours, by the way." Boldly, he reached out a paw, trailing it along the still-standing tiger's waist, "Might be nice to find out if I like barbs as much as knots."

Hunter made no motion to move the paw, "Don't you have barbs of your own, kitten?"

"Yeah, but I only know what they feel like on my paw. I could find out what yours feel like in..." he licked his lips, "...other places."

"Oh, you poor deprived, kitten!" Elliot jumped to his defense yet again. "Are you really gonna' to deny him that, Hunter?"

"Or...you know...I AM kind of inexperienced. I might not even be that good..." Jeffery let the paw fall, intentionally brushing the larger cat's growing bulge as he did. "So if you don't want to play with me, you could always just...give me demonstration? I've been told I'm more of a visual learner, anyway."

Hunter smiled as he took a slow, single step forward. He'd never needed the same level of encouragement that his boyfriend did. If Jeffery wanted it, and if Elliot was onboard, then he had no qualms with initiating a new...friend.

But, of course, it was no fun if he didn't at least tease him a little bit. And with his paw lighting softly on the kitten's gray shoulder, the tiger opened his muzzle to speak...

"Hey!"

...but it wasn't Hunter's voice that filled the back yard.

It was James's.

With the abrupt and sudden sound of an opening door, the raccoon's excited greeting struck them all...and brought their conversation -- Elliot's show, Jeffery's hopes, and Hunter's impending playful response, all -- to a screeching halt.

Hunter was startled and tense, his paw dropping away from Jeff's shoulder immediately, as he spun around...and the kitten, himself, was bordering on a rage, a scowl clouding his face at the perfectly timed interruption...

...but Elliot, no more than a third party for once, easily managed a smile. "Hey Mr. Callaway!" he leaned to his side, to see past his striped lover. "You just get here?"

"Few minutes ago, yeah," he nodded. "You guys need to get inside, though! Dinner's ready." He pushed the door farther open to usher them in, but his face grew still in thought, "It was ready before I even got here, actually. I wonder why Scott hasn't come to get you, already..."

"Yeah," out of sight of his new friends, Jeffery shot his 'step father' a cold glare, "I wonder why."

~

There we go! Sibirskaia continues!

* This particular chapter (and the rest of Sibirskaia) was written entirely by yours truly: Oloroso Rhone! But it was based on characters and story lines I created jointly with my friend Phil Anthro Pist

If you'd like to go say hi to Phil, he's got an account on here at http://phil-anthro-pist.sofurry.com/ *

The first arc of Sibirskaia ends here.

Think of these four chapters as the prologue of Sibirskaia...the starting point. The stage has been set: the casts have collided and friendships have been formed, the divorce is under way, Jeffery's new life and freedoms are taking shape, and it seems that EVERYONE wants to sleep with EVERYONE! So what comes next?

Find out in Sibirskaia Chapter 5: Part 1 of 6 of "Blood & Water"

SIDE NOTE: "An Unusual Family" is a little misleading, isn't it? That implies there's just ONE in play here. But aren't both Jeffery AND Elliot's families quite unusual? Or maybe I'm implying that they are (or might become) one big extended family? Hmmm...

Anyway, thanks for reading!

I welcome any feedback! Comment or PM me here, or email me at theottercoon[at]gmail.com See you around for the next 26 chapters of Sibirskaia!