Sibirskaia: No More Lies Part 3
No More Lies No Easy Way to Say It
(November 10th)
His tail still stung as he slipped himself into his briefs. But after such a lively tying, what else could he expect? His fur, after his shower, had yet to dry, and the porous cotton briefs clung to every contour of his ass and sheath. And all down the carpeted hall, he could feel the trail of soggy little prints left in his wake.
He could have waited.
He could have better dried himself. He could have slipped away, to his room, and dressed. But Jeffery was curious. He was impatient. Someone was at the door, and he wanted to know who.
He drew to a stop, his nose and an eye peering cautiously into the living room and at the distant door. And there, just beyond his master's hastily clothed form were two others...a husky...and a tiger.
Elliot and Hunter had come to visit.
And Jeffery scrambled. His legs fumbled beneath him, his paws gripped and shoved against the wall to push his body on, and a piercingly cheerful, little chirp shot from his lips...
"Hey!"
...as he stumbled to a stop, front and center: damp, clinging fur; tightened, translucent briefs; and three pairs of eyes on his every shameless feature.
Elliot could only blink and stutter as his eyes zeroed in on the bulging, barely hidden, little package before him, "H-hey..."
"...Jeffery," and it was up to Hunter to finish the greeting, though his own eyes were no more tame.
Of course, the kitten had known they would notice...known they would look. He'd hoped for it. He'd counted on it. And he wasn't disappointed. After all: he liked the attention. And in his peripherals, he could see Scott's eyes widen. He could see his body tense up in time with a barely audible little cough. He didn't approve of the display, but he wasn't speaking up.
And Jeffery could only stifle a laugh.
"This is perfect timing! We were JUST talking about you two!" the boy chirped again. "I haven't seen you guys in weeks, and I just was telling them how much I wanted to hang out with you again, and...and now here you are!" He waved his paws out at his surprise guests, only to just as quickly startle and snap his fingers, "Oh! Oh! And I need your phone numbers, too! Scott's gonna' get me a cell phone tomorrow, so we can actually get in touch with each other whenever we want, and be able to make plans to hang out and stuff! But I don't have your numbers yet..."
There, in the door way, Elliot opened his muzzle to speak, but before he could do little more than draw in a breath...
...Jeff twisted his gaze onto Scott: "And this works out perfect for you, too!" He nearly bounced as he spoke, "Now you and James don't have to stay home and keep me company! You can go have your date!"
This time it was Scott who moved to speak, but, yet again, the kitten's jubilation gave no quarter, as he turned back to their guests.
"So, did you wanna' hang out here, or were we gonna' go do something else?" he asked. "I mean, like: do I need to get dressed?" He looked down at himself, covered in nothing but sodden and nearly see-through briefs, "I should probably get dressed. Let me go get dressed."
"Jeffery, sweetheart?" finally Scott thread a gap in his son's rambling elation. "You don't even know what your friends came over here for, yet. Maybe you should find that out first, before you start making plans. They might not be here to hang out."
Hunter though, quickly laid such doubts to rest. "What?? Of course we are!" he roared happily as he tramped forward, from the door. "What other possible reason could we have to be here, other than to see our favorite, private-schooled kitty cat?"
"See?" Jeff smiled defiantly at his father, before turning his eyes back on his friend: "So what are we doing? Should I ge-"
"Whoa! Whoa, calm down," the tiger held up his paws to stop the boy. "We can do whatever you like, kitten."
And Jeffery felt his chest swell. He'd never been called 'kitten' by someone his own age, save for school yard mocking. But, here and now, in such an earnest and affectionate tone? And especially from another -- and so much larger -- cat? It was disarming...surprising...
...pleasant.
"But Elliot needs to talk to Scott first, too," his big, orange friend went on. "So why don't I go hang out with you in your room, while you get dressed? And then Elliot can come get us when he's done...and we'll figure everything else out from there."
His room? Yes! His room! This was the entire reason he had one. Scott and James had built it for him, in the basement, for this exact situation: so their kitten could entertain his friends, and offer at least the pretense of a normal life. THESE were those friends. THIS was that situation!
And he actually, finally, had the room to take them to!
"Sure!" Jeff strode forward and grabbed his friend's paw, "Come on! I'll show you the way!"
And Hunter smiled, but before the kitten could drag him along, his other paw was taken by Elliot, and he was tugged back toward the door.
"Just one second, okay?" the big cat held up a finger and slipped back toward the entry way...
...and Jeffery watched on as they spoke. Muted & private whispers, rolling eyes, waggling brows, and sharp & mischievous grins -- first Elliot, then Hunter, and back again -- while behind them, Scott gently closed the door. The kitten could make out nothing...but somehow, he knew that his friends were talking about him. Perhaps it was the way Elliot's eyes fell again on his barely clad sheath...or the way Hunter smiled as he whispered his last, before turning back to the little gray cat.
"Okay! Let's go!" he crowded the boy...
...and Jeff desperately wanted to pry into what was said. Into why they smirked and stared. But, whatever it was, somehow he felt certain he'd find out soon enough.
So he took his friend's paw, again, and pulled him on out of the room, "This way!"
And two pairs of eyes watched them go. Elliot's, of course...but Scott's, as well.
The fox watched in silence as his son dragged the lustful, visiting tiger away and into the farthest private corners of their home. He wanted to sigh aloud. He wanted to grimace. He didn't mind, of course, his boy's dalliances -- or he assumed he wouldn't, once there were any dalliances TO mind -- but his brazenness on the other paw?
He wanted to show his frustration at his kitten's little show: the briefs that may as well have not been there, the complete lack of shame, the blatant flirting...
But why? If it were ever okay, the time would be now. Here: in front of friends like Hunter and Elliot. Especially Elliot. And if there were any chance that his kitten's little display had risen a flag or two with the boys, which Scott would rather it hadn't...the fox showing any uneasiness, on his part, would only fuel the fire.
So, instead, he simply turned back to the husky still lingering in his entry way, "So why are you really here?"
"Hmm?" Elliot blinked, as if roused from a trance.
"Well, I know you're not here for Jeff," Scott explained. "Or at least you weren't before you saw him in his underwear."
At that, the boy's eyes shot open wide...
...but the fox just laughed away his surprise: "What? I was a gay 14-year-old once, too."
"Weren't we all?" a familiar voice echoed from the hallway, and Scott turned to see James -- luckily more clothed than Jeffery -- stepping into view. "Hey Elliot! Is Hunter not with you?"
"He's downstairs with Jeffery," Scott answered for the boy...
...and his raccoon lover paused, "Alone?"
"Yep."
James laughed to himself, before raising a brow at Elliot, "You okay with that, pup?"
"We, uhm..." the husky coughed, "...we have a new arrangement."
"Well at least there won't be any pictures this time," James joked.
Elliot though, furrowed his brow and tilted his head in confusion. "You two..." he looked back and forth between them, "...you don't seem very worried about them...y'know: being alone."
The raccoon just shrugged, "Would YOUR father be?"
But Scott felt it best to better explain: "Don't take it the wrong way. We aren't exactly encouraging it. But we were honestly surprised that you boys were so...tame during your last visit." He smirked, "Like I said...we've been fourteen."
Elliot visibly winced and audibly sighed as he ran a paw through his headfur. And Scott grinned at the sight. If there was ever a perfect representation of someone mentally kicking themselves...this was it.
"So," James asked his lover, as he cocked his head toward the boy, "why isn't he down there with them?"
"I don't know, yet," the fox answered with a shrug. "They came over here for something else, but then Hunter had go downstairs and pretend that they came to visit Jeffery."
"Ah!" James nodded. "And this one hasn't told you what he's here for, yet."
"Right."
"Well then, have a seat, kiddo!" the raccoon waved an arm, beckoning the boy along as he walked deeper into the living room. "Maybe it'll be easier making you open up, than it was with Jeff, today."
Scott and Elliot followed behind. James plopped down onto the couch, and Scott joined him...but Elliot hesitated. He glanced at the couch, and Scott knew that he was considering following suit. But sitting next to his teachers like that? No chance he felt that comfortable here, yet.
And sure enough, he moved along, taking his seat in a lone chair, by himself.
"So, what do you need, pup?" Scott offered a friendly smile...
...and with a breath, the husky began, "Well...uhm...how much do you know about what's going on with my mom? Y'know: so I don't have to explain it all ,again."
James answered first. "Well...you told us about what your dad let you and Hunter do. And about the divorce..." he thought for a moment, "...and then you moved in with your uncle, right?"
"Yeah."
And Scott continued for the pair: "And then last week I spoke with a couple of detectives. They were following up on some accusations against your father." He paused, tilting his head to and fro as he thought, "...I think that's everything."
"We miss anything?" James checked.
"No. You're pretty much up-to-date." But the boy sighed as he amended: "...until yesterday, anyway."
"What happened yesterday?" the fox asked.
"Well...those accusations? My mom's not done with them."
"She's really got the cops THAT convinced that your dad did something?" James scoffed in disbelief...
...but Scott speculated: "I'd assume a mother's word carries a good deal of weight."
"No!" Elliot yelped. "Or...I mean: yes. But it's not my dad, anymore." He corrected them, "It's my uncle."
"Wait," the raccoon held up a paw. "She's saying your uncle did something to you, now?" His face bent into a glower, "Doesn't that kinda' ring of bullshit, coming less than a week after she accused your dad?"
"No..." Elliot solemnly contended, "...'cause now she says she has proof."
Proof?
Scott leaned back with a hum, "Does she, now?"
"Shouldn't be a problem, though, right?" James tilted his head with a shrewd little stare, "I mean: you can't have proof of something that never happened."
"Right!" the husky startled and yelped again. "But we don't really know what this evidence IS...or how little it might take to make a jury believe her...or..."
"Of course, Elliot," Scott held up a paw to calm and quiet the boy, as he glanced at James. "We understand."
And his lover double checked: "So you're just giving us a heads up, then? Letting us know to expect more cops?"
"Yes and...and no," Elliot shook his head. "Not just that."
"What else, then?" Scott asked.
"Well...she's also playing this other card. She says that it's not 'healthy' for me to be living with Aaron and Uncle Will." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and paws clasped, "It's not bad enough that she has...or says she has," he corrected himself, "evidence that my dad or my uncle did something to me, but now she's saying that me even living in the same house with a gay couple is a problem..."
And Scott felt his heartbeat in his throat. Damn it. Now he knew where this was going...
"Yeah...that argument's nothing new." James, though, clouded with righteous indignation, clearly hadn't caught on, "It's why gay adoption's still illegal in so many states, and why me and Scott still have to hide our sexuality, around the school. We deviants are a terrible influence on the youth, you see!" He shook his head in disgust, but then offered a little shrug as he asked the boy: "But why should it matter with you? It's not like you're JUST living with them. Your dad's there, too."
"He is. But she's saying that THAT proves my dad isn't fit to raise me, because he's...exposing me to this sort of thing. And she's like...trying to tie this into everything else, too!" Elliot tossed his previously-clasped paws into the air. "I'm too young to be gay. I'm too young to be sexually active. And clearly, I wouldn't be if I wasn't exposed to all this fagotry at home! And now that she has some sort of proof I've been molested," this time, he didn't think to correct himself, "she's saying that -- even if it wasn't my dad or Will -- I'm still in a dangerous place where it could happen again."
"Well of course!" the raccoon tossed his own paws up, as well. "Because ALL gay guys are pedophiles..."
And Scott couldn't help but note the irony.
"And Stan says that-"
"Stan?" James cut the boy short.
"Hunter's...uhm...dad, kind of," he explained. "Remember the rabbit at the funeral?"
"Ah. Right."
"Well," Elliot went on, "he's telling us that this state is so anti-gay, that no matter what her evidence is, and no matter how innocent Will is..." he sighed, "...that this other argument may still work."
"Okay." Scott finally spoke back up, "So what do need from us?" Of course, he already knew...
"I need Jeff."
The fox could only sigh in resignation...
...but beside him, James violently recoiled, "Jeff?"
And Elliot explained: "I need a witness, or...or an ally, I guess? Someone who can uhm..." he stammered, struggling to find the right word, "...attest to the fact? Or uhm...demonstrate! Someone who can demonstrate that it's okay!"
"That...what's okay?" the raccoon asked.
"This!" the boy motioned around his teacher's living room. "I need someone who can be an example that there's nothing wrong with a gay couple raising a kid. And who better than Jeff?" He smiled an innocent, hopeful smile, "I mean, he came from such a terrible place before, and then Scott adopted him, and now his life is so much better! I mean: he's even going to an expensive private school! And...I know the adoption wasn't done in this state, but it's still legal, right? So you guys are like the perfect proof of how well this can go."
"Elliot..." Scott tried, gently, to settle him down...
...but the husky leapt immediately to the defensive: "I know! I know it's a lot to ask. But I..." he tensed up and shook, "I can't get sent back to live with my mom! I just can't. And I can't think of anyone better to defend my living situation -- to defend Aaron and Will -- than Jeffery."
And in the wake of his request, the room fell silent. Neither adult could raise their eyes to look at the boy. And all three were beset by nervous jittering...wringing paws, tapping feet, scratching fingers, and heavy breaths...
...until, finally, Scott managed to speak.
"Elliot," he looked to James, who nodded silently in return, "We need to talk."
~
Sheetrock.
Visible nails. Half plastered seams. And not a drop of paint. This was Jeffery's room? These two walls erected to section off a corner of the basement? No carpet, and only a pawful of rugs to cover up the concrete floor. Nice rugs, though they were...this place was clearly unfinished.
Not that that was really a surprise, of course. It had only been three weeks since Hunter had last visited, and Jeff had told him, then, that this was just being built. But if it wasn't finished...why was it furnished? Why not wait, before bringing in his bed, his dresser, and everything else?
Why not wait for it to really be a room, before making it into...HIS room?
But, it was what it was. The tiger had seen worse places that friends had called home. And he, of all people, couldn't exactly fault impatience.
And as he looked around, his little gray friend nervously broke their silence...
"Sorry that I'm just...running around in my underwear, like this," he offered a timid little apology. "I promise I'd normally be dressed. It's just that you happened to show up right after I got out of the shower."
The shower? Well, that explained the soaked briefs. But, wait...wasn't Scott wet, too? Were they...both...?
No. Of course not!
"No worries," Hunter smiled. "I don't mind."
"Oh, I bet you don't," the smaller cat laughed. "Still though: I should probably cover up. It's a little impolite, yeah?"
"Or maybe you're just being a tease!"
"That too," Jeffery winked and pulled back the curtain serving as his closet door.
Inside, only a small few hangers swung from the empty bar...and only two of those few bore any clothing. A single pair of pants and a single shirt. One outfit. His host reached in and tugged the shirt from its hanger...
...and the tiger couldn't help but ask: "Is...is that all the clothes you have? Just the one outfit?"
"Wh-what? No!" Jeff seemed startled, freezing up before he could pull on the shirt. "Nonono. It's just that, y'know...what I was wearing today? I just took a shower. So, i-it's in the laundry."
Did Hunter hear that right? The boy only had two pairs of clothes? One of them was dirty, and the other was...this one? Isn't this what he saw Jeffery wearing the LAST time he visited? And...and he went to a private school! Was the missing, dirty outfit -- that is: his only OTHER outfit -- his uniform? But, no. No. His friend must have just misspoken. Maybe he meant that ALL the rest of his clothes were in the laundry...
But then again...he seemed so nervous when he answered.
"So, uhm, yeah. What do you wanna' do?" the little cat offered an awkward grin as his head popped through the collar of the shirt. "I haven't eaten dinner yet, and -- I'm not sure if you two have any money -- but Scott or James one should have enough to pay for me, at least, if you wanted to go out and eat."
Something...no...EVERYTHING was wrong. Every little detail: it was all just...off. If only slightly. Off. The tiger scanned the room, letting it really sink in, and...it didn't even look lived in! There was no clutter. No books, or posters, or anything else personal. No trash waiting to be picked up...and not even a trash can to put it in, if there was!
"Like I said..." Hunter answered distantly, "that's completely up to you..."
His game console was back in the living room, too, wasn't it? And even if it were moved in here, there was no TV to connect it to. No TV. No computer. No stereo...
Beside him, Jeff went on as he pulled his pants from their hanger, as well. "Well, it can't be COMPLETELY up to me! I mean, you two had to have had some idea of what you wanted to do, before you came over, yeah?"
And even the bed was wrong! It was just too carefully made. And not just for a teenager, but for anyone! Not even Stanley's bed looked so perfect. Had Jeffery ever even slept here?
"Not really," still distantly, the tiger explained: "We were just in the neighborhood and decided it'd be a good idea to stop by," he shrugged, "especially since Elliot needed to talk to your dad, that is."
The kitten's clothes...the perfect bed...the cleanliness...the complete lack of any form of entertainment...the half finished sterility of everything here. It was all just wrong. Unnatural. But maybe...maybe it was just because the room was so new. Maybe he hadn't been living in it, yet, because it just wasn't ready, yet. That would explain everything, right?
Or, at least...everything except the question of the shower.
But as the tiger mulled over his thoughts, his little friend fell limp. His arms dropped to his side, and the pants he had yet to step into dragged the floor. "That's not..." he spoke with a heartbroken little whine, "...that's not the only reason you came over, is it? Just for Scott?"
And finally Hunter was snapped out of his daze.
"What? No!" he shook his head and whipped around to face the boy. "Sorry. I was just a little distracted. I didn't mean for it to sound like that." He offered the widest, friendliest smile he could muster, "Of course we didn't just come over for Scott. I mean: Elliot did have something important to talk to him about. But you're our friend, Jeff. And even though we haven't...uhm..." his voice wavered and his eyes widened, "...haven't visited...in a while..."
And there it was. Just behind the kitten.
But how had he not seen it? It was right there in plain sight. Lying right out in the open on the dresser...
A collar.
Unclasped and set aside for the boy's shower. A collar. Jeff's collar. And standing tall in the middle of the loose, leather ring? A single bottle of lubricant.
Jeffery's eyes followed his friend's to the dresser, to the collar. The pants fell from his paw. And, in a flash, the collar and the lube were scooped up and shoved away into a startlingly empty dresser drawer. And he turned back with his awkward little smile...
But it was too late. Hunter had seen it. And everything else had fallen into place. Every question. Every suspicion. Every flaw. Jeffery wasn't an adopted child.
He was a pet.
Hunter's eyes never moved. Barely blinked...as the boy slowly backed away. Jeffery's, of course, darted all about the room: flitting to the floor, the plastered walls, the closed dresser drawer, and even, from time to time, to the tiger's face. But, as that tiger leisurely stalked his prey...Hunter's eyes never moved.
Step by step, he drew ever closer, until he'd finally cornered the boy against an unfinished wall. The kitten gulped and shook there, in his T-shirt and briefs. His eyes finally locked on the predator looming over him. And, as a tongue flicked across threatening teeth...
...Hunter's nostrils flared.
Even through the scent of water and shampoo from the recent shower, he could smell sex on the boy. Albeit faint. The scent of sex. And it smelled like...
"A fox," the tiger whispered. "Scott?"
Jeff shook his head in near-frozen terror. But it was too late.
"No..." Hunter leaned in, his nose in the kitten's neck, "I can smell him on you."
He could feel the boy quiver at the touch, at the feel of his shifting fur, and the breath rushing across his flesh. At the feel of the tiger taking in a long, deep breath. Taking in the scent of kitten...fox...and coon.
But Jeffery neither argued, nor shrunk away.
"How did I not catch this before? I..." the larger cat pressed his body against the smaller one, "I should have known."
Strong orange paws gripped lithe gray hips. And a kitten tremored and mewled. Hunter's fingers slid through dampened fur, and lifted the boy's shirt. And Jeffery simply submitted in silence, arms rising as the shirt was pulled up, off, and tossed aside.
Again, the tiger's muzzle was in the boy's neck. His nose...and now his lips, his tongue, and his teeth. He could taste the water. But he wanted to taste the boy. He wanted to feel his body tremble and throb. He wanted to feel the warm depths of his muzzle and ass pulse around his already aching shaft. He wanted to throw him down and take him here and now...
His paw snaked its way into the boy's sodden briefs, and under his tail. A finger probed the cleft of flesh beneath, and wriggled its way inside. It was easier than he expected. Looser. Hotter than it should be. Swollen and slick. It was slimy. And it was used.
"How long ago?" Hunter whispered yet again. "Just before the shower, wasn't it?" his finger probed deeper as he felt the boy's body arch. "Knot and all..."
The kitten whined and whimpered, "Please don't tell anyone, Hunter."
But he did nothing to stop the assault.
"Oh, no worries. Your master's secret's save with me."
He slipped his finger free, and shifted the paw, sliding it all the way around the boy's hip without ever pulling it free of the cotton. And, soon enough, that paw found the kitten's bulging sheath...gripping it and coaxing the little barbed shaft out and into his fingers...
"Even from Elliot?"
Jeffery's meek little whisper hit the tiger's ears...and he froze.
Elliot.
And for a moment, he was no longer in this shabby, half finished, sheetrock lie. He was back in the living room, only minutes ago. His husky had pulled him back, away from their little gray friend...and the dog was whispering in his ear:
"You jumped on that alone time real quick, didn't you?" his lover rolled his eyes...
...and the tiger arched his brows as he shamelessly admitted: "The kid's in his underwear! Can you blame me?"
Elliot sighed, but sparked a dark and playful grin, "Just be gentle, okay?" And his eyes shifted, again, to the kitten's soaked little bulge, "He's still a virgin."
"Don't worry," the big cat whispered his last, as he backed away, with a smile. "He'll still be plenty tight for that knot of yours, when I'm done."
And so soon thereafter, here he was: alone with the cat...with his friend...with his teachers' secret pet. Small barbed thorn in paw. Nose breathing in the dulled scent of recent sex. And yet...he couldn't go on.
He pulled away -- muzzle and paw -- and smiled down at Jeffery. Elliot had given him the go-ahead. But he just couldn't do it. He'd already had his fun, after all...in a park restroom a week before. And it only seemed fair, now, that Elliot should be the first one to take advantage of their new arrangement.
No matter what the husky might say. No matter what new rules their relationship might entail.
It just didn't feel right.
No, until Elliot had finally exercised their new rights for himself...Hunter would always feel as if he were cheating, all over again.
Of course, what he said out loud was slightly different.
"Actually..." he licked his lips and smiled, "You know what? No. I think Elliot should hear all about this."
And Jeffery's eyes snapped open in terror.
"Don't worry," Hunter gently patted the boy's still swollen crotch. "The secret'll be even safer with him than it is with me. Trust me on this one," he winked. "But more importantly: you've seemed a lot more interested in his knot than in my barbs, anyway. And..." he chuckled softly, "...now I guess I know why."
The kitten only offered an embarrassed little nod...
...as his tiger friend went on, "So why don't we wait on him to join us? You know: give you a shot at what you really want?"
~
"Kiddo?" James's voice faltered and trailed off...
He didn't know how to say this. He didn't know where to begin. It wasn't even his answer to give...his story to tell...or his secret to reveal. But Scott was hesitant. He was unsure. And the fox was...well...the love of his life -- as weird as it was to feel that so soon after they'd met.
Scott couldn't do this on his own. He needed his raccoon's help. His support.
But that didn't make giving it any easier, "We're can't really, uhm..."
And so, though clearly not without a bit of a strain, Scott cut to the chase: "Elliot, Jeff's not gonna' be able to help you."
James watched as their student's head fell, and his shoulder's drooped. Watched as the words hit him...and the breath slipped from his open jaw. Watched how their refusal completely crushed his every hope, "Oh. I, uhm...I just thought that..."
"No. Hey," and the raccoon couldn't simply sit by and watch him look so shaken and alone. "It's not that we don't want to."
And Scott added, "It's that we can't."
Slowly, Elliot looked back up, "I don't understand."
"No. You do," the fox stated confidently...
...and his lover explained: "You just don't know it yet."
Elliot looked back at the two with nothing but silent confusion in his eyes. And James turned his own to Scott. The fox stared back, and the two shared their silent moment of collusion. Their consent and agreement.
And then James turned back to the boy, to take the lead.
"Look, uhm...William, right?" he began. "How much trouble is he looking at?"
"Trouble? I-I don't..." Elliot stuttered.
"You know?" The raccoon explained: "With your mother's evidence?"
"Proof," Scott corrected.
"It's clearly not concrete," James went on. "If it were, he'd be in cuffs already. But it was at least enough to get the cops' attention. And if the investigation unearths the truth...well..." he trailed off...
...and Scott took over, "This custody battle might be the least of your worries."
"Th-the truth?" the little husky stammered his way into an awkward laugh. "There's no truth to be unearthed." He contended sharply: "She's lying. She's wrong. YOU're wrong. Will and I haven't-" and he stalled and corrected himself: "I mean: Will never..."
But through it all, James and Scott just stared back in silence. They knew better. James had suspected for some time, but after today? There was no question. Especially now, in this very moment...
...with how the boy jumped first to deny that he and Will had done anything together, before realizing that he SHOULD have been denying the fact that Will had done something TO him.
There was no question. The only hurdle was in making Elliot accept that his secret was out.
And with a sigh and clenched eyes, he did. "How long have you known?"
Scott was the first to answer, "Honestly? Only for a few minutes."
And James explained: "You wouldn't have been so worried about the proof, if there wasn't something for there to be proof OF."
"But, to be fair, we've suspected for a while," the fox went on...
...and his raccoon added: "After all...I was standing right there when Hunter let the name slip."
"And we talked about it...and of course: there are other Wills."
"But how many of the other Wills would've stirred up such a look of terror in your eyes, just from Hunter saying their name?"
Before them, Elliot wrung his paws, and stared down at the floor as he asked: "And, so that's why you won't help, then? You don't want to protect...somebody like him?"
But as a wistful, little smile broke out across Scott's face, James met the presumption with an uproarious burst of laughter. And Elliot could only look on in continued bewilderment.
"No..." James managed through his tapering laughter, "No."
And Scott assured the boy: "Not at all."
"Just...just answer the question first, okay?" the raccoon pressed on. "Do you really understand how much danger he's in, right now?"
Soft and unsure, Elliot nodded, "I do."
And the fox finally shifted them to their point, "Then perhaps you'll understand why we can't put ourselves in the same danger."
"We care -- we really do -- and we'd love to help," James promised earnestly. "But Jeff isn't the, uhm...'example' you think he is. He can't help. And what you're asking of us? Well, we can't put him and Scott at that sort of risk..."
"Elliot, we can't even let anyone else know he's here." Scott shrugged through an uneasy little grin, "We took quite the risk with you, already."
With every word, Elliot's eyes had grown a fraction larger. His back had set a degree straighter. And the cartoon gears, which he still liked to picture in his mind, turned just a little farther...bit...by bit...
...until the truth finally came clear, "He's not really your son."
"He's my...pet," the fox hesitated to admit, before looking to his raccoon. "Or, rather, our pet."
Pet?
Pet! Not three weeks ago, Elliot and Hunter had guessed just that. But it was a joke! Just a joke, right? It couldn't be true, could it? Jeffery wasn't really their son? He was their pet? He and Mr. Hammond had...?
And he and Mr. Callaway, too...?
They were all...?
And everything else, then? It was all just a smoke screen? He wasn't really adopted? He wasn't really going to a private school? His last name wasn't even really Hammond? And the room! The room he'd said they were building for him! Was it really down there, at all? And even if it was, did he really sleep in it? Or did he sleep with Scott? How did this happen? How long had his teachers been keeping a secret sex slave? And...
...and one that was Elliot's own age, even!
Slowly, the husky managed a short few words: half lidded repetition of the thoughts circling through his head, "So, then...the adoption...the private school...Hammond...?"
"All lies," James answered.
"And his terrible home life?" Elliot added...
...to which Scott gently shook his head, "That part, unfortunately, was all too true."
Oh no...
Oh no. This couldn't be happening. This was his only plan. His only hope! On any other day Elliot would be reveling in this. He would imagine the new track his and Jeffery's friendship might take. He would wonder if Scott and James might be in the market for another playmate. He would picture Jeff -- and himself for that matter -- in a collar and leash. He would dream of threesomes. Foursomes. Even...
...what's the proper term for a fivesome?
But he needed this 'yes'! He needed Jeffery's help. He needed someone to stand up for his uncles. Someone to argue on their behalf, and to fight for his right to keep living with his father! With the family that loved him...
But now...?
And as he rocked in his seat, Mr. Hammond's voice drew him from his thoughts...
"I found him living on the street, three months ago...and I gave him a choice," the fox explained. Apparently, he'd assumed Elliot's reaction had been one of discomfort with the situation. "He's here of his own free will. He's safe. He's cared for."
But the husky looked up with an impish little smirk, "And YOU benefit, of course."
"I do," Scott smiled a cautious smile. "But he's happy here, nonetheless. We all are."
"And we can't jeopardize that," Mr. Callaway added.
"Yeah. I get it. Don't worry." Elliot took a breath and steadied himself as he sat straight in his seat, yet again. He didn't know what to do, but if this wasn't the answer...he couldn't exactly change the fact. "It wouldn't do any good to risk it, anyway, right? I mean: if he's not really adopted...then he can't help me, one way or the other."
"We're sorry, Elliot," Mr. Hammond frowned...
...but his raccoon quickly promised: "But we'll still help, however we can! We'll say whatever else you need us to, when the detectives come." He smiled reassuringly, "We'll tell them how well adjusted you are...how great your uncle and dad are...how much they love you..."
"And," Scott added frankly, "if William needs one, we'll even corroborate an alibi."
"But when it comes to defending the merits of a same sex household?" James shrugged, "You're gonna' have to be on your own."
"I'm sorry," the fox apologized yet again...
...and Elliot wondered if what they COULD offer would be enough. With his teachers' help -- and Stan's, Aaron's, Hunter's, and his dad's -- they could surely keep William out of jail. But when it came to their other fight, would it really be enough? Even with everyone working together, could they actually convince a judge, in this state, that it was okay for Elliot to live with a same sex couple? After all, according to Stan, gay SEX had only been legal here for little more than a decade.
But, despite himself, amidst it all, his mind wandered down a different path. The path that he knew, on any other day, would be its only one. Mr. Hammond and Mr. Callaway had a pet. They had a pet HIS age. They'd been his teachers for some time. But now he knew. If he wanted them...chances were he could have them.
In their empty classrooms at the end of the school day. In the privacy of a high school restroom stall. Or even...
...here. Now.
And his eyes trailed the length of Mr. Callaway's pant leg...across his calf, his thigh, and to the shadowy nook where one leg met the other. His eyes lingered there on the loose cloth, and he imagined what lay beneath. And as he did, James's legs slowly spread...
With a start, Elliot looked up, a blush warming his cheeks at having been caught. But when his eyes met Mr. Callaway's, the raccoon simply winked. And beside him, his fox cackled out with laugher...
...leaving the embarrassed husky to simply laugh along.
"Well," Elliot shook his head with a smile, "I guess we should at least go tell Hunter and Jeff that we've cleared the air, right?" He motioned a paw in the direction of the hall, "Let 'em know there aren't any more secrets to keep?"
"Maybe so," Mr. Hammond nodded...
...and his raccoon agreed: "Could definitely take a lot of the weight off Jeff's shoulders, anyway."
"Though...then again..." Elliot paused and second-guessed himself, as he remembered what had been on his tiger's mind when they parted ways. And with a glance at the clock he suggested: "Maybe we should give them a little bit longer..."
James met the implication with a wicked smile, "Oh, but where's the fun in that?"
And his fox nodded sincerely, "If they couldn't even be bothered to wait for you to join in, I think they could do with getting caught in the act." He stood and stretched, "Besides: a bit of embarrassment might do my kitten some good."
"Not that it's anything Hunter isn't used to, lately, of course," Mr. Callaway joined him on his feet...
...and Elliot was left with no choice but to follow along.
Out of the room and down the hall they padded, with Scott in the lead. And as they stepped through the open basement door and descended the stairs, horror movies flashed through the husky's head. Images of rape dungeons, gimp suits, and chains.
Wait, no. Not horror movies. Porn.
The boy giggled to himself -- wondering idly what his teachers must think of the unprovoked laughter -- and soon found himself drawing upon two, half-finished, sheetrock walls, erected to section off a corner of the basement.
This must be Jeffery's room!
And the trio pushed open the door, already ajar. But inside, they didn't see a tiger balls deep in a small gray cat. They didn't find Jeffery with a mouth full of barbed tiger dick. They weren't even so lucky as to catch Hunter red pawed, with a fist full of the kitten's sheath.
Instead, they simply found the two sitting cross legged on the bed, as their chuckling trailed off -- the final moments of laughter at a joke no one else had heard. And they turned to greet their intruding guests. Hunter was as they'd left him: fully clothed and appropriately quaffed for a visit to his teachers.
Jeffery though, sat shameless and nude, nothing but gray fur from head, to sheath, to toe...
...except of course, for his collar.
Neither Scott, nor James, nor Elliot could quite find the words...the question to ask to make sense of the scene before them. But with a smile, Hunter offered the simplest explanation he could, nonetheless:
"You guys need stronger shampoo."
~
And Sibirskaia continues...
* This particular chapter (and the rest of Sibirskaia) was written entirely by 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/ *
All of the secrets are out! (or are they?) And it looks like Elliot & Hunter's relationship with the Hammond/Callaways may be changing a little bit! (or will it?)
Of course, the real question coming out of this (other than what new sexual pairings you perverts can expect this pervert to write for you) is: what will Elliot do now that his master plan has failed?
Anyway, thanks for reading!
I welcome any feedback. Comment or PM me here, or email me at theottercoon[at]gmail.com
And if you enjoyed this chapter, and want to support my efforts to write more, I welcome any donations you would be willing to give
See you around for the next 17 chapters of Sibirskaia!