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His First Employee (Chapter 1?)

copyright comidacomida 2024

Nigel sat on his bed, lost in the dark thoughts that had stuck with him all day. Despite the quality of the school his dad paid top dollar for there was still the matter of the quality of the student body lacking. Always an attentive and respectful student, Nigel was lucky that he wasn't expelled for the fight-- it may have also helped that his father was a very generous donor to the private institution. At that moment, however, Nigel hated it with a passion, and was glad that he got a suspension... at least he didn't have to deal with anyone or anything there for a week.

A firm, strong knock sounded on his bedroom door; it was a three, evenly spaced rap, identifying the visitor before a voice even spoke up. "Nigel? May I enter?"

Sighing, the young man looked away from the door, making sure to not let his bodyguard see his black eye. "Yeah. Come on in."

He should have known better than to think he would be able to hide anything from the astute Wolf; the fact that the young man was looking away was the first thing that Ron noticed. "What's wrong, Nigel?"

The youth shrugged, still not meeting his bodyguard's gaze. "Just not having a good day... that's all."

He heard the sound of the Wolf approaching, but, by that point, Nigel was just tired of the whole ordeal. Turning to look his bodyguard, he was not the least bit surprised to see the disappointed expression on Ron's muzzle. Rather than admonish him, the Wolf simply took a seat on a nearby chair and asked "Should I get the first aid kit?"

Grateful for his bodyguard's patience, Nigel nodded. "Please."

He thought about what he was going to say when Ron asked questions-- the Wolf ALWAYS asked questions. He was still considering how he was going to explain the situation when his bodyguard returned from the bathroom with the kit in hand, taking a seat beside him on the bed and, with a gentle-but-firm paw, took hold of his chin and rotated the youth's head to face him. Ron's tongue clicked in his muzzle as he examined Nigel's eye. "Yep... that's a good one."

Nigel was not the kind of student to get into a fight-- he'd made it through to his senior year without so much as harsh words, and he knew that Ron knew as much too. To say that his scuffle was out of character would have been an understatement. Rather than facing the issue, Nigel elected to focus on the easy fix. "It's bad?"

Sighing, Ron began to wet some cotton swabs with some hydrogen peroxide. "Eh... I've seen worse... but it DOES bring up some questions..."

The Wolf was not all that subtle in his subtlety, and Nigel figured the best thing to do was to cut him off at the pass. "I got in a fight."

The Wolf seemed more focused on his eye than his words, ear flicking as he offered a "mmm" of non-commitment. With quiet efficiency the Wolf cleaned the wound and applied a soothing ointment to the swollen eye. Leaning back once it was done, Ron fixed him with a steady gaze. "A fight, huh?"

Nigel nodded. "Yeah... promise to not tell my dad?"

Ron let out a long breath, standing up and moving back to the chair he'd sat into in the first place. "Alright, Kid... sounds like you need to talk." Taking a seat, the Wolf spoke, his tone gentle, yet firm-- always so true to his no-nonsense demeanor. "What's going on, Nigel? You don't get into fights but, if you did, you're a smart kid-- you'd wait until you were somewhere you'd have me for backup."

The youth nodded-- it was one more thing he hated about the prep school: bodyguards weren't allowed on campus. It was the only place he went without Ron. "I didn't exactly PLAN it... it just... happened."

Ron's eyes never left him, their amber gleam making the youth feel uneasy. It wasn't that his bodyguard intimidated him-- he just hated letting Ron down, and he KNEW he'd let Ron down. The Wolf's voice was calm and reassuring. "You can trust me, kid. I've got your back-- always have. Always will. Whatever it is, you can tell me. What's going on?"

Nigel reached up, tentatively poking around the periphery of his puffy black eye. "One of the other seniors thought that I needed to be 'put in my place' because 'the hired muscle' wasn't around. It's silly, I know... but... uh... I fought him."

The Wolf nodded, expression unchanging but Nigel had learned to observe him closely-- he watched the way a small creased between Ron's eyebrows before the bodyguard spoke, voice calm and even... but the Human caught the subtle tone of anger in the words. "Ah, so it was one of the rich brat crowd, huh? You didn't deserve it, kid." Leaning forward, the Wolf pressed. "Tell me what happened, Nigel."

The young sat up a little straighter, his hands wringing together as he spoke. "Well... uh... he... he called you a-- a gutter cur." Nigel grimaced, swallowing before continuing. "... and said that you're--- well... I... I guess the specifics don't matter. I told him to shut up cuz he doesn't know you like I do and he said that the only way I could get him to shut up is if I made him shut up... and... well... yeah..."

Ron sighed, leaning back in his chair, raising a paw to run it through his carefully kept mane, his expression darkening slightly. The Wolf didn't look at Nigel for several moments, his piercing gaze focused on a far corner of the room. Still facing the corner, his bodyguard inquired "So... you fought him because he disrespected ME? Calling me a cur isn't as bad as some of the things I've been called. Why put yourself in that position over words?"

Nigel didn't respond for several seconds, holding his words until Ron's eyes locked back in on him, and then the words came tumbling out. "He said his security team could wipe the floor with you, and that he doesn't know why my dad keeps you employed because... uh...." Nigel fought with the words, not wanting to say them aloud. "He... he's just a jerk. it doesn't matter what he said."

Ron stood up, passing by the youth, pausing just long enough to rest a paw on his head for a moment. "It's alright, kid... You don't have to repeat the insults. I know a lot of folks'll tell you that you did something stupid... that words aren't worth fighting over, but lemme tell you: in this world, among the people you rub shoulders with, words hurt. You did the right thing fighting back. That's not what matters. What matters is you stood up for yourself and didn't back down."

It wasn't exactly the stance he'd expected his bodyguard to take, but it was a pleasant surprise. "Y-yeah... people aren't allowed to insult me or my family."

The Wolf's usually stoic expression was disrupted for the shorted amount of time by a faint smile. "Right... and, if it comes down to it, you let me know if anyone ever tries anything like that again. You won't stand for it, and you can bet that I won't either. Push comes to shove, you just have your dad buy out his dad's business and fire him."

Nigel knew it was the Wolf's brand of deadpan humor, but he also knew that his bodyguard wasn't wholly kidding. Ron circled the room once, possibly to inspect things like a bodyguard should, or perhaps just to burn off some nervous energy, but it gave Nigel a chance to think. "Hey... Ron?"

The Wolf stopped pacing and looked up, "Yeah, Nigel?"

The teen fidgeted when the piercing amber eyes were on him again. "Can you... maybe cover for me at dinner?"

Ron flicked an ear. "Cover for you?"

Nigel nodded. "Yeah... My dad's gonna ask a LOT of questions if he sees me with a black eye and... I really just... don't wanna deal with that."

The Wolf's eyebrow raised, a hint of amusement flickering across his lupine features. "You think I'm gonna side with you over your dad? Seriously? Kid, you're lucky I'm willing to help at all." Before Nigel could speak up to defend himself, the Wolf chuckled, stoic expression softening with a smirk. "Sure, Nigel, I'll take care of that dinner conversation... but you gotta tell me the story you're gonna spin."

Nigel smiled despite his bodyguard obviously trying to get a rise out of him. It didn't take him long to come up with an excuse. "Tell him that I'm not feeling well and I'll just take my dinner in my room? You know he doesn't care unless it's something serious... I can probably get three or four days out of that excuse... to cover for me being home from classes too. Do you think my black eye'll be gone by then?

Ron nodded, his expression thoughtful before he answered. "Yeah, that's a decent cover. And as for the black eye? Yeah... it should heal up by then. You'll be good to go within a few days. Now, let's get you set up for dinner. I'll take care of your excuse. Okay?"

Nigel waited as his bodyguard pulled out his cell and began seamlessly lying through his muzzle on the youth's behalf. Ron was seamless and flawless in his execution-- it was almost frightening. He felt lucky for the thousandth time that his bodyguard was more loyal to him than his father, and he waited until Ron hung up before saying "Thanks Ron... Really. I owe you... again."

The Wolf waved away the promise of recompense, leaning back against the wall as he regarded his charge. "No need to 'owe' me, Nigel. That's what friends do. Now, keep your head down for a couple of days, and that bruise should fade nicely. Just promise me that the next time before you face trouble you let me know so we can figure it out together."

Nigel offerd a sheepish smile, knowing it was a long shot as he pointed out "If you finally showed me how to fight I could have done better..."

A hint of a smirk flowed across Ron's face for just a moment before his stoic expression took over. I ain't gonna be teaching you that, kid. But there are ways to handle situations without ending up all battered. Know your environment, understand people, and don't shy away from using ithat as needed. There's usually better ways to resolve things than fists... now get some rest-- I'm gonna go get your dinner and I'll be right back."

Nigel let out a long sigh, laying back on his bed. Watching the Wolf go, the young man called out before his bodyguard could close the door. "Hey-- Ron?"

Pausing at the door, the Wolf gazed back at him, "Yeah, Nigel?"

The youth offered a half-smile. "Thanks for everything. I- Don't really know what I'd do without ya."

Ron offered a quick, succinct nod. "Well, don't go pushing things over the edge next time. But if you need help again...you know where to find me."

Nigel smiled to himself, seated alone in his room, thinking about Ron. His bodyguard was one of the few consistent things in his life. Having been assigned to him for over ten years, the young had known Ron since he was eight. Ron was there for him when no one else was and, despite how silly it may have seemed to punch out one of his classmates over what was said about his lupine bodyguard, the teen would gladly have done it several times over.

When he told Ron that he wouldn't let anyone disparage his family, what he meant to say was that nobody would ever be allowed to say something negative about the Wolf... and he meant it.

* * * * *

Ron's trip downstairs didn't take long; the family was already eating and one of the kitchen staff provided the Wolf with a tray including a cloche-covered dinner plate. The bodyguard accepted it without a world and brought it back upstairs. He offered a polite triple-knock on the door and waited for Nigel to acknowledge him before he entered.

Moving to set up the tray on the bed beside his ward, Ron removed the cloche. "Looks like Chicken Kiev... it's a dated dish, but it's good just the same."

Rather than address the Wolf's statement, Nigel followed up with an entirely different topic to question. "Ron... why don't you carry a gun?"

The Wolf eyed the teen critically, setting the cloche down on Nigel's dresser. "Why, kid? Do I look like a cop or something?"

Nigel shrugged in response, eyeing his food. "I dunno... I just heard that some families have bodyguards with guns."

Ron stepped back to give the Human room to eat in peace, letting a little hint of his amusement come out so Nigel would know he wasn't cross. "My job's about protection, not firepower. A gun's just a liability. I've got skills, training, and instincts to do the job right. And trust me, kid, it's better this way... now eat your dinner and forget about guns, okay?"

Nigel slid the tray aside, laying a hand on the mattress. "You're not gonna sit with me?"

While sitting beside his ward was not out of the question when they were at the table, Ron was honestly surprised at the request considering they were in Nigel's bedroom. "You want me to join you?"

Nigel nodded. "Yeah."

Grabbing the chair he'd been sitting in earlier, Ron moved it closer, turned it around, and sat in it backward, watching the youth. "Guess it's been a long day for both of us. Remember what we used to do when your folks were out of town on business and it was just us at dinner? How about we just chill for a bit"

His ward nodded, smiling a little as he picked up his fork. "You'd always loosen your tie before we chilled."

Smiling warmly in return, the Wolf did just that and let out a soft sigh, feeling his own stress lessen; there was something enjoyable about just BEING with Nigel, no pretense, no craziness. "So... aside from the obvious, how'd the OTHER parts of your day go, Kid?"

Nigel focused on his meal, using his fork to separate his scalloped potatoes from his seasoned vegetables, and then gently building a julienne daikon radish wall to separate the rest of the sides from his chicken. He spoke as he worked. "I learned about the distribution of lands and creation of nations after World War 2 today in history class...

Ron nodded; he'd always liked learning about history-- it helped him plan for the future. "World War 2... lots to learn from that one. I never did too well in school, but I've always been interested in international politics..." The Wolf leaned forward, regarding the Human. "What'd you make of the Treaty of Versailles, Nigel?"

The teen shrugged, eyes still focused on his food. "Dunno... we were going to go over that tomorrow... guess I'll have to make it up when I get allowed back on campus." Without a pause, Nigel looked up at him. "I can't believe she made THESE veggies again."

Although he wasn't a picky eater, Nigel had an absolute disdain for the family's cook's steamed vegetables with dill and basil. If Ron was honest with himself, he didn't much care for them either. With a shrug, the Wolf responded "Then don't worry about em. I didn't come here to lecture you on eating habits and my job is to stop the things that'll kill ya quick, not a bad diet."

The jest was enough to at least get Nigel to look at him and the young man offered a half smile. "Maybe YOU can teach me about the Treaty of Versailles since I'll be home with you anyway, Ron."

Before the Wolf could respond, the teen had torn one of his sweet dinner rolls in half, offering the other portion to Ron. Although the Wolf knew he'd have his own dinner, he accepted; having grown up in a poor family, Ron still never turned down food, and he smirked when he saw Nigel smiling brighter. He took a small bite. "We'll see, kid. If nothing else I can get Ms. Pringle to--"

Nigel made a sour face. "You'd do a way better job."

Ron forgot just how much the teen hated his early-years student. Nigel's father had been very insistent that he be home schooled until he was ready for high school and the staf member selected to educate him had been an economics professor at a college before going to work for the corporation owed by Nigel's family. Although Nigel learned, Ron knew that the boy hated every minute of it. "Okay... well... maybe NOT Ms Pringle, but I'm sure there's someone more qualified--"

The youth did not surrender. "But you spent some time in the middle east-- the history instructor said most of what's going on today can be traced back to western powers intervening with regional politics."

The Wolf let out a snort, but smirked as well, polishing off the last of the roll with a single bite. "Nah... the Middle East's always been a mess. You know, I've done some security work over there. Seen some stuff that'd make your head spin. Anyway, Israel's a sore spot for a lot of folks."

Silence spread out between them with the only sound of knife and fork against plate to break the silence until Ron pushed to keep the conversation going. "What do you think about it all, kid? Ever given much thought to the politics of it all?"

Nigel put down his utensils, shaking his head. "Dad says politics are for people who want to help others make money... not make their own."

Ron chuckled at that, the sound rolling out of him like a gentle growl. Back when the Wolf had first taken on the role of Nigel's body guard the sound had frightened the young boy-- ten years later, it made him smile. Brushing his paws free of breadcrumbs, the Wolf leaned in closer, his voice lowering in volume to whisper. "Well... for as much as your dad knows, he DOESN'T know how corrupt some politicians can be, and THOSE guys make insane wads of cash... I should know; I've seen it."

Nigel nodded in thought. "Dad says politicians are often more about power and money is secondary, but that's still all miles ahead than any desire to actually help people. He says that's why lobbyists are a thing."

The Wolf felt his expression turn dark but he quickly forced himself back to neutrality; without realizing it, Nigel stepped on a personal landmine of his, but Ron wasn't about to let it show. "The problem is, kid, that it's not all just black and white. There are some good people in politics, too. They genuinely care about making a difference.." Leaning back in his chair, the bodyguard let out a sigh. "But I get what you're saying. Your dad's got his priorities where he's got em, that's for for sure."

The teen nodded. "He said when I finish school this year he's going to start me at the company for the summer until college starts up."

It sounded about right for what Ron would expect. "Sure... makes sense. Get you some real world experience before you go on to higher education.... you figured ou what you wanna do with your time AFTER college?" He leaned forward again, smirking as he joked with the teen. "Anything specific on your mind aside from following in your dad's footsteps and becoming a corporate overlord?"

Nigel poked at his mostly uneaten Chicken Kiev. "I... I don't know, Ron-- I mean... I'm not sure." He set his fork down and looked to the Wolf. 'Is... that a bad thing?"

Smirking, Ron shook his head. "Nah, kid... not at all. Uncertainty's a natural part of life. Most people don't figure out what they want to do until they're a lot older than you. So, if you don't know what you want to do professionally, how about what you'd like to do with your downtime? You know... what're you into?"

Nigel's eyes lock onto Ron's for a moment as if the teen was a deer in headlights. "Into?"

Ron nodded, trying hard not to laugh at the youth's confusion. "Sure. What you like dabbling in... what you do in your free time. Maybe it's something we could explore. Like, me, for example: I fix up old cars. Sure, I could probably get a job as a mechanic, but then I wouldn't get to enjoy YOUR amazing company, eh, Nigel?"

The youth's cheeks flushed at that and he looked back down at his plate. For the longest time the Human said nothing and then, at length, shrugged. "Not really... I guess."

The Wolf knew if the answer was 'no' then it would have come much faster. Reaching forward so he could snag the uneaten second sweet bread roll off of Nigel's tray, Ron pushed verbally. "Well... have you ever done any sort of crafting or making things with your hands?"

Nigel froze, his cheeks glowing bright red. It was enough to cause Ron to sit up straighter, ears erect, facing his ward. When the young man did speak, his voice was halting. "I... uh...a few times... I guess."

Ron raised an eyebrow, mhis expression softening with amusement. "Ah, kid, don't be embarrassed. Everyone's got a creative streak, even if they don't always show it." The Wolf lened back in the chair to reduce his imposing stature. "What kind of things did you make, then? And, before you say it-- don't worry: I won't tell anyone. I promise."

The Wolf watched as Nigel blushed even further, setting his food tray to the side. "Promise you won't laugh?"

Ron held up a paw solemnly. "Scout's honor." Then, after a short pause, grinned at the teen. "Well... maybe a little chuckle or two, but I promise it'll be more like a hungry wolf stomach rather than a full-blown belly laugh."

Hopping off his bed and moving over to his writing desk (more used as a computer desk), the young man opened up one of the drawers and pulled out what looked like a big binder. He returned to the bed, setting it down in front of Ron and, upon opening it, revealed a sheet of paper with a handful of sketches on it. The Wolf was taken aback, having had no idea that Nigel ever bothered sketching. Looking to the Human he asked "...may I?"

The teen nodded hesitantly and took a step back, cheeks going even redder. "Uh... okay... just... the first few pages is fine, I guess."

Ron's eyes widened, a low hum of surprise and appreciation escaping his muzzle as he turned the page, finding almost a dozen more small pictures. The sketches were relatively basic-- black and white, but, as he went further into the portfolio it was apparent that Nigel's hand had been improving, including shading, depth, and detail. The Wolf was astounded at how much went into the pictures, as if the unassuming teen had found something into which he could pour a part of himself... something he'd kept secret from everyone else... until Ron. The Wolf couldn't NOT say something. "Holy hell, Nigel... These are... impressive!"

The teen nodded. "T-thanks..."

The bodyguard ran his index finger along the edge of one page-- it was the first proper picture, and it looked exactly like the downstairs back garden. "This is amazing, kid. You have some talent!" Tapping on the garden, he looked up to address Nigel. "What's this one's story?"

Nigel offered a small smile his face reddening again. "That's... uh... I did that one last month for the tenth anniversary of you coming to live here... that's the garden where my dad introduced you."

The Wolf couldn't help but smile; it WAS a decade ago. Ron had been very different back then, having to give up his life working paramilitary contracts due to a war wound. The company employing him found a contract to serve as civilian security-- it was a lucrative golden parachute, and Ron remembered hating it. He was definitely not the same Wolf as he was back then. Smiling warmly, the bodyguard nodded. "I remember..." he chuckled softly. "You ran away screaming when I tried smiling at you."

Even Nigel laughed at that. "You weren't very good at smiling back then... and you have sharp teeth."

Looking to the youth, Ron winked, flicking an ear. "Well... I didn't really have a reason to smile back then... but now I guess I do."

The young man blushed again. "Y-yeah... I... I guess so."

Ron flipped the page again, seeing a follow up sketch with even more detail-- so much so that the Wolf recognized it right away. "Is this my car?"

The teen nodded again. "Yeah... I like the way it looks."

Feeling himself blush a little, the Wolf went to flip the page again. Nigel was one step too late in objecting, and the next full page sketch appeared; the Wolf got to glance at it before the Human's hand covered about 80% of it. Ron's ears went up. "Is that... me?"

Letting out a long sigh, Nigel sat down on his bed, covering his face with his hands as he nodded silently. A moment later his voice squeaked "Yeah..."

Ron looked down at it again, tracing the thicker lines with a single claw-- the curve of his ear, the angle of his muzzle, the way he rested his paw against his cheek, propping up his head as he looked out-- "Is this me in the kitchen this morning?"

Nigel still refused to look him in the eye, and nodded again. "Yeah."

A soft, unbidden rumble escaped the Wolf with his next words. "Damn good skill... shame you couldn't've found a better model though. Still... I'm honored, Nigel... really."

The youth finally looked up. "Really? You're... not mad?"

The Wolf shook his head, laughing easily as he leaned forward and mussed the Human's head of hair. "Why would I be mad? Inspiration is probably one of the BETTER things I could be responsible for these days."

Nigel shrugged. "I... didn't ask?"

Ron, still smiling, winked. "Don't worry about it, kid. I've got your back... even if you're busy sketching out your next masterpiece I got your back... shame that's the end of--"

Nigel's face went pale the moment the Wolf flipped to the next page and Ron froze. The first two-page sketch in the entire booklet was him. It didn't appear to have been drawn from reference-- it was pure imagination, and the pose was... "Nigel?"

The Human had his face completely covered, body wracking with sobs. "You... weren't supposed to see that!"

Ron looked again; while there was nothing overtly 'inappropriate', the pose Nigel had selected for him included him without a shirt, the front of his slacks unzipped, with boxers poking out and a treasure trail of groin fur obviously visible. Having to lick feeling back into his dry mouth, the Wolf glanced around the room then turned his attention back to the teen. "Nigel... we... need to talk about this."

The teen looked like he wanted to die, sitting on the bed with his knees pulled to his chest, head down. His voice came out soft, with a whimper. "You weren't supposed to keep looking... that was... too far."

The Wolf was at a loss for how to deal with the situation, but he knew it was going to be a tender subject. "Well... you definitely have a good eye for detail... solid lines... good... uh... composition..."

The hesitant compliments were enough for Nigel to slowly look up, tears of embarrassment in his eyes. He still managed to sniffle and comment. "You... don't know a thing about art, Ron, do you?"

The Wolf offered his biggest, cheesiest smile. "Not a thing, Kid... not a thing."

The joke managed to let Nigel let his guard down just a little so Ron slid closer, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. The Wolf knew there was more to it with that picture, and they had a very uncomfortable discussion coming up.