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Hi everyone, this one took a lot longer than I expected and to be honest this is probably one of the most disturbing stories I have ever written hence the long gap. Probably one of the harder songs to tackle I hope it worked well.

Source of Inspiration: Bohemian Rhapsody

Artist: Queen

---

_"In national news today a new medical condition appears to be sweeping through the LGBT community. It is currently unknown how severe the condition is but medical authorities are currently investigating," _

James exhaled loudly as he ran a finger in circles on the chest of the skunk that was draped over his legs. The news articles had progressively been getting worse over time and while he wasn't concerned about it, his boyfriend begged to differ. Despite being in an open relationship, he simply refused to take Nick's advice to use protection and to regularly get tested.

"What do you think they mean by that Nick? Do you think it could be as bad as FIV?" he asked. Nick lowered the book he was reading and gazed into James' eyes before looking at the television screen. The skunk had no idea what to make of these news articles though he put it to mere scaremongering if nothing else. There was a small niggling thought in the back of his mind though that tried to convince him that this was something to be taken seriously so that the scourge of FIV would never happen again. While he had managed to ignore it for the most part it was something that still concerned him and made him worry about James.

"Foxxykins you ask me this every time you see a report on it and my answer hasn't changed. It could be as bad but we just don't know yet,"

While it could clutching at straws, Nick sincerely hoped that it indeed was nothing severe. It took far too long to develop a vaccine for FIV but to have something else that was just as bad lurking on the horizon? It was enough to make any health practitioner extremely concerned.

"Nngg... gonna cum,"

Pulling out of the skunk beneath him, James flipped Nick over and started to paw furiously before cumming all over Nick's face, painting it with his warm seed.

"Damnit James how many times do I have to tell you not in the face," Nick grumbled as he pushed the grinning fox aside to reach for a face towel. James did this often enough to warrant keeping one on the bedside table and it annoyed the skunk that he even had to do it.

"Aww you know you love it hun," James laughed as he helped Nick clean up a little.

"I do wish you would get tested. Not that I have a problem with you being with other guys but you gotta use protection with them," Nick called out as he rinsed his face with water from the sink.

"But you know they're clean... I've shown you the STI checks,"

Nick did wonder if he was wasting his time and his breath as he had this same conversation every single time they had sex and it appeared that the fox never seemed to care. Why he even bothered to stay with James was a big question in itself and he had contemplated leaving many times just out of frustration. Yet he stayed on so there must have been something deeper than he gave credit for.

"Have you at least gotten a new script for your sertraline?" Nick asked as he clambered back in bed after having properly cleaned up. Being the secretary for the local doctor often had James constantly pestering Nick to have his prescriptions written up for him without prior consultation. While the doctor was more than happy to actually write the scripts up, Nick was more than reluctant to ask, not to mention the fact that he believed that it would be in James' best interest if he went in to see the doctor himself. The fox let out a sigh as he covered his face with his paw, he knew that there was something that he had forgotten.

"Ah fuck! I knew I forgot to do something when I saw Dr. Milan last... could you," James started, putting on a cute expression. Nick knew what this expression meant and he had been practicing his response for months now. It was at times like this that the skunk wished he wasn't so much of a pushover.

"I'm not doing this anymore hun. You're going in to see Dr. Milan whether you like it or not," Nick firmly responded, quietly pleased with himself that he finally managed to say it for once and not let out a sigh of resignation before agreeing to it.

"Ok I'll make an appointment... sheesh I don't really see what the issue is here,"

Sitting in the waiting room a few days later, James drummed his fingers on his thighs while he waited for the doctor to see him. The room was full of elderly people and devoid of any young people whatsoever for some strange reason. Glancing over at his boyfriend sitting behind his desk, he let out a sigh as the skunk took one phone call after another. He had made out with him behind that desk before and almost gotten him into trouble in the past but he seemed so distant right now with his job.

"James Phillips? Come through please,"

Noticing Nick look up briefly from his work, the fox followed silently behind the doctor, wondering just why he was dreading these same four walls again. Perhaps it was Nick's nagging that was slowly getting to him as the thought of a STI check ran through the back of his mind.

"So what can I do for you today?"

Looking up at the wall at the many certificates that Dr. Milan had hung up on his walls, James felt a cold tingle run down his spine. That was one of the reasons he didn't like coming here, simply because of how stupid he felt. He knew that it was a silly thing to get worked up over but that hint of hesitation always weighed over him.

"I uh... I need another script for my meds I guess," he mumbled, not wanting to look the fennec in the eye.

"You know it's almost been a year since I've seen you last. You really should come in more often. Now was there anything else?"

Hearing Nick's words echoing in his head once more the fox let out a sigh as he debated whether or not he should open his mouth.

"I guess an STI check," James continued, "You know how Nick gets concerned,"

Dr. Milan hesitated for a brief moment before going back to type up the request on his computer. He knew that this was going to happen sooner or later as his secretary was almost always seemingly complaining about how James didn't seem to care about his health. It was not on him to ask for the tests though if James didn't want them done.

"Say, doc that new disease that's been found... is there a test for it yet?"

Dr. Milan shook his head ruefully as he handed the prescription and the blood test request to the fox, "Unfortunately no. We still don't know enough about it let alone test for it. Hell it could be something that lies dormant for years like FIV and nobody knows. But I assure you if anything unusual comes up you'll be the first to know. I've requested some other blood work for you as you are due for a full blood screen anyway. Remember to fast overnight for it,"

Days soon passed and everything started to seem more like a blur as James waited for the results of his tests. Work for him was becoming more monotonous with each passing day and it slowly became more apparent to him that his constant eat, sleep, work, fuck routine was not doing much for his mood. As he idly flicked through the channels on the television one night, the sound of the phone going off made him turn.

"James... it's your mum!" Nick called out, giving the handset to the fox. James had always wondered why his mother worried about him so much considering that he had so many other brothers and sisters that she could worry about.

"So how's my little boy! Are you holding up alright?"

James let out a quiet huff of frustration as he turned off the television and took a hold of the phone. While he did find the fortnightly calls a little excessive he would be lying if he said that he didn't find them comforting.

"Hi mom.. uh I guess I'm doing alright. You know the usual stuff, working and the likes,"

"Have you settled down with Nicholas fully yet? He's such a nice boy and you really should treat him better,"

James bit his lip as he glanced cautiously into the kitchen for a brief moment. The skunk was pacing back and forth with a mixing bowl in one paw, humming a tune quietly to himself as he stirred the mixture with a long wooden spoon. He should have considered himself lucky that he found someone as patient and understanding as Nick so it came across as odd that his mum would say something like that.

"Things have been going fine mom. We went out for dinner recently. Been a bit busy with work and such,"

"Are you being careful hun? You know there's that new disease coming out. I want you boys to be safe is all,"

A trill of fear ran down James' spine as he gazed longingly back at Nick who was now pouring the batter into a mould before putting it into the oven. The thought of potentially passing something on was a personal nightmare that he had always had ever since he started dating but had always put it to the back of his mind. Even with the effectiveness of the FIV vaccine it still wasn't full proof like any other vaccine

"We're fine mom. I'm not sleeping around," James lied, as the strange sensation of Nick glaring at him made the fur on the nape of his neck prickle slightly.

"Just as long as you're safe sweetey... when are you coming back home to visit?"

Getting up to look at the calendar on the wall, James stared at the seemingly empty squares one after another with the odd scribbled note in between.

"About a fortnight works for me... alright if Nick tags along?"

"Of course hun, I was going to ask him to tag along. Can you put him on the phone? I need to ask him a few things,"

Handing the phone over to the skunk, the fox looked back at the calendar in front of him. As barren as it seemed he had always been exhausted despite not doing much at work. He didn't bother mentioning this to Dr. Milan because he blamed his bad sleeping habits and his addiction to caffeine containing drinks for that. Not that he was doing anything about it. The mere mention of sleeping tablets seemed to set the normally mild mannered fennec off when he asked, leading James to never raise the subject up again. He just hoped that it was nothing serious.

Days soon passed before the results of the bloodwork finally came through. In the past, Nick normally would have passed the message on but the fact that Dr. Milan had contacted him personally made him wonder just what might have been wrong. As the fox sat in the doctor's office with old people and young parents all around him he fumbled around with his phone as he flicked through the messages. Having worn a jacket to the surgery made him stand out amongst all the others who seemed to be wearing short sleeved shirts which left him wondering if he had miraculously caught the flu in the middle of summer. The fact that he had started to develop a runny nose and a fever as well wasn't helping much either.

"James Phillips,"

Getting off his seat, the fox covered his nose as he sneezed into the crook of his arm, blinking a few times to himself as he followed Dr. Milan into his room.

"Your results have come back James and I have good news and bad news," the fennec bluntly told him as he fished around in James' file for the test results, "Which do you want to hear first?"

Seeing the small stack of papers in the fennec's paw, James pointed at the ones on the top.

"Uh those ones I guess," he mumbled as the sight of the word "negative" sent a thought of relief through his mind.

"Well the good news is that all the STI tests have come back negative..."

Looking at the individual sheets of test results the absence of every common infection at least gave him some peace of mind.

"So what's the bad news then?" the fox asked.

Dr. Milan riffled through the second set of papers and shook his head as he pulled out one particular set of them.

"Your liver function and your blood tests are all over the place. I've never seen anything like it before. The fact that you aren't actually overly sick is nothing short of a miracle,"

James looked at the different papers and the various tests that meant absolutely nothing to him. The fact that many of them were written down in red ink though wasn't encouraging however. One test after another he looked at the abnormal results and wondered what to make of it.

"I wonder if the guys at the lab got your results mixed up with someone else, it's happened before so I wouldn't think the world has ended just yet but I do want you to get tested again just to be on the safe side,"

James let out a sigh as he shivered slightly. The air conditioner wasn't even turned on so he had no idea just why he was feeling so cold or why he felt so stiff as he got up from the chair. He winced slightly as he felt a shooting pain run down the length of his leg, taking a moment to rub at his calf.

"We'll need to do this quickly. I hope that this isn't anything serious. I'll tell Nick once the new results come through,"

Despite Dr. Milan insisting that it would be unlikely to be the flu given the odd variety of symptoms and test results the fox soon left the pharmacy with a new packet of cold and flu tablets. Popping two into his maw and downing it with some water he slowly made his way back to the apartment, stumbling around a little as the cars passed by him on the busy street. He could have sworn the pharmacist was giving him a strange look when he walked out that day given his somewhat dishevelled appearance. Not that there were many sketchy looking characters in the area but James did look a little like a junkie when he came in that day meaning he looked nothing like what he did on his license. As he climbed the stairs to the apartment, he paused for a moment to look out over at the city, the bright lights drowning out the stars. Staring longingly at the nightclub district James started to wonder if Nick did have a point. Perhaps he was sleeping around a little too much and it was something he should be worried about. As he reached the front door a sharp pain ran along the length of his spine making him grunt loudly and lean against the door. Stars appeared in his vision and threatened to black him out as he slumped to the ground breathing heavily.

"What the fuck was that?" he thought to himself as he slowly pulled himself up and entered the apartment. Finding Nick on the couch watching TV, James collapsed next to the skunk, his head resting in the skunk's lap.

"Heya hun, what did Dr. Milan say?" Nick asked, scratching behind the fox's ears.

"Doc doesn't know what's wrong. Wants me to do more bloods in case they mixed it up,"

Nick sat in quiet contemplation at the mention of this. As much as he hated to admit it, the likelihood of that was quite low. Nick knew the practices that Dr. Milan had when it came to taking blood and the lab was not known for making mistakes of that kind of magnitude. Why he wanted to keep that piece of information quiet he didn't know but he knew that saying anything would send the fox into a blind panic instead and be even worse.

"Whatcha watching anyhow?" James asked as he looked over at the television screen.

"Just the news. Some whackjob going on about this new disease or whatever being 'God's punishment for the gays' again. Nothing too interesting,"

"We spoke to a leading researcher about this new disease that seems to be sweeping through the LGBT community like wildfire,"

As the screen cut to a leopard in a lab coat, surrounded by medical equipment, James' ears twitched slightly as the discussion soon caught his attention.

"We don't quite know what is causing this just yet as there aren't any major symptoms that we can pinpoint. What we do know is that it is spreading very quickly and we're not sure if even condoms can prevent it from spreading. We are working on a way to test for it but with nothing to go off we cannot be sure what to look for just yet,"

The screen soon cut back to the presenter in the studio as the lemur shuffled the papers in front of her.

"Some others however have been a little more outspoken of the new findings,"

The screen then changed to what appeared to be a protestor wearing a sandwich board with all sorts of profanities and homophobic propaganda written all over. Nick already knew just who they were as he had come across them when he worked elsewhere as a receptionist. The same group was known to also target family planning clinics and the skunk had had the misfortune with having to push past them on his way to work once.

"This is what happens because we have abandoned God. FIV was the first warning we received for allowing the debauchery of gay marriage and removing God from schools and this is the second! We must punish all these homosexuals for the good of the nation and put God back into our schools,"

James looked up as he heard the skunk exhale loudly, his normally calm and kindly expression swapping for one of disdain.

"You alright hun? Something wrong?" James asked, looking up at the skunk with a concerned gaze. Nick let out a soft sigh as he turned off the television and gave James a few loving scratches.

"No... nothing. Just a little tired is all... come on dinner's almost ready,"

Nick was feeling a little conflicted as a week soon passed and James' test results came back. The fox had given him permission to bring back any results or news as he was far too lazy to go down and collect them himself meaning that the skunk often knew more about James' health than he did himself. What was now concerning him was the fact that not only were the tests similar but something else had now come up leading to Dr. Milan calling him into his office after hours.

"So what's wrong with James then?" Nick asked as he tapped a pen on the doctor's desk while the fennec rifled around in his files for a few papers.

"I've never seen a case before but I think your fox might have that new condition... nothing is consistent with anything I've ever seen before in all my years of practice," the fennec sighed, his shoulders drooping with defeat.

The skunk flinched visibly at the thought of his fox potentially having picked it up from somewhere. His next thought was whether or not he might have contracted it as well and what that meant for him.

"So what does this mean for me then?" Nick asked, his voice now tinged with concern. Dr. Milan hesitated for a moment as he handed the papers over for the skunk to peruse, trying to choose his words carefully so as to not scare his young receptionist.

"I wish I knew my boy... I wish I knew. Have you noticed any changes in behaviour or if he's almost flu-like?"

Nick's gaze fell to the ground beneath him as he gave this some thought. James had mentioned to him multiple times about his apparent lack of energy, feelings of weakness and pains that shot up and down his body. It pained Nick to know that James would have mostly ignored it all and not said a word if he could avoid it, the regular lashings of pseudoephedrine was enough evidence of that.

"He's... been talking to himself a lot more than usual. A blocked nose, muscle and body pains, it's almost like he has a flu that's kicking his ass and making him hallucinate," Nick answered, trying his best to keep his composure.

"I'm worried about you guys. You've done an incredible job and I worry about what may happen to the both of you. If anything seems wrong don't hesitate to give me a call yeah?" Dr. Milan responded, giving the skunk a reassuring pat on the shoulder before leading him out of the building.

Meanwhile back at the house James was seemingly engrossed with a conversation that he was having with himself. Ever since agreeing to going back home to his parents the fox was busy preparing a variety of answers for the inevitable questions that he would face. He had no idea why he was so paranoid about this though. They had only asked the most mundane questions in the past the few times that he had brought Nick home with him. Why he suddenly thought this would change was something even he couldn't understand but it was just this niggling thought that he was having for no good reason.

"Surely it's nothing. I mean what more could they ask? Must be overthinking things again," he mumbled to himself in front of the bathroom mirror.

"Is everything alright hun? You look stressed,"

James turned to meet Nick's weakly disguised smile before opening up the drug cabinet to look at the contents inside. As he stared at his box of medication inside he almost felt a part of him die inside as he reached in and pulled out the tattered CMI which he kept from his first box. As he started to read through the sheet of paper for what would have been the umpteenth time the skunk's firm but comforting touch made him relax a little and sent tingles down his spine.

"I dunno... I'm just worried about what mum will say when we head up in a few days. What with this new thing spreading around," James mumbled as he threw the paper back inside and hugged his tail close to him, "You know how scared she was when I came that close to getting FIV"

Nick bit his tongue as he mulled over whether or not he should mention the test results and what Dr. Milan had told him.

"No, now is not the time," he thought as he pulled James away from the mirror,"It'll have to wait,"

"So how is my little boy?"

"I'm fine mom, just feeling a little under the weather at the moment. Think it might be the flu or something. I feel like death right now,"

"Are you taking of yourself? You know that your diet isn't the best right now,"

"I know. Just been really stressed lately and all with work and such,"

For some odd reason James' mum had been contacting him more than the usual once a fortnight and paranoia was starting to settle into the fox's mind over just what might be the reason behind it all. He knew that his dad had always had objections with him seeing other guys and although his mum appeared fine with it a part of him wondered if it was all just a show to make him feel better about himself.

"I hope that you boys are using protection. I don't like that new thing that's spreading,"

James bit his lip as he tried to think of something to say to this. He knew that it would be a period of time before something like this would be mentioned but he didn't expect it to be this soon.

"It's cool mom... we're not seeing anyone else and we're both clean. It's all good,"

"Ok hunny I'll see you and Nick this weekend and do look after yourself,"

James had a fitful sleep that night as all sorts of scenarios started to play in his head. Ever since he was a young boy he had had a real fear of simply being alone and being abandoned. This only became worse when puberty and adolescence came along and his own personal discovery that he preferred other men. He was lucky to have met Nick through Dr. Milan's doctor's surgery and the two pretty much got along from the get go. How he would have fared without the skunk was anyone's guess.

"I don't think this is going to work out James,"

"What? What do you mean?"

"The whole you seeing other guys, not using protection, not taking steps to better yourself. I can only take so much. You needed to put more effort in,"

"Nick please let's not be too hasty about things,"

"Enough is enough James... I'm leaving. Don't try and contact me,"

Waking up with a shock, James exhaled sharply as he sat bolt upright in bed, his heart racing.

"Is everything alright hun?" Nick asked sleepily, the fox having roused the skunk from his slumber.

"Nothing's wrong Nick, go back to sleep," James whispered, running a paw through Nick's hair as the skunk turned over in the bed.

_"What the fuck was that about?"_he thought to himself as he laid back down and pulled the covers up to his chin, a shiver of fear running down the length of the spine.

"So do you want to drive first or should I?"

"I got it Nick. You go get some rest. I'll wake you when we need to change over,"

Loading the last of the things into the car, the fox looked over at Nick as he dozed quietly in the car. While Nick had suggested they leave the next morning, James was adamant to try and make it back to his parents place as soon as possible, even if it meant travelling in the dead of night. What convinced him to do such a thing was beyond him but he felt somewhat safer travelling at night for some reason. Pulling out of the driveway and down the street he started to hum along in time with the radio as they made their way onto the highway in the dead of the night. Shivering a little to himself he turned on the heater without a second thought as he continued to hum along in tune with the radio.

About two hours in of travelling a strange errant thought entered James' mind as he looked over Nick fast asleep in the passenger's seat. The skunk was mumbling something incoherently that he couldn't make out and batting at the air in front of him.

"You know he's gonna ditch you right? Once he gets the right chance,"

"Brain what the hell? There's no way he would do that," James mumbled, not daring to take his eyes off the road in front of him.

"Are you sure about that? Look at him... what is he thinking right now?"

Looking back over at Nick, the skunk seemed to almost be punching at the air, mumbling "NO!" all the time as he restlessly slept.

"Are you absolutely certain that he isn't thinking about ditching your sorry ass right now?"

"You must be fucking mad brain! There's absolutely nothing wro...

"FUCKING STOP!"

Slamming on the brakes and almost skidding off the road, James' heart pounded in his chest as he wrestled with the vehicle before slowing it to a halt on the road. Correcting it so that it was on the right side of the road, he looked over at Nick who had become extremely pale in the face as he heaved one heavy breath after another.

"Hey you alright mate? What's wrong?" the fox asked, as he rested a paw on Nick's shoulder, the skunk trembling slightly under his firm grip.

"Oh man I had the most fucked up dream ever," Nick whimpered as he lowered the passenger side window and stuck his head out to take a few breaths of fresh air.

"Why? What was it?"

"I... you... you held me at gunpoint... and raped me..."

The look of shock on James' face must have shown as he laid back in the driver's seat, his brain slowly processing what he had just been told.

"You wouldn't do that would you James?"

"No! No of course not... do you want to drive now?"

"Yeah. Don't think I could go back to sleep after that... did you have the heater on or something? It's stuffy as hell in here,"

Getting out of the driver's seat and trudging over to the passenger seat, he slumped into it as he tried to get himself comfortable. Nick had turned off the heater leaving him feeling a little chilly but at least that he could deal with. The troubling thoughts he was having though was something else altogether.

"You see? Do you still want to trust him? He's up to something,"

A few more uneventful hours later and the familiar door of James' parents' place came into view, sending a chill down the fox's spine. He had no idea why he was getting this strange sensation from seeing it again but something just didn't seem right.

"James! How have you been? You really should call more often, you know how much your mother worries about you,"

The sound of his father's voice convinced the fox to get out of the car and give his father a quick hug before heading to the boot to take a few bags out.

"I'm doing the best I can dad, just I've been busy with stuff is all," James offhandedly answered as he carried a duffel bag to the front door.

"And how are you Nick? I hope James hasn't been a thorn in your backside. You know how much of a handful he can be at times,"

"Oh he's been no problem at all Mr. Phillips. James has been behaving himself around me," Nick laughed as he took a few last items out of the boot of the car before closing it.

"Guys I'm right here you know!" James grumbled as he hauled one last box out. This was unfortunately nothing new to James as his parents were very well known to talk about him in this way whenever he brought anyone home. In spite of this it never got any easier to deal with.

"Ah you know I'm just joshing ya," his father chuckled, ruffling James' headfur before taking some of the bags inside, "Honey, James and Nicholas are here!"

James had always had mixed feelings about coming back home to his parents and he was already starting to dread the forced conversation that he would have to make. The second other reason as to why he wanted to drive at night was to give the excuse that they were tired and not have to converse with his parents.

"There's my two boys it's good to see you again!"

James' mother was a short slightly portly woman big on giving hugs and kisses, something which made James uncomfortable at the best of times, especially in front of Nick. The skunk didn't seem to phased by it though and if anything welcomed the affection. Sometimes it made the fox wonder just what kind of relationship Nick had with his parents.

"It's good to see you again as well Mrs. Phillips. We had a bit of a slog to get here without any problems." Nick gleefully answered, giving her a tight hug as she planted a kiss on his muzzle.

"We have much to talk about but surely you boys must be exhausted travelling a total of 6 hours in the dead of night,"

"Yeah speaking of which um... we should probably get some rest. The both of us will be down in a few hours if that's alright?" James asked, stifling a yawn in a desperate act to get both himself and Nick away from the conversation.

"Oh of course. Your room is just like you left it. I assume you know where the guest room is Nick?"

"Of course Mrs. Phillips. We'll be down later once we get some rest,"

Used to working longer hours, Nick was down a few hours later true to his word. He had always had trouble sleeping during the day so while he was still a little exhausted the more satisfying sleep at night was something to look forward to.

"Nicholas a word please?"

A little cautious about what could possibly come of this, Nick came downstairs to see both of James' parents sitting at the dining table with a concerned look on their faces.

"What's the issue? Is there something wrong?" the skunk asked as he sat in the chair opposite them.

"We need to talk about James," his father plainly responded taking a sip of coffee. Nick hesitated for a moment as he gave some thought about what this could entail and whether or not he should wake James.

"He's still asleep. Is this something that should be discussed with him?" Nick asked, taking a sip of the coffee that was now placed in front of him.

"This is something that we would like to discuss with you personally Nicholas, away from James' ears,"

"Please Mr. Phillips..."

"But nothing and please call me and my wife by our first names. We're all equals here,"

Nick hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh. He had always been taught to never use the first name of someone that much older than he was and it nothing else it was a habit which his own parents had instilled in him.

"I'm sorry it's just something I'm not used too. Steve and Anne right?" Nick asked, fidgeting a little with the cup.

"It's ok Nicholas, we understand that you're not used to it. Use whatever terms you are most comfortable with. We just have some concerns about you and James is all with that new disease making its rounds around the community," Anne responded, giving the skunk a steely gaze not unlike the one that his own mother gave him when he was younger. Nick knew that this discussion would come up sooner or later and he debated with himself whether or not he should go along with the rehearsed lies that James had come up with or to finally take a stand and actually speak the truth for once.

"We know he's been sleeping around with other people Nick..." Steve calmly continued. Nick's tail twitched slightly as his body tensed slightly. Unsure of just how long they had known he bit his tongue as he waited for them to continue.

"It's not what you think... James, well I find it a little hard at times to keep up with him and sometimes after work I'm not in the mood for sex so we both agreed that as long as he was using protection and was getting tested regularly,"

"Is he getting tested though?" Anne pressed.

"I would like to think so... I mean it's already so tough to get him to see Dr. Milan and it's just... " Nick continued, gripping the cup tightly as his doubts and concerns started to boil up from inside of him. Having kept such things bottled up inside of him for the longest of times was not the healthiest of things and his desire to have someone to confess to fought with his legal obligations of privacy and confidentiality. He wanted James' parents to help him but knew that it couldn't happen without disclosing information as private and confidential as the fox's actual health.

"It's ok Nick, take your time. Steve and I just want to know what's going on between you two boys. We want the both of you to be safe,"

Having been roused by the sound of conversation, James started to pad downstairs but paused at the sight of Nick and his parents talking. Not normally one to eavesdrop on others conversations the fox paused for a moment trying his best to hear whatever he could.

"I just... I just don't know what to do. I mean I can't force him. I just wish that he would look after himself because I just can't do it anymore,"

"It's okay Nicholas. I'll have a word with him when he's alone. You've done a lot for him we can't thank you enough,"

Pausing for a moment, James returned to his room to think about just what this could be potentially about.

"You see, they're plotting against you. This is gonna be something big. You have to do something to stop this,"

"Yeah maybe you're right. What good could come of any discussion?" he mumbled to himself, staring at the numerous posters which he had stuck up all over the walls over the years. A combination of movies, video games and different musical artists adorned the walls leaving barely any actual wall left. As he looked at one poster after another, memories started to flood in one after another. One of the posters made him pause for a lot longer however. It was a nostalgic cartoon which he used to watch when he was six or so and while it was considered a girly cartoon it held a firm place in his heart despite him getting made fun of in primary school. Nick wasn't overly impressed either though when the fox showed him the cartoon when they were dating and the skunk gave him shit for days afterwards.

"Stupid bastard. That was the best cartoon ever," James mumbled to himself before he remembered something his grandfather had given him shortly before his passing. Getting off of his bed, the fox found the old and battered lunchbox he secretly had kept from when he was younger and opened the lock which he had installed. Looking at the note which his grandfather had wrote he turned it over and read the slightly wobbly handwriting that adorned it.

"To my grandson James. I know how much you liked the design of this so I wanted you to have it. Keep it somewhere safe where nobody will find it. Remember to use it safely and responsibly,"

Putting the note aside, James looked longingly at the handgun and how despite being decades old, still looked like it was brand new. He had only ever used it a few times and even then only under close supervision as well, having seen no real use for it outside of a display piece. There were times where he was tempted to get it permanently disabled but he never found the actual time to do so. He had never shown Nick the weapon but it did make him wonder if the skunk would be interested in even knowing he had it. After all Nick was much more of a pacifist than he ever was.

"Hrmm, maybe I'll show it to him. What could possibly go wrong?" the fox chuckled to himself.

It was a quiet and awkward dinner they had that night as James avoided looking at anyone while they ate. While Nick and his parents conversed and joked about the happenings in their lives, the fox was growing increasingly restless as he debated if he should excuse himself early

"Look at them all do you honestly think that this light hearted banter is genuine? Everything they are saying has a different meaning,"

"What are you babbling on about?" James mumbled, now seemingly lost in his own world as everything else became a blur around him.

"Come on every single time you come back home you feel weird. Don't you think for a moment that the feeling weird comes from the fact that they don't want you around? That they only tolerate you for the sake of appearing they care?"

The fox fell silent as he chewed his food slowly, the taste all but gone from the mouthful he had. Why was he listening to this voice in his head? Surely he wasn't going mad right?

"You ok hun? You've been quieter than normal tonight. Something wrong?" Nick asked, resting a paw on the fox's own. James tensed slightly under the skunk's gentle grasp and he shivered slightly. As much as he wanted to say something about the voices he had been hearing lately he didn't need to be judged for being even weirder than he already was.

"I'm... I'm fine," James mumbled, "Can I be excused,"

With a casual nod from his parents, the fox picked up his plate of half finished food and shuffled into the kitchen. He could feel Nick's concerned gaze on his back though as he left but he knew that the skunk knew better than to ask when he was in his mood.

Heading back to his room to sulk, James pulled out the gun once more to look at it. The shiny metal glinted in the harsh fluorescent light as he ran a finger over the engraved name on the side.

"I wish I got to know you better pop. Would never know what Afghanistan and China was like," James murmured, not noticing the sound of his door opening and closing behind him.

"Your grandfather was a veteran?"

Turning around in his chair, James turned to see Nick quietly pad up to him before turning back to the weapon. He watched as the skunk gingerly ran a paw along the box pausing for a moment before running a finger over the barrel. From the looks of things it would need a polish sometime soon as well.

"Yeah... pop served in Afghanistan and China... the second he never came back from... patrol got ambushed by guerrillas,"

The sensation of Nick's paw resting on his shoulder provided some form of comfort despite it not being warranted. He had never mentioned his grandfather to the skunk before so it felt a little awkward to even be saying it now.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm sure he did our country proud,"

"Just leave me alone I don't want to talk about this anymore,"

Feeling a cold sensation rush over his body, James shivered slightly as Nick ran a paw down his arm, stopping briefly to give his paw a gentle squeeze before leaving.

"Please hun, if something's wrong please speak to me. You scare me when you're unhappy," the skunk whispered before taking his leave, closing the door quietly behind him.

James had an extremely restless sleep that night, his dreams plagued by the voice in his head telling him about how his family and Nick were thinking of leaving him, telling him how much of an abomination he was.

"They know what you've been doing. They know you've been sleeping with other guys. Nick told them even though he said that he wouldn't. Can you honestly trust him?"

With his parents having gone out for whatever reason later that day it was only Nick and himself at home that day. With him in the sulky mood he was in he was in no mood to talk or be intimate with Nick. If anything the skunk constantly pestering him with his concerns about his health was increasingly agitating.

"James? James come on! You've been in your room all day. Come out and please talk to me? You've been acting really weird lately... please?"

"Listen to him plead. He doesn't really mean it. He wants to get inside your head to mess around with it you must end this now. End his curiosity... you'll know what to do"

Almost without questioning his actions, James looked over at the gun in its display case. Taking it out he loaded the handgun with the magazine, a finger resting on the trigger as he inspected the weapon. When he was satisfied that everything was in working order, he poked his head out of his door with the intent of finding his boyfriend.

The skunk had long since given up on trying to talk to James and instead had retreated back to his room to recollect his thoughts. He was currently just not understanding just why the fox was acting in such a hostile manner and it was frustrating him to see it. Typing out a message to Dr. Milan, Nick was dimly aware of James entering his room but didn't turn around to face him, completely unaware of the armed weapon in the fox's paw.

"Why are you doing this James?" Nick asked, not looking up from his phone.

"Doing what?" James icily asked.

"Acting so strange. It's like you're a totally different person now. What's going on? I'm getting you in to see Dr. Milan the moment we're back,"

"Get him! Get him now!" the fox's mind screamed.

His vision now tinting a shade of red, James roughly grabbed a hold of Nick by the collar and pulled him out of the chair. The skunk let out a screech of surprise as his lightly built frame was easily lifted from the chair and he was thrown to the floor. Fear flooded his body as he stared at the barrel of the gun in James' paw. His nightmare was coming to life right in front of him and it was much more disconcerting than he could ever imagine.

"James please can we..."

"Shut the fuck up!" the fox growled as he pressed the barrel up against Nick's forehead. Beads of sweat rolled down Nick's brow as he backed away from the weapon.

"No please James put the gun down! We can talk this through," Nick pleaded holding his paws in front of his face.

"No fuck you Nick I know you told mum and dad about what's happening between us! You promised that you would keep it between us!" James bellowed as he shoved the barrel of the gun up against the skunk's forehead once more, his eyes burning with anger as he rested a finger on the trigger.

"James I swear I didn't say anything to them. I don't know how they found out!"

Unsatisfied with the answer and seemingly uncaring about the fear that was gripping Nick, James grabbed a hold of his shirt and pulled him to his feet before shoving him roughly back onto the bed. Growling his disapproval, James climbed onto the bed as well wrapping a paw around the skunk's throat as he sat on his chest. Letting out a choked gasp, Nick weakly gripped James' wrist in a vain attempt to make the fox let go of him. James wasn't having any of it as he pressed down firmly on the skunk's throat, watching gleefully as Nick's eyes bulged in their sockets and tears started to run down his face.

"Please... James no," he whimpered as he fox smacked him across the face a few times with the gun in his paw and clubbing the skunk on the nose.

"You think you could screw with me huh? You wanted to leave me?" James snarled as he roughly pulled Nick's arms aside and pinned them under his knees, "Well you aren't going to do that to me today you fucker! I'll show you what happens to those who fuck with me!"

"James please I beg of you stop this now!"

"Shut the fuck up!" the fox hissed as he started to unzip his trousers, "Since you're so intent of flapping your tongue you might as well put it to good use,"

James looked on unsympathetically as he pulled his hard cock and nudged it up against Nick's lips. The skunk stared as best as he could at the hard shaft presented in front of him.

"James... please don't do this,"

"Shut the fuck up," James growled as he roughly grabbed Nick's head and shoved his shaft deep down his throat. The skunk let out a soft gurgle as he tried his best not to bite down on the fox's cock. Tears started to roll down his face as he tried not to choke on James' shaft. Pulling out, Nick coughed a few times while he stared at the barrel of the gun.

"What the fuck is the matter with you? Stop this now!"

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway soon caught Nick's attention and the sound of a voice calling out soon gave the skunk a little bit of hope that James' parents would bring some sanity to the fox.

"Boys we're back! What are the pair of you up to?"

James shot Nick a dirty look as his grip on the gun tightened, he didn't need anyone to interrupt what he was doing now.

"You say a word I swear to god you will suffer for it," James snarled before shoving himself deep into Nick's muzzle. Nick let out a choked gurgle as he forced himself to pleasure the throbbing shaft that was in his mouth. The salty pre slid down his throat as he swirled his tongue around the head and along the shaft in the hopes that getting James off would be enough. Watching as James turned away for a brief moment to check up on the loaded gun, Nick spat out the fox's cock and screamed out as loud as he could.

"Call the cops! James has gone psycho!"

Hearing the thumping of footsteps on the staircase soon sent James into a frenzied rage as he vindictively punched Nick hard in the face before shooting the skunk in the hand.

"I FUCKING WARNED YOU!" James screeched as the sound of thumping footsteps rang in his ears. His heart pounded in his chest as he thought of what to do. There would be no doubt that he would be in a lot of trouble if the police were called.

"Kill them! No witnesses!"

"James? What's going on?" came the voice of his mother as she carefully opened up the door.

Without warning, James quickly looked up and fired the gun without thinking for a second. One, two, three rounds left the gun, sending a spray of blood against the wall. Nick trembled in fear and pain as James' mother's lifeless body slid down the wall, blood leaking out of his wound.

"You... you monster," Nick whispered, "No wait don't come up!"

The sound of three more gunshots rang in the skunk's ears before James turned back to face him.

"You... you turned them against me! Why did you do this to me?!" the fox demanded as he stared at Nick, tears running down the skunk's face.

Paralysed with fear, Nick remained silent as the reality of the situation slowly sunk into his head. The searing pain that ran through his body did little to ease his mind as the rage filled gaze of James washed over him once more. Grabbing a hold of the bloodied skunk, James flipped Nick over in the bed, sending blood over his body as he ripped off Nick's shorts and underwear. Forcing the skunk's face into the pillow, James aimed himself at Nick's pert hole. Only giving the head a little bit of saliva, he forced his way into Nick's tight ass, ignoring the muffled scream of pain and the instinctive clench that soon followed. Placing the gun on a side table, James held Nick down against the bed as he started to slam his cock deep into Nick's ass. The skunk's whimpering did little to make him stop and if anything encouraged the fox to go even harder as he savoured the sensation of pulsing tightness.

"No... please... stop," Nick whimpered as he struggled against the tight grip that held him down. The burning pain started to spread across the skunk's backside as James slammed Nick's head against the mattress. Powerless to stop the relentless thrusting that was tearing up his tailhole, Nick resigned himself to being forced to take the fox's cock, mentally urging himself to get him to cum quicker.

"Tight little bitch boy aren't you,"

Pounding with all of his might, James brutally shoved the full length of his cock deep into Nick's tight ass, drawing out one yelp of pain after another. There was no stopping now, he had to finish, he had to show Nick just who was boss! Feeling the skunk clench tightly around him only made him more determined to continue as the slick tightness grasped at his shaft in ways he didn't think was even possible. The sound of his hips slapping against the skunk and the adrenaline that coursed through his body sent an exhilarating sensation through James' body as he started to feel himself coming close. His cock throbbed inside of Nick's ass as pre oozed out of the tip. The skunk's rear was still trying to resist him despite all his efforts, making him feel much tighter than usual. With a few last pumps, James slammed himself in to the hilt before shooting one spurt of cum after another deep into Nick's ass. Panting heavily, the fox slowly pulled himself free, his cum and a little blood oozing from Nick's abused hole.

"Ok you bastard... you got what you wanted. Now go!" Nick demanded, his face pale and his mind giddy from delirium and blood loss.

"I can't let you do that Nick... you've seen too much,"

Reaching for the gun, James aimed it squarely between the skunk's eyes as he rested a finger on the trigger.

"No... please... don't do this," Nick whimpered as more tears rolled down his face.

"Do it! Now before he swipes at you!"

Without a second thought, the stony faced fox pulled the trigger, ending the last vestiges of life that Nick held onto. Blood oozed from the bullet wounds and onto the bed as the fox blinked a few times. As his heart started to slow and his rage subsided he stared at the weapon that he held onto trying to comprehend what had happened.

"What have I done..." James mumbled to himself as he looked around at his handiwork. Three bodies now lifeless lay strewn around him. The blood of his parents and his boyfriend covered the walls, the carpet and bed of the guest room as the now vacant stare of Nick's lifeless eyes bored into his soul. Dropping the gun he stared at his now trembling paws, the fur stained red as the reality of what had happened sank into his head.

"No... the disease... I've got it," he whispered to himself as he dressed himself and stumbled into the living room, picking up the gun and Nick's mobile in the process.

"Yes... yes you do. Now finish the job you know what else to do,"

"No! You won't win! I won't let you," the fox screamed as he dropped the weapon onto a table and clutched at his temples, vainly trying to pull his fur out in an attempt to silence the voice, "You, you're responsible for all of this!"

"Am I though. Who was the one who killed mum and dad? Who was the one who raped and killed Nick? Not me James but you. You and you only. Can you live with yourself knowing full well of that?"

"Stop it! Get out of my head now!"

The voice in head, now seemingly satisfied with tormenting and stripping the last vestiges of his sanity away, fell silent as tears started to roll down James' face. Nothing he could do now would be able to bring back the three lives he had taken. It was far too late for them and there was no redeeming himself now. All he could think of would be the final solution and as much as he hated to admit it, the voice was right. He had nothing to live for now. Taking a quick look at Nick's phone, the flashing of a light signifying an unread text message caught his attention. Forcing himself to unlock it, James' fingers trembled as he looked at the sender. Seeing the familiar name of Dr. Milan made his heart drop as he struggled to read the message.

>> Sent 4:20pm

Hey Nick can you please call me as soon as you get this message? It's urgent

Seeing the name of his former lover made the fox burst into tears once more, wailing loudly as he could think of nothing more than wanting to bring the skunk back even if it meant giving up his own in the process. Biting his tongue, James slowly typed back a simple response. He knew what he had to do now.

>> New Message >> Recipient: Dr. Milan

Nick won't be answering... goodbye - James

Hitting the send button, James stumbled back to the guest room and stared at the gun through bleary eyes. Taking a shaky grip on it, he shut his eyes tightly before taking aim.

"I'm so sorry Nick... please forgive me," he whispered before pulling the trigger, the sound of a phone beeping twice being the last thing he would ever hear.