Viking Diplomacy

Story by Pietus on SoFurry

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#10 of Home Again

Chapter Ten, goodness. I'd like to say that I thought the title for this chapter was pretty clever, if I do say so myself.

I find it interesting how the nature of writing changes, I was talking to someone on here about our respective writing styles (He was very informative and helpful, thank you) and it got me thinking about this story. It's so very different to how I'd originally seen it ending up. To put in the ending I had now would just break everything. In case you're interested, know that Oliver was much more of a jerk (Oh you have no idea), Max was hardly in it, Wendy was married to a dude named Martin, and there was maybe a death or two, plus some more unsavoury stuff I'm glad I didn't have to write. Now that's totally different, to use my first ending would not only be against who these characters became, but it would be. so. miserable. The story is slightly less melancholy than at first, although I think it still has a relatively downer tone, which I'm happy about. It's just wildly out of my control at this point.

I should really come up with an ending at some point, eh?

If you've read nine of these stupid chapters already, thank you so much, I really do hope you're enjoying it.

Cheers,

PS. That oddly written bit at the end of the first section? That's my attempt at writing dissociation, in case you were wondering.


Six days. Nearly a week. That's how long Jake made it before Wendy came back into his life. In those six days, the young wolf did a lot of thinking. He thought about their relationship, and how it had ended, thought about all of it. When he was in the relationship, he wasn't unhappy; at least he hadn't thought he was at the time.

But now...now that he had the context of a Wendy-less life, he was just realising that he hadn't_been happy. Sure, he was a horny teenager with rampant hormones, so the sex was nice, but he got nothing from the old deer emotionally. It was now he realised that it was a fairly poisonous relationship, she had used him like a _thing, a sex object. And in all fairness, he had used her too. They treated each other like items, and that wasn't how a relationship was supposed to work. At least not any relationship Jake wanted to be a part of.

In those six days, Jake had hung out with his new wolf girlfriend twice. They had breakfast one morning, laughing and giggling at the back of a café with pancakes and coffee, and they went swimming in the river together (all very above-board, of course) on a particularly warm afternoon. They laughed together, talked about stuff, it felt right. There had been very little of that with Wendy, and now Jake could see why he needed to end it with her.

In those six days, he was surprised to find that he didn't miss her. He'd half-expected that after a day or two, he'd regret his decision and miss her terribly, but apparently not. It wasn't an issue. If anything he felt relieved that he could sleep a whole night in peace, not having to wake up and sneak over to her house.

But on day six, at around three in the afternoon, Wendy came back into his life like a tsunami. He was hanging around at home, lounging on the couch and watching TV by himself. His parents were out, and while Brady was technically home he was quiet and miserable. The older wolf had come back looking like death warmed over, shuffled into his old room and closed the door behind himself. Jake hadn't seen him in hours. When his phone buzzed in his jeans front pocket, the teenage wolf slid it out without even thinking. The anxiety came when he saw the name on the screen, his heart rate quickly picking up, as well as his breathing.

Over the course of their relationship, Wendy would occasionally send him a...graphic text message, describing what she would do when he got there later that night. Sometimes they even had pictures. Because of this, Jake had set his phone to not preview any messages received. So he knew Wendy had texted him, but not what it could be about. Swallowing back his trepidation, the wolf slid his thumb across the notification and opened it up.

Jake, please don't ignore this. What we had was unique and special, and I'm not ready to let that relationship just die. Good things are worth fighting for, I truly believe that. I don't think you want to just throw it all away. Text me back.

He stared at the message for a good ten minutes, unsure what to make of it. He typed out a response, but then decided it wasn't right and deleted it. Just as he was about to start typing again, another message came through.

Come over tonight and we'll talk about it :)

At that one his heartbeat really picked up. Naïve he might be, but even Jake knew that Wendy would just try to get him to have sex with her again and forget about the fight. After typing out an incredibly long response, Jake erased it all in favour of replying with:

No thanks. I don't want to come over. I hope you're doing okay.

Pressing_send_ gave him a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, as if he'd just done something terrible, but he wanted to be direct with her. He had no wish to get back together with Wendy, and didn't want her to think otherwise. He thought (Or hoped) that would be the end of it, but of course after a minute his phone beeped again.

Look Jake I made some mistakes okay, but you can't just blame everyone else all the time. It's time you accepted some responsibility too or this will never work. I fucked up, but so did you. So let's talk.

He stared at the message with a cocked head, perplexed at what was happening. Did she not understand? Sighing to himself, and trying to repress the heavy weight of anxiety in his chest, he typed out the response.

I don't want this to work. I don't want to have a relationship with you, I'm sorry. Please don't text me Wendy. Goodbye.

He didn't want to be mean, but he wanted her out of his life. It was true that sending that put a bad taste in his mouth, but breakups weren't exactly known for being easy. He looked down at his phone as it buzzed again.

When I said I'm fighting for this, I meant it. It's not over. You never even gave me a chance to solve things.

Her message sent a chill down Jake's spine. He'd been taught his whole life to listen to adults, told that they know best and to obey. Of course, he'd been given all the usual stranger-danger talks, but it wasn't exactly like Wendy was a total stranger was it? Do what they say. And now, it just felt wrong to...to defy a grown up like that. He was doing it, because he knew he had to, but that didn't stop his actions feeling instinctually criminal.

We broke up. I don't want to see you.

He typed the message out fast, before throwing his phone across to the other side of the couch. It bounced once and landed face up. Jake had the beginning of tears forming in his eyes, his breathing heavy and emotional. He didn't know what to do. After ten good minutes of sitting in fear, the wolf finally allowed himself to start relaxing, and the phone buzzed. He jumped, letting out a tiny squeal in fright. A notification with Wendy's name attached to it appeared on the screen, lighting it up. Jake didn't move, imagining that if he just ignored the text then his problem would go away.

But then his phone buzzed again, and again. Over the next eight minutes five more messages came in, and Jake ignored them. Finally after ten minutes of silence, he hesitantly crawled over to the device and picked it up in a paw. He slid open to his messages app.

Jake I don't want to hurt you, but trust me I know what's best here. I don't want to fight with you.

_ I love you. Really. You're so special to me, but right now you're being childish. Stop being passive aggressive, pick up the phone and reply. Or be a real man and call me._

_ You don't want to break up with me Jake. Really. We're gonna make this work, I promise you. Here's why._

The next four messages all contained photos.

They were photos that Jake thought Wendy had deleted, and some he didn't even know she had. The first one was just him posed in his underwear, hands on his hips with a grin and obvious excitement in his boxers. The next four were less modest. They all featured Jake in some kind of compromising or sexual manner, doing something he really shouldn't be. Wendy wasn't featured in any of them, aside from brief glimpse of her fur.

Jake was shaking, actually shaking. His whole body was trembling, his mouth felt dry and his head was pounding. It was silent in the house but still that was too loud. His heart was beating so fast he worried that it might snap one of his ribs. His legs felt hot and clammy, like they were sinking into a hot bath fully clothed. He tried to lick his lips and relive the sudden dryness, but his tongue held no moisture either. Working through tears which now were rolling down his face unabashed, Jake managed to type out a jittery reply.

Please delete those.

He truly, truly didn't know what else to say, what he could say. Wendy held all the power here and she knew it. Her response didn't take long.

It's not fun, I don't want to hurt you but I need your trust. I know you're thinking that you could report me, I shouldn't have these kinds of photos it's true. Not of a boy your age. But you won't do that.

Jake let out a whimper, his lower jaw opening and closing sporadically, out of his control. His limbs felt on fire, adrenalin coursing through his veins, the urge to get up and just run somewhere difficult to resist. Wendy's reply came through a second later.

To do that, you have to tell someone that you fucked me. And that you liked it. You'd have to tell Sergeant Jeremy about the way you cum. Your mum will hear, don't think she won't. Your parents won't be able to look at you without imagining their little boy's cock in my mouth. And that slut girlfriend you told me about. Do I even have to explain?

She then immediately followed up with:

The whole town will know what your orgasm face looks like.

Jake's tears stopped. He felt nothing. A sudden numbness overcame him, like he was falling asleep. The whole world felt so far away. He could feel himself, existing as if he were locked at the end of a long hallway. It was like the stress had been so much it cleaved his identity in two. It didn't make any sense, but he could feel himself sitting there, and see himself sitting there. Nothing looked real, everything in his house taking on a kind of intangibility that he couldn't quite describe.

"Don't." He whispered out loud, his voice sounding both extremely loud and barely audible, so far away from his ears. He was unable to do anything, frozen to the spot, watching his entire world crash down around his head. He felt like he was dying, it didn't hurt but it was weird. His limbs weren't responding to his brain. Nothing was working. His fur felt like it was made of ash, brittle and course. He couldn't breathe properly; he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. His mouth couldn't, or wouldn't open wide enough. Everything went swimming, and then it went black.

And then he passed out.


When Brady finally ventured out of his room, he did it for coffee. He'd been asleep, curled up under the blankets and trying not to think about everything with Oliver and Max. He couldn't wait for his holidays to end so he just could go home to the city. Country life didn't agree with him at all, this world where everyone knew everyone and everything. Living in a small town, whenever you had an argument, one had to be mindful that they'd likely see that person around. You couldn't just cut people off, and short of moving away there was nothing you could do to keep from bumping into them eventually. He'd never found it an issue in the city. Done was done.

He woke up from his napping with a headache, a dull throb behind his eyes that did nothing to soothe his agitated state. He tried to keep in mind that it was only three weeks until he could justify going back. Damn university breaks. He thought, not for the first time. He was so lost in his own thoughts that when he passed through the lounge room and into the kitchen, he missed the sobbing teenager in the corner. Blinking himself awake, the older wolf flicked on the kettle and scooped some coffee powder into a mug. He retrieved the milk and placed it next to his cup, before leaning back against the bench.

He wondered if Marley had broken it off with Oliver yet. She told him she was going to, and this time he believed her. He imagined that Oliver would call, text or just come over afterwards, although it's possible he might not; the status of their friendship was quite an unknown right now. Brady looked around, suddenly aware he could hear what sounded like coughing. The kettle boiled, clicking to indicate it was finished, but he kept listening out. Yes. That was definitely crying.

He stuck his head back into the lounge room, paying attention now. Instantly the young wolf could be seen sitting on the floor, head between his knees and crying quietly to himself. Brady felt an undeniable big-brother surge of protective emotion, and hastily walked over. Jake's shoulders shook with the sobs, and his breath was raspy and rapid. Moving slowly, not wanting to startle the teen, Brady went over and slid down next to him. Jake didn't lift his head up, stop crying or otherwise acknowledge his presence; but he did lean over a little, allowing Brady to support some of his weight. Still moving slowly, Brady put an arm around the kid, rubbing his shoulder gently.

They sat like that for the next few minutes, Jake softly weeping, and Brady's arm around his little brother supportively. The older wolf figured Jake would explain in his own good time, and didn't press him for answers. Whatever it was, it looked serious. For the first time in days, Brady felt like he was glad to be home right now, so there was someone here to help out the kid. Parents were great, sure, and they could be helpful, but they rarely understood teenage problems. Even if they did, the nature of the parent/child relationship prevented real safety in either party sharing a great deal, especially when the child was still...well a child. But Brady and Jake had always been close, so the brothers both knew they could trust one another.

Eventually the sniffling stopped, and the young wolf grew quiet. The tears and shaking slowly ceased, and he looked up at his brother. He looked...like a guy that had just been crying. His eyes were red and bloodshot, the fur on his face wet and matted, ears drooping low and the furry skin around his face a little puffy.

"Hey Brady." He said, sounding quiet, defeated. He tried to give a smile, but it came out more as a grimace.

"Hey dude." The brother started, his eyes softening with worry. "You, um...want to talk about it?" He asked, tilting his head a little. Hesitation was written all over Jake's face, his eyes suddenly darting away anxiously.

"It's..." He began, but then stopped, his head dropping back between his knees again. Brady squeezed his shoulder again.

"I promise not to judge. C'mon. Tell me what's wrong." He asked as Jake raised his head up. Brady wondered if it was possible for the pup's ears to physically get any lower, the only word appropriate to describe his facial expression; sad.

"I...um, I kind of...kinda broke up with my girlfriend." He said, his face growing red as he bit his bottom lip. Brady raised his eyebrows a little.

"I didn't even know you _had_a girlfriend." He replied, genuinely surprised. He had wondered of course, but the young wolf had never given any kind of confirmation. Jake shook his head.

"Nobody does. It was a secret." He replied, staring intensely at the ground. "It had to be." He added in a small voice, sounding timid. Brady suddenly realised how young his brother was, he suddenly looked very small and afraid.

"Well, maybe now's a good time for it to stop being a secret." Brady replied, not unkindly. Jake looked up quickly, panic in his eyes. "At least with me." The older brother added quickly, trying to reassure the pup. Jake stared at him wordlessly for a minute, thinking. Brady could see the gears shifting in his head, the cogs coming together as he evaluated his decisions. After yet another minute, Jake reached over and picked up his phone. He tapped the home button and entered the password, before handing it to Brady.

The older wolf pulled his arm back, properly focusing on the messages. Jake started him at 'Jake, please don't ignore this'. Slowly, both the wolves climbed up on to the couch. Brady read with a furrowed brow, breathing slowly. Jake looked over his shoulder anxiously. After watching him read, he saw that the big brother had reached the message just before the photos.

You don't want to break up with me Jake. Really. We're gonna make this work, I promise you. Here's why.

"Wait." Jake said, reaching over for the phone. Brady moved his paws out of reach, quickly scrolling down. Jake froze as his brother's face instantly went red, quickly looking away, embarrassed. Both the wolves sat in silence for a minute, each with equally glowing red faces. Breathing a deep sigh, Brady eventually turned back to the phone and scrolled past the photos, looking at the last few texts. When it seemed he was done reading, he dropped the mobile onto the couch, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Bitch." He muttered under his breath, closing the phone and handing it back to Jake. "Fuck." He then added, sighing again.

"Her name is Wendy. I told her I wanted to break up a...a week ago." Jake said slowly. A face of slight recognition appeared on Brady's face. He only knew of one Wendy, but it can't be her, he thought. "She's a deer." Wait. Does she have a daughter? Of...the same name? "And she's almost fifty years old." Jake said, his face glowing hot as he stared down at the couch and his paws. Brady's jaw fell open, his eyes growing wide.

"Jake...did you...did you _want_that?" Brady asked slowly, speaking as if he was struggling with each word. Jake nodded.

"Yes. At least...at least at the time. It was consensual, I mean." Brady growled, causing Jake to look up quickly. He'd heard his brother growl before, in arguments and stuff, but never like that. In fact, Brady had never heard himself make that kind of sound before either, so it was new for both of them.

"Not really. You're fourteen _fucking_years old." Brady exclaimed. "That fucking deer. Jesus Christ." He said, leaning back and running a paw through the fur on his head, breathing in through clenched teeth.

"I...I don't really know what to do." Jake said softly, tears welling up in his eyes again. Brady looked at him, eyes hard, his jaw clenched and ears twitching. His whole posture made him look like a clenched fist.

"We go to the fucking police, that's what, get her to leave you the hell alone." Brady said, a low growl sounding out as he swore. Jake's jaw dropped as he dived forwards, both paws shooting out and grabbing his brother's arm.

"No, no! We can't, please. Don't do that." He begged, swallowing anxiously. Brady shook his head.

"Jake this is illegal on so many levels, not to mention so fucked up. It's either this, or I fucking kill her." He said. It was hyperbolic, they both knew it, Brady wasn't a fighter by any description, but he was worked up.

"Brady please, no." The younger brother begged. "She's r-right, everyone will know, it'll ruin my life. Nobody will be able to look at me without thinking about it." He explained, talking fast and tripping over words.

"We'd keep it quiet, private." Brady reassured, standing up. Jake reached up and grabbed his arm again, pulling him back down onto the couch.

"You know that's not true. Please, you can't tell anyone." He pleaded, his grip on Brady tightening.

"Sergeant Jeremy is a good guy, you know that. I'll talk to him, and we'll make sure it stays a secret. Nobody will know, but we can't just ignore this. That's what she wants. She's doing this because she's afraid you'll rat her out, but she fucking deserves it Jake." Brady ranted, his teeth flashing as he did so.

"No. Jeremy will tell Mum and Dad, and then they'll know. It won't ever be the same after that. They'll tell a friend, who will tell a friend who'll...you fucking know how this town is Brady!" Jake replied, his voice shaky and cracking, on the cusp of tears again. "You get to leave, I have four more years of living here and I can't do it like that. They'll never forget."

"Look..." Brady started, but Jake quickly cut him off.

"Don't tell anyone. Not yet at least. Please. Please." He said, his eyes staring deep into his brother's. Brady turned away and let his head fall into his paws, rubbing his eyes and groaning.

"Shit. I...I don't know what else to do here mate." Brady whined into his paws. He sat up slowly. "I don't know. I gotta...we have to do something; it's not okay to threaten you like that." He said firmly. Clearly thinking as he talked.

"It's not...good, no." Jake replied, before they both fell silent. After a second Brady looked up at his younger brother quizzically.

"How did this even happen? I mean what...started it?" He asked with a nervous couch, instantly receiving a deep blush from the younger wolf. Brady waited as Jake fidgeted on the spot, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"It just...happened. Y'know? I crashed my bike near her house and she came out to help me. Things just...kept going." He said, blushing even deeper still, the redness showing through his light fur. Brady nodded. It wasn't the specific kind of answer he wanted, but at least it was something.

"Right, okay then." He said before standing up, looking determined.

"You're not gonna tell are you?" Jake asked again, voice quick with panic. Brady shook his head, looking down at his brother.

"No, no I won't. At least not for now." He replied.

"So...so what are we gonna do?" Jake asked nervously.

"Well, we're gonna do what she wants. Go around and talk to her." Brady replied firmly.

"I'm not sure that's..." Jake began, but this time Brady cut him off.

"Both of us." He said.