FSE

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Oliver had told Brady that the party started around eight, but the wolf didn't arrive until much later in the night. There was no denying it, he was nervous and it was causing him to procrastinate. He paced back and forth in his house, snapping at his parents when they spoke to him, showering three times. He didn't know what to say, what to do or even what to expect. It all felt so stupid, and he wanted nothing more than to not go. He wanted to message his new boyfriend and be cute and romantic, not confront his oldest friend about his lying, manipulation and spiralling drug problem. He didn't even know what he wanted to say to Oliver, but he felt that he couldn't go back to the city without seeing the Lab. The guy deserved that much at least. Eventually he told himself he was only delaying the inevitable, and got in his car to head over. Accompanied by a stomach that was turning itself over with nerves, Brady parked just across the street from Paul's place.

It was just past eleven-thirty, and the do was in full swing. For the first minute, Brady just eyed up the house, trying to quell his growing uneasiness. He swallowed, wishing his mouth wasn't so dry. He promised himself he'd stay sober tonight, especially after what had happened last time. Being thirsty probably wasn't going to help that, but he reminded himself sternly that he wasn't here as a guest to the party. He was here to talk with Oliver. Letting out the breath he'd been holding in, Brady climbed out of the car, locking the door behind himself and trudging into the horse's home. The music was loud, loud enough that he could feel the bass rattling the car keys he'd just stuffed in his pocket. Beneath that, his ears picked up the hum of normal party chatter, furs inside trying to impress one another, cracking jokes, singing songs, the like. It was nothing new, and Brady was starting to get tired of it; the shared idiocy of it all. Despite the misgivings, he found himself quickly swept up into the throng of furs inside. Once through the front door, it was like being inside a sea of sweat, alcohol, and weed, everything around him completely saturated by the competing scents. He tried to scan the faces, looking for someone he recognised in the pulsing crowd and finding nothing. The furs must be mostly from other towns over, Paul's friends Brady assumed, or maybe Oliver's new ones. Things were different now; they weren't in high school anymore. He tried to keep reminding himself of that fact.

Feeling out of sorts, and wishing he hadn't come, Brady began slowly searching the house. It wasn't a big place, but it was relatively dark inside, and packed. This meant that it was difficult for the wolf to orient himself, especially as foreign furs would occasionally grab his paw, or his shoulders, pulling him around. After a few minutes he realised that he did in fact recognise most of the guests, the majority were from the same high school Brady, Oliver and Paul had gone to. It was merely the fact that he was in a different setting, years later that made it hard to pick out the faces. Even now that he was aware of this fact, his mind still struggled to grasp names or memorable activities. They were just people that he'd once known, and even then only in passing. After pushing his way down a hallway, Brady began checking rooms. He found the usual party shit, one room with a bunch of dudes smoking, another with an orgy well under-way (No Labradors in the mix however). In the bathroom he found a gaggle of sixteen or seventeen-something year old girls popping what he assumed was Valium, or maybe Xanax, and crying.

It was all stuff he'd seen before, but so far there was no sign of Oliver or Paul. At some point in the half hour he spent searching the house someone pushed a beer into his paw, and Brady started drinking it. A part of him felt guilty for breaking his own rule, but with the crowd and smoke in the air, his mouth was bone dry and his throat sore. He quickly downed the cold drink, grimacing a little at the cheap brand's nasty aftertaste. He left the bottle on a ledge and made his way into the kitchen. In there he found a super-athletic looking male tiger, dressed in nothing but tight-fitting boxer shorts. The guy was hunting through cupboards and drawers, searching for snacks Brady guessed. His suspicion was confirmed when the tiger made a triumphant noise, and stood up clutching a bag of nachos. He opened it and stuffed a pawful into his maw, chewing savagely. The wolf watching curiously guessed that he'd already visited the weed room.

"You want some?" The tiger asked after a moment, noticing Brady leaning in the doorway and offering the bag to him. The wolf shook his head.

"I'm good, thanks." He tried to remind himself he was in a relationship now, forcing himself to look at the tiger's face instead of his underwear. The tiger just nodded, cramming more chips into his muzzle.

"M'name's Rrmmf." The guy said, or tried to say, with his mouth still full. He must of realised it was barely comprehensible, because he quickly swallowed the mouthful and repeated himself carefully. "I mean, my name's Ralph. Friend of Paul's." He said, offering a paw to Brady.

"Brady, uh...I went to school with Paul." He said awkwardly, stepping forward to shake the tiger's paw. When he was released from the firm shake, Brady saw his fur was smothered in nacho dust, which he quickly wiped off on his jeans.

"Oh right, you're the city one. Paul said you might be here tonight." Ralph said playfully, leaning back against the bench, now eating his chips one at a time, slowly and methodically. Brady awkwardly crossed his arms, unsure what to do with himself.

"Yeah...ah, I'm only in town for another week or something. How ah, do you know Paul? Not exactly easy to meet new furs in this town." Brady asked, genuinely curious. Ralph just shrugged.

"I mostly sell him drugs." He said flippantly, before laughing. Brady laughed too, but it was an uneasy laugh to keep things from being awkward. "I mean, my place is like two hours from here, but I make the trip every now and then y'know?" He continued with a smile, either failing to notice or ignoring Brady's unease. The wolf had been first told that Paul got all his shit from his Mum, the town doctor. Now apparently he was finding out that the equine had an actual supplier, at least if Ralph was serious.

"Speaking of." Brady started, stepping a little closer. "Where is Paul? And Oliver? I came here to chat to them, but I haven't been able to find 'em anywhere." He asked, glancing around. Ralph raised an eyebrow.

"Have you been out the back man?" He asked with a charming grin. "It's fucking freezing, but there's a fire and a few of 'em are camped around it. I think Paul's out there and I guess Oliver must be too. Those two have become pretty good mates as of late." He explained, dropping the bag of chips on the kitchen top. Brady flinched when the tiger stepped forward and grabbed his wrist, pulling him forwards. "Here, come on we'll go find them." He said, dragging the wolf out of the kitchen.

"Uh, thanks." Brady said, being tugged along. Ralph made his way through the crowd of furs like an icebreaker, slipping his way between each and every gap, casually shoving the ones who were too drunk to move aside. They passed through a laundry filled to the brim with unwashed clothes, before bursting out into the night air. Brady shivered at the sudden drop in temperature, but it didn't seem to bother Ralph, despite the fact he was barely dressed.

"Here they are." The tiger commented, picking up his pace. Brady saw he was right, a fire was roaring in the middle of the yard, set inside some kind of old steel drum. Set up around it in a circle were a number of camping chairs, furs cuddled up warmly into them. Each of the crowd had a stupid-happy grin on their face, lost in the throes of alcohol and drug-induced giddiness. After a second Brady's eyes adjusted to the new light level, and he spied Oliver and Paul off to the side. As he did so, Ralph pulled him along, practically shoving him into a chair set up next to the Labrador. Brady sat down with a huff, watching as the tiger dragged up his own chair next to his.

"Brady!" Oliver exclaimed excitedly, giving his "friend" a giant grin and passing a new drink into his hand. Brady accepted it and smiled back, though not quite as enthusiastically.

"Ollie, you're here man. I looked everywhere for you two." He replied, sipping the drink. At first he was surprised, it wasn't beer but a rum and coke mixture, but Brady preferred that anyway and so kept drinking.

"Yeah, yeah. We both had some MD, and got kinda sick of the crowd, y'know? So Paul whacked up the fire and well, here we are eh?" He said, giggling. He reached a paw over to Brady and rubbed his upper arm, the effects of the MDMA making the Lab feel all cuddly and warm.

"Well it is way nicer out here. And I met Ralph." Brady commented, just to say something.

"Yeah man, Ralph's the best. Paul introduced us and fuck me he's a good one." Oliver laughed. Past the dog, Brady saw Paul merely raise up his own drink in a sort of mock-toast, his gaze remaining locked on the fire in front of him. Brady turned back to look at the tiger, but the guy was gone, vanished somewhere inside again.

"So, Ollie." Brady began, still nervous. "I uh...that is, Marely told me about you guys. How you holding up with all that?" He asked. Oliver sucked in a breath, holding it in before exhaling deeply. He looked over to Brady slowly, shrugged sluggishly.

"Fine." He said, shaking his head. "If she doesn't want to keep a good thing going...fine. Fuck her." He said, looking back to the fire. "It's not a big deal." He continued. "I mean, I was getting kind of bored anyway. She was always talking about the same stuff, always nagging, whatever."

"I see." Brady said quietly, not entirely convinced. In all the time he'd known Oliver, the one thing he knew about the dog was that he didn't handle rejection well. "I think she's planning to move anyway, so you won't have to see her around much."

"Dude, she's talked about moving since she was seventeen. It's not happening. If it was going to, it would have already." Oliver said, and Brady had to agree with him. Marley was one of the furs that was here forever, she wasn't leaving.

"You ever think about coming down to the city?" Brady asked, feeling some concern for the dog. Now that he could see him in the flesh, physically in front of him, he found that a lot of his former hostility had melted away. It was like when he saw Jake sleeping, and realised how young the pup actually was. Now, looking at Oliver's melancholy state, he realised just how fragile and vulnerable the dog was as a person. Putting some distance between this place and himself might be good for him.

"Why? It'd just be the same shit, but with more traffic." The dog replied, giggling at his own joke. Brady shrugged.

"I dunno, it's a lot different down there. I feel like...I dunno, like I have room to breathe I guess. This town...don't you ever get the feeling that you're living in quicksand? Like it's just sucking you in?" He paused, waiting to see if the dog would reply. When he said nothing, Brady continued. "That's why I left as soon as I could, because you get heavier and heavier every year. The more time you spend here the...harder it becomes to get out." He said, looking into the yellow warmth of the fire. Behind his old friend, Paul got up and went inside, making sure to take his drink with him. Oliver seemed to think for a second, before looking over to the wolf. When he spoke, his voice was low and serious.

"I don't have a problem with you living in the city Brady, but don't come into my hometown and tell me how you're so much better than me. Don't try to put us down, you fucking asshole." He said firmly, brow furrowed. Brady stammered, flailing for the right words.

"I-I didn't mean...Oliver, that's not..." He began, but the dog cut him off.

"Then what did you mean? You think I'm an idiot for staying here." It wasn't a question, and Oliver wasn't entirely wrong. "We can't all live your life, and I like this town. In the city nobody gives a shit about anyone else, at least here furs help each other out. They don't just try to buy the latest overpriced gadget, or complain that their fucking Wi-Fi is down." He spat, shaking his head and looking back at the fire. The two furs went quiet, each thinking their own private thoughts.

"Sorry." Brady said after a minute of silence. "I guess...you have a point." He felt embarrassed; he hadn't even thought that Oliver might like it here. He couldn't imagine why anyone would _want_to stay in the town. He just envisioned that they were stuck forever, like his parents, or Marley. Oliver sighed again, reaching down into the esky next to his chair and pulling out two more drinks, one of which he passed to Brady.

"It's...it's okay. But you're always talking us down. It's not so bad here dude." Oliver added. Brady didn't agree, but he nodded anyway in an effort to make peace.

"I guess you're right." He added quietly. "So ah, what's up with Ralph? What's his story?" He asked, eager to change the subject.

"Oh, Ralph? He's a nice enough guy. He sells Paul cheap as shit K, Oxy...whatever. No idea where he gets it from, but it's legit. He's gay too, so if you wanted to ah..." Oliver trailed off. Brady scowled.

"Christ Oliver, chill out. I only met him like, twenty minutes ago. Besides, Max and I are...something now, so I couldn't even if I wanted to. Which I don't." He said, casually informing the dog of his new status. Apparently Oliver already knew, or didn't care, because when he next spoke, his voice registered no change in tone or pace.

"Yeah but is Max here, Brady? Nobody at this party'd rat you out. I gotta say, one nice thing about breaking up with Marl is I don't have to sneak around anymore. I can fuck whoever I want without having to lie about it all the damn time." He added, causing Brady's voice to catch in his throat. He'd never known that Oliver had cheated on Marley. In fact, he'd always counted Oliver's steadfast loyalty to his girlfriend as one of his better qualities.

"Wait, what are you saying? You...you slept with other girls while you guys were still together?" He asked cautiously, in case he'd misheard.

"Yeah 'course. Nothing serious, just something here or there, you know, trying out other options." He laughed callously, as if it didn't even matter. Brady had friends in the city who were in open relationships, and often had multiple sexual partners, but he knew Marley would never go for that. She'd wanted monogamy, and worse, she thought she'd had it.

"That's...ah, pretty cold man." He confessed, feeling slightly defeated and unsure what else to say.

"That's life." Oliver said, tipping back his drink. Brady mirrored the action, swallowing the liquid and enjoying the slight buzz he was getting, now almost three drinks into his night.

"Mmm. I should probably stop drinking soon, I didn't mean for tonight be like...a whole thing." The wolf said, but he didn't put his drink away. Oliver glanced over to his friend and grinned.

"Misbehave a little. Who knows when you'll next be around eh? You're going back soon right?" Brady was about to reply, but the Labrador just kept talking instead. "You're so cautious all the time, just cut loose for a night why don't ya?" He said, laughing obnoxiously. Brady bit his tongue, holding back a retort about broken windows.

"I dunno, I'm getting kind of tired of all the partying. It's exhausting." Brady answered honestly, looking away. "It's been a long time since I enjoyed one, to be truthful." When Oliver didn't reply, the wolf looked back over to his friend cautiously. The Lab had a thoughtful look on his face, like he was trying to figure out how to solve a challenging puzzle. His head was titled slightly askew, his eyes were distant and his mouth pressed tightly shut. After a minute of contemplation, he climbed to his feet, downing the last of his drink and extending a paw to Brady. The wolf raised an eyebrow, but finished off his own and accepted the offer, allowing himself to be helped to his feet. The two furs then pushed back inside, Brady following along behind the Lab, unsure what was happening. His stomach felt queasy, he was nervous, he didn't like not knowing what was going on.

"Ollie...what are you..." He ventured, but the dog cut him off, shushing him quickly. They pushed into the kitchen, where they found Ralph yet again, this time dipping saladas into what looked like tzatziki. He gave the two a beaming smile as they entered, winking at Brady.

"Hey boys." He said playfully, stuffing a tzatziki'd salada into his mouth, and crunching down. Brady smiled nervously, trying again not to stare at the tiger's alluring crotch.

"Have you seen Paul around anywhere recently? I need him for a bit." Oliver asked the tiger, glancing around in case the equine was nearby. He wasn't.

"Hmm, I _thought_I saw him in the lounge room before, fucking with the music or whatever. You could try there? Why, whaddya want?" He said, his voice slightly obscured by the saladas.

"Ah, just an idea I had. To cheer Brady up a bit." He said absentmindedly. The wolf began to protest, stepping forward to his friend.

"Ollie I don't need cheering..." The dog shushed him again, before placing a paw on his chest. "Just wait here while I go find our horse boy, okay? You'll look after him Ralph, make sure he doesn't run off?" Oliver said, leaning around Brady's shoulder and speaking to the tiger, who nodded. "Thanks mate." And with that, the Lab turned and vanished into the crowd. Brady turned around to see the tiger stepping closer to him, a grin plastered across his face. He awkwardly stepped back, bumping into the bench behind him. Ralph stepped right into his personal space, leaning in close enough that Brady could smell the sweat on his body. He felt guilty, but couldn't say that he wasn't at least a little aroused by the closeness. It's a physical reaction though, right? He thought. Nothing I can do about that.

"Hey. You don't like parties?" Ralph asked, one of his large paws reaching past the wolf so he could lean on the bench, trapping Brady in place. The wolf shrugged awkwardly, feeling his face grow red as his underwear got a little tighter. A quick glance down showed that Ralph wasn't fully hard, but that he wasn't exactly disinterested either.

"Uh, well...um...I'm just uh, getting like...kinda tired of them...I ah, I guess." He stuttered, looking anywhere but at the tigers face.

"Why are you so nervous? There's nothing to worry about." Ralph said softly, placing his free paw onto Brady's waist. The wolf's breath picked up, his heart racing. He couldn't lie, this was incredibly hot.

"I'm not...not nervous." He lied, turning his head completely away, wishing Oliver would reappear with Paul already. That is...unless this had been the entire plan? Brady's unease only increased with that thought. He reached a paw up and placed it onto Ralph's chest, meaning to push him back gently, but the tiger mistook the action for one of affection. He leaned him, pressing the tip of his nose to Brady's neck, exhaling softly and causing a shiver to run down the wolf's spine.

"Really?_Because you smell nervous." He chuckled, inhaling. Brady found himself lost for words, unable to move. He was unsure what to do, his breath catching as the paw on his waist slipped easily under the bottom of his shirt, fingers slowly rubbing into his fur. Brady looked back to the tiger, fully intent on saying he wasn't interested. As soon as their eyes made contact though, Ralph pushed forwards and kissed him. Brady was stunned, frozen on the spot, Ralph's paw sliding farther up his stomach. He closed his eyes, hating how much he was enjoying it. Just as he was about to start kissing back, Ralph completely broke apart, all traces of his touch vanishing. Brady opened his eyes in shock, his face hot and red with shame. He saw that Ralph had returned to the opposite side of the kitchen, and now Oliver and Paul had come back. _Guess it wasn't a lie after all. Brady thought resentfully.

"How ya doing pup?" Paul asked him, despite the fact they were the same age. Behind him, Oliver was talking quietly with Ralph. "Oliver said not so well?" He asked, genuine concern in his eyes. Brady smiled, instantly uncomfortable, and still angry with himself over his impromptu make-out session.

"I wish he'd stop saying that. I just...ugh." He sighed. "I'm just starting to...well, I'm not finding parties in general as fun anymore. That's all." He said, looking over as Oliver and Ralph walked out together. He made to follow, but Paul stepped in front of him, blocking the path.

"Leave them, we'll go in a tic. Any idea why you're not enjoying them though? And can I do anything to help?" He asked, his voice unusually protective. Brady opened to his mouth, then closed it again, unsure how to respond.

"I dunno." He finally opted for, if anything to say something rather than just stand silently.

"Maybe you've just done it all, I mean our brain's get bored after a while I guess. Lost interest?" Paul asked. Brady shrugged yet again; it was quickly becoming his go-to move for the night.

"Maybe." He replied. Paul paused, looking around.

"C'mon, Ollie and Ralph are probably ready now, let's go." He said, turning. Brady stretched out a paw, grabbing the horse's shoulder.

"Go where?" He asked, more panic and worry in his voice than he meant to let on. Paul threw his arms up, rolling his eyes.

"Oh my god, just relax Brady. We're going to like, the end of the hallway. Are you okay bro?" He said, pulling the wolf along. Brady said nothing, following obediently as they weaved through furs that were lost in conversation and dance. The room they went into had a closed door, and when Paul opened it, Brady realised he hadn't been in here yet. The light was purple, glow-in-the-dark star stickers littering the roof and walls. Brady stepped in, fascinated, Paul closing the door behind him. He looked around the room, seeing piles of pizza boxes in one corner, and a bunch of worn bean bags lined up against the walls. Ralph and Oliver were across the other side, and Brady strained to see what they were doing.

"What is this room?" He asked, turning back to Paul. The horse shrugged this time.

"Rumpus room I guess. It's a great chill out spot. Thought you could use some time away with us." Paul bit his lip before continuing. "Don't...don't freak out though, okay?" He asked, giving Brady a serious look. Brady scoffed, his nerves mostly gone, replaced by curiosity and drunkenness.

"Why would I freak out?" He asked, looking back to Oliver and Ralph. Oliver was sitting back in a beanbag, his shirt off and his face tilted up to the roof, eyes closed. Ralph was kneeling in front of him, bent over his knees in such a way that at first Brady thought Ralph was giving Ollie a blowjob. But then the tiger leaned back, and Brady saw the makeshift tourniquet wrapped tightly around Oliver's bicep. His eyes went wide as he watched Ralph expertly remove a needle the Lab's arm, placing it into a small bag resting by his feet. Oliver lowered his gaze, breathing slowly and looking over to Brady with a grin. Ralph turned to look at the wolf too, smiling that charming smile again. Brady's heartrate picked up, and he had the sudden feeling that he wanted to vomit. He watched as Ralph pulled back, dragging what presumably was his drug-bag back from Oliver and retrieving the tourniquet. Oliver himself looked like he was starting to float away, his eyes widening and his muscles relaxing, his paws flexing as his stupid-happy grin only got bigger. He blinked in slow motion, his head falling back as he lost himself in the high.

"Wait, wait." Brady stammered, turning back to the door. He meant to go out and leave, but Paul stopped him, firmly leaning on the door and holding it shut. Brady hesitated as Ralph came up behind him, wrapping his paws around the wolf's waist. He felt the tiger squeeze the front of his jeans, and hated the physical way his body responded. He let himself be pulled back from the door, Paul just smiling at him. He felt Ralph spin him around, and it suddenly felt as if the two were alone.

"Just relax." The tiger said in a soft, soothing voice. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you." He said, running his paws up in the inside of Brady's shirt. The wolf shivered, a tingle running down his back.

"I uh...I think I maybe wanna go home..." Brady said quietly, despising himself for how meek and useless he sounded. It had been easier arguing with Wendy a few weeks back, why couldn't he be like that now? Ralph just shook his head slowly.

"Look, if you really want to go, you can leave. We won't stop you Brady, but I think you should stay. Just for a little while okay? I'll show you, there's nothing to be scared of here." He said, tugging at the hem of Brady's shirt. The wolf tried to breathe slowly, wishing he could just go, but he felt rooted to the spot. He let Ralph pull his shirt up, lifting it over his head and dumping it on the floor. Shirtless, he felt the tiger run his paws down his front, stopping just after tracing over his belly button.

"Fuck." He muttered under his breath, causing Ralph to grin mischievously. The tiger led him to a beanbag on the floor, gently putting him down. Once he was seated in the soft chair, Brady looked up to see Paul walking over, also pulling off his own shirt. The horse sat down next to him with a smile, leaning back into the seat.

"Just relax dude." He said with a smile, as Ralph placed his bag next to the horse.

"Look, just watch and you'll see, okay? Nothing to be afraid of." The tiger said with a grin, reaching up tie a tourniquet around the horse's upper arm. He leaned in close to the equine's forearm, feeling for veins. When he seemed satisfied, the tiger reached into his bag and brought out various bits of equipment. He made some motions that Brady struggled to really see, involving a lighter and a worn-out looking tablespoon, mimicking the kind of actions that Brady had seen before in movies. After a moment, he retrieved a small hypodermic needle from the bag, a brand new one that was wrapped in tight plastic packaging. "Safety first." He said, winking again at the wolf as he tore open the wrapper, fitting the needle to the syringe body. Brady's breath picked up, and he felt his limbs refusing to respond as he watched Ralph dip the needle into the spoon's surface, sucking up the brownish liquid that was resting there. Once it was inside the syringe, he flicked it once to remove air bubbles and then leaned in close to Paul.

"You can trust us Brady." Paul said with a smile, right as Ralph moved in, blowing gently on the spot he had chosen to inject the needle, carefully sliding it into Paul's vein. Paul gave a sharp intake of breath, watching curiously as Ralph continued blowing. Once the needle was in, he pressed the plunger, moving deliberately, being mindful not to hurt his friend. When the tube was empty, Ralph quickly removed the needle and tourniquet, sitting back and placing the used needle head into a plastic case, where Brady saw a bundle of what he assumed were more used needles. Ralph watched intently as Paul succumbed to his high, his face making the same kinds of motions that Oliver's had just before. It took a few minutes of quiet, but when he was out of it Ralph scooted over to Brady. From where he was sitting, the wolf could hear Oliver muttering happy sweet nothings to himself, lost in his own blissful world...at least for now.

"It's just us now." Ralph said with a smirk, slowly massaging Brady's thigh, his paw sliding dangerously close to his groin. "I'll take care of you, don't worry puppy." He cooed gently, going through the same motions with the spoon, lighter and cotton balls that he had with Paul. Brady tried not to watch, his mouth dry as he began to panic. He was close to hyperventilating, he didn't want to do this but he couldn't move. His fear had frozen him in place, and the intense arousal he now felt wasn't fucking helping.

"I...I've never done this before, I'm not so sure about it." He mumbled pathetically, hoping that would miraculously cause Ralph to stop. Instead the tiger just smiled at him, squeezing his sweaty paw.

"Oh sweetie, it's their first too. Don't worry, I'll be gentle." Brady looked away, but the tiger placed his gear on the ground gently, climbing up carefully into Brady's lap, pressing right up against him. The tiger was now definitely hard, his boxers tenting obscenely against Brady's leg. Brady's own body wasn't in much better of a state.

"Ralph..." He muttered, wishing he'd never come tonight. His protest fell on deaf ears, as the tiger leaned in close, whispering into the wolf's ear.

"Being fucked on this shit is next level. You're gonna feel something these guys can't come close to." Ralph whispered, sliding back down to the ground. Brady groaned. He watched in silence as Ralph liquefied the drug, helpless to do anything as the tourniquet was wrapped tight around his arm.

"N-no." He finally said, feeling a brief surge of resistance as Ralph came closer with the needle. The tiger didn't stop though, continuing his gentle, practised movements. "No, Ralph don't." Brady said, with only slightly more force. Ralph shushed him.

"It's fine. Relax." He said. Brady saw the tiger blowing gently as the needle broke the skin, sinking into his arm. His whole body began trembling and Brady couldn't take it.

"No, Ralph stop." He said firmly, finding his voice. The tiger stopped, glancing up but not removing the yet-plunged needle.

"Brady, fucking relax." He hissed. "You'll hurt yourself." He said with a slight growl.

"Get the fuck off me." Brady said now, sounding like he meant it. Ralph ignored him, looking down to the needle, about to begin injecting the heroin. Brady pulled his free paw up, awkwardly pushing back on Ralph's chest. It wasn't a very forceful movement, but Ralph was kneeling awkward and it was enough to send him toppling over backwards as he lost his balance. The wolf quickly grabbed the needle and jerked it out of his arm, dropping it onto the carpet as he stood up from the beanbag, his entire body shaking. He checked his arm, seeing a small droplet of blood on his grey fur. He quickly wiped at it, ignoring the pain and tearing the fabric tourniquet off. He couldn't stop trembling; the realisation of what he'd almost done hitting him. Ralph climbed to his feet, his paws bunched up into fists.

"What the hell Brady? Sit the fuck down." He growled, pointing at the beanbag. The wolf just shook his head, not trusting himself yet to speak. "Brady I swear to fucking god..." the tiger muttered, stepping forwards. His furious expression calmed after a second, going back to his sweet smile from before. "Look, just sit down and let's talk. Trust me, once is fine. You've never felt anything like this kiddo." He said.

"Just...don't touch me." Brady said in a shaky voice. He darted forward and snatched his t-shirt from the ground, hurriedly pulling it over his head, tears welling up in his eyes. "Oliver." He said, rushing over to his friend, attempting to pull the Lab to his feet. "Ollie, get up we gotta go." He said, tugging on the reluctant dog's arm.

"Hmm? Brady, piss off." He murmured, as if he was waking up from a deep sleep. Brady swallowed, stepping back, unsure what to do.

"Fuck. Fuck." He said to himself.

"Brady, what the hell? They asked me to come here for this tonight, they're not going anywhere with you." Ralph said incredulously. Brady just shook his head, making for the door. Ralph dashed forwards and grabbed his shoulder, and in a moment of blind panic the wolf spun and aimed a punch at the tiger's head. His blow landed, but not where he'd meant it to. His knuckles hit just above Ralph's eye, the sharp facial bones sending a stabbing pain into his paw. Ralph himself stumbled backwards, clutching his head and crying out in rage and pain.

"What the fuck!?" He growled, trying to get his bearings. Before he could collect himself, Brady left, his paws fumbling at the door. He slammed it shut behind him, walking down the hallway, eyes to the ground. As he got to the lounge room, the door opened again. "Brady! Come back!" Ralph shouted, his voice just barely audible over the loud music in the living room. Brady ignored him, breathing heavily as he pushed furs out of his way, finally getting to the front door. He opened it and pushed outside into the cool air, finally feeling like he could breathe. Panicking, the wolf slammed the door shut. He then woozily wandered over to his car. He was technically drunk, and at his age was required to have zero blood-alcohol to drive legally, but he didn't care. He had to just...to just get away. He unlocked his door, sliding into the driver's seat and starting the engine. It started with a little protest, but eventually it came to life. Switching the air conditioner to full-cold, full-blast, Brady tried to get his breathing under control. When he could at least think half-straight, the wolf put his car into gear and left.