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When I got to Colton's house and rang the doorbell I knew I might have to explain this to his parents if he wasn't there, or Courtney, his twin sister, because I'd never be able to pass this off as just a social call. I'd never been so thankful when Colton answered, still in his pyjamas.

Please,please don't let him be having one of his blank days.

'Oh hey,' he said. 'Been for a ru...oh shit.' He stood and looked at me. 'What just happened?'

I couldn't talk. I couldn't even hug him with relief. I just stood there, not sure if I was sweating or crying or both.

'Oh Todd-coon. Your dad, right? You told him?'

'I think I need somewhere to live.' I only just got the last three words out.

'Then you're going to live right here,' Colton said, already walking me inside with his arm around me. It was the first time he'd done it and not shown a shred of sexual excitement, only compassion. 'Let's just sit you down and get some coffee on. Mum!' He yelled 'Need your help right now!'

'Not right now Col, I'm working.'

'Tell your conference call I said it can wait,' he yelled back. 'Todd's here and he needs to move in with us. And he needs to talk to an adult with half a brain and we all know that's not me.'

It worked. Chantelle Vincent came out of her study and through the kitchen. She'd conditioned herself not to be bothered by the way Colton often talked to her for a joke, but this time she looked like something else about it had reached her. 'Needs to move in with us? Colton, you never want any of your partners moving...' she saw me. 'Aw sweetie, what just happened to you?'

'His dad kicked him out,' Colton said. 'I think it got serious.' He looked at me, and I knew what he was thinking as soon as the 'Not a kitsune' face came back, and this time I knew it wasn't an act. 'He didn't hit you, did he? Did he even touch you? Tell me.'

I still couldn't talk, but I shook my head.

'Calm down, Colton,' Chantelle said. 'I think Todd just needs a little calm here right now. Not you wanting to fight everyone for him. Sit him down, I'll go get him a drink of water.'

* * *

Half an hour later I was ready to talk again. I asked for some coffee and ran through the whole messy episode. Including what the farmer's son had seen when he found me and Colton, rightly guessing Colton really didn't care that this was in front of him mum.

' "Oh yeah, naked fox right here," ' I quoted him. '"Take your best look boys. Made in f'kin New York City." '

Colton's mum laughed. 'Well I did raise a queer fox, and then some. And you can say fuck if you want to Todd, it's no big deal.' She put her hand in an empty pocket. 'You got any cigarettes, Colton? Give your mum one.'

'Trying to quit right here,' he said. 'So are you.' He dug in his pocket and produced a packet of Marlboro reds. 'But yeah.'

'Sorry Todd, you don't mind do you?' Chantelle said.

'It's your house,' I said.

She lit up. Surprisingly, Colton resisted. 'Okay,' she said. 'Sounds like your dad needs a little time to get used to having no power over you. You're eighteen already, right?'

'Uh-huh.'

'Good. So, here's how you show him who's boss of your life, IE you: you need to get independent real quick. And you already started. If you want it, this is your home for now. Even if this idiot here makes you dump him within the next month like all his others, there's a real nice spare room upstairs with your name on it. No money. You'll be off to college soon anyway, right? Colton told me you're going to New York and apparently he's following you, with no clue what he's gonna do with himself there. Sounds like you two are going to be just fine.'

'I kinda needed Dad's money to help me get set up.'

'Maybe it's time to think about who might sponsor you instead. I hear you're a pretty hot basketball player. Sports scholarship, isn't it? Well, one day there's going to be companies everywhere who'd give quite a lot to have you as the face of their brand. What if you could get them to take a chance on your success and front you a little cash?'

'Do they work like that?'

'Some do, yeah.'

'Aw Jesus, Mum, Todd's just had all this shit happen you're making a sales pitch?'

'Did I mention my own company, dickhead? How many wedding planners ever use a sports star as their public face?' She dragged on her cigarette. 'All I'm doing is giving your friend a little advice about how get some money by being smart with what he's got. And look, he was just starting to smile again. Independence feels good, Todd, doesn't it? Even the thought of it. Your old man doesn't want you in his house? Show him why it's his loss and not yours. And anyway, I've heard _all_about what your Mum's like, and not just from Colton. That woman seriously kicks butt. When she gets home and hears about this, what do you think she'll do? Side with him? Coz I don't.'

'Neither do I,' I said. 'And I'm dreading it. What if she...what if this really kicks off? Like she threatens to kick him out? We can't manage without his wages. Not with that many of us. This could wreck my whole family. Just because I...' I laughed as the tears returned slightly, my eyes still aching from the last lot.

'This is me, Todd,' Chantelle said. 'Finish your thought.'

'Because I let your son stuff my butt and then left a pair of jizz-soaked pants in a barn.'

Colton tried to hold it, but ended up put his face in one of the sofa cushions and laughing hard. He tried to say something through the laughter that sounded like 'I told you he was priceless', but it was just a muffled shriek. At least it was cheering me up.

'Alright,' Chantelle said. 'So you're going to need some of your stuff getting. Will your brother bring anything round for you?'

Shit, I didn't even have my phone to call him. 'He'll probably come here later.'

'So I let him in?'

'If it's Rocco, yeah. Or any of them. Just not Dad. Tell him I'm not here. Don't even tell him I came here.'

'If he feels sorry later, maybe it's at least fair you let him know you're safe somewhere. Trust me.' She eyed Colton. 'That little son of a bitch went missing for five days once. He never did it again when I got my hands on him. No parent deserves that no matter how shitty things get.'

'I'll call Mum,' I said. 'Once I've got my phone.' I looked at Colton. 'Five days? Where did you go?'

'Don't ask. I wasn't gonna mention it, but don't fake a disappearance just to get back at your dad. Everyone else you know will hate you. They won't say it, they'll just say "We're glad you're okay" and you'll know they're pissed at you. Make sure people know you're at least on the grid. Coz this is going to get about. How loud was she shouting? Your neighbourhood knows already. And...maybe you're going to have to tell everyone before they can hear it from somebody who's not you.'

'Come out to everyone? Oooooh no!'

'Maybe it could seriously make things good for both of us,' Colton said. 'We could do it together. You've got your own website, don't you? All about the sports. Why don't we write something about us on there? Okay, look, no pressure, but just think about it: if this is going to get out anyway, then why not make it happen your way? And it could be our way. Because maybe it's time for people to know my story too. All of it. So there's no more guessing. People are already guessing why I can't join the airforce after getting that perfect score for pilot. You know how close I held my own story. Maybe it's time for "Hey World, here's Colton." Okay, would you at least help me write my story down? Take your mind off everything this morning? You might just find yours comes out along with it.'

'I really don't know about this.' I looked at Chantelle, hoping her expertise in publicity somehow translated even when it was her son and his boyfriend on show.

'You do what you feel comfortable with,' she said. 'And you don't let him push you. For God's sake Colton, have a smoke and take the edge off yourself before you get any more ideas.'

He ignored her on the last part. 'Wait here, I need to get something.'

'That boy,' Chantelle said, dropping her volume a little. 'You make sure you show him who's boss as well. I might play everything relaxed, but he knows I could still put him on his ass. There's a leash.' She mimed tensing it between her two hands. 'Keep it nice and tight.'

'Errm...right.'

'In any sense of the term you wanna imagine it. And just so you don't have to ask, the spare room's all yours, but if you want to sleep with Colton then be our guest. My husband won't be bothered by that either. Long as there isn't too much late night noise. We've never told Colton, but this whole house knows about his tail thing. All his own fault.'

Was Michael Vincent's tolerance for his son's lifestyle another rule enforced by the leash? I wondered, but knew better than to say it. His mother had a look on her face that almost made me think she might come closer and whisper 'By the way, was my son any good?' Who the hell _was_this woman? I'd never known anyone else have a parent like her. Whatever kinks Colton had that I might still not know about, they probably somehow all came from her. It was hard to imagine Colton's father being anything like him in private at all.

Why was I even thinking about this?

Colton was back now, holding a photograph. 'Here,' he said. 'I keep meaning to show you this.'

It was one of the ones Chantelle had taken on prom night, when I'd dated Courtney Vincent because Courtney had basically forced me into it. The same night Colton and I fell out bigtime and it ended in him threatening to kill me before being hauled off by the police for having stolen a car earlier that night. This was a photo where we'd looked like friends. Now I looked at Colton and saw the person he'd pretended to be that night, in that picture. That's when I realised...

'You took one of just me and Colton?' I said to Chantelle. 'I don't remember that.'

'I distracted you,' Colon said, flexing a claw. 'Remember that nerve-poke thing I showed you? I did that to you. You zoned out wondering what it was that made you shiver. Mum snapped that. Like she thought we might need it one day.'

I didn't look like I was shivering. I looked like I wanted to be close to Colton, because my trance was making me think of him.

'You photoshopped this,' I told him. 'That can't have been me that night.'

'Uh-uh,' Chantelle said. 'Trust me. That pic's all you. When Colton decided to get in the pictures, I just had a feeling. Hell, I feel like I saw it all.'

'So how many other people do you think have?' I wasn't sure who I was asking the question.

'Impossible to say,' Chantelle said. 'But maybe Colton's idea isn't such a bad one. Just maybe not today when you've already dealt with one big event.'

'We've gotta do something,' Colton said. 'I need breakfast and then we've gotta keep busy. Video games? Yeah, you've gotta check my collection out. When I get a shit day, I've gotta blow some shit up. You ever played Assassins Creed? Bioshock? Gears of War? Actually, forget breakfast. You want a drink? I mean a drink drink.'

'It's half past ten in the morning, Colton.' Chantelle said. 'You're at least eating breakfast. And Todd's eating too. What do you want? I'll fix it.'

'Hot dogs,' Colton said. 'Alright, so Mum won't let us get hammered. Guess it's the games then. Pick one you like the look of. Your shout.'

'You have a pool.' I was looking at it through the French windows. I had never actually taken in just how rich Colton's family must be. All the time I'd spent here was mostly in Colton's room when his parents weren't around. In the two weeks since our fun began, he'd never showed me the yard, or brought me in here, and now I knew why. 'Let's go swimming. You got any spare speedos?'

'I...' It was the closest I'd ever seen Colton get to copying my floppy eared embarrassment look. 'I don't swim, Todd-coon. I thought I already told you that.'

'Can I teach you then?'

'That's a good idea,' Chantelle said. 'Come on Colton, you've always said one day you're going to have to do this. If it's not for the airforce anymore then do it for yourself. I'll make you boys breakfast.' She left.

'Oranges,' Colton said, holding up his hands and using our safety word like it had never mattered more. 'I'm scared of water. There, I said it. I don't know why it happens, it just does. I can't even blame the accident, I've never wanted to go near deep water even before I cracked my head open. Like ever. If you wanna do...' he stopped himself, looking at the door his mum had just left through, then dropped his voice. 'That thing you like doing, your ear against my chest...you oughta hear my heartbeat when I try going near that.' He looked at the pool as though it would swallow him whole in a tidal wave as soon as he dipped a foot in it. 'Seriously, I get scared. Like panic attack scared.' he looked like the adrenaline had hit him already. 'You think you'd get off on hearing my engine while I'm actually for-real scared? That's how to make it happen.'

'I don't know,' I said. 'But maybe we shouldn't find out. You're right. Let's just play video games.'

Colton stared at the pool for a moment, then back at me, then his eyes flashed. 'You know what I'm thinking?'

'What?'

'Neither of us are going to get this moment again if we don't take it right now. Maybe this is how I beat this one. With you helping. With your special thing. But I've got no speedos. Just neighbours who don't care and a mum who won't be shocked.' he was already stripping off. 'Get down to your fur, raccoon. We are finding out.'