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Life and love in Urban Bohemia

By Acherontia Styx

Consider a world.

From afar, it appears as a sapphire-blue orb, lost in the inky blackness of space, a world so forlorn and alone it begs the question of its very existence. Greater minds puzzle over it, study its existence, believe there is some way to better themselves from information gleamed from such a world. They have their own names for the world.

Closer to, the watcher can see the milky swirls of clouds that hang above the landmasses, that dot the great blue oceans that encompass most of the world. The landmasses themselves are verdant green, rich brown, and steely grey from this distance, allowing the viewer to study the world as if it were a masterpiece of ages bygone. In years long since past, if there had been any to watch on the now-dead planets close by, they may have done just that, watched the planet form and grow as their own fell. These watchers, if they had ever existed, may have had their own name for such a planet.

Closer still, below the clouds, one can no longer see the whole planet, but a whole new world opens below them. The watcher can make out sprawling cities, their lights like fireflies in the night. The watcher can make out long, stretching highways that cut through the terrain, can make out forests and plains and farms and civilisation. To those that watch from here, they call this planet Earth.

We go closer still, until we hover close to the surface of the planet, and again we find another world. Gone is the view of distant lights and faraway happenings, now we see the world of the cities, with each of its scurrying inhabitants. They move around constantly, night and day, to keep the cities lights glowing, to keep its blood pumping. They work for the city, but the city is slave to them - without the workers, the queen would die. These cities all have names, names that define them.

We are on the streets now, following beasts about their lives, listening, watching unseen, observing all that goes on. We find another world, one full of fears and insecurities and happiness and hatred and the terrifying, joyous wonder that is love. This world may just be the most complex yet, with its swirling cauldron of emotions that each has to deal with. Each has their own name; each is their own world.

We get closer to the streets; see the insects and vermin, scurrying about in their own world, oblivious to the world that goes on above them. The beasts above, the greater minds study them, puzzle over them and their world, study its existence, believing there is some way to better themselves from information gleamed from such a world. Who knows what names the insects give themselves, their world?

Every world is merely relative, and every story only a point of perspective. In such a myriad of worlds that exist, against all common sense, on a lump of molten rock that is hurtling through space at astronomic rates, it is easy to lose the story of the individual. This is not the story of the faraway world we study. This is not the story of the infant blue planet that we watch with interest. This is not a story of Earth, nor is it a story of any of the cities that dot its surface, whose lights can be seen for millions of miles on a clear night.

This is the story of just one beast.

Let the eye of narrative, which still rests in the gutters and sewers, contemplating the existence and consciousness of insects, draw back now, draw out of the muck and grime, back up onto the streets of one of the cities. Although, one can only take artistic licence so far; the only real difference between the sewers and this particular street is that the sewers were designed to be full of effluent.

There is still a fair amount of vermin and insects around, however these are of the two-legged and more metaphoric variety. They watched with beady, hungry eyes a figure as it made its way down a packed sidewalk, trying nervously to step around or over the waste it invariably encountered. One might ask how this figure is singled out from the seeming hundreds that seem to swarm on the pavement, and the fact of the matter is that he is making it exceedingly obvious he is new in the city.

The nervous, fresh look on his face might give it away, or it may be the battered suitcase he clutches in his paw as he tries to navigate his way through the crowds. It may have been the way he kept glancing around in awe, in the manner of one unused to such crowds, and the street packed with cars in rush-hour deadlock. It may have even been the way he tried to apologise nervously to anyone he might bump up against in the crowded pack of people who didn't even stop to hear his amends. In any case, the new comer was attracting attention from all the wrong sorts of people. It was probably a good thing he was almost at his destination, or he may have been given an impromptu tour of the bottom of the river, at the small cost of his wallet, watch, and, of course, his life.

The figure, without the advantage of the narrative, did not know he was being watched by some rather unsavoury characters indeed, did not realise how much danger he was in. He was indeed new in the city, having just only come off the bus that very morning. He wore a thick coat with the collar turned up about his neck, his fur doing little to ward off the September chill. The figure was a Racoon, and a young one at that, his youthful face somewhat bewildered as he made his way through the press of people, glancing at a scrap of paper he held in his paw.

The Racoon's name was Adrian, a rather shy boy who had grown up in a small town that was nothing like the city. Like most people born in small town, Adrian had spent most of his life dreaming of going to the big city, right up until he had actually been forced to go. Suddenly the quiet, sleepy town he came from had seemed mighty inviting, but he had not been given a choice in the matter.

He checked the piece of paper in his paw again, biting his bottom lip nervously. He had not had time to arrange somewhere to stay before he had left his home town, having really only enough time to grab his suitcase and go. He had arrived in the big city that morning, with everything he owned in a small, battered suitcase at his side, and no idea of where he was going to sleep. As luck would have it, though, he had found a tiny advertisement in the classifieds advertising for a room to rent that was just within his price range, which was, unfortunately, what he had in his back pocket at the moment.

Still, he had thought, he could pay the first months rent, then get a job, so he could earn some cash, so he could pay the next months rent, then keep working, and get a better job, and then maybe a place of his own, and so on, and so on...hey, he thought, it's all going to work out fine! How hard could it be to get a job in this city anyway? He had nothing to worry about, he told himself, despite all evidence to the contrary. So, he had had ripped the ad out of the paper, picked up everything he owned in the world, and set out to find the room that would start him on his road to success in the city. Several hours, and several wrong directions later, Adrian was exhausted, freezing, but had finally found the place he was looking for.

The address led him to a narrow doorway between a massage parlour and a pawnshop, both bearing garishly flickering neon lights. The doorway, in comparison, seemed even darker and grimier, and Adrian could just make out a staircase climbing away into the gloom. Graffiti scribbled drunkenly across all of the walls, and the stairs looked as though they weren't far off collapsing. Adrian hesitated outside for a moment, the crowds parting on either side of him, the stationary Racoon like a rock in the living tide. It certainly was a far cry from the white-picket suburbia he'd come from...but there really was no-where else he could go, unless he wanted to sleep in the gutters. He ducked into the dim interior, climbing the stairs with his heart thumping. The apartment he was looking for was on one of the higher floors, so he had to struggle up several flights of stairs with a suitcase that seemed to be growing gradually heavier by the second. It had been light this morning, but after lugging it around all day, he was certainly looking forward to putting it down for a while.

He finally reached the apartment he was looking for, number 236. He put his suitcase down and paused a second to catch his breath, panting slightly from the long haul upstairs. When he finally caught his breath his straightened and rapped lightly on the door, feeling slightly foolish. He had never done this before...how did you go about it? Did you just come straight out and say you wanted the room, or did you enquire first, or what? Was he supposed to ring first? There had been a number with the advert, hadn't there? He thought to himself, panicking slightly.

He was still engrossed in his thoughts when the door was opened suddenly, taking him by surprise. A tall, grey-furred Husky poked his head out the door with a disinterested look on his face, eyes obscured by expensive-looking black sunglasses. He looked at Adrian and cocked an eyebrow, the Racoon still too surprised to make any intelligible answer.

"Yeah?" The Husky said, looking puzzled.

"Oh, I, uh, I came about the room you had to rent?" He asked, regaining control of his tongue, proffering the scrap of newspaper as proof. The Husky looked down at it for a few seconds and grunted, pulling the door the whole way open. Adrian saw he was wearing tight, faded blue jeans and an expensive shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Adrian thought he caught a whiff of expensive cologne in the air too, and found himself wondering why a guy who could afford to dress so well was living in a place like...well, like this?

"Aren't you supposed to like, I dunno, ring us first or something?" The Husky asked, sounding slightly confused, and Adrian winced.

"Um, yeah, but I just wanted to get to the room first." He said, shrugging, and the Husky looked at him, eyes still hidden by the dark sunglasses. It was an unnerving feeling, being unsure if you were being stared at or not. And why is he wearing sunglasses inside?

"Oh. Cool, I guess. Rent is one twenty a month, plus food and electricity." The Husky said, taking a cigarette from behind his ear and lighting it.

"You mean..." Adrian said, taken aback, "I got the room?"

"Well, you were the first one here." The Husky said, shrugging. "Come inside and meet everyone. You're lucky you got us now while we're all here. Usually we're all at work, or not here, so it's rare you caught us now or you might not have met us all for months." He said conversationally

"It must be my lucky day." Adrian said, grinning wearily and picking up his suitcase.

"That all you've got?" The Husky asked.

"Uh...yeah." Adrian said, slightly embarrassed. The Husky raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

"My name 's Sam by the way." The Husky said, proffering a strong paw that enveloped Adrian's own. "What's your handle?"

"Adrian. I'm just new in the city." He said, and Sam just grinned knowingly, showing teeth like only a carnivore can.

"Yeah, I could tell. There's just that something about you." Sam said, and he laughed. Adrian laughed too, but he wasn't sure whether that was an insult or not. He followed Sam down a short hallway into the apartment proper, where he stopped, eyes growing wide as he looked around his new home.

"Here we are." The Husky said behind him. "Home sweet home."

Had the sun been out, in all it's blazing glory, Adrian highly doubted there would have been any light permeating the low-roofed concrete room through it's three broken windows. The main room itself, the lounge, was a mess, with boxes of empty bottles and overflowing ashtrays littering the room. Water stains marked the ceiling, and fraying couches huddled around electric heaters and an ancient television.

Just outside the windows a huge yellow billboard sat overlooking the street, displaying a grinning couple and the message 'Be Happy', intended to sell microwaves or blenders or some other crap. The sound of loud, thumping house music from above was felt rather than heard, and every now and then a more vigorous beat would shake dust and even bits of plaster from the roof to rain down into the apartment. An odd smell lingered in the air, like old pizza and ether, and Adrian could here the sounds of other beasts moving around somewhere in the apartment.

"What do you reckon?" Sam asked Adrian, who was still rather slack-jawed in shock.

"It's..." he began, shaking his head. It was a lot of things, but he probably shouldn't say any of those things lest he insult his new flatmate. "It's something, alright." He said weakly, and Sam laughed.

"Don't worry, it grows on you." He said, patting Adrian on the shoulder companionably. "Come on, I'll show you your room." Adrian followed him out of the main room into a corridor, still in shock at the state of the main room. He knew the city was supposed to be bad in the cheap areas, but he hadn't expected anything like that. The two of them made their way down an equally dilapidated hallway, the only light coming from a few grubby light bulbs hanging from the ceiling.

"So, what made you decide to come to the city?" Sam asked ahead, and Adrian bit his lip. The one question he hadn't wanted to be asked, and he got it straight off the bat.

"Uh..." He began, but he was cut off suddenly by an enraged voice.

"Damn it all Sam, what in the hells are you doin' smokin' in here?" The voice said, in a deep, slow drawl. A tall ebony Stallion came from a side room and snatched the smoke away from the Husky. "I thought we all agreed there'd be no smokin' in here." He said, extinguishing it beneath his hoof as he shook his finger admonishingly at Sam.

"Sorry, lapse of concentration." The Husky grunted, rolling his eyes. "This is Adrian, by the way. He's here about the room." Without a pause in his pace, the Stallion straight away went from angry to grinning, proffering a paw to the bemused Adrian.

"Howdy Adrian." He said, giving him such a strong pawshake that the Racoon had to fight not to wince. He was really quite an imposing figure, tall and broad shouldered, wearing a check shirt and old work jeans with an immense leather belt, but his slow drawl and easy grin made him appear quite friendly. "My name's Denver, the only one around here who seems to care about fire safety around this place." He said, shooting Sam a murderous look. "Do you know how many preventable fires start every year because of careless smoking indoors?" He asked, ignoring the Husky's groan.

"Yes, I get it, I won't do it again!" Sam said, grabbing Adrian's shoulder and pulling him away from the Stallion. "He's just like this because he's training to be a fire-fighter. He's alright, unless you get him talking about fire safety." He said, stopping by a door and rapping on it sharply. It opened after a few seconds, and Adrian could see a pair of eyes shining out of the darkness at him.

"What is that?" He asked apprehensively.

"Don't worry, he's harmless." Sam said out the corner of his mouth. "Well, mostly." He added as a sort of afterthought. "Taylor! Come out Taylor, meet the new guy!" He said loudly, and the eyes slowly emerged from the darkness, revealing they were attached to a rather emaciated-looking Billy Goat, with unkempt fur and sunken eyes.

"Uh...hey, I'm Adrian." He said nervously, sticking out a paw that the Goat studied for a few seconds silently, before taking it in his own and nodding solemnly.

"Neigh." He said simply, his wide, staring eyes boring into Adrian's own.

"What?" Adrian asked out the side of his mouth, confused.

"Oh Jesus." Sam mumbled, putting his face in his paw.

"Neigh." Taylor repeated.

"What is he talking about?" Adrian asked, bewildered.

"I'm writing a new piece, Sam." He said, looking to the Husky without letting go of Adrian's paw, acting as if he wasn't even there. "Got to get into the character, else it isn't worth it at all."

"He's a writer, see? You know how they are." Sam muttered, by way of explanation. "See you later, Taylor." He said, pulling Adrian away from the eccentric.

"It's not Taylor." The Goat said, with a hint of anger as he went back into his room and shut the door. "I'm the Horse."

"Christ, what is he on?" Adrian asked, shocked and bewildered by the madbeast he'd just met.

"On? Aside from his depression medication, hopefully nothing." Sam replied. "He was on heroin for a while there, that's what messed him up the most. We got him off it, though. We try to look after him." He said, but Adrian couldn't help wondering why they would waste their time.

"You said he was a writer?" Adrian asked, keeping that question silent for the time being.

"Yeah, his last book sold six thousand copies. Not bad, but he slipped into a rough patch for a while and he's finding it hard to get back on track with everything." Sam said, as the two of them kept on their way down the hallway towards Adrian's room. "Speaking of being on things, though," Sam muttered as another figure came strolling out further down the hallway. It was a tall, skinny Polecat, with wild fur and a vague smile. He was dressed only in old shorts and a huge poncho made of what looked like carpet, no shoes on his feet or shirt on his back.

"Sam, my buddy, how are you?" He asked, grinning and clasping paws with the Husky when he came close.

"I'm great Tim - this is Adrian. He's here about the room, so I guess he's one of us now." Sam said, jerking his head at the now thoroughly perplexed Racoon.

"Hey man, that's cool. That's gravy." He said, nodding to both of them and setting off down the hallway without another word, a big smile plastered across his face.

"Is he alright?" Adrian asked.

"Yeah, he's okay. That's just how he is." Sam said, shrugging.

"Didn't he mean groovy?"

"No, he means gravy. Like the sauce." Sam replied

"Why?" Adrian asked, mystified, but the Husky just spread his paws wide and shrugged.

"Who knows?" He said, turning to a closed door at the end of the hallway "My room's on the left, bathroom on the right," He said, gesturing to doors off the main hall" And this would be your room." He said, opening the door. The room was small and dank, much like the rest of the apartment, and smelt of mildew. An ancient bed that looked as though it had out-lived the civil war creaked loudly as he laid his suitcase on it, and he heard the scuttling of tiny, many-legged insects under the bed, making him shudder.

"Light switch with off and on options, door that works in both open and closed position, and all the air you can breathe." Sam said, leaning against the doorframe as he watched Adrian. "Welcome to casa de paradiso, what some folks call the happiest place on earth." He said sarcastically.

"Thanks...uh, thanks for everything. The room and all." Adrian said nervously, his paws in his back pockets.

"What do you reckon of the place so far?" Sam asked, pulling himself out a cigarette and lighting it.

"I thought...didn't Denver say..." The Racoon said, eyeing the smoke apprehensively, but Sam just shrugged.

"Eh, what he doesn't know won't hurt him." He said, the smoke curling slowly around his muzzle in the dirty half-light. "So what do you reckon?" He repeated, a lazy grin on his face.

"Well..." He said, his mind offering a million things to say, none of which were particularly nice. He had expected bad, but this? Jesus...still, he thought, he didn't have anywhere else to go, and they were looking after him. "It's a new experience, that's for sure." He said finally, and Sam just laughed.

"Yeah, you're hanging with us misfits now." He said, smirking from behind his ever-present sunglasses. "Drug fiends, criminals, the dregs of society."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend..." Adrian began, but Sam just laughed and waved a paw disarmingly.

"You didn't. And 'misfit' is a pretty good description for us." The Husky said, not unkindly. "A crazy ex-junkie, a country boy lost in the city, a hippie philosopher, and me." He said finally, pointing to himself and grinning crookedly.

"Philosopher?" Adrian asked, confused. "You mean Tim?"

"That's what his job description says." Sam said, nodding. "No-one knows what he does during the day, but his rent is always in on time, so I don't care."

"And you? What makes you a misfit?" Adrian asked, curious.

"Me?" Sam said, laughing. "I only just woke up when you knocked on our door. I live only during the nighttime, and sleep when the sun is coming up. I've got a healthy moon-tan and I'm proud of it."

"What do you do?"

"I'm a DJ at a night club in town. Five nights a week, packed from ten until six. Someone's got to keep them entertained." He said, grinning. "I'm a night-creature, so that makes me misfit enough to fit in around here. What about you? What brings you here to the big city?" He asked, but Adrian just bit his tongue and looked at the floor.

"You know, just needed a change of pace..." He mumbled, but Sam saw right through that in a moment, laughing

"Come on, what was it? It was a girl, wasn't it? Got her pregnant? Running from the in-laws?" He asked, but Adrian said nothing. "Fair enough, you're entitled to your privacy. You can't run forever, though." He said, not unkindly. Adrian was about to open his mouth to reply he heard an enraged yell from down the hall.

"Sam, you son of a bitch, I can smell that smoke! What did we say?" Denver yelled, and Sam blanched beneath his fur.

"That's my cue to go!" He said, touching his forelock and running away, the incriminating cigarette still perched between his lips. He heard Denver come bolting down the hallway yelling something, but he just closed his door slowly. He rested his back against it and sank to the ground, looking up at the water stained ceiling.

They were mad...the city was mad...he was mad, he thought, shaking his head. Only two weeks ago he would never have even dreamed this would have happened to him. He had had a comfortable life, and easy life, but had made just one, little mistake - and it had all changed for him. He sighed and let his head hang forward, the never-ending hum of the city droning in his ears. Gods, he was tired...well, he thought miserably, from here it could only get better.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Two weeks passed for Adrian, and as time went on he felt he was getting used to the city, and the kind of life they lived in the apartment. He could handle the crappy shower, and rusty water from the taps, he could handle the roaches and insects, the sagging floorboards and damp walls. What he couldn't stand was being unemployed. It was a lot harder to get any job in the city than he had expected; he was either too young or too inexperienced. Either way, he'd spent a lot of time back at the apartment on the couch with the others.

The others...well, they were nuts, there was really no doubt about that in his head. But, he couldn't help but find himself liking them. Sam was great fun when he was awake, but the cynical Husky was hardly ever awake before five o'clock, his work keeping him up all hours. Tim would come and go during the day, and he would often engage in such couch sports as paper-dart championships and throwing-things-at-the-television competitions.

Denver was there quite a bit, and the big Stallion was always happy to talk about his old life back down south, when he used to help with his parent's farm. Failing that, Adrian could usually find him pumping iron or working out in his room, for the 'fire-fighter tests', as he claimed. Taylor was a little harder to connect with, spending most of his time in his room. However, when he did come out, and was on the low-point in his pill cycle, he could talk quite coherently, and was a lot smarter than Adrian had expected.

Another thing Adrian was introduced to in his first few weeks in the city, as well as eccentrics and foetid living conditions, was the amazing amount of drugs that were trafficked through the city. In his home town, the only time he'd ever heard of drugs was when some college boys had been caught smoking pot up on the reservoir, and that had seemed like a major thing. But here...it was amazing, and kind of scary. Taylor was constantly out of his mind on his anti-depressants, Denver admitted he used to be addicted to codeine, Tim had several ounces of pot under his beds, as well as various hallucinogens, and Sam had told him he took ecstasy and speed to keep him going at work, along with most of the club patrons!

He had never been in a place where drugs were treated as harmless, like dropping a tab was no more than having a beer. Tim had invited him into his room for a session (when Denver wasn't there, of course), and Adrian had agreed. He had never heard of a session before, so he wasn't sure of what to expect. He had ended up coughing until it felt his lungs were going to come up, his throat raw and his eyes streaming with tears. Tim had patted him on the shoulder companionably, grinning through the haze of smoke in the air.

"She's a total bitch your first time." He said, as Adrian coughed and hacked copiously. "Kicks you right in the teef, huh?" Despite Tim's repeated claims that all would be 'gravy', Adrian decided to decline his next invitation. He might be getting used to the city, but he wasn't that used to it yet. Besides, as it turned out, drugs were the start of his first real problem since he'd come there.

It was one of those rare mornings when they were all at the apartment, enjoying breakfast at eleven, the sun trying it's best to get in through the windows. It was October now, and Adrian had settled right in. In fact, it was hard for many of them to remember the apartment without the Racoon, he had fitted in so well. That might not mean a lot for Tim, who couldn't remember most of September, but for the others it said a lot.

They were sitting on the couches in the living room, bowls of cheap spaghetti balanced on their knees (apart from Denver, who was eating straight out of the pot), all huddled together to try and keep warm in the freezing apartment. Taylor was still in bed, and it had been Tim's turn to empty the rubbish, so Adrian and Denver had been sitting there under an old duvet, listening to Sam telling a story.

"So anyway, I get to the counter, and the girl asks me for my ID!" He said, sounding appalled, and Denver smirked.

"I can't believe it!" Denver said, but Adrian said nothing.

"I know!" Sam said, grinning broadly, "So I say to her, do I look like I'm not twenty-one?"

"I can't remember the last time I got asked for ID." Denver said, shaking his head.

"Hey, at least it made me feel like not such an old man." Sam said, grinning wryly "Know what I mean, Adrian?" He asked, but Adrian just shook his head.

"No, I always get asked for ID." He said, and Denver and Sam looked taken aback

"Well, I mean, you do look young..." Sam begun, but Denver cut him off.

"Wait, I don't think I've ever heard you say how old you are." He said, cocking his head at Adrian, a thoughtful look on his face. "How old are you?" The Stallion asked, and the Racoon mumbled something while looking at the floor, scratching the back of his head.

"What was that?" Sam asked, leaning in closer.

"Nineteen." Adrian said, looking embarrassed.

"Nineteen?" Sam repeated, incredulous. "I was still at home when I was nineteen! What the hell are you doing out here?"

"Uh...I just had to...kinda leave." Adrian said awkwardly.

"Why?" Denver asked. "Damn, I knew you were young, but shit! I'm nearly ten years older than you." He said, shaking his head. They both looked at him closely, and Adrian mouthed a few times, trying to think of a way out of answering. Sure, they were his friends, but he still wanted to avoid that question...At that moment, however, he was saved from answering. Tim entered the flat with a flustered look on his face, as though he had just run several flights of stairs.

"Guys, we have a problem." He said grimly, still panting as he tossed something down on the table between the three of them. "I found this when I was emptying the trash." Sam swore loudly as he saw what it was, and Denver stood up suddenly, as if reviled by the object. Lying on the table, shining in the grimy half-light, was a dirty syringe, dried blood staining the needle.

"You know what this means." Denver said bleakly, eyes still focused on the syringe.

"I don't understand, what does it mean?" Adrian asked, confused, and Sam turned stern eyes on him.

"Taylor. He's back on heroin." He said, looking back at Tim and Denver. "Forced detox?" He asked, and the other two nodded, lips tight and faces drawn. The three of them moved without a word, leaving Adrian alone in the lounge, bewildered. Taylor was back on heroin? Well he had been acting strange lately, he supposed, but what was a forced detox? Whatever it was, he didn't like the sound of it...

He rushed after the three of them, catching up to them just as Denver was hammering on the Goat's door. Sam and Tim were standing just back from him, fists bunched and faces grim.

"What's going on?" Adrian asked, but he found no answer from the three of them. "What are you going to do to him?" Just then, the door opened a crack and Taylor's face appeared, looking more sunken-eyed and pale then ever. He glanced around nervously, appearing shaky and on edge.

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice creaky and rough, eyes darting about in their sockets like frightened mice.

"We just want to talk." Denver said soothingly, but Taylor went to slam the door in his muzzle. Denver saw it coming, however, and jammed his foot in the crack, forcing it open easily.

"What do you want?" Taylor asked, backing away from the door, glancing about in fear, his voice high-pitched and unnatural. He held one of his skinny arms just below the elbow, his filthy, claw-like fingers clutching at his arm like a drowning man clutching at a life belt.

"What are you hiding there Taylor?" Sam asked, as he and Denver moved into his room.

"N...nothing..." Taylor said, glancing nervously behind him.

"Now!" Denver yelled, and the two of them rushed at Taylor, grabbing him under the arms and holding him fast, so he couldn't strike out.

"This is for your own good, Taylor!" Sam snarled as the emaciated beast struggled in his grip, kicking out wildly and yelling. Adrian stood in shock as he watched the two of them holding the wildly flailing beast. Foaming at the mouth and yelling insanely, Taylor was straining and fighting to get away from Denver and Sam, but he could not break their iron grip no matter how hard he tried.

"Come on!" Tim said grimly, pulling him into Taylor's bedroom. Adrian narrowly avoided taking a boot to the head as he was pulled around the struggling trio after Tim. Now he no longer held his paw over his arm, Adrian could see the needle marks and discoloured flesh around Taylor's arm. His room smelt foetid and rank, as though no fresh air had permeated the funk of chemical odours in the room for a long time.

"It's going to be alright..." Sam said, trying to calm Taylor, but he was not having a bar of it, hurling abuse and spitting at those on both sides of him.

Tim was rooting around near Taylor's bed, grabbing up things and pushing them Adrian's arms as the three of them still struggled behind them. A belt, a stained and burnt spoon, a small plastic bag of brownish substance, matches, a lighter, a box of syringes, all these things and more were pushed into his arms.

"What are we doing?" Adrian said, barely able to be heard over the sound of Taylor's wild ranting, but Tim said nothing, tight-lipped and as he pushed by Adrian, still rooting around Taylor's room. The Goat was cursing Denver, Sam, Tim, the gods, his parents, anyone that came to his mind. It sounded almost as if he was sobbing now, his mind as well as his body broken.

"Tim, we almost done?" Denver grunted, struggling to hold Taylor still.

"Yeah, that looks like it." Tim said loudly, pulling Adrian with him as they went around the struggling trio. "We're clear." Denver and Sam nodded to each other, pushing Taylor back forcibly so he fell backwards onto his bed, sprawling on the sheets, still hurling abuse. Denver and Sam ducked out of the room, slamming the door behind them just as Taylor hit it from the other side. Tim rammed a chair up under the handle, locking the door and trapping the Goat on the other side.

Taylor screamed and ranted from inside the door, hammering as hard as he could. Outside, they exchanged weary glances, Sam and Denver wiping the spit from their faces as they caught their breaths.

"What the hell was all that about?" Adrian asked, understandably shaken, still standing with arms full of the stuff Tim had stolen from Taylor's room.

"I'll get you a bag for that so we can dump that crap." Tim said quietly, barely audible over Taylor's yelling and banging, ignoring Adrian.

"No, what the hell just happened? Tell me!" He barked, furious now.

"Taylor's slipped back into his old habits." Sam said sadly, picking a syringe out of the mass of paraphernalia in Adrian's arms and holding it up to the light. "He's addicted to heroin again. We have to help him."

"Why? It's his choice." Adrian said, but Denver just snorted.

"You saw how many pills they had him on to stop his depression." The Stallion said angrily. "It's no wonder he slips back to his old habits now and then. It's not his choice. He just has lapses, when he can't control what he does."

"And when he does, we just have to help him get over it." Sam said, steely eyed as he looked at Adrian.

"You've done this before?" Adrian asked, shocked.

"Three times. It may be hard, but it's harder for him. He's got a hell of a few days to look forward to in there before he's clean. We just have to remove the temptation, force him to detox himself. It won't be pleasant." He said, almost to himself, sighing sadly and turning to walk away, paw straying absently to his ear, where there was already a smoke lodged.

"Why?" Adrian asked to his back, and Sam froze, turning as if on a turntable to face him.

"What?"

"Why do you help him? If he just keeps making the same mistake over and over again?"

"Because he our friend, gods damn it!" Sam suddenly barked, taking all of them off-guard. "He's our friend, and we're supposed to look after him, and take care of him, even when he arses up, just like he would for us! Friends stick together, no matter what, and if that's not to your liking, then just fuck off kid!" He said, turning and stomping away, slamming the door after him. There was a silence, punctuated only by Taylor's yelling and banging, where Denver and Tim looked at Adrian.

"He doesn't mean it, he's just forgotten himself." Denver said awkwardly, patting Adrian on the shoulder.

"Yeah, times like this are tough on us all." Tim said, biting his lip as he listened to Taylor still raising hell in his room "Just let him cool down for a bit, then go see him."

Over the next few hours Adrian listened as Taylor kicked, screamed, howled, hammered and wept, cursing with every breath, listening to the muffled thuds and crashes as he destroyed his room. He subsided in the evening though, but they could still Taylor panting and groaning in the corner as the toxins began to leak out of his system. Tim tossed some food on a tray through the door before locking it again hurriedly, but Taylor appeared to take no notice.

He would sporadically begin to yell and kick now and then, but by the sound of it he would mostly just sit in the corner and groan as his form was wracked and twisted with pain. Tim retired to bed early, still looking troubled, leaving Adrian and Denver sitting in the lounge, staring into nothing as they listened to Taylor.

"Will he be alright?" Adrian asked finally to break the silence, still staring at the wall.

"In a few days. Until then, we just gotta hope and wait for him." Denver said, sighing and running a paw through the thick mane down the back of his neck.

"That's good." Adrian said vacantly, chewing a fingernail as he looked into the middle distance. The silence prevailed a few seconds longer, before Denver finally broke it.

"He just gets a little worked up some times. Go and talk to him." Denver said.

"Who, Taylor?" Adrian asked, confused

"No, Sam." Denver said, rolling his eyes. "Take my advice, Adrian - he didn't mean what he said."

"You think?" Adrian said, slightly apprehensively.

"Of course. You're one of us now sonny, no matter what you do." Denver said, smiling and getting to his feet, grunting as he cracked his back. "And if he says any different I'll break his fingers. Good night Adrian." He said, pausing to ruffle Adrian's headfur.

"Mm. Night." The Racoon muttered, waiting until he heard Denver's door close behind him before he got up and walked down the hall, past Taylor's room, where he could still hear the Goat grunting and sobbing, until he got to Sam's room. He took a deep breath as he stood there, steeling himself. Alright, he thought, time to apologise. He knocked lightly on the door, and Adrian heard some scrabbling and shifting before he heard Sam say -

"Come in." The Husky said, sounding slightly shaken. Adrian opened the door and saw him sitting on his bed, a wisp of smoke dancing up from the ashtray Adrian knew he had hidden beside his bed. No smoking my tail...Adrian thought, and he could tell Sam knew he had noticed too, by the embarrassed look on his face.

"Um..." Adrian began, taking in a whiff of the lazy bite of cigarette smoke that hung in the air. "About before, I just want to say that I'm sorry."

"No, it's me that should be saying sorry." Sam said, grinning wryly. "I snapped at you for no reason. It's just that I treat my friends like brothers, and when one of my brothers is in trouble, like Taylor, I'll do anything to help him out."

"That's really sweet that you do that." Adrian said, leaning on the doorframe. "Friends like brothers and stuff."

"Yeah, well, I never had much of a family growing up, so I make sure I look after the ones I have now." Sam said, smiling softly. "It's the least I can do for them." He said, and Adrian laughed.

"So are we all cool now?" He asked, and Sam nodded.

"Yeah, we're cool. Brother." He replied, grinning. Adrian grinned back, but the grin soon faded.

"I never answered your question before. About why I left home so young." He said, but Sam shook his head.

"Hey, if you don't want to, that's cool. I can respect your privacy." He said, but Adrian went and sat at the foot of his bed.

"No, no, I'll tell you." He said, looking down at the dirty carpet beneath his footpaws. "You trust me enough to call me brother, I should trust you enough to tell you this." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, casting his mind back to a few months ago.

"I grew up at home in a small town, only a few houses away from my grandparents, with my aunt and uncle only a few blocks away. You know, in the kind of small town where everyone knows everyone else. Well, my family was really respected, my grandparents both owning large amounts of land, and our family was always pretty well off. My mom was an architect and my dad owned a shipping company, so we never went wanting at our house. Everyone knew us, and I suppose that was my downfall.

I had a brother and a sister, both who grew up to do great things. They were six years older than I was, and both made really hard examples for me to live up to. Both of them were made prefects at their high school, and my sister was made head girl in her final year. She was really pretty and smart and everyone knew her - she went off to study law at College, and got married to the son of a wealthy industrialist. Everyone was really proud of her.

My brother made captain of the football team, and everyone knew him and thought he was a great leader. He lead his team all the way to the semi's, where he reckons they were robbed of a win by a crooked referee. Still, to get to the semi's was a big deal in such a small town, and they had a big parade in honour of their team when they got back. All the local girls chased after him, and he got a football scholarship to a university a couple of states over, where he was getting scouted all the time. They say he might make the pro's one day, if he works hard. Everyone back home was really proud of him, too.

I had a lot to live up to, but I just couldn't. I was too small for football, not good enough or smart enough for prefect, and nowhere near what they wanted for head boy. I was a disappointment to my parents, but they pretended they didn't mind and pulled a few strings to get me into a good university. The summer before university, though, I started to think that maybe something was wrong with me. I had met a lot of girls I liked when I was at school, but as time passed I just didn't seem to like them any more. I started...I started noticing guys. I was really scared at first, really terrified of what would happen if my parents found out.

I tried my best to ignore them, to try and forget about them, but it didn't work. The more I fought it, the harder it was. I couldn't help but notice them. I looked at girls, but there was just nothing there for me. I remember, there was this one guy, a Dalmatian in my biology class, a new guy in our senior year. He had really broad shoulders, and the most amazing green eyes. I just couldn't keep my thoughts off of him, found myself staring at him all the time. And sometimes, I thought I'd catch him staring back. I thought that maybe he was like me, so I went and talked to him.

He didn't seem to bad, and he had said that he needed help with biology. I offered to tutor him, and invited him around to my house one afternoon. I remember, really clearly, sitting and explaining to him about genome structure, and I felt his eyes on my neck. I turned and saw him staring at me, his amazing green eyes so full of pain, and yet so full of understanding...

I'll never forget that first kiss, when our lips brushed. It was so dangerous and new, so exciting, a fulfilment of everything I had hoped for, everything I had been missing in my life. For once, I felt truly happy. Well, it started to heat up, so we went to my bed, and just as I was pulling off his shirt, my dad walked in. Well, he freaked, started yelling and screaming, kicked my friend out. I tried to stop him, but he just hit me. I remember that it was so hard, and I couldn't believe he had hit me...all I could do was lie on the ground in shock as he stood over me, bellowing about sinfulness and how disgusting I was. He got my mom, and she just started crying...somehow, that hurt more than dad's punch...it was her disappointment that really got to me.

Well, word got around pretty fast, and before long my grandparents decided it would be best if I left before I tarnished the family name any further. My dad agreed without a second thought; he was glad to see the back of me. All my mom did was sit there and cry, she wouldn't even look me in the eyes. I was given a bit of money and my suitcase, and told never to come back.

So I didn't."

The room was silent as Adrian finished his sad story, even the sounds of Taylor's groaning deadened in the next room. He let out a long breath, for some reason feeling a bit better...it was the first time he let anyone know...

"Jesus." Sam said simply, sounding shocked.

"Yeah...it hurt, having to leave everything behind, but I guess I'm over them now." Adrian muttered

"They shouldn't have done that, that's horrible." Sam said, shaking his head.

"But they did. They had their reasons, I guess. I am pretty weird." Adrian said, but Sam just snorted.

"Adrian, you are not weird. I don't know where you grew up, but being gay is not a disease. It's not uncommon, it's not some kind of curse." Sam said, pulling Adrian's chin up gently to look into his eyes.

"Really?" The Racoon asked, disbelief written across his face.

"Yeah." Sam said, nodding heartily. "I'm gay. Denver's gay. Tim is bi, and no matter what Taylor would tell you, I've seen guys coming out of his room occasionally in the mornings."

"You...you're all...?" Adrian asked, shocked.

"Misfits." Sam said, smiling warmly. "Adrian, I'm sorry about what happened to you, but your parents are retarded. To disown you, just because you're gay? That settles it, you really are family now." He said, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"I am?" He asked

"Of course. We may be alone, but we all stick together, no matter what." Sam said

"Just like Taylor..." Adrian said, realisation dawning.

"Exactly. Now you see why we stick by him, no matter what he may do. He's family, and so are you." Adrian blushed and looked down, embarrassed.

"Thanks..." He mumbled, and Sam laughed sadly.

"It saddens me to see what they did to you kid, but don't worry. You're with us now, and we'll take care of you." He laughed, grinning. "Goodnight, Adrian." He said softly, and kissed him on the cheek. "Sweet dreams."

" 'night." Adrian said, blushing as he got up and left, still feeling the warmth of Sam's lips on his cheek even ten minutes later, as he got into bed. So, he thought, as his mind drifted towards sleep, maybe he wasn't so weird after all... maybe things were better than he had thought? That wouldn't be hard, he thought as his eyelids grew leaden, but he'd just have to wait and see what tomorrow brought.

***********************************************************************

A few days later, Taylor was still locked in his room, but at least he had stopped yelling and ranting. He had gone quiet in the last day, but Tim and Denver insisted he was fine, that this was just normal for him during one of his 'little turns', as Denver called them.

"Are you sure he'd okay?" Adrian asked one morning, very aware he hadn't heard anything from Taylor's room in a few days.

"He's fine, really. Give him a few days and he'll back to his usual crazy self, just like always." Denver said, yawning cavernously. He was sitting at the dining table in a frayed old bathrobe, looking vaguely through a newspaper in front of him while a cup of tea cooled nearby. Tim was lying on his back on the couch with his head hanging down, watching the television upside down, humming snatches of a tune Adrian didn't recognise.

"Maybe I should take him some food?" Adrian wondered aloud, but Denver shook his head.

"Uh...no." He said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "He's pretty good for the moment, and during times like this it's best for me or Sam to take him food."

"Why?"

"Just in case he takes it into his skull to go all Kurtz on you. He wouldn't mean it, but it's best not to risk these things while he's like this." Tim said.

"Kurtz?" Adrian asked, again confused by the bohemian Polecat.

"Go all crazy." Tim said, head on one side as he looked at the bewildered Racoon. "You know, Kurtz. As in like, 'but we can't write fuck on our bombs, because it's obscene'?" He said, making his voice deep and gravely as he quoted something Adrian didn't recognise. " 'Air-cav, tear-assing around 'Nam, scaring the hell out of Charlie?' No? Doesn't ring any bells? Oy, do I feel old all of a sudden." Tim said, making a face.

"Look, just leave him be for a few days, let us take care of him. We've done this before." Denver said, smiling wanly. Adrian opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment they heard the door open and Sam walked in, shades pulled up close to cover his eyes.

"Morning kids." He said, his voice strained and weary. "All quiet on the western front?" He asked, and Denver nodded.

"Yeah, he hasn't made much of a racket in the last few days. Hopefully he's levelling out." He said as Sam sat down heavily in a chair across from him.

"Still, I'd like to leave in there for just a bit more. No sense in taking any risks with him while he's so...fragile." He said, taking a sip of Denver's tea.

"Put it back." Denver said without even looking up, and Sam replaced the cup, looking rather sheepish. "So what's everyone doing today?"

"Sleeping." Sam said simply, fighting back a yawn.

"Very little." Tim mumbled, eyes still fixed on the flickering television

"Well, I guess I should keep looking for a job." Adrian grunted, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, how is the job search going?" Sam asked, and Adrian shot him an evil look.

"Not well. I tried everywhere, and they all turned me down. I even tried the garbage men for gods' sake, but apparently unless you're a carnivore and built like a brick shithouse, they don't even look twice at you." He said, sighing dejectedly.

"Hey, it's not all easy having a full-time job." Sam said, and Denver snorted loudly.

"Yeah, especially when you get paid ninety dollars and hour." He said, but Sam just poked his tongue out at him.

"You...get paid how much an hour?" Adrian coughed, horrified.

"Ninety. Ninety an hour, to just stand there and fiddle with records. Ha, and some DJs get paid twice that." Denver said, sounding more then slightly putout.

"Hey, what can I tell you." Sam said, scratching his muzzle to hide a grin. "Specialist tasks call for specialist pay."

"If you get paid that much, if you don't mind me asking, why are you not rich?" Adrian asked, still in a state of shock.

"Expensive tastes." The Husky said, tugging on his shirt. "These threads aren't cheap, and neither is what I down to keep me going. It all adds up. And besides, you don't need to be rich." He said, winking at Adrian. "Money can't buy you love."

"I am the walrus." Tim said from his position on the couch, causing all three of them to exchange glances and shrug. He pulled himself up onto his elbows, looking around at his mystified flatmates. "You don't get the reference?" He asked, but was met with only blank stares. "Ah, forget it. But you know, Adrian, if you really want a job, one of my mates owns a store down town. He said he needed some help around the place, and I could probably get you a job there, if you need one that badly."

"Really?" He asked, and Tim nodded. "Sure! When can we...I mean, when can I..." He rambled, excited at the prospect of finally being able to work again. His funds had been growing dangerously low, after all.

"Steady on." The Polecat said, grinning broadly. "We'll go visit him today."

"And I'll get some sleep." Sam said, hauling himself to his feet unsteadily. They exchanged good-nights and he stumbled off down the hall, yawning profusely.

"Hey, thanks for this Tim." Adrian said, but the Polecat just winked at him.

"No biggie kid. Besides, we look after our own." He said, cocking an eyebrow and exchanging a look with Denver. The Stallion hid a grin behind his mug as Adrian blushed, looking down at his footpaws. He guessed Sam had told them his little secret...at least he wasn't alone anymore, he thought, smiling as he felt hot blood rush to his face.

About an hour later they left the apartment for the shop where Tim claimed he would, at long last, be able to find Adrian a job. The Racoon dressed up against the winter chill, but Tim didn't seem to mind it, merely throwing a frayed old bomber jacket over top of his poncho and strapping his feet into a pair of out-sized old leather boots. He didn't so much draw stares as grab people by the eyes and yank them out of their sockets as he walked down the street with Adrian in tow, but the Polecat seemed to take no notice.

He had to admire Tim, he was pretty brave to be able to walk around dressed like that, especially during daylight hours when the sidewalks were packed with suits. The Polecat seemed to take a pretty relaxed attitude to life, but Adrian couldn't be sure whether it was just him, or the result of years and years of smoking pot. Either way, it seemed it would take a lot to bring this vaguely grinning, ambling beast down to the level of everyone else.

He had heard people like him called layabouts and drains on society, but he really couldn't see how he was doing it. He had a job, Adrian assumed, because he always paid the rent on time, he didn't ask for anything from the state, he didn't create a nuisance of himself, he did what he wanted to, and, unlike most of the 'successful' business men that were giving him looks as he walked through their midst, he enjoyed his life. Perhaps there was something to be learnt from Tim, and not just how to create a bong out of a pair of speakers and a packet of party favours.

Tim led him to a shop on a pokey little side street, the kind of shop you would only go to if you knew it was there. The foot traffic was even more packed down this street-cum-boulevard, and Adrian could see any car would have trouble getting down here. Like something out of Hong-Kong, the street was a mass of stalls and open-front markets, with beasts packed so tight around cases of produce and trays of fish that Adrian almost lost Tim in the crowd. The shop itself was set back from the hustle and bustle of the stalls, without signage or ornamentation out the front.

Tim winked at him as he led him into the smoky, half-lit store, Adrian's eyes watering as they adjusted to the dim interior. As the door closed behind them, the din of the street was muffled, making it seem far away and detached from where they were. The tall shelves were packed with all manner of things, from strange crystals to incense, from tea sets to miniature statues of various gods. There were a few beasts lingering around the shelves that looked up when they entered, but they quickly dropped their eyes when they saw the two of them.

"What is this place?" Adrian asked, coughing as the acrid, smoky air filled his lungs.

"It's a speciality shop. It sells...curios, knick-knacks, that sort of thing." Tim said vaguely, thumping Adrian on the back. "Legal highs, pills, pipes, the sort of thing you can't buy anywhere else."

"Tim buddy, is that you?" Came a friendly voice up near the front of the store. Tim gestured for Adrian to follow him, grinning as he walked towards the voice.

"Sure is Scotty." He said happily. "What's new?" He asked, Adrian catching up behind him just as he rounded the shelves to see who had spoken. Leaning on the counter over a range of coloured pills and packets was an extremely skinny Tiger with a grin on his muzzle, his fur grown long and thick.

"Just got a new shipment of the bzp-frees in today, so I've had a lot of those college girls in, trying to buy them on their sister's Id." He said with a smirk, his eyes going from Tim to Adrian. "And who's this?"

"This is Adrian, my new flatmate." Tim said, tossing an arm around the Racoon's shoulder. "He's just new in town, and looking for a job. I remembered what you said about looking for an assistant, so I bought him by, thought maybe he'd fit the bill. Adrian, this is Scotty, an old friend of mine." He said, the Tiger nodding to Adrian. Scotty took a step back and put his head on one side, looking Adrian up and down with a thoughtful look on his face.

"I dunno Tim." Scotty said, frowning thoughtfully. "Is he gravy?"

"He's gravy, don't worry." Tim said, grinning and nodding heartily, leaving Adrian once again wondering what gravy meant. Apart from the meat sauce, of course. "Come on, you said you needed some help around here, and he'll give you a chance to relax now and then." Tim said pleadingly, and the Tiger gave in.

"Alright, alright. I never could say no to you, Tim." Scotty said, rolling his eyes. "I can give you Thursdays through Mondays, yeah?"

"Yeah!" Adrian agreed, a little taken aback that he had got a job so easily after all the times he'd been turned down. "Thanks...I mean, for the job and everything." He said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Awesome, you can start now." Scotty said, winking to Tim. "Man the desk while me and Tim do a little...stocktaking out back." The two of them wandered off out the back, shutting the door behind them, leaving Adrian standing behind the counter alone. They were gone for just over an hour, and in that time Adrian was surprised by how many sales there actually were, given how many people had been in the store when he had first entered. A lot of people tended to enter alone, not making eye contact with Adrian, getting exactly what they needed, maybe lingering for a few minutes, before paying without a word, and leaving again. Adrian was vaguely horrified that he was working in a store frequented by a lot of people that looked like Tim, but he supposed a job was a job, and he couldn't complain. Even if he was working in a stoner store.

Eventually Tim and Scotty emerged from the back room with a wisp of bluish smoke, blinking in the half-light of the store like stunned rabbits as they emerged. They looked flushed and hot, but were grinning as they approached Adrian, Scotty slapping him on the back when he told him about how many customers he'd had in his absence.

"Wow, you are good at this. Holding down the fort fine already." He said, licking his lips absently. "You fine to keep going? Thought we might go get a drink." He said, nodding to Tim.

"Yeah, we worked up a good sweat out there." The Polecat said, grinning.

"Stocktaking." Scotty reminded him

"Yeah. Stocktaking." Tim said, and the two of them laughed. They made their way out onto the busy street, leaving Adrian shaking his head, fighting the grin that was creeping around the corners of his mouth. Misfits...he thought, that was a perfect description for them. For all of them, he reminded himself, happy to finally be working, no matter what he was doing.

***********************************************************************

Two days later Sam decided it was time for Taylor to be allowed out of his isolation again, when they were all home at the apartment. Dishevelled and pale, the Goat emerged from the darkness of his room reeking of stale sweat and vomit. Adrian didn't know what he had expected, but he certainly hadn't expected him to look so...ashamed. But he did, looking at his feet like a naughty schoolboy as he apologised to them, for the fourth time, for saving him from himself.

"I...I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean for it to happen again." Taylor said, sounding genuinely embarrassed. "It's just, I get depressed, then I have to go on those pills, then I have to take more of them, but the pain never goes away...and I just slip back into using it."

"It's alright Taylor, we know how it is for you." Denver said

"Yeah, old habits die hard." Tim said quietly, patting the Goat on the shoulder.

"I know, but the fact that you guys stuck by me...again...damn. I don't know what I did to deserve it." He said.

"Hey, that's what we do. Stick together, no matter what. Brothers to the end." Sam said, and Taylor nodded.

"You said that the last time too. I'm sorry to you especially, Adrian." He said, looking up at the shocked Racoon.

"Huh? What did you do to me?" Asked Adrian, mystified.

"Nothing, it's just that we've just met, and I put you through that...I'm sorry." He said, sounding choked-up.

"Hey...that's alright." Adrian said awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "Like Sam said, brothers till the end, no matter what." Taylor smiled at that, the sight as uncommon on his face as a blue moon in the summer sky.

"Thanks." He said, looking around. "To you all. You've done more than you should have to, ever. Now I'm gonna go hit the shower."

"Damn right you are." Denver said, wrinkling his muzzle in mock disgust, a weak laugh rippling around the room. They had been lucky that they had caught it so fast, that they had been able to help Taylor through his troubles. However, they weren't always as good at keeping themselves out of trouble...

A week later, as Adrian was wearily hauling himself up the long flight of stairs after a long day in Scotty's barely-legal store, he opened the door to the apartment to find Sam, Denver, Taylor and Tim coming the other way. The Husky grinned as he saw him, clapping him on the shoulder and pulling him inside.

"Ah, there you are!" He said happily "Come on, we're going drinking."

"What? What's the celebration?" Adrian asked wearily, fighting back a yawn.

"It's almost November. Taylor's off the drugs. You've got a job, finally. The sun's gone down. Pick one that suits your taste." Sam said, still grinning like a madbeast.

"I dunno...I'm pretty tired from work and all..." Adrian said, but Tim just snorted.

"Come on, it's your day off tomorrow." He said, almost pleadingly.

"And nothing says 'day off' like a crippling hangover." Denver said in his slow drawl.

"But..." Adrian said, trying to find a reason to stay at home, but it was really hard when confronted by the grinning faces of all his friends... "I mean, I've hardly got any money, not until I get paid, anyway..." He said, but Sam shook his head.

"Nope, it's my shout. You're not getting out that easy."

"Why are you so generous all of a sudden?" He asked, feeling his will crumbling.

"My monthly e deal fell through, so I have a spare couple of hundred lying around. I thought it would be my treat." He said, and Adrian shook his head in disbelief.

"You're shouting us a night on the town because you're drug deal fell through?" He asked weakly, and Sam just nodded, still grinning broadly. "You really are a degenerate." He said, but the Husky just laughed.

"Yeah, well, name me a person here who isn't." He said, and Denver put his paw in the air.

"Uh...I'm not really..." He began, but Tim cut him off

"Guilty by association, buddy." He piped up, slapping the Stallion on the back.

"Alright..." Adrian said, his friends cheering. "At least let me get changed..."

"No, we're going now!" Denver said, and they pushed him back out of the apartment, despite his weak complaints. He couldn't help but grin as he watched his friends, falling about comically as they urged him on.

"Come on Adrian, you haven't had a night out in this town yet!" Tim said, grabbing his shoulders from behind and shaking him excitedly.

"Yeah, it'll be great!" Sam said, donning his sunglasses despite the fading light. "I got the night off and all to take you out!"

"But I still smell like crap from work..." Adrian mumbled, but Sam just grabbed him and rubbed his neck up across the surprised Racoon's face, tousling his headfur as he came away.

"There, now you've got my cologne on. Hell, that stuff probably costs more than you make in a week!" He said, grinning. "Alright?"

"Alright." Adrian conceded, rolling his eyes, trying to hide his grin.

"You know, you're paying a lot of money for what comes out of some Jaguar's nuts." Denver said, chuckling.

"What? What is it made of?" Sam asked worriedly, but they just laughed, leaving him standing shocked on the landing as they all went down the stairs. Adrian had to admit, once they were out on the street, that it was rather exhilarating. He had never been to a nightclub before, there had only been a couple of pubs where he came from. He had never experienced the like of it before, the heat, the press of bodies, the thumping music that seemed to start way down in his boots and fill every part of his body, right to the tips of his ears...

A few hours later, they were in a packed nightclub called Silver in the inner city, and Adrian was definitely feeling slightly worse for drink. He felt dizzy and happy, grinning broadly as he watched his friends. Sam was over talking to the DJ over the decks, apparently a beast he had known before, by the way the were talking (or, more accurately, yelling) animatedly to each other. Denver was at the centre of the dance floor, surrounded by all types of beasts, looking as though he was immensely enjoying himself as he swayed his towering form in time with the music. Tim had found a few girls he was chatting up by the bar, who for some inexplicable reason were drawn to his scruffy appearance.

Adrian was sitting in a booth with Taylor, resting his sore paws after a night of pounding pavement between bars. The Goat appeared to be better already, smiling wearily as he sipped at a beer in front of him. He still bore the old needle-marks in his arm, but he had hopefully put it behind him, Adrian thought, slightly troubled by the fact he'd already put it aside three times before, and gone back to his old habits. But that was a worry for when he was sober, and for now Adrian was content to watch two of the bartenders, a tall grey-furred Wolf and a Snow Leopard that appeared to be drawing the gaze of half the women in the bar, juggle spirit bottle between them, working up the crowd with their antics.

Sam appeared suddenly, sliding into the booth beside them, panting lightly as he tapped Adrian on the shoulder.

"This place is a bit too full-on. What say we find somewhere a little quieter?" He shouted over the music into Adrian's ear, who nodded mutely. They fetched Tim away from his admirers, despite their consternation, and pulled Denver off the dance floor, and left the hot club into the cool night, laughing loudly as they stumbled down the streets.

"Whoo, what a night." Denver slurred, blinking slowly.

"Didja see the pair on that girl talkin' ta me? Damn..." Tim said, apparently to himself. "Toldja the stoner image isa...is...hic...is a draw. First-year philosophy chicks dig that whole deep thinker-man trip."

"Wassa time?" Adrian asked, leaning on Sam for support.

"Four." The Husky replied, squinting at his wristwatch. "Where does the time go?" He asked, belching and making a face. "Urgh...shouldn't of had that last round of shots...what was it called?"

"The green burny stuff or the orange sticky stuff?" Denver asked

"Green and burny. Charty...charter...carty..." Sam ventured

"Chartered cruise?" Tim asked the night sky, hiccuping.

"Come on guys." Taylor said, laughing wearily, easily the most sober one of the group. "Let's find somewhere quiet..." They did, a downstairs bar, dimly lit and full of shadowy figures. The group found a booth in one corner and sat down, ordering a round of beers.

"Ss...so Denver...how's your firefightin' thing going?" Adrian asked, but the Stallion just looked down at the table, and if he had not been completely sable-furred, Adrian might have seen him blushing.

"Ah...y'know...coming along." He mumbled, just as the round of drinks appeared at their booth. Sam grabbed his glass and held it up in the air, waving a paw for silence.

"Boys...boys, I'd like to make a toast." He said, and the others quietened down. "To a speedy recovery," He said, nodding to Taylor, who grinned wryly. "To new beginnings," He said, looking at Adrian, who smiled thinly. "To brothers, and to being misfits." He said, and everyone raised their glasses in appreciation.

"To being misfits." They chorused, drinking in unison. A few minutes later their glasses were empty and upside-down on the table, and Sam was lighting a smoke. A feeling of content reigned over them, and they were happy to sit in silence, soaking in the feeling of the wake of a good night.

"What say we call it a night?" Taylor said finally, to a chorus of agreement.

"Definitely." Tim murmured, eyes closed as he leaned back in his seat.

"Bed never sounded so good." Denver said, getting to his feet unsteadily.

"Alright, I'll go settle the tab." Sam said, hiccuping gently.

"And I'll use the little Stallion's room." Denver said, and Tim snorted.

"Ain't no such thing as a 'little Stallion', and don't lie." He said blearily. "I've seen you coming out of the shower."

"See you outside." Sam said over his shoulder, going to the bar as Denver disappeared into the haze. The three of them got to their feet unsteadily, the room spinning around Adrian. The got to the door and stepped out into the cool night air, and Adrian took a deep, contented breath. It really had been a good night...

Tim bumped into a group of guys coming down the stairs behind Adrian, giggling and apologising drunkenly, but the leader of the group whirled on him angrily, pushing him in the chest.

"Watch where you're going, you drunk fuckwit!" He growled angrily

"I said I was sorry." Tim grumbled, and the guy pushed him again.

"Why don't you piss off, you queer cunt? Dressed up like a real retard, you are." He said angrily, pushing Tim again, who stumbled backwards. Adrian groaned inwardly as he looked at the pusher, insides squirming in something close to terror; he was a tall, wide Bull, his face twisted in anger. His two companions were a hulking Hyena and a furious-looking Puma, the three of them looking like the front-row of a rugby team, broken noses and piggy little eyes constant with the rest of their ilk. He knew their type, the ones who went to town looking to fight, and now they'd found an easy target, Tim... He knew he shouldn't, he knew it wouldn't end well, but...friends stick together, don't they?

Don't they?

"Leave him be, he doesn't mean to trouble you." Adrian said, darting between Tim and the Bull, whose piggy little eyes squinted with the effort of thought as he looked at Adrian. The Racoon didn't even have any warning, didn't even see the ham-like fist until it was an inch from his face, and then it was too late.

One moment he was standing, the next lying on the ground, groaning as stars danced in front of his eyes, a thumping pain pounding through his skull. He felt something wet soaking his face, but could not be sure if it was blood or not. He looked up to see the Bull grabbing Tim by his chest, grinning as he watched him struggle. The other two held Taylor tight in their arms, like Denver and Sam had done, except these two meant him no good, only harm.

Adrian heard the door to the bar open, and Sam and Denver came out like lightning bolts, fury written on their faces. Sam bought up a fist clutching a bottle that moved so fast that it was a blur, an arc that ended on the chin of the Bull. The bottle shattered and the Bull stumbled backwards as Denver shot by him, head-butting the Puma heavily in the ribs. His target went down like a sack of bricks as the Hyena dropped Taylor and sent his fists slamming into Denver's face.

The Stallion took a step back, taking the blows as if they were nothing, before sending a fist into the Hyena's throat, sending the beast choking to the pavement. Sam was grappling with the Bull, grunting as his massive fists pounded into his own gut. His knee shot up and the Bull gave a strangled yelp, letting go of the Husky and doubling over in pain. Sam reared back and raised a vengeful fist, slamming it into the Bull's unprotected temple, sending him crashing to the asphalt.

"Christ boys, we leave you for a minute and look what happens." Denver said, laughing weakly as he and Sam stood back, chests heaving as they caught their breaths. Taylor and Tim pulled Adrian to his feet, the Racoon nearly collapsing again as they let him go.

"Alright, maybe you'd better hold him." Denver said, examining the spot where Adrian had been punched. "Yeah, that's going to need stitches. Better get him to the hospital." He muttered.

" 'm bleeding?" Adrian murmured, head now truly full of stars as they world spun drunkenly around him.

"Oh yeah. Good thing we got here in time, huh?" Sam said close by, grinning at Adrian through the haze in his head. "You did good, kid." He said, patting the cheek that was not lancing with pain. "Me and Den will take him in. Taylor, you and Tim go home, get some rest." He said, and Adrian was vaguely aware of Taylor agreeing wearily. Tim suddenly appeared in his vision, grinning broadly.

"Cheers for the save, buddy." He said, hugging the unsteady Racoon. "I owe you one." He said. Supported between Denver and Sam, Adrian half-walked, half-stumbled up the stairs onto the street, but Tim lingered behind, looking down at the moaning tough guys. He looked left and right to ensure no-one was watching, and planted a swift kick in an area the Hyena wouldn't soon forget, making him double up all the more.

"Maybe that'll teach you to be nicer in the future." Tim slurred, smiling to himself as the Hyena whimpered.

"Tim!" Sam hollered from up the stairs, and the Polecat scampered after them hurriedly, leaving the three goons moaning, and wondering what happened to them.

***********************************************************************

Three hours later Adrian had sobered up, but it definitely wasn't a welcome change. Like most beasts after a hard night on the town, he was already mentally promising himself he'd never drink again. The hospital was both busy and noisy, two things he didn't want at the moment, and coupled with the bright fluorescent lights overhead, he was indeed feeling sorry with himself.

He was sitting in the waiting room miserably, in the exact same place he'd been since he'd got there. They had strapped some padding to his face to staunch the blood flow, but had given nothing for the pain, just the promise that he'd be seen to as soon as possible. The lancing pain in his cheek was made worse by his pounding headache as he sobered up, his head feeling like it was stuffed with cotton wool.

Denver was sitting on one side of him asleep, snoring uproariously, a magazine over his face, sprawled out over the small chair, and Sam was sitting on the other side of him, grimacing as he sipped at an awful vending machine coffee. He was grateful for the company, at least, but he could have done without the painfully loud emergency room.

After what seemed an age he was fetched through to have his cheek looked at, leaving his companions behind. He was led to a bed and told to wait, the aide pulling the curtain around his cubicle as she went. Adrian put his head in his paws and sighed, the thumping in his head even worse. What was it Denver had said about hangovers being like tomatoes? Oh yeah, he remembered, a sickly smile on his face, it was that they both grow under fluorescent lights...

"Right, let's have a look at you." A voice said authoritatively, and Adrian's head snapped back to see a young, weary-looking red Fox in blue scrubs coming through the curtain, pulling on a pair of white rubber gloves. "Sorry about the wait, as you might have guessed we're a bit under-staffed tonight.

"Are you the doctor?" Adrian croaked, his tongue feeling like a piece of thick leather in his mouth.

"Nurse." The Fox replied, smiling wearily. "Not doctor. No, tonight you only get a doctor if you've lost a limb or have something interesting stuck in you. You'll just have to settle for me." He said, walking up to check the cut in Adrian's cheek. He took a whiff of Adrian and blinked, his eyes watering. "Been out drinking tonight?" How asked, grinning faintly.

"Just a few." Adrian lied, wincing as the Fox pulled aside the tape that held the padding.

"I'll bet." The nurse said vaguely, inspecting the cut closely. "This will need a few stitches, yes. Been out brawling?" He asked suddenly, taking Adrian aback.

"How did you know?" He asked, and the Fox smiled mirthlessly as he started to clean out the deep split in Adrian's cheek.

"An educated guess. You ought to be more careful, you know. We get a lot like you in here. Young, drunk, think you're invincible. I've seen a lot worse off than you, so my suggestion is to avoid such confrontations in the future." He murmured.

"Believe me, I didn't want to get into it." Adrian muttered, wincing as his wound was swabbed with alcohol. "I had to step in for a friend, who was about to get his head kicked in."

"Good to see you're looking out for your mates." The Fox said, smiling as he took a step back to look at the wound. He was actually quite young, Adrian realised, and he looked pretty cute standing there in his scrubs, lines of weariness painted across his muzzle. Suddenly, Adrian's head didn't hurt so much...

"So..." The Nurse said conversationally as he picked up his surgical needle. "What do you do for a living, Mr...?" He said, leaving the question hanging.

"Adrian. Um...I'm working as a store clerk at the moment, I only just got into the city a month or so ago." He said, turning his head as directed by the Fox, whimpering as the needle slid through his flesh, pulling behind it the thick black thread to draw his wound closed.

"Oh, don't be such a baby. Hold still." The Fox scolded playfully, focusing on his work. "Only just got here aye? Your family move here from the country?"

"Nn-no." Adrian said, biting his lip as an especially bad bolt of pain cut through his face. "No, I'm here by myself."

"You're awfully young to be in the big city by yourself." The Fox said, looking down at Adrian with a thoughtful look on his face. "Moving out wasn't your choice, huh?"

"How'd you guess?"

"I was the same. Had to find my own feet here in the city, but looking back, I think it was the best thing for me."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. This place changes you, that's for sure." The Fox said, sticking his tongue out the side of his mouth as he completed another stitch.

"How long ago was that?" Adrian asked, trying to ignore the feeling of the needle cutting through his flesh. "Only, you don't look that old."

"Only five years ago. And I'm twenty-three, thank you." The Fox snorted. " 'That old.' Huh." He muttered to himself, smiling faintly. Adrian sat in silence at his stitches were finished, thinking about what the Fox had said. This city changes you...that was for sure. When he came, he'd thought he had some disease, that he was a freak. He was all alone, without a friend in the world, but his new apartment changed all that. He found support, brothers, joy, and what he'd lost with his old family - a home. He had a new family now, he realised, and they would never betray him like his old one had. No matter what they were, despite the fact they were a pack of drug-addled, bi-polar, ex-junkie freak misfits, they were his family. And that was really comforting, for some reason.

He looked up at the Fox, still engrossed in his work, Adrian's eyes taking in his youthful face, the curve of his muzzle, the cute look of concentration...and he found he couldn't take his eyes off him, couldn't look away. The nurse finished off his stitches and patted him on the head, grinning wearily as Adrian climbed off the bed.

"You're all done." The Fox said, putting a bandage on Adrian's face to cover his stitches. "I think you've been my easiest patient all night. Take it easy, and come back in five days to have someone take those out" He said as he pulled of his gloves with a snap, before turning to leave.

"Wait!" Adrian said suddenly, suddenly unsure of why he had done so when the Fox turned back to face him.

"Yes?" He said, and Adrian mouthed for a moment, unsure of what to say. Why had he stopped him?

"You know my name, don't I get to know yours?" Adrian asked, and the Fox looked at him quizzically for a moment before his face softened and he smiled.

"Its Brendan." He said. "Is that all?"

"No." Adrian said suddenly, again betrayed by his tongue before he could think of something to say. "Umm...I was wondering...since you said you were kind of like me when you came to the city, if maybe...I dunno, we could catch up sometime maybe? So you could give me a few hints on how to do it?" He asked, stumbling over his words.

"I dunno..." Brendan said uncertainly, although he was still smiling when he looked at Adrian. "We're not really supposed to..."

"Please?" Adrian said, grinning hopefully. "You can keep an eye on my stitches, make sure I don't take things too hard and damage them." The Fox thought about it for a second, looking at the madly grinning Racoon, before he sighed and gave in.

"Alright. But just to help you out." He said, writing down something on a slip of paper. "Here's my number, contact me in the next few days, okay?"

"Thanks. I will." Adrian said, all pain forgotten.

"It was nice to meet you Adrian." He said, handing the Racoon the slip.

"Nice to meet you too, Brendan." Adrian said softly, his paw brushing Brendan's own. The two of them froze, looking into each other's eyes, and for that moment, there was a connection, a link, something they both felt...

"Paging Nurse Brendan, Paging Nurse Brendan." The call came over the PA, and Brendan withdrew his paw, laughing nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry...that's me. They need my help elsewhere." Brendan said, grinning vaguely. "Take care of those stitches." He said as he ducked out of the curtained cubicle, leaving a rather stunned Adrian standing there, his outstretched paw still holding the phone-number.

A few minutes later he came out of the ward and met Denver and Sam, who cocked their eyebrows at his distant gaze and shuffling walk as the three of them left the hospital.

"Jeez, they drug you up in there or what?" Sam asked, looking at him with his head on one side as they walked down the street. Already the sky was beginning to lighten, staining grey as the sun rose, the city beginning to change from night to day, the rhythm going on unchanged.

"No." Adrian said simply, mind still blank after his exchange with Brendan.

"What you got there? Prescription we have to pick up?" Denver asked, eyeing the scrap of paper still clutched in Adrian's paw.

"Um...no. It's a phone number." Adrian said, blushing as he was broken suddenly from his reverie, stuffing the note in his pocket. Sam and Denver both looked at him goggle-eyed for a second, before they both broke into laughter.

"Ha ha, oh damn, that's awesome!" Denver said, clapping Adrian on the back so hard he nearly fell over.

"A doctor? Man that's kinky." Sam said, sounding impressed.

"Uh...no, a nurse." Adrian said, blushing even more.

"Huh? I thought you were into...y'know, guys?" Denver asked, confused.

"A male nurse." Adrian said, causing Sam to burst into even greater bouts of laughter.

"A...a murse? You went in there and got a phone number off a murse?" Sam managed, laughing so hard there were tears rolling down his cheeks. "You are a god, Adrian!" He said, and Adrian couldn't help but grin. The three of them made their way down the pre-dawn streets, laughing and hollering as they made their way home.

And the whole way, Adrian felt as if he was walking on air.

***********************************************************************

Staying true to his word, Adrian rang Brendan a few days later, when he finally had the apartment to himself. It seemed that every time he tried to use the phone, one or more of them would suddenly appear, grinning so evilly at him that he'd lose his nerve and put the phone back down. When he finally did ring Brendan, he was so nervous he could barely hold his paws still, and he hoped his voice didn't sound like he felt.

The Fox sounded somewhat surprised to hear from Adrian, but was happy to arrange a meeting the next day. They met at a small coffee shop in the afternoon, Adrian having made up a fake pretence to get away from the apartment without the others leering at him. Out of his scrubs, Brendan looked a lot younger and a lot less weary, Adrian realised, and he looked, if it were possible, even cuter. He had soft brown eyes and a kind smile, which he kept constantly as Adrian told him about his experiences so far in the city, where he was staying, and his eccentric flatmates.

"Yes, you meet a lot of strange souls in this city." The Fox had said, still smiling vaguely. He had asked about how Adrian had came to the city, but the Racoon had hesitated, looking embarrassed. Brendan had just raised his eyebrows knowingly, his smile taking on a note of sadness. He told Adrian how he himself had been kicked out of his home at an early age, in similar circumstances to the Racoon, as it happened.

He had been raised in a very strict religious family, and when his family found out he was gay, they had claimed him an abomination and sent him to a 'youth camp' to have him 'rehabilitated', Brendan had said bitterly, spitting the word like a curse. They tried to brainwash him, but he had known there was nothing wrong with him, so he had broken out one night, and had never looked back. His family didn't want him the way he was, so he decided he wouldn't return. He took what few clothes he had at the 'camp' in a duffel bag, and had gone to the bus station, catching the first bus away from there, which just happened to be coming towards this city.

"So it was fate that bought me here." Brendan had said, his kind smile returning to his face. "And I guess it was fate that sent you to me the other night."

"Really? Because it felt more like a fist to me." Adrian had replied, making the Fox laugh. The two of them left the coffee shop and started walking, their step the slow amble of those without any destination in mind. Adrian shot a sidelong glance at the cute Fox, with his jacket zipped up close to his neck to ward off the chill of an early winter as they made their way down the already treacherously icy sidewalk. Adrian listened as Brendan explained to him how he had come to the city with almost nothing, just like him, completely alone. The Fox had decided that what he wanted to do with his life was help people, so with a student loan and a night job to support him, he had began studying nursing at an inner-city college. Four years later and he had the qualifications he needed, so he had started working at the hospital where Adrian had met him. It was good work, he explained, but he didn't usually get many cute guys in distress like Adrian coming through, and they both laughed nervously. They made eye contact, and both blushed, looking down in embarrassment.

Since he had told him his story, Adrian gradually conceded his own story to the Fox, who listened tight-lipped as Adrian told him his own sad history. After he had finished and lapsed into silence, Brendan had told him he was sorry for what had happened to him, putting his arm around the Racoon's shoulder comfortingly. Adrian smiled weakly, feeling strangely at ease in the Fox's company. It was good to have someone to talk to, he guessed, someone that had been through what he had been through, that knew how he felt. Brendan seemed to be feeling similar to him, because he was certainly warmer towards the Racoon, walking close to him, blushing when their paws would brush each other while walking.

Brendan had told him he should probably return to his house to prepare for his night shift at the hospital, so they walked slowly there talking, still as nervous as schoolchildren around each other. Brendan was still living at an old YMCA (young mammal's Christian association), where he'd been staying since he first arrived in the city. When the two of them finally got there they paused at the entrance, the air full of unspoken conversation as they looked at each other, just like it had been that night they had first met. The seconds seemed to stretch into hours as neither of them said anything, both of them grinning awkwardly like idiots, waiting for the other to speak, and when they finally did, they did so in unison.

"I..."

"So..."

They both blushed and laughed nervously, looking at their footpaws.

"Sorry..." Brendan said.

"No, you go first." Adrian said.

"Look, I know this violates all the rules we're supposed to have at the hospital..." Brendan blurted out, looking nervous. "But I was wondering if maybe you'd want to meet up again sometime? For dinner or something?" He asked

The universe held its breath as Adrian looked at the nervously hopeful face of Brendan, looking at his soft brown eyes, his kind smile, the little wrinkles already forming in the corner of his eyes from working too-long hours, his adorable boyish face...

"Of course. I'd love to." Adrian said, his heart giving him a little jolt as he watched the smile spread across Brendan's face. The two of them exchanged a reluctant goodbye, and Adrian walked away as if in a dream, lost in his own world. He didn't think he could possibly feel any better...

He felt a touch on his shoulder and turned to see Brendan standing behind him, still grinning that same nervous grin, so different from the one he wore when he was doing his job, when he was in control, the one looked to for answers and help. It was an uncertain grin, the type worn by those who know they have to do what they are about to do, no matter the consequences.

"Sorry, I forgot..." He said, biting his bottom lip.

"Forgot what?" Adrian asked, confused, but Brendan leaning in and locking lips with his cut off any further comment. It was a soft, tender kiss that made Adrian's eyes start from their sockets, and fireworks explode in his head. The warmth and pressure of the Fox on his lips sent his mind spinning, his thoughts blank as Brendan finally broke the kiss with a slightly embarrassed grin.

"Forgot that." He said, smiling softly. He turned around and disappeared into his building without a backward glance, and Adrian couldn't help noticing through the pink mist in his head that Brendan's tail was wagging like a Dog's. He wandered back to the apartment in a daze, grinning like a stunned idiot the whole way.

When he finally got inside the apartment, he was still wandering in a daze, still basking in the glow of his first kiss with Brendan. He couldn't explain it, but he felt drawn to the Fox, his presence in the Racoon's mind like a looming mountain, that made everything else seem insignificant and tiny.

"How was the murse?" Sam asked from the couch as Adrian stumbled in, looking around as if he had never seen the place before.

"Nurse." He said automatically, voice absent and small.

"No, murse. Male nurse - murse." Sam said knowingly, looking up from the television at Adrian's stupid grin. "Jeez, that good, huh?" Suddenly, all four of his flatmate's attentions were fixed solely on him, all grinning broadly at his look of stunned happiness.

"Organised a second date yet?" Tim asked interestedly as Adrian sat down beside Sam.

"Wasn't a date..." He murmured in reply, but he couldn't wipe the grin off his face, making Denver laugh happily.

"That's what they all say!" He said, slapping his knee in mirth. "So when's the next one?"

"Look, yes I'm going on another date with him, no I haven't organised a date yet, and no it isn't any of your business!" Adrian said, regaining his composure.

"Alright, alright, we understand. We'll change the topic." Sam said, palms held up in a peace offering.

"We're just happy for you, is all." Denver said, leaning over the back of the couch and slapping Adrian on the shoulder. There was a chorus of agreements as the four of them settled back into their television-watching positions, silence descending over them as each waited for another to break the silence.

"So, uh..." Taylor said, trying to keep a straight face. "When do we get to meet this murse?" He asked, and the others fell about sniggering.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Adrian said, rolling his eyes, trying to hide his own grin.

"No, seriously Adrian, tell us about him." Tim said as the laughter subsided. "We don't know anything about this mystery murse of yours."

"His name's Brendan, and he's a Fox." Adrian said, ignoring the chorus of 'oohs'. "He's just like me, he got kicked out of home by his parents too, and came to the city to get away from them. He's staying down at the YMCA at the moment..."

"What's it like there?" Taylor interrupted, grinning.

"Oh, you can get yourself clean, you can get a good meal, you can hang out with all the boys. You know." Tim said, and the four of them fought a bout of laughter as Adrian forged on.

"Anyway," Adrian said as they calmed themselves. "He's this really kind, amazing guy who just wants to help people, which is why he does what he does. He's really sweet and funny, and he has the most amazing brown eyes..." He said, slowly slipping into his own world again as his flatmates watched in amusement.

"And he has the most sultry eyelashes you ever have seen." Denver mimicked, holding his paws over his heart.

"Sounds like you really like him." Sam said, ignoring the others as he looked at Adrian. "Make sure he takes care of you kiddo, else he'll have a visit from your big brothers." He added, baring just a few too many teeth to call his expression a friendly grin.

Adrian smiled and thanked him, laughing and joking along with the rest of his flatmates as they playfully mocked each other like only true friends can, for the first time in his life feeling truly rich. He had his family and his friends in one, he had a job (no matter what anyone said about it), and now he thought he might just have someone to fill that lonely void in his heart that he'd had since the day he'd known he was...different.

What was Brendan to him? He didn't know, if he was honest with himself...he was a friend, a model to look up to, someone who made him laugh, made him feel whole...and that kiss they had shared? It had made him feel like...well, there was nothing he could compare it too, not even his first kiss with a man. That had been dangerous, new, wild, whereas this had just felt...right. So many thoughts, so many things were swirling in his head, new, confusing feelings he could not understand...it was scary, like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down into the unknown, the unknown that nevertheless beckoned him insatiably. For now though, he was content to just sit and joke with his family, his friends, his brothers, and let tomorrow bring what it may.

***********************************************************************

Time passed, as it is wont to do, the year drawing closer to a close as the seasons grew colder and colder. Adrian kept seeing Brendan whenever he could, completely infatuated with the Fox. When he was finally bought to meet Adrian's surrogate brothers, they seemed to approve of him, but Adrian assumed that Sam had warned him against doing anything that might hurt Adrian by the look of glassy fear in the Fox's eyes whenever he talked to the Husky now.

It was the third day of December now, the month of November going by so fast to Adrian, it's days a blur of contented happiness as he spent his hours with Brendan. The two of them were close, it was true, and they had spent a lot of time together, but they had not done anything beyond just kissing. In truth, Adrian had never done anything with a member of his own sex...sure, he had been intimate with girls in his home town, he was no stranger to the fine art of passion, but he had no such experience with men.

He had decided to ask his friends for advice, but could only pick up the courage to ask Denver and Sam, as they seemed to have the most experience in such matters. When he had asked Denver for advice, the Stallion had looked extremely embarrassed and had ushered Adrian away with claims of waiting for an important phone call, and that he should go and ask Sam. In fact, Adrian got the feeling the Stallion was avoiding him now, just to get out of answering such questions.

When he asked Sam for advice on the subject the Husky had just laughed nervously, saying something about him being sure he had 'seen a porno that started just like this'. He eventually agreed to give the Racoon a few tips, albeit grudgingly so. He ummed and ahhed his way through the conversation, but he was very clear on one point: for the main event, so to speak, always make sure you had plenty of lubricant.

Amorous advice aside, Adrian was feeling nervous about what he knew was approaching, his first experience with another man. Although there were few people he'd rather do it with than Brendan, he thought, as he pictured his kind, warm smile and soft brown eyes. Anyway, on the fifth day of the twelfth month, Adrian and his flatmates found themselves speaking of the approaching date of Christmas.

"Looks like I won't be going home after all." Denver said as he got off the phone, sighing. "That was my Ma; says they're off to visit their kin up north, so I'm alone this Christmas."

"Don't worry big guy, you can join with me." Sam said, slapping the Stallion on the rump. "You know I'm always alone at this time of year."

"Why?" Adrian asked, chest tight. He had been dreading this for a while now: his first Christmas away from his birth home.

"Ah, my parents and I have some...differences in opinion, so I'm not really welcome at their house anymore." Sam said smoothly, rolling his eyes.

"Me too." Tim said, yawning and scratching his frizzy fur. "Me and the Colonel don't get on. I'm from a military family, y'see?" He said, when he saw the look on Adrian's face. "He didn't much like his son protesting his job, so we don't speak much any more. Also, the fact I'm an openly bi stoner probably doesn't help his opinion of me either, but hey, the man's a wack-job." He said, shrugging.

"I don't have any." Taylor said matter-of-factly, as if it were of no coincidence. "Parents, that is. Never knew them, went through the system until I was old enough to stand on my own paws."

"What about you?" Sam asked, looking at Adrian. "You'll be with us, won't you?"

"You mean it?" Adrian asked, feeling relieved. He hadn't a clue what he was going to do if he was alone on Christmas...

"Of course!" Taylor said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're family now, remember? We'll have a good old-fashioned orphan's Christmas, right here in the apartment."

"Yeah, and you could invite your Fox paramour if he's got nowhere to go. He's minus a set of parent's too isn't he?" Tim asked, and Adrian nodded, the tight feeling in his chest going in an instant. He had been worried about spending the holidays away from his family, but what was he thinking? He was with his family now, wasn't he? It would be strange, not being around his relatives on the day, but they had made it pretty clear they didn't want him back, not after he'd tarnished their family name.

"Uh...yeah." Adrian said, blushing as he looked at the floor, touched. "Thanks for inviting me, guys." It still really got to him sometimes, just how readily they'd accepted him. I mean, he'd come in off the street, some wide-eyed kid who'd never even been in the big city before, and they accepted him as if he was one of their own. Quite the opposite of his family...they'd known him his whole life, raised him, nurtured him, but as soon as he'd displeased them, they'd shown their true colours. He was among his own now, and with a slight register of surprise, he realised he was enjoying it more than he ever had his own home. He wasn't thinking about his home like he used to, regretting his mistakes, wishing he could go back. He was thinking about it now like it was; the place he'd grown up, but also the place that had shunned him. It may bear his birthplace, but Adrian no longer felt any attachment to it whatsoever.

He could not be sure why, exactly. Perhaps it was because he'd finally realised that he was not a freak, that it was his family who made the mistake, not him. Perhaps it was because he'd found solace and companionship amongst his own here in the city, found a new family to fill the void left by those who'd turned him away. And perhaps it was because of Brendan, the one he'd found that finally made him feel whole...

The weeks passed, and the weather grew colder as the streets filled with snow (although, to be fair, in their part of the city most of the snow was just brown slush, but it was the spirit of the thing that counted), until there was only a week before Christmas. Adrian was watching disinterestedly out the window at beasts scurrying about on the street below in the pre-Christmas shopping rush, when he received a phone call from the Fox, asking him what he was doing that night.

"I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to come with me to a little work get-together..." He explained. "It's just the nurses, you know? We're supposed to bring a friend, and I just thought...I dunno, maybe you'd like to come along?"

"Sure Brendan, I'd love to come." Adrian replied, smiling as he heard the Fox breathe a sigh of relief down the line.

"Thank god, I was afraid you were going to say no and I was going to bored off my tits all night." He said, and Adrian laughed. They met a few hours later on a busy street corner, the Fox looking rather sheepish when he saw Adrian.

"Thanks for coming along." He said again after he greeted the Racoon with a kiss.

"Hey, it's fine, really." Anything to spend more time with you, he added mentally, feeling strangely warm inside despite the December chill. "So what's this thing all about?"

"Oh, it's kind of a Christmas party for the nursing staff." Brendan said as they began walking, the two of them calm and out of place in the mad rush of the city. "You know, pretty relaxed kind of thing. Few drinks, some laughs, maybe a bit of entertainment." He said, but there was something about the way he said it that made Adrian pause.

"What do you mean by entertainment?" He asked.

"You hungry?" Brendan said, ignoring his question as he ordered a couple of hotdogs from a street vendor.

"Brendan, what do you mean by entertainment?" Adrian asked again, and the Fox turned around with an embarrassed grin, a hotdog in each paw.

"Well, most of the nursing staff are female, so I think they hired some...dancers." He said awkwardly, and Adrian could not help but laugh at the look on the Fox's face.

"You mean they hired some..." Adrian began, grinning, but the Fox cut him off as he handed him one of the dogs.

"Entertainment. That's what I said." He said, biting into his hotdog.

"Bren'..." Adrian said, wiping some errant sauce away from the Fox's chin. "It's okay, you don't need to feel threatened by them. You're the only Fox for me." He said sarcastically, and Brendan smirked.

"Ha ha, very funny." He muttered, rolling his eyes as Adrian chuckled beside him. The nurses had rented out a small private bar above a nightclub for their party, and as soon as Adrian entered the dark interior, he began to seriously question Brendan's meaning of 'a few drinks'.

He could already see there were a group of women lined along the bar, downing shots as fast as the barman could lay them out for them. As soon as they stopped downing shots they began ordering cocktails, the single barman working feverishly as he tried to belt out their orders.

"Pretty relaxed kind of thing?" Adrian asked, in shock as he looked at the, well, for want of a better term, ravenous horde that flocked the bar.

"Well if I said pack of randy booze-hags you wouldn't have come now, would have of you?" Brendan replied, winking to the Racoon just as the women at the bar seemed to notice him.

"Brendan! Come get some down you!" One of them cried, all of the nurses beckoning for him to come, one of them waving a bottle of tequila that the barman was half-heartedly trying to snatch back from her. He looked at Adrian and shrugged sheepishly, but Adrian just grinned and pushed him lightly towards them.

He watched the Fox with a smile on his face as he sauntered over to the bar, drumming a tattoo on the bar surface as he waited for a drink, laughing and jesting with his colleagues. When he laughed, his eyes seemed to sparkle and catch the light, his boyish face lit-up and full of life. Brendan did a few shots off the bar, before some of the nurses insisted they do body shots off of him. Adrian grinned as he watched the Fox try and say no, but the women wouldn't take no for an answer, and eventually Brendan gave in, leaning back over the bar and letting them take shots off his fur.

"What about your friend, Bren'?" One of them asked, looking to where Adrian still stood by the door. The Fox gestured for Adrian to come over, pouting playfully when he didn't.

"Oh come on!" One of the nurses exclaimed.

"We won't bite." Another said.

"Yeah, we'll leave that up to Brendan." The first replied, getting a round of such raucous laughter that both Adrian and Brendan blushed beneath their fur. Brendan motioned again, giving him such a sad, big-eyed look that Adrian had no choice but to give in. He approached the bar while the nurses cheered drunkenly, eyeing him up.

"This your mate, Bren'?" One of them asked, and the Fox blushed again, mouthing wordlessly. The nurses forced Brendan to lie back on the bar as the bartender took a shot glass and laid it in the thick fur at the base of his neck, filling it to the brim with some lethal-looking spirit. Goaded on by the crowd of women, Adrian got up on the balls of his feet and leant over the Fox to reach the glass. He was so close to the Fox he could smell his musk, could feel his heart beat beneath him, and see his chest rise and fall excitedly...

Adrian wrapped his lips around the shot glass and tilted his head backwards, letting the fiery liquid stream down his throat as he straightened up, fighting the urge to cough as he did so. Brendan straightened up with a grin, plucking the glass out of Adrian mouth and locking lips passionately with him, the nurses cheering deafeningly. Brendan broke away, grinning roguishly and winking at Adrian, who gaped, dumbfounded.

"Oh, why are all the cute ones always gay?" One of the nurses moaned.

"Who is going to take care of us girls?" Another asked jokingly, just as the music changed, taking on a more seductive, racy tune. "Right on cue." She said, cocking her eyebrows as a spotlight was bought up to reveal a broad-shouldered grey Wolf strutted into the light, grinning hungrily, his tight shirt revealing a rippling chest. A wild, drunken cry went up from the nurses and Adrian and Brendan exchanged amused looks as the first of the 'entertainment' began his act.

The two of them found a seat together at a table in the darkness as they Wolf began to strut through the women, who howled in drunken happiness as he began to strip. Adrian and Brendan found it hard keeping a straight face as all this went on, the Fox shrugging apologetically. Ten minutes later the Wolf was down to a tight thong that left absolutely nothing whatsoever to the imagination, still grinning broadly as he disappeared, the music changing again as another dancer came out, this time dressed as a fire-fighter.

"How many dancers did they hire?" Adrian asked, but Brendan just shrugged.

"No idea. Sorry about this, I guess I should have warned you before I dragged you along." Brendan murmured.

"It's alright, really." Adrian said, smiling as he slid closer to the Fox in the darkness. "Besides, I'm kind of enjoying this."

"Adrian!" Brendan said in mock horror. "I'm shocked and appalled, that such lewd behaviour would titillate you in such a way."

"Not like that." Adrian said, shoving the Fox playfully. "I mean getting to spend time with you." He said, looking into Brendan's eyes. His face seemed soften as he looked back at the Racoon, his warm smile spreading even further.

"Adrian..." He said, but was suddenly interrupted by a yell that could be heard even over the music.

"Go visit the lovebirds, over there in the corner!" One of the Nurses yelled, and the stripper turned towards them, sliding seductively towards them, paying no attention to their laughter-choked refusals. The dancer was a dark Stallion, the front of his fire-fighter's jacket open to reveal his bare chest, short-furred and heavily-muscled. As he reached the two of them he tore off his jacket and tossed it back into the nurses behind him, leaving him wearing just suspenders and pants, and of course, the fire-fighter's helmet. The dancer began grinding his pelvis at them in the air, his obvious blessings apparent through the tight pants he wore.

"Take them off!" One of the nurses cried, just as the spotlight caught up with the Stallion, illuminating all three of them suddenly. Adrian's eyes grew wide at the exact same time as the stripper's, both of them freezing in sudden shock. The stripper, the dark Stallion in the fire-fighters gear, was Denver! Looking just as shocked as Adrian felt, the Stallion coughed in embarrassment, turning away suddenly and going back to the nurses, leaving Adrian sitting in a daze.

No wonder he never talked about this fire-fighter's training course any more...Adrian thought, a disbelieving grin beginning to creep about his muzzle. He broke into laughter there in the darkness, Brendan looking shocked beside him.

"Wasn't that...?" The Fox ventured, sounding confused.

"Yes!" Adrian choked in between bouts of laughter, tears streaming down his face. Denver finished his set in a few minutes, hurrying off as fast as he could manage, as another dancer took his place in front of the crowd.

A few minutes later Adrian saw the door to the private bar open, and Denver, fully clothed this time, poke his head around the door, motioning to Adrian hurriedly. Adrian excused himself and went outside, pausing to try and keep a straight face before stepping out.

It didn't last long; as soon as he took one glance at the embarrassed look on Denver's face he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Adrian, I'm sorry you had to see that..." Denver said sheepishly, the noise of the party muffled by the door's closing.

"I'm not. No wonder you work out so much, to maintain a body like that." Adrian said, fighting to keep control of his laughter.

"I mean...none of you were supposed to find out. Not yet, anyway." Denver said, and his face looked so ashamed that Adrian couldn't help but feel sorry for the Stallion.

"Why not? Are you still doing your fire-fighter's training?" Adrian asked

"I was...but it was really hard. And it cost a lot of money, money I didn't have. I started doing this because I got told I would make a great stripper, and that I'd make five times what most beasts make." Denver said quietly, looking down at his footpaws. "I feel kind of... shameful, really. Imagine if my Ma could see me now." He looked so pitiful, his broad shoulders slumped and rounded, that the Racoon could not help but feel sorry for him...he looked like a big kid...

"Hey, don't worry about it." Adrian said, putting his arm around the Stallion's big shoulders. "You've got nothing to be ashamed of, believe me. You're working hard, making people happy, and making a fair mint for yourself."

"I guess so." Denver said, smiling weakly. "You really think I'm making people happy?"

"Those girls in there seemed pretty happy to see this fireman's hose." Adrian said, grinning, and Denver blushed.

"You want to break the news to them about my particular tastes, or should I?" Denver said, laughing. "So that's your Fox aye? You two seemed pretty close when I came over..." He ventured

"Yeah, things are going really well between us. I really like him, you know?"

"Oh yeah?"

"I mean like...really, really like him." Adrian said, and it was his turn to blush as Denver chuckled.

"Well that's really sweet kiddo. You make sure he takes good care of you." The Stallion said. "Now you get back in there before he starts missing you." He said, and Adrian grinned.

"You going to be alright?" He asked, and Denver nodded.

"Yeah...thanks for the pep-talk." He said, and Adrian turned to go back inside. "Wait!" He said suddenly, making the Fox turn.

"What is it?" He asked

"Um..." Denver said, looking embarrassed again. "Can you...not tell anyone about this?" He asked, and Adrian grinned.

"Of course. Good night, Denver, and thanks for the show." He said.

"Good night, Adrian." The Stallion murmured, watching him as he went back inside the bar, the loud music cutting through the night again for a moment before it was muted by the closing door.

Adrian and Brendan stayed for a few hours more, drinking, laughing and joking with the nurses, even long after the strippers had left. Finally they decided to call it a night, saying goodbye to the nurses just as they themselves planned to hit the town, deciding it was probably best to leave them to their own devices.

Head swimming slightly from the alcohol, Adrian walked close to Brendan down the night-time streets, mind unable to shake the image of that body shot the two had shared earlier that evening...being so close to the Fox, smelling his musk, hearing his heartbeat, feeling their fur brush against each other...it made him shiver even now, just thinking of it.

Brendan walked Adrian to his apartment, the two of them talking sporadically about this and that, until they were finally outside the apartment itself.

"Thankyou for such a great night out." Adrian said, smiling. "I really ended up enjoying it."

"Well, thanks for keeping me company. Sorry for outing your friend as a stripper." Brendan replied, and Adrian chuckled.

"I'm sure he'll get over it. He's a big boy."

"Yes, I could tell. Those were rather tight pants he was wearing." Brendan said, and they both laughed. As the laughter subsided they found themselves looking into one another's eyes, each of them lost in the other.

"Goodnight." Adrian murmured.

"Goodnight." Brendan said, his voice barely a whisper. He drew in close, hesitated for barely a moment, and locked lips with the Racoon, making his head swim even more. The kiss was soft at first, tender and loving, the brushing of lips and tender caressing of fur making Adrian melt. The Fox reached up and brushed an errant lock of fur from the Racoon's face, the tender touch on his mask sending blood rushing through his skull. Brendan broke away and once more looked deep into Adrian's eyes, as if seeking something in their depths, his soft brown orbs making the Racoon feel safe and warm.

Adrian pulled Brendan closer and locked lips again, more passionately this time, everything seeming to blur and run together around them as Adrian felt hot blood rush to his face. The two of their bodies brushed close together, pulled closer, held, their two hearts beating as if one as their tongues danced together in their mouths, each of them tasting the other. Adrian let out a little whimper that Brendan felt, more than heard, through his muzzle, and the Fox responded likewise, whimpering passionately.

Breathing heavily, Adrian broke away from Brendan's muzzle, still attached to the Fox through his tight embrace. A new light shone in the Racoon's eyes, an eager, hungry look that took Brendan off guard.

"Now." Adrian said simply, voice husky with desire.

"What?" Brendan asked

"No more waiting." The Racoon said, fumbling with his key in the lock, pulling the Fox into the apartment behind him as he slammed the door behind him. He only just reached the lounge, in all its dank glory, before he turned and locked lips again with the Fox, kissing him hungrily, running his paws all over his body. He explored as much of the Fox as he could, like an excited child as he ran his paws over everything, exploring the shape of his muscles, the contour of his spine, his tail, his rump...everything.

The two of them stumbled across the room and ended up leaning on the table for support, Adrian still on top of the Fox. He practically tore the shirt off of Brendan, who grinned and returned the favour, admiring his Racoon as he kissed breathlessly down the side of the Fox's neck. The Racoon pulled back and grinned, slightly shame-faced as he struggled for breath, eyes bright behind his mask as he eyed Brendan up and down.

"Sorry, I got a little over-excited..." Adrian said, but Brendan paid no attention, reaching behind him and gripping him by the rump, pulling him right in close and kissing him passionately, kneading his buttocks tenderly as he did so. Their bare fur mixed and intermingled as their tongues danced hungrily together, Adrian taking in a deep breath of the Fox's musk through his nostrils as he felt his cock straining inside his trousers. He whimpered again, one of his wandering paws straying down the Fox's thin chest, running through his fur slowly as it worked it's way down.

He reached out tentatively and slowly stroked the crotch of Brendan's jeans, feeling the thick shaft straining inside as his own was. The Fox groaned quietly and tossed his head back, grabbing Adrian's wrist and pulling it away. The Racoon looked imploringly to the Fox, but he just shook his head, grinning evilly.

"Nuh-uh" He murmured breathlessly, tongue lolling out as he talked. "It's your first time, so you get everything." He said, letting go of Adrian's paw. Gripping him under the buttocks and spinning as he lifted him, seating him solidly on the dining table. Adrian watched, wide eyed, as Brendan's paw snaked down towards his fly, his breath catching in his throat as the Fox teased out the zipper tooth by tooth, watching Adrian's expression hungrily.

Adrian grunted a little as the Fox's paw reached into the dark recesses of his pants, feeling his deft paw wrap around his swollen shaft, teasing it out of it's hiding place and letting it free into the light. It's swollen red shaft glistened in the grimy light of the apartment, Brendan admiring it as Adrian felt his heart pound in his chest.

The Fox grinned up and Adrian and winked, wrapping his paw around his cock and began to work it up and down, teasing it's length, stroking it's shaft, Adrian's breath coming in gasps and grunts as he felt Brendan working his cock. He had never felt anything like it before...I mean, sure, he'd done it himself plenty of times, but he'd never felt it like this...

He let out a whimper as the Fox worked his cock, his tongue lolling out as he looked down on Brendan's look of concentration, heaving a shuddering sigh of pleasure.

"You ready?" Brendan asked

"Fuh what?" Adrian managed, just as Brendan plunged his cock into his own muzzle, tonguing the length of it tenderly, his long, soft pink tongue working wonders on the youth's swollen member. Adrian cried out in sudden pleasure as he felt Brendan's sharp teeth brush his cock, his tongue dancing on the head of his shaft.

Warm streams of drool leaked from the Fox's maw and trailed down Adrian's cock to rest in the fur at the base of his sheath, his chest heaving as he gasped for air, eyes clenched shut in ecstasy. Brendan sucked at his cock hungrily, one paw up on Adrian's belly, running it's fingers through his fur as the other still worked the base of his cock.

Adrian let out a long, shuddering cry as he felt something building up inside of him, a wave that broke suddenly and spilled out into him, filling every pore, blinding him, making every breath a riot of smell, every sight an explosion of colours, his back arching and his throat loosing a pleasured cry. As he finally came back down to earth, he saw Brendan was still holding his cock breathlessly, grinning broadly. He had cum splattered all across his muzzle and paw, and his eyes were hooded and sultry.

"Oh...oh my god..." Adrian managed eventually, looking in wonder at Brendan. "That was amazing...I've never...I mean..." He rambled, but the Fox just pulled him close and kissed him passionately, the taste of his own seed rife in his mouth.

"You're welcome." Brendan said after they finally broke the kiss, Adrian lapping at the cum still staining the Fox's muzzle. The Racoon's paw again strayed to the Fox's belt, where he could see a bulge fighting to break through, but again Brendan stopped him.

"Don't you want me to..." Adrian asked, confused.

"Of course." Brendan said, grinning. "But like I said, you get it all tonight."

"I want it." Adrian said, nodding eagerly.

"Are you sure?" Brendan asked, but the Racoon just nodded again, eyes bright and hungry again.

"Of course. But just give me a minute..." He said, remembering Sam's words to him. He got up from the table and hurried off down the hall, leaving the Fox standing alone in the lounge. He ducked into the Husky's room, hoping he wouldn't mind...he checked the bedside drawers, where he had shown it to Adrian, and there it still was, a tube of lubricant. He grabbed it up hurriedly and went back out, trying not to run in excitement.

He grinned as he came back into the lounge, Brendan catching him up in his arms and kissing him passionately, holding him tight. The Fox break back from the embrace, still smiling kindly, his brown eyes pulling Adrian deep into their gaze.

"You sure you want to do this?" He asked again, and Adrian broke away, pulling off his shoes and dropping his pants, standing naked in front of the Fox, his spent cock already beginning to swell again. "I'll take that as a yes..." Brendan murmured as Adrian got close to him, fumbling with his belt buckle. His breath came quick and fast as he tried to undo the Fox's pants, panic at what lay ahead beginning to take hold of him.

"Calm yourself Adrian." The Fox laughed, pulling the Racoon's chin up and looking into his eyes, smiling softly. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you." Adrian took a deep breath and tried again, Brendan's own paws helping him with the clasps on his jeans. Adrian let them fall to the floor and Brendan stepped out of them, standing there in just his boxers, his swollen member more apparent than ever. The Racoon let his trembling fingers pull the shorts down, and they were both naked, Adrian gasping a little as he saw the Fox's cock, glistening red in the light. He had never seen another cock, never had another next to his own, never felt the delicious mix of fear and excitement he felt now.

Brendan stepped close to him and kissed his lips softly, his cock brushing up through his fur as he did so. Adrian closed his eyes and kissed him softly back, his heart racing as he felt Brendan's paws curl around his buttocks, lifting him again onto the table, this time making him lie back. Adrian passed him the tube of lubricant and he smiled softly, reassuringly, taking a thick dollop and applying it to his swollen member, until it shone in the weak light. He took another measure and applied it to Adrian's tailhole, the Racoon whimpering as he felt the cold, slippery gel slide between his cheeks. He let out a surprised yelp as the Fox eased one of his fingers into his hole to spread the lubricant, biting his lip with pleasure as he stuck a second in after, to make sure he could stretch enough.

The Fox laid a paw on Adrian's chest, smiling as he felt his heart beating wildly beneath it.

"Your heart is pounding like a drum, Adrian." He said, smiling softly. "Relax."

"Do it, please." Adrian said, looking down at the shining, moistened cock that hovered inches from his tailhole, the anticipation almost too much for him. The Fox gripped his feet and pulled them up, placing them on his shoulders for support, before gripping the Racoon's hips tenderly, easing his shaft in as softly as he could.

Adrian gasped suddenly, as he felt the sharp surprise of penetration, biting his tongue and clenching his eyes shut as he felt a bite of pain that quickly turned to pleasure, letting out a long, shuddering breath of delight as the Fox's shaft worked into him. His toes curled and his paws grabbed handfuls of his own fur as the wave of mixed pleasure and pain cut through him, making his eyes water. The Fox paused when he was almost fully in, looking up at Adrian.

"You okay?" He asked, sounding breathless.

"Uh-huh." Adrian managed, feeling unlike he ever had before. The Fox grinned and started to draw out again, the feeling making Adrian's cock stand straight up again like a flagpole. He thrust slowly back in again, making Adrian cry out in pleasure, tears beginning to stream from his eyes as the sensation grew too much for him. It hurt, but at the same time, it was so good...he couldn't explain it. He suddenly became aware that Brendan had stopped, and opened his eyes, to see the Fox frozen, his eyes wide.

"Why'd you stop?" He asked, following his gaze to the hallway that led to the door, his heart freezing as he did so. Standing there in the doorway was Sam, still wearing his sunglasses, a cigarette perched between his lips, and a pizza box in one paw. Insofar as he could tell through those dark sunglasses, Adrian guessed the Husky's expression was probably one of deep shock.

"Umm..." Adrian said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that seemed to have stretched on forever. "I thought we weren't supposed to smoke in the apartment?" He said, eyeing the lazy smoke curling up from Sam's muzzle. It probably wasn't the best thing to say, but at least it was something.

"I thought we weren't supposed to yiff on the living room table?" Sam replied, sounding rather shell-shocked.

"Well...it was never a specified rule..." Adrian said, still unable to think, very aware of his erect cock standing like a flagpole.

"I won't tell if you won't." Sam said hurriedly.

"Agreed." Adrian said.

"Um...I've got some pizza here, if you want any..." Sam said absently, but Adrian and Brendan just shook their heads.

"No, we're good." Adrian said.

"Alright then. I'll leave you too it." Sam said, walking slowly towards his room, trying to avert his eyes. "You have fun. Brendan." He said, nodding to the Fox.

"Sam." Brendan said, nodding to return the nervous greeting. The door closed behind Sam, and the two of them exchanged a glance, bursting into laughter.

"I don't think he was expecting that." Brendan said, grinning shamefacedly

"He'll get over it." Adrian said, grinning. "Now, where were we?" He asked

"Oh, I believe we were here..." Brendan said, thrusting into Adrian suddenly, making him gasp in pleasure. The Fox laughed and began to thrust evenly, grinning as he watched Adrian shake and moan. The Racoon used his legs to pull the Fox closer, pulling him deeper into his anus.

Brendan picked up his pace as he noted Adrian's urgency, snorting through his nose heatedly as he looked down at the look on Adrian's muzzle. Adrian felt the pace pick up as he was fucked harder and harder, unable to keep from groaning loudly.

He clapped a paw over his muzzle to try and mask the sounds from Sam, but could not stop the loud moaning as he felt his anus stretch and shift to fit the Fox. The Fox again picked up his pace, tongue lolling, his maw drooling over Adrian laid out beneath him. Again Adrian felt the wave of orgasm building in his gut, the mix of sensations too much for him. The smell of cock and musk, the sound of his moans and Brendan's breathing, the sight of the Fox's hungry face above him, the feeling of a cock stretching his insides, the taste of blood in his mouth from biting down on his lip too hard.

Brendan began fucking as hard and fast as he could, pile-driving into Adrian's virgin anus until the Racoon cried out in pain and pleasure, making sure his mate reached the very pinnacle of ecstasy. The sensation was too much for Adrian, who felt his back arch as the orgasm grew to breaking point in him, his body already well past the point of no return. His grunted a few times as he tried to take in breath, but finally unleashed an almighty cry of pleasure as he came again, his claws scrabbling deep marks in the wood of the table beneath him.

His fiery cum shot straight into the air from his loose cock, staining Brendan's chest as he kept fucking as hard as he could muster, the feeling of the Racoon's quivering, stiffening anus spelling the end for him. He pulled back and thrust forward in one final blow, gripping Adrian's thighs to pull him closer and deeper, crying out in pleasure as his seed shot deep into the Racoon's guts, the thief still squirming and groaning in post-orgasmic glory.

Brendan practically fell onto Adrian in exhaustion, the two of them kissing and embracing tenderly, their breathing heavy and fast in each other's ears. Adrian could feel Brendan's heart hammering next to his own as the Fox lay on top of him, feel his fur shift in the wake of his hot breath, and closed his eyes, smiling contentedly.

***********************************************************************

The sun was beginning to filter down into the apartment to signify dawn as Sam gently opened the door to the living room, smiling as he saw Brendan and Adrian curled up on the couch under a duvet, a pile of their discarded clothes beside them. The Fox's eyes were closed in gentle sleep, his head resting on Adrian's chest. The Racoon was still awake, propped up against the back of the couch, looking down at his mate with something like wonder in his eyes.

"Morning you." Sam said as he padded quietly into the kitchen, nodding to Adrian, who murmured a reply, seemingly unable to tear his gaze from the slumbering Brendan in his arms. "You look like you had fun last night."

"Yeah..." Adrian mumbled, looking up suddenly with an ashamed light in his eyes. "Sorry you had to walk in on that..."

"Hey, it's fine." The Husky muttered as he busied himself boiling the kettle. "I've walked in on much worse, believe me. You want a cup of something?"

"Mm? No, I should be fine." Adrian said quietly, looking back down on Brendan, whose ears were flicking in his sleep. Sam came and sat in the armchair beside Adrian's couch a few minutes later, a chipped mug of steaming tea in his paw. He was still wearing his sunglasses, like he had been when he had entered, and he plucked a cigarette out from behind his ear with a grin as he watched Adrian.

"Can't sleep?" Sam asked

"I don't want to..." Adrian mumbled. "I can't close my eyes for a second before I open them again, just to look at him." He said, voice barely a whisper as he looked down on the sleeping Fox. "What's your excuse?" He asked, looking up at the Husky.

"Oh, you know, always pretty pumped after a good set, it's usually pretty hard to sleep." The Husky said, shrugging as he lit his smoke and drew on it deeply. "And the fact that I've got enough bzp in my system to power a train probably doesn't help." He muttered, pulling down his dark shades to show Adrian his eyes, which were not only a piercing blue, but also twitching and shuddering constantly, out of the Husky's control. "Curse of the trade, I guess." He said in an off-handed manner, pushing his glasses back up to the bridge of his muzzle. "So how's it between you and the Fox?" He asked, looking sidelong at the still-slumbering Brendan.

"It's weird." Adrian said quietly, stroking the Fox's brow lightly. "It's like I can't stop thinking about him, like he's everything to me. I wish he were awake, so I could hear his laugh, could see his smile, but I don't want to wake him up, I don't want to disturb him while he's dreaming. I wish he could sleep forever, just so I could watch him at peace, hear his soft breath." He sighed, looking down on Brendan with shining eyes. "He's the first thing I think of when I wake up, the last thing that goes through my mind before I go to sleep. Everything reminds me of him, his smile, his eyes, his soft fur...I spend all my time thinking of when I can see him next, and straight away after I've seen him I start thinking the same thing! I want to spend every second with him, for the rest of my life, and I'd do anything just to make him happy." Adrian said, joy in his voice, and Sam smiled.

"Sounds like you have more than just a crush on him." The Husky said, sipping at his mug to hide a grin.

"What do you mean?" Adrian asked, looking up, his eyes wide.

"Adrian...what you just described sounds like you're in love." Sam said, a knowing look in his smiling eyes. Adrian said nothing, looking down at the Fox in silence, his mouth slightly ajar. He ran a paw over his sleeping face, gently touching his muzzle, his brow, and the corners of his eyes, which crinkled when his eyes were closed.

"In love..." He murmured, staring at the slumbering Fox. So many emotions were swirling inside him, frightening new feelings he'd never experienced before. "Sam..." He said, his voice sounding hollow as he looked up to the Husky with fear in his eyes. "I've been thinking...what if my family were right? What if what we are doing is wrong? What if this...all of this, just isn't meant to be?"

Sam didn't reply at first, silently rolling his cigarette between his fingers. Finally, he pointed its glowing tip towards the ceiling, looking at it closely as he spoke.

"Let me tell you something Adrian." He said, voice emotionless and blank. "Denver and me...we fucked the other day. I've never done it before, never even thought about it until...well, there was no one else home but him and me. I was bored, so I went and found him in his room, where he was doing his strongman thing, sitting there wearing only pants, pumping those weights. We got to talking, and I asked him if he'd teach me how to work out like him, because I'd never really worked it out. I'd never really tried, to tell the truth." He said, smiling slightly.

"Well, I remember I was standing there in front of him, and he was guiding my arm on the weight, showing me just how to do it to get the best results. He was standing over me there, explaining it to me, and I realised I couldn't hear him talking, I could only hear his heart beating, right beside my ear. It was the only thing I could hear, it was like he was the only thing that existed.

He stopped talking, and I turned around and looked up into his eyes, and something clicked...it wasn't something new, it was something that had always been there, but now it was...different." The Husky said, voice sounding strange.

"It was really weird afterwards, when we were just lying there. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, I mean, I certainly did, and by the mess we made I think Denver did too. It was that I'd never just lain with someone after I'd fucked, I'd never just lain back and basked in it.

We never said anything, from the start right until the end, it was like we both knew exactly what we were doing, and exactly what was going on. In fact, it wasn't until later, when I was lying with him, muzzle to muzzle, looking into his eyes, that it fully sank in what I'd done. And it wasn't a realisation that made me afraid, or shocked, or disgusted. It was the opposite; for the first time, I felt truly happy. Not drug-ridden, boozed up partying happy, but truly, deeply happy. Anyway, what I mean by all of this," Sam murmured, getting to his feet, tucking his smoke between his lips. "Is that when you find happiness, don't worry about where you find it. Just be glad you found happiness." He said, looking down at the wide-eyed Racoon.

"You and Denver?" He asked, and Sam nodded, smiling.

"I'm going to leave you be now, because I can see you got some thinking to do. I've got to stay awake for a little business deal I set up with a guy from work anyway, so I'll see you around. Be happy with what you have Adrian," He said, ruffling his headfur. "It doesn't matter who says what, as long as you are happy. And only let that Fox walk away if he's coming back later." Adrian laughed and smiled back down Brendan, watching his gentle slumber with loving care.

"Sam..." He said as the Husky turned to walk away. "Thanks." He said, and the Husky smiled.

"That's alright. Anything to make sure you're happy." He said, smiling softly. "And be sure you say goodbye to your little friend for me. It's a shame to see him go..." He said, winking at Adrian. "But don't you just love to watch him walk away?" He said, disappearing back towards his room as Adrian choked down a laugh, not wanting to awaken the Fox.

So...he thought, biting his lip softly, love...he loved Brendan? That was...it wasn't unexpected, he guessed, but it was still...still a surprise to hear himself think those words. But, as he thought about his feelings for the Fox, he supposed it was true. Yes...he loved Brendan, he thought happily, a grin spreading across his muzzle. The Fox shifted in his arms, his eyelids flickering softly and opening, his soft brown eyes focusing on Adrian above him as he woke up.

"Mornin'..." He mumbled, smiling contentedly.

"Good morning to you too." Adrian murmured. "And thankyou for last night."

"Mm. Pleasure was all mine, really." Brendan grinned, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

"About eight o'clock" Adrian said, and Brendan swore softly.

"Shit, I'm supposed to be at the hospital at nine..." He said, looking up wretchedly. "I'm not just saying that, I do want to stay..." He said, but Adrian shushed him, laying a paw on his lips.

"I know." He whispered. "It's okay. Go, save lives. They need you more than I do." Brendan looked up, smiling happily, his soft eyes boring into Adrian.

"Thankyou." He murmured, arching his head up to kiss the Racoon. The kiss was soft and passionate, sending a warm tingle from his feet right to the tips of his ears, making Adrian sigh internally. The Fox broke away and rolled away with a whimper, frowning as their body's seperated after resting together, the warmth ebbing from his body. He got dressed slowly, as if he didn't want to leave the Racoon, looking almost sad as he stood, ready to go.

"Um..." He said as Adrian stood up to say goodbye, only the blanket wrapped around him.

"I..." Adrian said, but he was interrupted.

"I..." Brendan said too, and they both stopped, looking each other in the eye, embarrassed.

"Sorry..."

"Your first..."

"No, you..." Adrian said, and Brendan grinned, choosing instead to pull Adrian close to him and lock lips with him again. The Racoon let out a slight moan as he felt the Fox's warmth, so soon departed, ebb into him again. His whole body seemed to go limp with tranquil pleasure, the duvet falling from his limp paws to lie around his ankles, so Brendan was once again clutching his naked fur.

Adrian blushed as the two of them broke away, looking down at his bare grey fur, but Brendan just grinned.

"I have to go..." He murmured

"I already miss you." Adrian whispered, and Brendan smiled, turning away with a rent that both of them felt. As the Fox left, looking over his shoulder constantly, Adrian found himself silently agreeing with Sam...he hated to say goodbye...but he did enjoy watching him go, that was for sure, he thought as he admired his mate's firm posterior beneath his bushy tail.

As the door closed behind him, Adrian felt the weight of a long night crash into him suddenly, sagging in sudden exhaustion. He gathered up his clothes and shuffled naked down the hallway towards his room, not caring who he met on the way. Well, he thought, exhausted, it had certainly been a night...he had learnt a few new things. He had felt some new things, in both the physical and more metaphoric sense, he thought, smiling vaguely as he climbed into his cold bed. Sam and Denver...they were a pair he'd never have picked, but like the Husky had said, find happiness wherever you could...and Adrian had found happiness in Brendan.

He sighed contentedly as his eyes closed and he sunk into his soft pillow, the rusty bedsprings creaking beneath him as he shifted his weight. His sore muscles throbbed from exertion, and his head was thick and tired, but he was happy...he was happy.

***********************************************************************

The sun was on its downward trek as Adrian roused that afternoon, blinking blearily, his mind blank as he threw on some old clothes and shambled down the dark hallway, yawning as he passed the piles of cardboard boxes.

Still half-asleep, he scratched himself absently as he walked into the empty living room, stepping around a few more stacks of the boxes into the kitchen. He poured himself a bowl of cereal, still pretending it was breakfast no matter what the time was. He yawned cavernously as he half-walked, half-stumbled bleary eyes to the dining table, shifting a few more of the cardboard boxes that littered the room so he could sit down. The table itself was covered in the boxes, but he cleared himself a small space as he began to chew stoically, mind still blank and lost from sleep.

The first thing he remembered was the night he had spent with Brendan, which brought a dreamy, stupid smile to his muzzle. Was what Sam said true? Did he really feel love for the Fox? The next thing he remembered was Sam's admission of his own exploits, and new found feelings for Denver, which made him remember what he himself had learnt about Denver's secret life the night before. He smiled as he remembered the Stallion's big, honest face going blank with fear as he realised his secret was revealed. Poor guy, he seemed to really take it hard that his secret job had been discovered. But it wasn't like he a hooker or anything; like Brendan said, he was just 'entertainment'.

Adrian froze suddenly, spoon halfway to his open mouth as he looked around the lounge, his brain finally kicking into gear and recognising something was amiss. All over the apartment, stacked up high to the roof, were sealed cardboard boxes of varying size, stacked up on every surface. This must be the deal Sam was talking about staying awake for, he thought, blinking as he took in the immense amount of boxes crammed into the apartment.

He pulled the nearest box to him and opened it, dreading what sort of mysterious deal Sam might have got himself involved in. As he pulled aside the flaps and looked at what was inside the box, the Racoon's eyes bulged in shock, his jaw dropping. He shook his head and went to the next box, opening it to find similar contents, a vein above his eye twitching in horror. The next box, and the next, all the same, each full of the same thing. He knew the Husky had some shady business associates, but this? This was too far; Adrian had to draw the line at something.

"Sam!" He yelled angrily, turning his back on his flatmate's 'deal', "I need to speak to you!"

***********************************************************************

"I honestly don't see what the big deal is." Sam said, shrugging expressively. It was an hour later, when Adrian had dragged the Husky out of his bed, to answer a few questions the Racoon had for him. Taylor was there too, poring over the merchandise with a vaguely interested look on his face.

"What the big deal is?" Adrian asked, still horrified. "I know you go a little beyond the law, but this? Selling this amount of filth?"

"What? It's just porn." Sam said, shaking his head in disbelief. And indeed it was; an entire shipment of imported pornography, stored in their apartment. Magazines, DVDs, videos, and all manner of sex toys were filling the boxes all around them, packed so thick and plentiful that they were making the very air smutty around them. DVDs with titles like 'Tails from the Crypt', 'Will he Bonk you in the Chocolate Factory?' and 'The Boy who cried Wolf' were scattered on the table, and Taylor was skimming through a magazine entitled 'Barnyard Bliss', making impressed little noises behind them.

"Exactly! It's nearly two tonnes of pornography! It's just...not right!" Adrian said, unable to put his paw on what just was wrong with what Sam had done. There had to be, right? There couldn't be so much smut concentrated in a single place without some law being broken, could there?

"Look, it's all perfectly legal." Sam said soothingly. "Well, kind of." He said, putting up a paw when he saw the look on Adrian's face. "Let me explain. One of the regulars at my work owns a shipping company down by the docks. Now, for some reason, this shit wasn't logged on his ship roster when he set sail, so he'd not legally allowed to bring it into the country. He needed to get it off his paws, so I bought it off of him at a big discount, and I can resell it later, because I didn't import it." He said, grinning.

"If you get caught, you'll be in big trouble..." Adrian said warningly, still not sure.

"Yeah, well, they're not going to check, are they? Besides, I'm in big trouble if I get caught for most of what I do, I might as well add another thing to the list." Sam said, smiling wearily. Adrian cocked his head, troubled, still not sure if he fully trusted the Husky's reasoning.

"Ooh, look at that one, you could hang your hat on that." Taylor said to himself behind the two of them as he flicked through his porn, breaking the silence.

"I don't know..." Adrian muttered.

"Oh look, he has." Taylor said unheard as he turned the page.

"Look, who's going to get hurt?" Sam asked, ignoring the Goat. "My regular gets rid of his surplus, porn sellers get stock they otherwise would have been deprived of, I get upwards of three grand on this shit, and a whole lot of fifteen year-olds will try and talk in a deep voice to buy these from dairies and petrol stations."

"I suppose..." Adrian muttered. "Three grand?"

"Yeah, all I have to do is find a wholesaler who wants it." The Husky said, slapping one of the cardboard boxes with a satisfied grin on his muzzle. "Shouldn't be too hard with the Christmas rush coming up. Copies of great titles like 'Deck my Balls' and 'Rudolph, the big-dicked Reindeer' will be flying off the shelves, I expect." The Husky said, grinning. "Not to mention 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' "

"Alright!" Adrian said, trying not to laugh. "I believe you. Just stop the smutty porno names!"

"Glad to see you can look from my point of view." Sam said, cocking his eyebrows. "The money-making one. And since you woke me up, you can make dinner tonight." He said, nudging Adrian's jaw with his fist lightly as Taylor continued to read aloud from his magazine.

"Caught between a rock and a hard place..." He said, frowning slightly. "I don't get it. Oh, wait, now I do." He said, nodding as he turned the page. "Ow. I didn't know that could bend like that..." He murmured, and Adrian and Sam exchanged glances, dissolving into laughter at the look on the bemused Taylor's face.

***********************************************************************

A few hours later, Adrian was standing in the kitchen staring at the oven, vaguely wondering if perhaps he should just give in and order a pizza, when he heard someone knocking on the door. He looked up to see Sam trotting towards the entrance with a grin on his face, winking at Adrian.

"What did I tell you? This is probably someone here already to buy this porn. It's the best investment I've ever made." He said, grinning in self-satisfaction as Adrian rolled his eyes. He looked down into the oven as he heard the Husky open the door, privately thinking it was more likely that the illegal shipment had attracted the attention of the police, and they had come to ask Sam a few questions, most likely with a phonebook. He heard the Husky swear loudly and straightened in fear, thinking his prediction had come true.

He rushed into the lounge to see the Husky dragged something, swearing and panting as he did so. Adrian looked down in frozen horror at what he was dragging, not willing to believe his own eyes. Bruised, battered and bloodied in the Husky's arms was Tim, his clothes torn and his face swollen.

"Jesus Christ Tim, what the fuck happened to you?" Sam grunted as he hauled the Polecat onto the couch.

"Nuthin..." Tim murmured vaguely, his one good eye blinking in the light. "I'm fine, really..."

"Fine? I don't know if they've changed the definition of the word lately, but you do not look fine. Who the hell did this to you?" Sam asked, cleaning some of the blood away from Tim's face with his shirt.

"I..." Tim mumbled, hesitating for a moment. "I fell down some stairs."

"Oh yeah? Well who pushed you?" Sam asked, sounding as horrified as Adrian felt. "Adrian, go get Taylor and Denver." He growled suddenly, taking the Racoon off guard.

"What?" He asked, tearing his eyes away from Tim's face.

"Go get them!" Sam barked, sending Adrian scampering away. A few minutes later they were all arranged around the couch, looking in shock at the state the Polecat was in. It turned out it looked a lot worse than it was, but the poor beast had still taken a good kicking from someone.

"What happened to you?" Denver asked the Polecat as he groaned, his head in his paws.

"I think it's time I told you guys something." Tim croaked, wincing as he shifted position on the couch so he was sitting up. "I've never told you guys how I make my money..."

"We always kind of assumed you just sold pot." Taylor said.

"Oh come on, do I look like a drug dealer?" Tim asked, and the Goat opened his mouth to reply, but Denver nudged him into silence.

"What do you do then?" The Stallion asked, glancing darkly at Taylor as he did so.

"I...I gamble." He muttered.

"What?" Sam asked, looking genuinely surprised.

"I gamble. You know, poker, blackjack, craps?" Tim asked, looking up at them with his one good eye. "I have for years, and I always seemed to have good luck. Never lost more than I made."

"I've known you for two years." Denver said, sounding slightly strangled. "And all that time, you've been gambling for a living?"

"Pretty much. I mean, I've made a bit of extra money here and there, just like you have, but it's mostly been my winnings." Tim shrugged, wincing and regretting it instantly.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about that." Denver said, looking at Sam, "Why is the apartment full of porn?" The Husky's face went blank for a moment, and he sighed.

"Look, that isn't the problem right now. The problem is just what the hell happened to Tim!" He said, and Denver snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Well...I was at this bar last night, having a few hands of poker near the back, where the manager turns a blind eye to gamblers. I got an invitation to go and join a private game, and I thought, hey, why not, right?" He said weakly, and Adrian watched as the face of each of his flatmates fell as they listened to Tim's story. "And anyway, I got out back, and it was the owner of the bar, sitting at the table alone..."

"Which bar?" Sam asked suddenly, cutting Tim off, his eyes wide.

"Just a random little bar..." Tim said quietly, his eyes looking at his footpaws.

"Which bar?" Sam asked again.

"O'Hara's." Tim said, and there was a sharp intake of breath from the others. "I know..." He said, looking wretched.

"No! No, you obviously don't know, because you joined a private game at O'Hara's!" Sam raged, sounding slightly hysterical.

"I don't get it, what's O'Hara's?" Adrian asked, confused.

"One of the bars owned by Lorenzo Pitticella" Denver said, but the look of incomprehension on Adrian's face did not change. "Pitticella? Doesn't ring any bells?"

"Oh, he's just the owner of a bunch of bars, and a few construction yards, and a few off-shore properties..." Tim said offhandedly

"A Mafia fucking kingpin!" Sam barked.

"A what?" Adrian asked

"Oh, nothing's been proved." Tim muttered

"Because there was no-one left to testify!" Sam snapped. "Look, its common knowledge that Pitticella is bad fucking news, that he is not someone you should mess with. The cops have been after him for years, but they can never find enough to convict him. Every witness seems to mysteriously disappear." He said meaningfully, looking at Adrian.

"So what happened?" Denver said, and Tim shrugged.

"Well, he asked me if I was willing to join a high-stakes game of poker. I looked around, and I saw he wasn't alone, he had a whole lot of shady guys in black suits standing in the shadows, and there were suddenly two behind me, so what could I do? I said yes." He said, and Sam groaned.

"How much are you down?" The Husky asked, his face hidden by his paws.

"Look, it's not all bad, I've already paid some of it..."

"How much?"

"Three grand." Tim said quietly, the temperature in the room suddenly dropping several degrees. "Due tomorrow."

"Three grand?" Sam asked, sounding shocked.

"What are you going to do?" Taylor asked

"Three grand?"

"Do they know where you live?" Denver asked

"They dumped me here after they'd finished beating my ass, so I guess so." Tim said, tenderly touching his bruised skull. "They locked me in a room overnight, just to make their point that they were serious." He murmured.

"Three grand?"

"What does it matter if they know where he lives?" Adrian asked

"If he doesn't pay tomorrow, you think they'll just walk away? They'll fucking kill him, and probably us too, just for seeing it go down." Taylor said grimly.

"Three grand?"

"Why?"

"We saw Pitticella's goons kill someone, they won't let us get away to blab it to the cops." Denver said weakly, fear in his eyes.

"Three grand?" Sam asked again.

"Yes, three grand!" Taylor said, sounding exasperated.

"Where the fuck are we going to get three grand by tomorrow?" The Husky roared.

"We?" Tim asked

"Yes, we! We get shot too if you don't pay up, remember?" Sam barked "Besides, when family is in trouble, that's when family should stick together the most." He said, subsiding slightly. The room went silent, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

"It's four days until Christmas, we're broke, we've got Mafia goons coming to beat our asses for not paying a gambling debt, and we've got an apartment full of porn." Denver said, and there was a few seconds before each of them had the same thought at once.

"No." Sam said firmly, before any of them could say anything.

"Come on, you said yourself, this is worth three grand at least!" Adrian said.

"It's either this, or we all go for a walk in the harbour with concrete shoes." Taylor muttered.

"There has to be another way..." Sam said, looking around, outnumbered.

"There isn't." Denver said softly, a paw on the Husky's shoulder.

"But..." Sam pouted weakly. "My porn..."

"I'm sorry Sam, really..." Tim said weakly. "You don't have to do this, I'll find some other way..."

"No, it's alright." Sam said, but without much conviction. "Like I said, we all have to stick together, no matter what. Even if we have to give up two tonnes of porn to do so." He muttered darkly.

"Thanks Sam." Tim said, looking at his footpaws. "I'll make it up to you, really..."

"Yeah, you'll get a real job, so this kind of shit doesn't happen again." Sam growled, but he didn't seem to mean it. He sighed and got to his feet, grabbing a sheaf of papers from the top of one of the boxes.

"Where are you going?" Taylor asked.

"Back to that damn bar. Take this inventory log as proof, settle Tim's bill now." He grunted, and Denver stood up suddenly.

"Not without me." He said firmly.

"No, stay here, I don't want to put you in any danger..."

"And I don't want to let you go into a place like that alone! Look what happened to Tim." Denver said passionately. The two of them stood facing each other, their eyes locked silently. Tim and Taylor looked between the two of them, slightly lost, but Adrian knew exactly what was going on.

"Alright." Sam conceded, looking down. "You can come. We'll be back in an hour." The Husky said, looking back at the three of them.

"Good luck." Adrian said.

"Thanks, Sam..." Tim croaked again.

"Yeah yeah. Just remember you owe me." Sam said, and he and Denver headed off, leaving Taylor looking slightly bemused.

"Was it just me, or is there something between those two?" He asked, looking from Tim to Adrian.

"You noticed it too?" Tim asked, but Adrian just shook his head, unsure what the actual status the two of them were at. Taylor and Adrian supported Tim as he struggled into the bathroom to wash up, Taylor then disappearing into his room with claims he had started on his next book, and he had to keep working or he might lose his inspiration.

Adrian was left to sit alone in the lounge, among the boxes of porn, worrying about Sam and Denver. The two of them had gone off to do something very brave, and indeed very stupid, just for the sake of their friends, their family. This was just another example of how far those two would go for their 'brothers', no matter what the cost to them...and he was a part of that, he thought, a small warm flutter in his heart. The two of them returned later in the afternoon, looking weary and relieved.

"What happened?" Adrian asked, shooting straight up from his seat as soon as the two of them walked in.

"He agreed. He'll take the porn in exchange for wiping Tim's debt." Denver said, smiling weakly.

"He said it was a good deal, too. Just like it would have been for me." Sam said, looking miffed.

"You did good, Sammy." Denver said soothingly, kissing the Husky on the cheek and ruffling his headfur. He suddenly remembered himself as he looked up at Adrian, looking suddenly embarrassed.

"It's alright." Sam said. "I told him." Denver blinked and grinned shyly at Adrian.

"I was going to tell you guys, but...I hadn't found the right time." The Stallion said, shrugging.

"Hello? Just made a selfless sacrifice for a friend, need a little kudos here." Sam said, and Adrian laughed. The next day, the five of them watched silently as Pitticella's goons came and took away all of Sam's little shipment, Tim standing right at the back and trying not to make eye contact with any of them. Now that he had all the blood and dirt washed out of his fur he looked marginally better, but marginally was the operative word. His face was still bruised and swollen, and he still couldn't see out of one eye, but at least he was safe from another beating now, and he certainly wasn't going to join another high-stakes private game any time soon.

Denver stood just behind Sam with a paw on his shoulder, the Husky giving out an involuntary whimper now and then as his 'sound investment' was taken away box by box. Finally the apartment was empty of all the boxes, and the last of the goons exited, giving them Mr Pitticella's regards. The five of them looked around aimlessly, unsure of what to do.

"The place seems so empty now..." Taylor murmured.

"The airs almost clean." Adrian said, and there was a weak laugh.

"Sam, I just want to say again, I'm so sorry for what happened..." Tim began earnestly, but Sam waved him into silence.

"Nah, forget it. 'Tis the season of giving, and all that." Sam said grimly, rolling his eyes. "At least we have each other." He muttered, and there was a chorus of agreement. The oppressive silence descended on the room again, the five of them so quiet they could hear the sound of the city filtering up from below.

"Hey, what are these claw marks on the table from?" Denver asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Adrian and Sam exchanged glances and burst into sudden laughter, the others looking on bemusedly. The laughter caught quickly though, first Taylor, then Tim, then finally Denver joining in the laughter. It was an infectious, happy laugh, a relief after all the tension over the last day, a relief they were all safe and happy together. They laughter went on and on, long after it should have, an unbridled expression of happiness and utter relief that seemed to last forever.

For Adrian though, the laughter was due to cease two days later.

***********************************************************************

The day before Christmas Eve had bought a grey chilly day in the city, one of those days where the clouds seemed to hang like swollen cattle in the sky, threatening rain but never following through. Treacherously slippery ice coated the pavement and made for slow going as Adrian and Brendan picked their way beneath the skeletal trees in the park, Adrian telling the Fox the story of the last few days.

"So," Brendan said weakly, "Sam used an illegal shipment of porn to pay off Tim's gambling debt to a crime lord so he wouldn't kill him?"

"That sounds about right." Adrian said, smiling at the look of vague horror on Brendan's muzzle.

"Does anything legal ever happen in your apartment?" Brendan asked, making the Racoon laugh.

"You make it sound so much worse than it is." He said, smiling. They walked on for a bit further in silence, the never-ending hum of the city muffled just beyond the trees, "I was wondering, you know..." Adrian said finally, breaking the peaceful silence. "I dunno if you have anything else to do for Christmas, so I was wondering if maybe you wanted to spend the day with us? That is, unless you have other plans." Adrian said hurriedly, but there was something about the look on Brendan's face that made him feel cold inside.

"Adrian, have to tell you something..." Brendan said wretchedly, toying with a loose thread on his jacket. "I got a call the other day...it was from back home. It was my dad." He said, abandoning the thread and looking into Arian's eyes.

"What did he want?" Adrian asked, pausing in the middle of the icy path to return the gaze, searching Brendan's features. He suddenly felt a shiver go through he body, and it had nothing to do with the weather.

"Apparently the season got him thinking...thinking about family. He wants me to come home for Christmas, he says he can live with my decision, he just wants us to be a family again for the holidays,"

"Live with your decision?" Adrian asked incredulously. "It's not a decision, it's...well, it's not something that happens by choice." The Racoon said, slightly angry. "He still thinks this is our fault..."

"I know, but at least this is a start." Brendan said wearily. "It has been a while since I saw my family, after all." He murmured giving a weak smile.

"I guess..." Adrian said, feeling slightly put-out. "You go and enjoy Christmas, patch things up with your family. You'll just have to get your present from me when you get back." He said, grinning beguilingly at Brendan, but the Fox's wretched expression didn't change. "When do you get back?" Adrian asked quietly, dreading the answer he knew in his heart was coming.

"My old man...he says he can get a job working in the local hospital as an assistant back home...but only if I do come back. He says it's good pay and honest work...and it's close to the family." Brendan said, looking down, not meeting Adrian's gaze.

"What did you tell him?" Adrian asked breathlessly, but the Fox's silence was answer enough. Adrian's head reeled in shock - he couldn't believe what he was hearing! "After all he did to you, putting you in that horrible camp, to try and 'fix' you, you're just going to go back as if nothing happened?" Adrian spluttered, wide-eyed.

"Adrian...I know he made mistakes, but he's willing to look past all that in order for what's best for everyone." Brendan said, still not meeting Adrian's gaze.

"You mean what's best for him?" Adrian snapped, tears in his eyes.

"No, what's best for everyone." Brendan said, finally looking up into Adrian's eyes, his eyes dead and burnt-out, like old blown fuses. "It's a good job, with good pay... and it's not in this city. The city isn't a place for kids like us Adrian...I'm going to patch things up with my family, maybe you should too..."

"No. I have my family, they're right here. I can't believe you're doing this!" Adrian said imploringly, but Brendan just looked back down to the pavement.

"I'm sorry you feel this way..." Brendan mumbled. "But tomorrow, at six o clock, I'm boarding that train home. Like I said, maybe you should too...this isn't a place to be all alone."

"I wasn't all alone." Adrian said quietly. "I thought I had you. I didn't know this was how you saw us." He said, turning and running away before the Fox could see the silvery tears spilling down his cheeks.

"Adrian, wait!" Brendan cried out, but the Racoon was already gone, leaving the slump-shouldered Fox alone on the icy path, staring at where the thief had disappeared. And somewhere nearby, carollers started singing, their voices nearly lost in the city's din.

***********************************************************************

The only two at the apartment were Sam and Denver, who were taking the free moment to enjoy each other's company while they were alone. Denver was already preparing food for Christmas, the apartment's food budget stretched razor-thin to pay for the day's meals. The Stallion was stirring sauce in a big saucepan as Sam snuck up behind him and draped himself over the big beast's shoulders, eyeing the pot with a wagging tail.

"Smells good..." He murmured.

"Thanks, I splashed a little something behind my ears for you." Denver muttered, grinning.

"I meant the cooking, smartass." The Husky grinned, cuffing the Stallion around his ears. "You might have to show me how to do it sometime."

"We both know you don't need to be shown how to do it." Denver chuckled, and Sam blew in his fur.

"You're just full of it today, aren't you?" He growled close to the Stallion's ear. "Come here, I've got something for smartasses..."

"Not now, I have to put something in the oven..." Denver protested weakly.

"I'll put something in your oven soon something you won't soon forget." Sam said

"Now who's full of it?" Denver asked, rapping the Husky on the end of his muzzle with the wooden spoon, leaving a big sauce stain in his fur. Sam laughed and lapped the sauce up, grinning evilly.

"Tastes good." He murmured.

"Thanks, I've been working hard on it..." Denver replied, but Sam just shook his head.

"I meant you this time." He growled hungrily, stepping forward and pulling the Stallion's head back, nipping his neck tenderly.

"Unh..." Denver grunted as Denver gnawed on his neck. "What is it with you carnivores and always going straight for the jugular?" He moaned softly. The two of them would have most likely stripped to their fur and completely ruined the cooking, but at that moment they heard the door slam loudly and the two of them broke apart hurriedly, exchanging glances like guilty schoolchildren.

Adrian stormed into the lounge, his cheek fur matted with tears, his eyes red-rimmed and his face furious. He did not even look at Denver and Sam as he pulled a half-bottle of rum from the cupboard and poured himself a generous measure, which was quickly followed by another, then another, as the Racoon drunk like a beast dying of thirst.

He was pouring his fourth glass in under a minute before Sam finally recovered from the shock, stopping the Racoon's paw as he went to pour himself another glass. Adrian seemed to notice them for the first time, looking up at the two of them with a face torn with emotion. Eyes red-rimmed from weeping, a muzzle contorted with agony and fury, cheek fur matted with tears, and the eyes themselves? The normally placid pools of Adrian's eyes were hollow and haunted, staring at the two of them with such force they almost recoiled as if from a physical blow.

"You okay little buddy?" Sam ventured, and Adrian's face crumpled like a tower of cards.

"It's Brendan..." He sobbed suddenly, the reek of alcohol already thick on his breath. "He's fucking gone!" Sam and Denver exchanged looks, the two of them sighing as if one. Denver pulled his sauce off the hot element and turned off the oven, and the two of them piloted Adrian firmly onto the couch, sitting on either side of him.

They listened in silence as Adrian told them his story, or at least what Brendan had told him. They didn't interrupt or question him, just listening in attentive silence as he talked, passing the bottle of rum between the two of them (the bottle always seemed to be guided away from Adrian's questing paw.) Finally he finished talking, and Sam sighed again.

"Hey, it's alright. You've still got us right?" He said soothingly, stroking Adrian's headfur.

"Yeah, let's sit and talk about how much he sucks for a while. That always helps." Denver said, shrugging as he swigged from the bottle of rum.

"Yeah, then we can watch Thelma and Louise." Sam said, patting the Racoon on the back.

"Yeah, and Die Hard."

"And then we can drink all night until you won't even remember the name of that no-good shitstain, okay?" Sam asked, pressing the bottle of Rum to Adrian's lips, but the Racoon just shook his head,

"I don't want to forget him." He sobbed, all the anger that had possessed him earlier ebbing away, leaving only a feeling of empty sorrow. "There's nothing to say about how much he sucks, because he doesn't. He was everything...and now he's going..." Sam and Denver exchanged a glance over Adrian's back, sighing.

"Sounds like you still love him. There's only one remedy for that." Sam muttered.

"Yeah, I'm sure I've got something stronger than that rum lying around somewhere..." Denver murmured, but Adrian got to his feet, shaking his head, unbidden tears still rolling down his cheeks.

"No, forget it. Thanks guys, but I just want to be alone for now..." He mumbled.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." He muttered, and made it back down to his room, closing the door behind him, curling up in his sheets in the dark and sobbing brokenly. After all his family had done to him, Brendan would still return to them? And what did that make him? Did he mean so little to the Fox?

Adrian knew he was being selfish, that Brendan had every right to return to his family, to what to reconcile, but he didn't care. He was in love dammit, and he thought Brendan had felt the same way. His insides were as cold as ash as his mind played back all the happy times he'd had with the Fox, each like a dagger in the heart now. When they had first met...the first time they'd kissed...the firs time Adrian had felt the Fox's passion, unbridled and hot, right next to him...everything reminded him of the Fox.

Even this room, this bed...a few nights ago Adrian had given his first blowjob to the Fox right here, and he could still smell the Fox's heady musk in his sheets, he could still almost feel his warmth next to him. He remembered the look of pleasure on the Fox's muzzle that night; biting his lip, his toes curling, his back arching...it had seemed so sweet then...but now it was like poison.

He wished he could just sleep, go to sleep forever and never wake up, but he found he couldn't, not without the accustomed warmth of the Fox next to him. He suddenly seemed like half a being, like Brendan was part of him that was missing now...a part that might never return. He didn't know how long he lay there, but it seemed like forever. The tears just kept rolling, the Racoon silently weeping for what he had lost...for how it had been taken from him. Finally, he was allowed the blessed release of sleep, his mind floating into the unconscious, his dreams as bleak and hollow as his heart.

And even in his sleep, even in the dark, Adrian wept endlessly. Some wounds can't be seen; some can't be healed with medicine or surgery. Some are too deep inside, wounds on the soul.

***********************************************************************

His eyelids flickered open later, staring blankly at the ceiling, basking in the few blessed seconds before he remembered the night before. It was like losing him all over again, like someone had pulled out his lungs. He grimaced as he stared up at the ceiling. He wasn't sure what time it was, or what day; he could have slept forever for all he cared. Perhaps it was Christmas now...huh, that day meant nothing to him. There was only one gift he wanted, and he could not have it.

He sighed brokenly, eyelids flickering back closed in the hope he could sink back into the dreamless, coma-like sleep that had claimed him for so long. He preferred it to the pain of consciousness...just as his eyelids shut, however, he caught sight of a figure sitting on his bed, and he realised he wasn't alone. He sat bolt upright in shock, to see Sam sitting on the end of his bed.

It was the first time he'd seen the Husky without a hint of a smile on his face, his eyes blank and cold. All merriment was gone as he looked at Adrian, his eyes full of not pity, but...disdain?

"I'm disappointed in you Adrian." He said quietly, levelly.

"What?" Adrian asked, confused.

"You came to this city a wide-eyed, clueless kid. I thought I'd taught you something about living in this city, but I guess not." He said, his voice almost a growl now.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ever since you came here, I've shown you what life I the city is like. It's a fight; we fought to get Taylor clean. We fought to get Tim clean of debt. We fought to help one another, we fought because we had to. We can't just sit back and let things happen, we have to fight to get what we want. Crying about it isn't going to help, you have to take action."

"He left me!" Adrian snarled suddenly, angry. "I loved him, and he left me!"

"He loved you too!" Sam snapped. "Did he ever say he didn't?"

"What?" Adrian asked, suddenly taken aback.

"He loves you too Adrian. I can see it in his eyes whenever he looks at you, because..." He said, sighing. "Because it's the way I look at Denver. Look, you'll never get anywhere if you don't fight for yourself, fight for your family. Brendan thinks he doesn't have a family like you do, that's why he's going back. But he does; he's had one from the moment he decided to fall for you." Sam said softly.

"He's...he's one of us now?" Adrian asked

"Of course. Anyone who makes you as happy as that is good enough for me." Sam said, grinning weakly.

"What's the time?" Adrian asked suddenly, eyes wide.

"You've been asleep a long time. All last night and most of today..." Sam said awkwardly.

"Time!" The Racoon barked, frantic.

"Four thirty." Sam said.

"His train leaves at six..." Adrian breathed, shooting bolt upright.

"If you go now you might just catch him." Sam offered as Adrian tugged on his boots.

"You think he'll come back? Adrian asked as he struggled upright, the fire of hope in his eyes. Sam looked at the Racoon in silence for a few seconds, smiling softly.

"He'd be mad not to." He whispered, kissing the Racoon on the brow, just above his mask. "Now go! Bring back that Fox of yours!" He said, pushing Adrian out the door.

"Thanks." Adrian said over his shoulder as he bolted out the door, moving so fast he seemed to completely miss Denver standing in the lounge wearing nothing but a shocked expression and an apron. The Stallion looked over to Sam appraisingly as the Husk sauntered out into the lounge, grinning.

"Told ya so." He said cockily, still grinning.

"Alright, alright, you're the man." Denver said, rolling his eyes. "You did good. Now where were we?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"The sauce." Sam said, pointing to the saucepan on the range and grinning hungrily.

"Ah, that's right." Denver said, smiling as he undid his apron strings, letting the flimsy material fall to the ground. "Tenderising the rump?" He asked, and Sam chuckled as he moved in for, as it were, the kill.

***********************************************************************

Adrian bolted up the stairs to the central train station, aching and breathless. He leant against one of the pillars momentarily as he fought for breath, fighting the urge to be violently ill again, like he had done so a few blocks ago. Going straight from sleeping to sprinting was not a good idea, he though muzzily as his muscles screamed at him, especially not on Christmas Eve.

Apparently every beast had left their shopping till the very last minute, and the streets had been so jam-packed he'd had to dodge between the deadlocked cars to make any progress. But still, it was worth it...he looked up at the big clock above the station doors, his eyes bulging. Ten to six! Sam hadn't been joking, he was cutting it fine! He caught his breath and ran, or more accurately, hobbled in through the big double doors, fighting the press of beasts on all sides.

How was he ever meant to find Brendan in all this? There had to be a thousand beasts here...but he had to find him, it was his last chance to get him back. He loved him so much...he couldn't bear losing him again. Wait, he said he'd lived upstate, hadn't he? Adrian dodged through the crowds as he ran towards the upstate gates, hoping against hope he'd find his mate before he left.

He was looking so frantically he almost missed him; but then, a sudden flash of red fur, and Adrian whirled, seeing Brendan just as the Fox made to board a train on the other side of the gate. He yelled but to him, but he appeared not to hear, disappearing into the carriage. Adrian looked down and swore - he had to use a ticket to get through the gates...and he'd never even thought of grabbing his wallet before he went...

He made a snap decision as he heard the train whistle blow; it was now or never, he thought grimly, gritting his teeth as he vaulted the barrier awkwardly, hearing security yell out behind him. He ignored them and kept running, so close to the train now...he was on the platform, running, searching the windows for that soft, kind boyish face that was his one and only...

He looked behind him and saw a few security guards were hot on his heels, as well as two cops that must have been on the beat through the station just as he jumped the barrier. Jesus, it was only a twenty dollar train ticket, he thought desperately, still looking for Brendan, they must be really bored if they're putting this much effort into it.

It was useless, he thought bitterly. He'd never see him, he'd never find him, he'd never tell him that he loved him more than life itself, that he could not live without him by his side...and then there he was. The sound seemed to drain away from the platform, the colours turning grey in comparison to the wonder of his mate...staring despondently out the window, his chin in his paw, Brendan's face seemed to be the only thing that existed.

Adrian slowed in wonder, yelling his name joyously, everything else forgotten. He saw Brendan turn slowly, as if moving through treacle, his eyes focusing on Adrian and a look of surprise suffusing his features...just then the security guards hit Adrian at full-run, piling on top of him on the platform, and he lost sight of Brendan. He swore and kicked, weeping and gashing his teeth, but he could not move under the weight of all the guards.

He saw a pair of handcuffs flash above him as one of the cops fished them from his belt and he kicked and swore louder, but it was to no avail. He had just enough time to see the boot heading towards his face before his world exploded into stars and coloured lights. He began to fade into unconsciousness slowly, dumbly aware of the train slowly pulling away from the platform, leaving him behind...

***********************************************************************

The cold wall of the cell propped up Adrian's head as he sighed brokenly. He was alone in a small holding cell, his head aching like hell from the boot he had taken to the muzzle. He could hear some old beast howling some old mountain tune from the drunktank down the hall. Christmas Eve...he thought, alone and in prison.

The cops who had thrown him in here had told him there was a grand's bail on his head, and since he couldn't pay it he'd have to stay in the cells until court...which was the 27th, in three days time. No-one knew where he was; he'd used his one phone call to ring Brendan's cell, but it had been off. He had no chance of rescue from any of his brothers, they didn't even know where he was.

He had hit rock bottom...bruised and bloody in a holding cell on Christmas Eve...he never thought it's be like this in the big city. He sighed again. He's tried to fight, like Sam had said, but it hadn't been good enough. Maybe Brendan was right, maybe he didn't belong in the city. But if not here, then where?

He worst thing was, he realised as he choked back a tear, was that he wouldn't get to see Brendan again...he had seen the train roll away as he lay on the platform. He was alone now...that was what hurt the most, not the prison cell on Christmas, but the fact he was there without Brendan...Brendan...

The memory of the Fox's boyish face and warm smile was too much to hold in, and Adrian let a single tear roll down his cheeks...he was gone now, back to his home. At least he was happy...Adrian should be glad at least for that.

But he wasn't.

He couldn't think of anything but Brendan, it hurt so much, but he wasn't sure if he even wanted it any other way. He'd rather think about Brendan in pain than never think of him again...that was how much he loved him. He could still smell his scent, still feel the brush of his fur, still hear his voice...It was so vivid.

Still hear his voice...

Adrian's eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright, head swimming painfully, but he ignored it. That hadn't been...or had it? He must be going mad...

"Where is he, I want to see him!" An enraged voice said not far away.

"You can't go down there, sir!"

"Watch me!" The voice snapped. Adrian stood up, not willing to believe his ears. Then, at the bars appeared Brendan, his fury breaking into a smile as soon as he saw Adrian.

"Oh Adrian!" He said

"Brendan!" Adrian managed, rushing to the bars, hugging the Fox tight through it. Two officers pulled the Fox away though, one of them prodding Brendan with a baton.

"Back off! The only way you touch him is by paying bail!" The cop snapped.

"How much?" Brendan asked desperately.

"A grand."

"I can't pay that!"

"Then get out. Visiting hours are over." The cop said, smirking cruelly. "The only way you're getting together tonight is if you get arrested." He said.

"Okay." Brendan said simply, without hesitation. Adrian opened his mouth to say no, but already Brendan had socked the cop in the mouth, knocking him to the floor. "Arrest me." He said. The other cop hit him with his baton hard, and the two cops dragged Brendan away. A few minutes later he was back, being thrown into the cell beside Adrian. He was bruised and bloody, looking almost as bad as Tim had, but he grinned weakly when he saw Adrian.

"You fool...what'd you do that for?" Adrian whispered, so happy there were tears in his eyes.

"Couldn't let you spend Christmas here alone..." He mumbled, wincing.

"You came back? How?" Adrian asked, confused, but overjoyed.

"I saw you get taken down on the platform." Brendan mumbled, laughing weakly. "Nice."

"I was trying to find you." Adrian whispered, so happy he could die.

"It was then I realised; I don't want to go home. Home is where the heart is, and my heart is with you. So I jumped off the train and followed the cops. It took me ages to get back here, and then they just arrested me." He said, laughing and wincing at once.

"What about your dad?"

"Fuck my dad, he's an ass. He'd never accept me, he'd keep trying to change me like he used to. I was to blind to see that, I just hoped I could go back to my old life. But I couldn't. my life is with you, Adrian...I..." He said, and there were tears in his eyes now.

"I know." Adrian whispered. "I love you too, Brendan." He murmured, holding the Fox close, looking into his eyes.

"I love you so much Adrian...I'm sorry I tried to leave..." Brendan sobbed.

"Shh...it's okay. You're here now." Adrian said. The two of them were quiet then, just holding each other close in the police cell, their backs to the cold stone wall, their bruises and blood all for each other. They had made sacrifices, they had hurt for each other, and they had proved their love was true.

"Merry Christmas." Adrian whispered eventually, when he heard the church bells chiming outside.

And with quite a bit of shock, he realised he meant it too.

***********************************************************************

The two of them were roused the next day by the guard rattling his baton on the cell bars. They were still in each other's arms, stiff and sore from sitting with their backs to the wall all night, as well as their other injuries, but they still shared a happy gaze for a moment before they separated.

"Wake up!" The guard snarled it was the one Brendan had hit the night before, and he had an ugly shiner to remember the Fox by. "Someone sprung bail for you."

"Me?" Adrian asked, shocked.

"No, both of you. Now get the hell out of my cells." He snapped, opening the cell door to them. The two of them exchanged another glance, but this was a puzzled one. Who had sprung for bail? As they waked out into the foyer of the police station, stiff and bruised, Adrian could not help but burst into laughter at who he saw standing there. Amongst all sorts of criminals, skinheads and degenerates that were being dragged here and there about the station, was Sam. But that wasn't the funny part.

The funny part was the big fluffy red Santa suit he was wearing scruffily, including a loose beard which hung around his neck and a sack that one would assume had to be toys over his shoulder. He cocked an eyebrow at Adrian and Brendan, a smile on his face.

"Ho ho ho, I sprung for bail." He said, grinning.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Adrian asked, mystified.

"Saving your furry butt, by the looks of things." He said, still smiling. "Brendan." He said, nodding to the bruised and battered Fox.

"Sam." Brendan replied, too sore to question anything.

"No, dressed like that!" Adrian said, looking the Husky up and down incredulously.

"You do not want to know." Sam said, grinning. "Got pretty quiet last night, without you around. It was just me and Denver, so..."

"You're right, I don't want to know." Adrian cut him off, holding up his paws. "But how did you know we were here?"

"My phone call." Brendan said, raising a paw. "I don't waste it on calling my boyfriend, I call someone you can rely on." He said, grinning wearily.

"I don't know what's worse!" Adrian joked painfully "You mocking me or you thinking Sam is someone to rely on!"

"He's right you know." Sam said, nodding. "Well, seeing as it's Christmas day and you're already late, what say we get a move on?" He suggested, and Adrian nodded.

"You coming?" Adrian asked to Brendan, who blushed and nodded empathetically

"Well yes, I have nowhere else to go now, remember!" He said, and they all laughed. An hour later they were all back at the apartment, a ragged cheer going up from their flatmates as they greeted them with calls of 'Jailbird' and 'Prisoner'. Despite it only being ten o clock, it seemed the others had already begun festively drinking a few hours earlier, so Adrian joined them, Brendan tucked close under his arm on the couch. He did not want to let the Fox out of his grasp, and Brendan didn't seem to want to be either.

A few hours later, a few drinks under their belts, they all sat down at the table together, this time Taylor remarking on the claw marks on the table, which made Adrian and Brendan blush as one. Tim's friend Scotty was in attendance; apparently he was another who had nowhere else to go on Christmas, so he had been invited too. Taylor didn't seem too unhappy he was the only beast without a partner - apparently at six o'clock that morning he had finally finished his latest book, and he was looking pretty pleased with himself.

They didn't have much money to go around in the apartment, but Denver had done magnificently with what he had, proving himself an excellent cook, although there was a remark about a lack of sauce that made Denver and Sam snigger uncontrollably for several minutes. A few hours later, their belly's stuffed and their eyelids drooping, they flopped down in front of the crappy old television to watch mindless Christmas specials, happy that they had each found a place to be on Christmas.

Adrian was watching everyone alone from the kitchen, a quiet smile on his face. Each of these beasts was a misfit, an outcast, someone with nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. And yet they had found solace, found company among their own. Sure, they might not obey the letter of the law, and they might not be conventional, but Adrian realised there was no-one he'd rather be spending the day with.

Sam saw him and sauntered into the kitchen, smiling broadly. He sat beside Adrian in silence, looking out into the lounge, watching the group of misfits treat each other lie family, like brothers.

"You see what I mean now? About family?" Sam said, and Adrian nodded. "Good. I'm glad I helped you get past your own crappy past so you could become one of us." He said, grinning

"Yeah, well it's been an honour." Adrian said quietly, watching Brendan and Taylor wrestle playfully for a seat beside the heater.

"He's special, huh?"

"What?" Adrian asked, broken from his private reverie.

"Your Fox." Sam said, grinning.

"Yeah...he's...I mean..." Adrian said, struggling for the words.

"I know. Indescribable." The Husky murmured, looking at Denver. "You think you can be happy now?" He asked, looking at the Racoon.

"Yeah..." Adrian said thoughtfully. "Yeah, I think I can. I've got it all. Friends, family, love..."

"What more does a body need?" Sam asked, grinning.

"Indeed." Adrian said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Come here, you little thief!" He said, pulling the Racoon close playfully and messing up his headfur. "You and me, right?"

"Yeah yeah..." Adrian said, grinning, The two of them left the kitchen behind and went and sat with their family, their friends, their brothers. Adrian sat beside Brendan and pulled him close, glad to hear his heart beat. Sam reclined over Denver, resting his head in the Stallion's lap, looking up almost in awe of his mate.

Happiness reigned in the apartment, no matter how unorthodox it may well be...

Let the eye of narrative draw back now...

We see people, their lives...

We see cities, so many people together, but so many alone...

We see continents, the lights of civilisation spread out and isolated against the plains and mountains...

We see the planet, the only living rock in a system of dead planets...

We pull back further, and further, until the planet is a speck, until the star it orbits is a speck, until it is lost among the billions of specks that each hold their systems, their planets, perhaps their people too...

Stories are only a matter of perspective after all, and in the story of the singular, the one, the alone, only one piece of advice stays true:

"When you find happiness, don't worry where you find it. Be happy you found it. Cherish your happiness, and your story might just no longer be the story of a singular, but the story of two hearts, beating as one."

And no matter how alone you are, you'll always have that one.

***********************************************************************

To every fur, every where, no matter what you're doing or who you're doing it with, Merry Christmas!

And if this finds you outside of the season, may you still be filled with the feelings of brotherhood the season should inspire in all.

May the Season find you in good stead, and keep you in it as long as it may

Styx