A Warm Bed Chapter 9
Chapter 9 -- Fides
(September 8th)
A churning in his abdomen stirred Scott from his sleep. As he twitched awake, eyes slowly parting to the light of noon, that churning became a knot in his throat and an uneasy quiver working its way from his mouth to his stomach. And at the first, slightest movement of his neck, a sharp pain struck his head, like a nail driven through his brow.
He officially regretted how much he'd drank the night before.
In his arms, Jeffery was curled tightly in a ball, small black paws securely gripping the fox's white underbelly. Scott, though struggling even to move, smiled down at his pet as he unwound those black fingers from his fur and sat up. No morning could be a bad morning if this was the sight he awoke to.
Slowly, he pulled himself nude from under his blankets and pushed himself out of the bed, trudging with some difficulty from his bedroom and into the hall...
...and behind him, Jeff's eyes opened as well.
The boy woke this Sunday to the rocking of his bed, and the first sight he caught was that of a nude fox slowly making his way out of the room. For an instant...only an instant...he woke to the world he'd known for these past three weeks: the world living with his new master, with the fox he'd grown to love.
But that instant flashed away just as quickly, and before he even heard the bathroom door open and close down the hall, reality came rushing back: a reality where the one he loved was dating others...and a reality where one of those others was given free reign with the kitten only hours ago...
He remembered expecting his master at the door. He remembered watching as that master stumbled drunkenly from wall to wall, and to the couch, only to be carried to his bed. He remembered the wolf that was welcomed into their home. And he remembered that wolf moving inside of him...tearing him...hurting him in places he didn't even know he could feel...
The tears came quickly. Jeffery wanted to rise, wanted to jump to his feet. He wanted to run to Scott and wrap himself in the fox. Things had only felt right, had only felt okay, once he had climbed into bed with his master: once he was clinging to him and asleep in his arms. Despite the smell of booze on his breath, and cigarettes in his fur, it was the only place he felt safe.
But he didn't rise. He stayed nearly motionless, sobbing into the pillow as he clutched it in his paws.
Down the hall, Scott finished relieving himself, washed his face, and continued to marvel at his ability to restrain his nausea, as he stretched to greet the physically unpleasant day ahead and then pointed himself back to his bedroom. There, he found Jeff awake and on his side, wholly unmoved from exactly where he had been before.
The fox smiled at first, muzzle splitting to tell his pet good morning, but as the boy's eyes jerked to meet his, he stopped. They were wide, they were wet...and they were terrified. And just as quickly, they jerked away again, to the pillow clutched in those paws so recently wrapped up in his master's fur.
The scene clicked through Scott's mind piece by piece, like a puzzle assembling there on the bed. Jeffery's eyes were wet, tears slowly working their way across the top of his muzzle and onto his pillow. He was crying. But no; the fur around his eyes was matted and shifted, trails drawn down his cheeks and toward his mouth...dried tears. He'd been crying last night, too. And he was shaking. Scott moved closer to the bed almost on instinct, and with every step the cat's tremors increased. And it was only then that the final piece caught his eye. The boy's tail was down, wound tightly between his thighs and covering the more vulnerable flesh beneath it...but not hiding the fur around. And that fur was dull, white, encrusted...and matted far beyond the state of the fur on his face.
The nausea Scott had done so well to restrain hit him in the chest like a fist to the sternum, and it was everything he could do to not turn and dash back to his bathroom and vomit. What had he done? How drunk had he been? For a moment, his tremors matched the boy's, but he forced them and his nausea aside. Jeffery. Jeffery came first. What had he done?
He couldn't remember a thing...
But it was clear enough to him what had happened. The fox had come home, black-out-drunk and out of control...and he'd ravaged the boy. He knew he had it in him. He knew how hard he worked to be as gentle as he was. He knew the fantasies he'd had for years: some young nubile thing completely at his mercy...
But he'd never dreamed he could do anything of the sort to Jeffery. Not to Jeffery...no matter how drunk. But what other answer was there? How could he have done this? How could the cat live with him after this? How could Scott live with himself?
At this point, he deserved no better than for Jeff to leave him and go running straight to the police, and he wouldn't have blamed the boy for thinking exactly the same.
...but what his pet was actually thinking was far less cut and dry.
Mere moments before, when he was alone, Jeffery had wanted to rise and rush to his master -- to the only place he felt safe -- but now that Scott was back, he couldn't even bring himself to look at the fox. Because what he felt in this moment wasn't safe; what he felt was anger and fear. If Scott didn't love him like he loved Scott...as hurtful as that was, Jeffery knew he couldn't fault the fox. He'd agree to be his pet, not his boyfriend.
But how could he have done what he did last night? Prowling the town, bragging about his pet...his toy...to whoever would listen? How could be bring that wolf home and leave Jeffery alone and unprotected? How could he give him up to Tony so easily? Did he care so little?
But nonetheless, as the fox...as his master...as Scott approached him, he longed to be held again. He longed for those paws to touch his fur and his flesh. He couldn't reconcile it: any of it. Did he hate the fox? Did he love him? Did he hate him for making him love him?
And Scott, having made his way to the bed nearly on autopilot, was at Jeffery's side now. He reached out. He didn't know if he should. He didn't know if Jeff wanted it...but something had driven the kitten to spend the night clung to his chest...so perhaps...
He brushed the back of his paw across his pet's cheek, and the boy didn't flinch away...
That paw, that touch: it was everything Jeffery wanted...but it hurt just the same. He tensed, and his eyes snapped shut. Half of him wanted to jump into his master's arms, and the other half wanted to run away...
...but all he did was cry.
For Scott, there was no other confirmation required. That said all he needed to know about what he'd done to the boy...and he could never let it happen again.
"I'm sorry, Jeffery," the fox stepped back, disappearing behind Jeff and fading even from his peripherals, "Never again, kitten. I'm so sorry."
Jeff's first thoughts were in anger. Sorry? What good was sorry? What good was a promise? Unless, of course...he kept it...
Behind him, he could hear the fox shuffling about: creaking doors, sliding plastic hangers, and rickety drawers. But only long after the noise had stopped, did the cat finally look to see. The room was empty, and Scott was gone...but on the dresser sat a stack of clothes.
They were Jeffery's clothes, the ones Scott had bought him almost a week before: a shirt, pants, socks, and even underwear. And on top of them was a towel. The kitten stood and walked to them -- favoring his tail some, but less than he'd expected -- and stared, blinking at the stack of clothes.
Scott was giving him his space? He was letting him shower alone? And even letting him dress? Maybe he really was sorry. Maybe he meant his promise. After all, he was so drunk last night, and he'd been so caring before. Maybe it was just because of the alcohol.
Again, the cat considered dashing from the room and to Scott's side, wanting so badly to just be held. But how could he let SCOTT be the one to hold him? How could he trust him and his promises? He'd only known him for three weeks! And how many times had he convinced himself his mother's bad decisions were 'just because of the alcohol?'
He should just leave. He had a new set of clothes, and all he would have to do is simply walk out the door. Scott wouldn't chase him. He wouldn't risk making a scene in public.
But Jeffery knew he couldn't. He knew, despite it all, that this was where he wanted to be...
Even during his shower, his conflict remained. Cleaning the cum and blood from beneath his tail was not a pleasant task: painful and messy. And as he saw to it, all he wanted was for Scott to be there: to do it for him. Was it the fox's gentle, nimble fingers? Was it that he needed someone, anyone, there so he didn't have to face this alone? Or had he simply grown accustomed to showering with company?
After his shower, he made his way, fully dressed for only the second time in three weeks, out and into the living room. And from the hallway he saw Scott clothed and knelt before his liquor cabinet.
Glass clanked against glass as the fox shoved bottle after bottle into a trash bag to his side, and Jeffery watched as his master emptied that cabinet one by one, and tied off the bag.
As he stood, Scott looked at his kitten only once, before turning away again and leaving through the front door. The cat watched from a distance through the open blinds of a window as Scott dropped the bag in the trash bin and turned, marching back without so much as a glance at the discarded contents of his cabinet.
Once back inside, Scott crept on uneasy footing to the couch, and sat. Only feet now separated the two, but the distance felt far greater. And for long, uncomfortable minutes neither one said a word...
Scott turned, though, in time, and his eyes connected with his kitten's again. Only then did Jeffery see the darkened fur beneath the fox's eyes, the quiver of his irises, and the bloodshot whites around them.
Scott had been crying too, and as he spoke, he could barely keep his voice steady, though it was obvious he was struggling hard to do just that, "Did...did you enjoy your shower, Jeffery?"
Jeff didn't answer, didn't even nod. But socked feet brushed the carpet as he stepped forward, toward the couch. Their eyes stayed locked as he drew near...and parted only when the boy sat down, drawing himself close and curling up tightly under his master's arm...
~
(September 10th)
Tuesday afternoon, Scott sat at his desk at school, clumsily organizing stacks of paper and stowing them away in his black leather bag, finishing the last of his daily duties before heading home for the day.
Years ago, long before Scott worked here, the spot where he now sat had been the site of the library. Now the library was downstairs and more easily accessible, and this area had been converted, walls erected to separate it into classrooms. The outer walls, though, hadn't changed. Those walls were glass: someone's idea to make the original library more open and inviting surely, but now they only served as a distraction. Now, all they did was let every little movement outside catch his students' -- and even his -- attention during class.
The glass walls, though, did have their perks. Such as at this very moment allowing Scott to see a coworker approaching him from far down the hall.
Shaking off his internal turmoil -- the lingering effects of his Sunday morning revelation -- Scott put on a happy face to greet the raccoon...to greet James, as he stepped through the door.
"Hey kid!" Scott addressed the younger teacher in a playfully condescending tone...
...and James responded in kind, "Hey yourself, old-timer."
"And what can I do for you this afternoon, Mr. Callaway?" The fox asked in feigned obliviousness.
But he knew exactly what James wanted. He knew because this wasn't the first time they'd spoken. Yesterday morning, yesterday at lunch, this very hour yesterday, and even TODAY in the morning and at lunch, James had accosted his vulpine coworker, and always for the same reason. He was here to flirt, and to do the best impression of a begging puppy that a raccoon could manage.
He wanted a second date, and he was none-too-shy to be pushy. If he wasn't so damned cute, it would have been annoying...
"Well, Mr. Hammond," James matched Scott's professional tone, "I was hoping you could extend a favor to a colleague in need."
"Oh?" Scott picked up a ruler, absent-mindedly twirling it in his fingers as he leaned against his desk, "And what favor is that?"
"Well, you know how I'm new to Sibirskaia, right?"
"I do."
"Well, I feel..." The raccoon abruptly stopped and held up his paws emphatically, "Now hear me out! I feel that the only way I can possibly," he paused to select the perfect wording for this professional tone, "...adequately reach my students, is if I can relate to them on a personal level. And if I'm going to have ANY hope of relating to them, I need to be much more acquainted with their home town. So I was hoping that one of my wiser, elder coworkers could find it in his heart so show me around, and help me get the lay of the land." He smirked devilishly and proudly as he broached his conclusion: "Say...Friday night?"
Scott returned the smirk with a raised eyebrow, "And I assume you're wanting to acquaint yourself with an eatery and...maybe a night spot or two?"
"Maybe a park or a theatre...or someone's quaint suburban house..." James shrugged.
Intentionally ignoring the last option, the fox pointed the ruler at his coworker, "I think I already showed you the theatre."
"Sibirskaia isn't THAT small of a town!" James stepped closer to the slightly elder teacher, convinced he was making headway, "There's gotta' be more than one!"
Scott laughed and nodded, a look on his face not unlike pride in his friend's ploy, "You've put a lot of thought into this particular sales pitch, haven't you?"
"And what else do you think I've been doing since lunch?" The raccoon feigned a cartoonish recoil at the thought, "Teaching!?"
"Oh?" Scott stood straighter with a flattered smile, "Three whole class periods? Was I was on your mind that long?"
"Well...parts of you were," James's eyes darted down conspicuously and deliberately...
...and the fox's followed them, "You haven't even SEEN my parts, yet."
"I have a good imagination." James stepped closer still, until they were nearly nose-to-nose, "But if you're offering to actually show me..."
Scott though, poked the ruler into his friend's chest and pushed him back, an arm's length away, "Glass walls, kiddo."
"Oh yeah," the raccoon's neck and eyes flicked about, surveying the two full walls of glass to his left and his back, double checking to make sure no one nearby could have seen. Despite all of his forthrightness with the fox, this was a side of him very much reserved for privacy. Once satisfied that he hadn't been seen, he stepped farther back in route for the door, and smiled a victorious grin, "So...Friday, then! You can show me those parts I missed this Friday!"
Scott scoffed, "I don't put on shows for free!"
"Hey! If there's anything you want to see..." James stopped walking to motion at himself up and down, "all you have to do is ask."
"I'm pretty sure I just did!" the fox flashed his teeth in a daring grin.
"Glass walls," James winked. "I guess you'll have to wait 'til Friday too."
"I still haven't said YES to Friday!"
"Ah, but you haven't said no, either." The raccoon turned on his heel and finally pushed open the door to leave, "And besides, worst case scenario: I can just find your address in the school directory."
Scott laughed aloud at his departing coworker, shaking his head through a smile as he watched James meander back down the hall...but once the raccoon was far enough away that he couldn't see, the fox's smile faded. Unfortunately for James -- for them both, in fact -- Scott wasn't nearly as interested as he seemed. He had just always been terminally incapable of telling anyone no. But his fear of hurting the raccoon with honesty -- just like every other time Scott had been faced with this dilemma -- was sure to hurt the 'coon by leading him on, instead...
And it wasn't James's fault either. Scott liked him. He liked him more than enough for a second, third, or even tenth date and more. But it just wasn't to be. So long as he had Jeff, he didn't have room in his life for anyone else. He couldn't risk his job and livelihood, or Jeff's well being, by talking about the boy. And plus, even if he DID trust anyone to keep it to themselves...there were only two possible responses he could see. There were those who would be disgusted, and those who would be just a little TOO interested.
And on top of all that, after what he'd done to Jeff on Saturday...he had more important concerns than finding a date. James just wasn't his priority, right now.
Scott's only priority today was a young cat, home alone across town in what James had so recently described as a 'quaint suburban house.'
There, Jeffery sat naked and alone in the living room, but his clothes laid only a foot away, hung over the back of the couch. Over these weeks, he'd grown accustomed to the freedom of not having to be dressed, and he still preferred it that way when he was by himself. It had been less than three days, though, since his encounter with Tony, and he hadn't yet felt ready to go nude again in front of Scott...or anyone for that matter.
The moment Scott was gone, both Monday and today, the cat's clothes had come off, but when the fox was around, it was a different story. All day Sunday he had stayed dressed, and yesterday he'd watched the clock like a hawk, slipping back into his clothes just minutes before Scott stepped back through the door. The past two nights, even, he slept clad in his underwear, despite how much freer he would have felt without them.
He glanced at the clock. Scott would be home soon, but perhaps today could be different. Perhaps he would greet his master at the door again, and do so nude. Perhaps he could put these past few days aside, and let everything be just how it had been last Friday. He could show Scott he forgave him, he loved him, and what a good boy he still was.
But with every tick of the clock the uneasiness crept up his spine, and he felt his paws reflexively covering his lap. So maybe...maybe he would just take a smaller step in that direction, for now. Maybe he could greet Scott in his underwear, instead...
Scott rounded the corner of his street, pulling slowly toward his driveway, and up to his home. Once there, he paused in his parked and idling car, as he pictured himself entering his house...or pictured, at least, what it had so recently been like to enter his house. He pictured the smiling naked kitten at his door, ready to welcome him home...and he smiled at the thought.
It wouldn't be like that today, but it was still a very nice image to remember. Yesterday when he'd opened his door, there was no Jeffery, naked or otherwise, waiting there to cheerfully ask him about his day. Instead, the cat was lazing alone and clothed in the living room, quiet and reclusive...and there was little hope that today would be any different.
He walked to his door, though, unlocked it and pushed it open...and was met with a very pleasant surprise.
There was Jeff, smiling and waiting for him at the door.
It was a weakened smile, hesitant and unsure, but it was still a smile. And what's more, he was the least clothed the fox had seen him -- outside of bed at least -- in days. He was still in his pants and underwear, but he was shirtless...and that was a start.
"Hi..." Jeffery stopped himself from calling the fox 'Master:' a step farther that he still wasn't willing to take, "...how was your day?"
Scott noticed the boy's pause, but he expected no such progress so soon, nor would he ask it. "Much better now," he returned the boy's smile with a warm grin of his own. "Yours?"
The cat's own smile widened at that, and he nodded gently, "...the same."
Scott closed the door behind him, and no sooner had it shut than the boy slid forward, arms wrapping tight around the elder fur in a hug.
The fox's eyes stung, almost immediately tearing up at the sudden burst of affection. Jeffery had clung to him, had cuddled with him, and had fallen asleep against him, but it was always the act of a scared kitten clutching a security blanket. This was the first time since Saturday he'd rushed his master for a hug: the first sign of affection for affection's sake.
Scott hugged the boy back as gently as he could manage considering his excitement, "I'm happy to see you too..."
~
(September 11th)
"Wait, wait!" Scott held up his paws to halt his younger co-worker's story, his voice clouded in laughter and disbelief as he made certain he'd heard the last bit right, "YOU were fucking HIM?"
James tilted his head with a short huff of breath, "What? Is it that hard to picture a wolf on bottom?"
"No. It's hard to picture YOU on top!" The fox pointed at his raccoon friend from behind his desk.
It was Wednesday afternoon, and again, James had invaded Scott's room at the end of the school day. This time, though, neither were too quick to leave, and the raccoon had taken a seat in one of the students' desks nearest to Scott, so the two could converse a bit longer. A conversation which had slowly become a comparison of past sexual exploits...
The slightly elder teacher explained himself: "I just kind of assumed you were more...submissive."
"Well then you assumed wrong," James smirked suggestively.
Scott laughed at first, before a thought crossed his mind, "Oh shit." It wasn't an idea he was new to, nor was it a conversation or misconception he hadn't had to deal with more than once, in the past. After all, he was a fox, and that invited certain stereotypes. "That's why you're so interested in me, isn't it? You're looking for some lithe, submissive, little fox to dominate, aren't you?" though his question was serious, his voice remained playful.
"Quite the opposite, actually. I'm looking for a confident, cool, and experienced fox to dominate ME," the raccoon complimented and corrected his coworker at the same time. "See: I've never met a dominant fox before. You're different. And it's...alluring."
Scott paused, trying to figure his friend out, "But you just said..."
"I just said I wasn't a sub!" James cut him off. "You've never heard of a switch? A versatile?"
The fox laughed at his own ignorance, "Fair enough." He leaned in on his elbows, and raised an eyebrow mockingly at the raccoon, "Either way, though...it's nice to know that all you're after is sex!"
"Oh, you know it," James sarcastically agreed. "That's why I've stuck around all this time, hanging out with you and begging for dates...without even getting so much as a peek at the goods!"
Scott waved a paw dismissively, "All that proves, is that you like to be teased." He leaned back in his chair, "I mean, after all...what other good is it doing you to sit around here reminiscing about our old sexual escapades?"
"Oh yeah! THAT'S what we were doing!" the raccoon snapped his fingers and sat up straighter. "Tit for tat, Scott! It's your turn, now. I want to hear about some of yours..."
"I don't really have any good stories."
"You have to have something! No crazy college orgies? No ex-boyfriend who liked being tied up and spanked? Nothing?"
"Oh, well, yeah. I have plenty of fun stories about my exes!" Scott shrugged and shook his head, "I just didn't think you'd want to hear about them, though. Most of the time, when I'm on a date with someone, they don't find my exes to be the most desirable of subjects."
"This is a date?" James scanned the room slowly, and then looked back at Scott, "This is a lame date."
"Why?" the fox pretended to be offended. "Just because you won't get sex when it's over?"
"And who says I won't? Maybe I'm trying to get you riled up enough that I WILL!" James smiled widely and moved right along before his coworker could respond, "So what crazy stories do you have about an ex, then?"
"Fine, fine. Let's see..." Scott stretched as he thought, trying to pick out the best story to share. "Ah! I know. So, I dated this otter once, right? And he really liked fucking with his family, so he invited me to come along to a big family reunion they were having at some rented-out bingo hall near a beach. Long drive, but it was totally worth how happy it made him to see all their angry faces when I walked in."
"They didn't like you?"
"They didn't know me. They just didn't like that I was holding his paw," the fox held up a paw, wiggling his fingers as if his friend needed the visual aid. "But, see: he didn't JUST get off on upsetting his family. He also got off on the idea of getting, uhm...caught in the act. And it turns out that I'm easily convinced to do things I shouldn't."
"That's nice to know."
Scott paused to chuckle and to return the lurid grin spreading on the younger teacher's muzzle, "Well...long story short, we ended up in the back parking lot of this place, with him bent over the trunk of one of his cousins' cars."
James went wide eyed at that, "Was this in broad daylight?"
"Noon on a Sunday!" the fox confirmed.
"Did you get caught?"
"No. But I think he was disappointed that we didn't!"
"I would have been too! In fact, I AM!" James playfully pounded a fist on the tiny desk in front of him. "I was hoping one of his family members might have gotten involved."
"Oh?" Scott leaned forward again, quite interested in that particular outburst, "Were you hoping for a little bit of incest?"
The raccoon blushed on cue, freezing for just a moment before looking away. It hadn't occurred to him, at first, what he was saying, "...maybe."
"Oh, no-no! Don't get shy on me, now," Scott spoke in the gentle yet commanding tone he was so very adept at. "I'm getting the feeling that you have some more stories to tell me. This wouldn't happen to be something you've been involved with, in the past, would it?"
James didn't say anything back, but just couldn't quite seem to make eye contact.
"You have!" the fox grinned victoriously.
Finally, James looked back at him, his voice nervous and almost pleading, "Just don't judge me, okay?"
Scott laughed inwardly at the irony of that. Like he was in ANY position to judge anyone else, "Oh, trust me...I'm the last fur to judge anybody."
"Well..." the raccoon took a breath and double checked the privacy of their surroundings, before continuing, "I have these two nephews."
"Two??" Scott stopped him immediately with a paw.
"Oh! Shit! No," James frantically waved his paws and shook his head, jumping quickly to defend himself. "I only did something with one of them. It was just me and Todd! Mark wasn't involved."
"Still though...your nephew?" Eyes wide, the fox's voice dropped low, as if HE were worried about being overheard now, too, "How old are we talking about, here? You're only like twenty-three! The boy can't be very old."
"No. My brother and I were born a good few years apart. Big age gap. He's a bit older than me, so his sons aren't like...babies or anything."
"Then...how old?"
"At the time?" James was clearly uncomfortable with admitting this, but drew in a nice deep breath, and told his friend the truth, "...Todd was fourteen."
And that was the moment when Scott's brain completely checked out of the conversation. He was still speaking, still involved, but it was the closest he'd ever had to an out-of-body experience. His mouth and his body reacted on their own, while his mind was completely and totally elsewhere.
Fourteen. That's how old Jeffery was.
Scott had been so worried this past Friday about how he could possibly date James, or anyone else, with Jeffery in his life...so worried that he ended up on a bender Saturday night. All because he didn't believe he could tell James about Jeff. But if the raccoon had done something so similar...and with his nephew even...
As the tale continued, Scott truly only grasped bits and pieces, here and there...too busy reeling in disbelief at his luck, to really pay attention. What he gathered, though, was encouraging. James had done far more than simply be inappropriate with his nephew. He'd mounted him. He'd done it more than once. And he hadn't been gentle. Despite what the law would say, it was apparently consensual, but that didn't negate the fact that he and James obviously shared a few...proclivities.
As the story continued, Scott only barely noticed his paw creeping into his lap and gripping his bulging sheath through his trousers...
...and hours later, at home on his couch, it would do the same.
In the privacy of his living room that night, his mind raced from scenario to scenario. He ran through James's story, picturing the raccoon on the bank of some lonely woodland pond with his nephew...who Scott's mind could only see as a younger version of James, himself. He imagined the 'consensual' scene just slightly less consensual than James had told it: Todd writhing and whining as his uncle mercilessly penetrated him.
And by now, his paw had slipped into his pants.
He replayed his coworker's words about wanting an 'experienced fox' to dominate him, and his mental image changed. Now Scott was on the bank of that lonely pond, and it was James who was at HIS mercy.
And soon, his pants were unbuckled and unbuttoned.
Scott was pent up to the point that it was becoming painful. He hadn't enjoyed himself, hadn't had any 'release,' since the last time he'd played with Jeffery...which was a full day farther back than he even realized. And with Jeff down the hall taking a shower, and with his and James's conversation fresh in his mind...NOW was the best time to rectify that.
By the time he had fished himself free of the fly of his boxers, the scene in his mind had changed again.
He imagined telling James the truth about Jeffery...and he imagined that the raccoon's encounters with his nephew would be reason enough for him to not just be okay with it, but to be interested in joining in on the fun. And in his mind -- before he'd even begun to stroke himself -- James was in Jeffery's muzzle, while he was buried under his kitten's tail.
Down the hall, though, Jeffery's shower had already ended, and the young cat, now dry, was hanging his towel back on the rack.
On the counter in front of him were a pile of clothes: a pile as opposed to the organized stack Scott would have left. He snatched a pair of underwear from the top of that pile...a pair of bright blue briefs that Scott had so gently insisted he buy on their trip, because they were 'cute.'
Jeffery smiled absent mindedly at the memory and at the thought that Scott found something so simple to be so attractive, and he slipped himself into the briefs. When he reached for the pile again, though, he stopped.
Why bother? Why put on his pants and his shirt, if in just a few hours they would be coming right back off for bed? Maybe it was time for him to take another step...to move things just a little closer to the way they had been only a week ago: before Scott's dates and Tony's visit screwed everything up. He'd be sleeping in his underwear, anyway -- if even that -- so why worry with modesty, now?
This time, he showed his resolve, and put nothing else on. Proud of himself and his accomplishment, and hoping Scott would be as well, Jeffery strode from the bathroom in nothing but his master's favorite pair of briefs, only to stop dead in his tracks when he got to the living room...
...where he found Scott, head back and cock in paw.
The thought didn't cross Jeffery's mind that this was the first time he'd seen Scott exposed since Sunday morning, or unsheathed since Friday. It didn't occur to him that the reason it had been so many days since he had, was because Scott had been protecting him from any uncomfortable reminders. And for that matter he wasn't reminded of Tony, or of Scott's drunken night on the town...nor did he, for an instant, feel Scott was doing anything wrong to enjoy himself in the privacy of his living room.
His first thought was that he should offer to help his master...the fox that he loved. And though that thought surprised him, he didn't argue or fight it.
When he opened his mouth to speak, though, the first meek tremor of his voice that met Scott's ear shocked the fox and roused him immediately from his fantasy.
"Jeff!" Scott scrambled madly, snatching a throw pillow to cover his twitching shame.
"No. It's okay, Sir." Jeff's voice caught in his throat but he pushed forward, "Would...you like me to help, Master?"
Scott responded at some length, his voice soft and reassuring. Despite the fact that parts of him undoubtedly wanted to say yes, despite his shock that the boy would even ask, and despite how it warmed his heart to be called 'Master' again...his first priority was taking care of his kitten, "No, Jeffery. No. It's okay. You don't have to worry about me, right now. You know that."
The cat just smiled. He called him Jeffery.
Saturday had been a horrible night, but it was one Jeff wanted nothing but to forget. So maybe it was best he did just that. It was a side of Scott he'd never seen before, and hadn't since. So why not believe he never would again? Even if Scott didn't love the boy like he loved him...he DID care. He'd shown it for weeks, and was showing it right here, this Wednesday night, by turning down his kitten's offer. He deserved forgiveness...and Jeffery owed it to him to forget.
The boy padded over, sitting weightlessly beside his master, and the fox just watched as the boy's paw snaked under the pillow.
"Jeffery I-" Scott's voice broke as he felt his kitten's fingers wrap gently around his sticky, pulsing length, "...you really don't have to."
Jeffery just ignored the protests, though, pulling the pillow aside and smiling up at his master, a ret hot blush hidden behind his black fur, "I wore your favorite pair of briefs."
"I..." the fox's first instinct was to argue more, but it was pointless. If he really wanted to, he could physically move the boy away, but his paws hadn't budged an inch to do so. He was helpless to stop his pet in the end...and it was simply because he knew he didn't want to. "I saw that, Jeffery. You look very cute in them."
"If you think I'd look better without them...I could take them off," Jeff leaned down, warm breath dancing across the fox's marble-red flesh. "Or you could always do it for me..." before his master could answer, he slid his lips around the slick, ridged member before his nose...
...and Scott simply moaned aloud, melting into the couch.
~
(September 13th)
Friday morning, Scott Hammond sipped cautiously from a cup of hot, dark, English tea, as he looked out over the school's parking lot from the second story window of the teachers' lounge.
Beneath him, he watched two students -- two of HIS students -- standing in front of the school. One, a tiger, tried his best not to laugh at the other, a husky, as the canine's mother showered him in undue affection. The husky's father, meanwhile, called from their luggage-packed van at his wife. It wasn't clear from so far away whether he was trying to protect his son from further embarrassment, or was just in a great hurry to get wherever it was they were going with all that luggage. Whatever he was saying, though, was quite animated.
As entertaining as it was to watch the pup's torment, though, Scott was at the window for a reason...and the husky was not it.
This morning, the fox was waiting on James. The raccoon usually got there a little later than the other faculty, but this week he had been a bit more prompt...motivated, certainly, by his preoccupation with begging Scott for a date. So certainly he would be there soon.
And, sure enough, as the husky couple's luggage-filled van left the lot, James's unmistakable car pulled in. The raccoon's car, in of itself, was nothing spectacularly unique, but Scott could always spot the university decal he so proudly displayed on its back window.
Before the red sedan had even parked, Scott turned, tea in paw, and left the lounge in route to meet his friend downstairs.
After Wednesday night, things had been creeping back to normal between him and Jeffery...as normal as a high school teacher having a 14-year-old pet could be, anyway. Jeff slept nude Wednesday, and had stayed that way ever since. He'd begun calling Scott 'master' again, although Scott had been slower to call him anything but Jeffery, out of respect for his recent trials. And, initiated entirely by his kitten, he'd even mounted the boy again. Life was returning to normal, and Scott's aggressive transgression was being forgotten...but this wasn't all that was on the fox's mind.
James's Wednesday afternoon confession had occupied the fox's thoughts seemingly nonstop, since the moment he'd heard it. At times, the thoughts crossed his mind in the most perverse of ways, and he reveled shamelessly in the thought of James taking advantage of a younger, weaker raccoon. But more often than that, his thoughts turned to the practical. If his life was returning to normal with Jeff...perhaps he could pursue some normality with James as well.
Nearly finished with his tea, Scott waited patiently at the front doors of the school, finally greeting the raccoon there when he entered.
"Scott!" James chirped happily at the sight of his friend. "This is a nice surprise! I didn't have to go chasing you down, today."
"No you didn't," the fox nodded at his coworker, turning on a heel to follow him deeper into the school.
"And to what do I owe this welcome?" As they walked, James tried to restrain his grinning for the sake of professionalism, but he wasn't entirely succeeding.
"Well, I was actually wondering if you had a few minutes to speak..." Scott took the final sip of his tea, "...in private."
The raccoon's grin, now, was clearly out of his control. "Sure! There shouldn't be any students in my room for another..." he checked his watch, "...thirty minutes or so."
"That should do."
If there was any hope for Scott to pursue a happy, healthy relationship, he would have to be honest.
And if so...what better prospect than James Callaway...and what better time, than now?
~
There we go! A Warm Bed continues!
* This chapter has been completely and totally written from scratch over the past week! This means that everything here was written 100% by me: Borealis.
However, normally, my writing partner, Phil Anthro Pist would have played the parts of: Jeffery Anderson and James Callaway If you'd like to go say hi to Phil, he's got an account here at http://phil-anthro-pist.sofurry.com/ *
* Also! Special thanks to: Hammerfist https://hammerfist.sofurry.com/ ...for helping me work out the beginning of the chapter! I was having trouble getting it how I wanted it, and he was a GREAT help with his opinions and suggestions! *
Well!
A lot happened over this week, didn't it? Scott & Jeffery seem to be mending things after Tony...James & Scott are growing closer and revealing some secrets to one another...and who KNOWS what the next chapter will hold, after James learns about Jeff!
But there's a lot left to be rectified, isn't there? Scott thinks HE'S the one who raped Jeff...and has no memory of Tony. Jeff, meanwhile, thinks Scott DOES know and is sorry about Tony. And if Scott's confession to James goes "well" what will Jeff think if it leads to him MEETING James?
Anyway, thanks for reading!
I welcome any feedback! Comment or PM me here, or email me at frostborealis[at]gmail.com
See you for all 15 chapters of The Masters! ...for the next 6 chapters of A Warm Bed! ...and, in due time...Sibirskaia!