A Warm Bed Chapter 12
The Masters... ...of Revelation
(September 23rd)
It was just another Monday at Sibirskaia High.
Bells rang, and students squeezed through hallways long ago too narrow for the mass of life they were expected to corral. Teachers robotically repeated the same lessons they'd given a semester ago, and would give again a semester away. Some students listened, some slept, and some faced disciplinary action for various levels of disobedience and insubordination. But everyone, teacher and student alike, awaited lunch and its respite free of classroom monotony.
Nearly everyone anyway.
This particular Monday, a certain lucky, vulpine English and creative writing teacher had been given no reason to look forward to lunch. Today, Sibirskaia's freshman were shut up in a number of auditorium seated rooms, facing the tedium of yet another standardized placement test...and, since most of Mr. Hammond's classes were freshman courses, that had given him the morning off. Though, it also helped that he had avoided being given any auditorium room duty of his own, this time...
And so, when lunch came, he just continued doing exactly what he'd been doing all day: lounging at his classroom computer, and getting caught up on his work to the eclectic soundtrack of his pirated music collection.
Scott had considered eating, but decided against it. Today's cafeteria menu left something to be desired, and he'd never made a habit of bringing his lunch with him, as ir was too difficult to bring anything from home that he would actually want to eat. So instead, he would go hungry for now, and, come the end of his day, he would give Jeffery a call: bidding the cat to be waiting for him when he got home, dressed and ready to go out to eat.
His kitten would like that.
And so, for now, he simply drank his pink lemonade -- the second gayest drink the vending machines had to offer -- and browsed his folders for a new band's discography, now that Third Eye Blind's had run its course.
He wouldn't be playing anything, yet, though. Busily looking through his music, he failed see the raccoon approaching from down the hall, excused for lunch from his own auditorium room duties. And until the timid knock on his already open door roused him, the fox didn't even realize he had a visitor...
"Knock, knock..." came a voice from the door, not half as enthusiastic as Scott was used to. And when Mr. Hammond turned to face him, James Callaway just smiled half heartedly and put his paws into his pocket, "Can I talk to you, Scott?"
Scott left his mouse atop the folder for his collection of 1970's mp3's without opening it, and turned his chair completely, so he could face his friend, "Of course you can, James. It's not like I expected us to never speak to one another again." With a gentle, sympathetic smile he waved the raccoon in, "Come on in."
Cautiously, James stepped forward and pushing the door closed behind him. Neither of them could afford a nosy student overhearing this conversation, but honestly, he'd never been worried before.
He smiled at his friend as he approached his desk, stopping just far enough away to remain professional, "Uhm...so how's Jeff? Are you two doing alright...together?" He gulped hard, slightly unsure of how to broach the subject.
The fox nodded lightly, "It's just been a few days, but we're doing just fine." Less than a week earlier -- Wednesday night -- Scott and Jeff officially became more than just master and pet. And the next day, Scott had had the unfortunate task of telling James that that decision spelled the end of their own budding relationship. Not surprisingly, the raccoon hadn't taken it too well. He'd adult enough about it, but this was the first time Scott had seen him since. "And you?"
James sighed and leaned on a nearby desk, crossing his arms as he tried to think of the best way to express exactly how he felt. Being left for someone else was common, having your boyfriend leave you for someone younger was common as well, but this was different. This wasn't just anyone. And James felt the sharp pain of inadequacy at the thought of it. "Have you ever been replaced by a cub?"
Scott just looked away with a sigh, "How am I supposed to answer that, James?"
The coon stood entirely still, his eyes watching the fox carefully as he clenched and forcefully ground his teeth against each other, "Think about how it'd make you feel! How would you feel to be replaced by a child? How would you feel if your boyfriend left you for someone you could never compare to?" His eyes blurred slightly but he fought back his confusion with the urge to continue, "I mean: what am I supposed to think about what we had? Was it all a joke?"
"James...you know it wasn't." Scott let out a long sigh and leaned forward in his chair, "You're an great guy...probably the best I've dated in years, if not ever. You've never treated me bad, we get along, and have plenty in common. And most importantly, I trust you! Not only did I trust you enough to tell you about Jeff, but I let you meet him, let you play with him! And you were amazing! You were so sweet to him through it all...sweeter than I really even expected you to be." He stood up and approached the 'coon, but only by one step, "You're not a joke...and neither was what we had."
With a sniffle, James cleared his reddened eyes and calmed himself, "Then why, Scott? How is Jeff so much better than me?" He gulped hard, stopping himself before he insulted either the absent boy or Scott's obvious choice, "And how do I get you back? Please...just tell me what's so terrible about being with me." He gulped again, very consciously keeping his breathing as still and calm as he could, not wanting to go to pieces in the middle of a glass walled room at the high school.
"Nothing!" The fox boldly took the two steps needed to close the gap between them and grabbed his coworker by his shoulders, "James, I loved every minute of the time I spent with you. Every date was...was what I had always hoped my dates would be like since I was a kit. Seeing you at work every day, talking and flirting with you between classes...there wasn't a moment of it I would change. Not one."
"Then tell me why. Jeff is a great kid, but he's still just a kid, Scott." James looked into his former lover's eyes, hoping to find sincerity in whatever answer he was given.
"Because he needs me," Scott answered as softly and calmly as he could. "He's been hurt so much...by his mother, by life, AND by me in more ways than I can count. He needs a home, he needs love, and, at this point, he frankly deserves whatever the hell he wants. You haven't seen him hurt. You haven't seen him cry. You haven't seen the cold, dead look his mother leaves in his eyes. I love him, James. And I can give him a happy life for the first time since he was born. It's the least I can to do to make up for everything the world...and I...have done to him." He let go of James's shoulders, "There's nothing more important to me. I'm sorry."
The raccoon nodded and looked down, coming to the harsh realization yet again that Jeff had never been 'just a pet.' His tragic little life left Jeff so vulnerable and James felt horrible for unknowingly trying to ruin something that Scott and Jeff apparently both needed. He sighed and rubbed his eyes again, still trying to keep his composure. "This way, you two are happy," he looked up at Scott with an expression of understanding. "And I'm just being selfish."
"You're not being selfish, James." Scott raised a paw and brushed the fur right under the raccoon's eye, where a tiny bit of the younger fur's tear's had soaked in, "There's a huge part of me that wishes I could bring you home with me tonight...that wishes I could touch you again, in a way more intimate than this." He paused, looking at his paw still on the coon's fluffy cheek, then let it fall, "But these past few days...every day Jeff has woken up with a smile, and it's stayed there until he went to bed. I've never seen him so happy...and I couldn't bear to take that from him. You're not being selfish, James. It's just that, for once...I'm letting Jeffery be selfish."
James groomed the other cheek after Scott's lead, silently considering what he'd said. Despite how much he wanted Scott, he couldn't take away the last thing Jeff had, either. Scott was right: "You're the best fur Jeff could have ever run into, Scott. He's very lucky."
The fox looked down, unable, ever since Wednesday, to get the image out of his mind, of his kitten being raped by a wolf, "I wish I felt the same way."
James blinked and tilted his head questioningly toward his friend, "What do you mean?"
"Nothing," Scott looked back up with a soft smile. "It's all just really complicated. Jeff's happy now, though, and that's all that matters." He smiled wider, "But, look, I don't want this to ruin our friendship, okay? I think Jeff likes you, and I already told him that you're welcome at our house any time. You're the only person at this damned school I even like, on top of being the only person we could even consider having over for a visit. I'm not about to lose you." He smiled hopefully at his friend.
The raccoon smiled a bit, proud that Scott still held him in such high regard. He bit his lip and took in a deep breath before he continued, "I really would like to see Jeff again. I wanna' talk to him and let him know that I'm not mad at him or anything. He's too sweet of a kid to be worrying that he caused any problems or anything."
"I think he'd like that. He needs more friend friendly faces than just mine." Scott nodded once, "Whenever you want: our door's open."
"Thanks, Scott," James paused there for a second, awkward and unsure of what exactly to do, and then offered a simple, polite nod, before turning to walk back to the door.
"Going already?" The fox took a single step after him, "You can stay if you like."
James smiled at that. Scott wanted him to stay, and it was nice to hear that feeling in his voice. But the raccoon didn't turn back. He'd rather the fox not see the smile...he'd rather not entertain the idea of something that was lost to them both, "Don't worry. I just need to eat before I'm needed back in the auditorium. We'll talk later."
And with that, the two parted ways, James to his waiting lunch, and Scott to his waiting mp3 collection.
In moments, his room was filled with the sounds of his favorite 60s & 70s era band, a rock group simply known as 'The Band,' which he'd be hard pressed to convince his teenaged students was actually rock and not country.
And there he sat, tapping his pencil to a Levon Helm drum beat as he tried his best to remember what exactly it was he'd been planning to do before James's interruption. But he would have little luck, as another interruption was only feet away from his door.
Were it not for his music, he would have heard the footsteps, and all the hiccupping and sniffling that accompanied the student's tears before he even reached the door. But as it were, the fox's only warning was the sight of a young husky as he nearly stormed into the room, tossing his backpack to the floor and immediately burying his muzzle in his arms as he sat down at the nearest desk.
Scott watched the young dog with noted concern. As a teacher, he'd be hard pressed to simply sit there, regardless of who it was, but he knew this boy. Elliot Masters was a good kid, a good student, shy, and more than a little on the frail side. And if there was any truth to the conversations he'd overheard from a few other freshman this morning...the young husky could probably use a friend about now.
Stopping his music, Scott stood from his desk slowly, tilting his head to look at his student as he broke the silence, "Elliot...?"
The small, fragile husky continued his crying for an extended moment through a strong fit of sniffling and hiccupping, but finally answered his teacher, still muffled by his own crossed arms and hoodie, "W-what?"
"Do...do you need someone to talk to?" Scott made the walk, slowly and cautiously, from his desk to the one closest to Elliot.
Elliot rubbed his eyes against his arms and then looked up to his teacher, shakily breathing as he spoke. "I...I screwed it all up!" he blubbered out, more tears flowing from his reddened eyes and into his cheek fur.
The fox let out a short sigh, holding a silent paw up at the boy. Before he could sit down, he walked to the door and pushed it closed -- if Elliot was going to talk, he should be given his privacy, "Try to calm down Elliot, and just talk to me." He turned back, walked to the husky, finally sitting down in the desk beside him, and turned to face him, "Is this...is this about the rumors going around? If some of the students are bothering you, you know that's not your fault."
Elliot looked startled, "R-rumors? You've heard them too?"
Scott nodded gently. He wanted to laugh at the boy's shock, but held it back, "I just overheard some of your friends. Don't worry; it's not like it's going around the teacher's lounge or anything."
The young husky nodded back, and then wiped his eyes onto his sleeves, inhaling a deep breath before continuing, "It's not about that anyway. I just screwed things up...with..." a quick hiccup interrupted him, "with Hunter."
"The rumors then...they aren't just empty talk? You two are..." Scott trailed off, instead of finishing the sentence.
"Mm-hmm..." Elliot simply hummed his response.
"What happened, Elliot? I'm sure you didn't screw anything up. It's probably just a little fight." The fox simply tilted his head again, resisting the urge to touch the boy at all. However comforting a paw could be, he had to remain professional, 'lest new rumors be started, "Couples have them all the time. Just tell me what happened. I'm sure it's not all that bad."
Elliot hiccupped and sniffled again, choking on his words and forcing an uncomfortably long silence between them as he recovered and began anew, "He...I told him something...personal." He breathed deeply and exhaled a sigh, "and he got mad and left me. I thought he'd understand, or at least TRY to...but he didn't even...he didn't want to hear it."
"What were you trying to tell him?" Scott continued quickly before Elliot could respond, "I don't mean to pry, and you don't have to share any more than you want to. It's just...well: I can help more if I at least know a little."
The husky shook his head and looked away, "It's private."
"Elliot...Ell...it's okay. I promise that whatever you say won't leave this room." Scott put his paw on his student's desk and tilted his head again, trying to get the boy to look back at him, "You don't have to be specific...but I want to help, and to do that I need to know at least a little bit about why he got so mad."
Elliot gave out another broken hiccup, biting his lip and fidgeting his paws nervously, "I...I lied to Hunter."
The fox raised an eyebrow, "And he wouldn't let you explain or apologize? It must have been quite the lie."
Elliot looked away from Mr. Hammond again, obviously taking that the wrong way.
"Whoa! I didn't mean anything bad by that. It's just that I know Hunter too. I had him last year, and I don't see him acting like this over nothing. If he did, though, I'm sure he'll listen to reason, and I have no problem talking to him for you..." Scott paused, "...but that all depends on the lie."
The young husky pulled his paws across his stomach. "I told him I was a virgin," he took a deep breath. "And, today...when I told him who my first really was..." he just trailed off.
"I see." Scott looked down for a second, considering how best to continue, and then looked back up, "You care about him a lot, don't you?"
Elliot wiped his eyes on his sleeve again, "I do...and I don't know why I lied."
"Don't beat yourself up over this, Elliot," the fox finally put his paw on the boy's shoulder, deciding at last that it was okay to do so. "It's not the end of the world, I promise. This happens to a lot of people. Just last week I learned a pretty big lesson about all this honesty stuff, myself." He smiled wide, hoping it would be comforting and not inappropriately happy, "I promise you: everything will be okay. It shouldn't matter if you were with someone before him OR who it was."
Elliot kept looking down at his lap, for some reason, unconvinced, "Mr. Hammond...he hates me now."
"I'm sure he doesn't." Scott lightly rubbed the boy's shoulder, "In fact, I think he cares about you more than you think. And that's why he's so upset about all of this." He moved his paw away, "How about this? You make me a promise, and I'll talk to him for you and get this all squared away."
The weak little husky looked up at the fox questioningly, "Y-you will?"
"Depends on the promise," Scott smiled wider. "And here it is. Lying will only hurt you. It very recently nearly ruined something special for me and someone very important to me...and hurt someone else in the process. So, you promise me that you'll be honest with Hunter, and avoid problems like this in the future...and I'll talk to him for you."
"I promise! I won't lie to Hunter anymore," Elliot smiled at his teacher, as he rubbed his face again to try and clean himself off.
The fox pointed with a smirk, "No hiding things either!" He stood up, "Hiding your feelings can cause a bunch of problems too." He started back toward his desk, "Even if that isn't what started all of this for YOU...it's still helpful advice." He sat down, "Now, since you're here, is there anything you'd like to listen to?"
Elliot smiled again more widely, apparently helped at least a little bit by the talk, but how much was unclear, "Uhm...what do you have?"
"Lots of things!" Mouse in paw, Scott looked back at the boy, awaiting a response.
"Uhm...In the City? By The Eagles?"
"Surprisingly enough..." the fox chuckled and looked back at his computer as he clicked through his folders for the song.
~
Hours later, Scott was laid out on his couch with his eyes closed and his breaths slow.
Nights like this made it worth his waking up in the morning: a dark living room, the flickering of muted prime time television, and his kitten's soft, warm, naked fur against his own as the boy lay on his chest. They'd had a nice evening thus far, going out to eat together, coming home to warm embraces and warmer waiting orifices...and it was just another in a string of such pleasant evenings since last Wednesday.
Lightly Scott nuzzled his young boyfriend's cheek and rubbed his back as he held him, "The new shampoo I got you has made your fur very, very soft."
Jeffery lay silently on his Master, save for his gentle adolescent purring. His eyes were shut as he relaxed in the warm, heated air, and in his master's, his mate's, loving grasp. His muzzle broke with a small smile, though, Scott's simple compliment only adding to his feelings of contentment and love, "Thank you, Master, but I like to think the daily brushing also helps."
The fox smiled back at him and moved his paw up, scratching the back of his kitten's neck, "Maybe so."
It was so nice to see his kitten so happy and comfortable lately...but surprisingly, little had changed. Scott had stopped requiring sex from the boy -- it was Jeff's decision now -- and he'd even bought his kitten more clothes, too. But it turned out that the young cat had gotten so used to being naked, and had grown to enjoy the sex so much, that those clothes were only worn outside, and their sex life had shown no declined. Jeffery even still called him 'Master,' though, at this point it seemed more of a pet name. Apparently, all the boy really needed was to know he was loved...
Jeff's purring deepened as his master scratched his scruff, the simple physical contact proving almost as pleasing as anything sexual. It was more loving, more affectionate than the sex, and that fact, alone, was what appealed to the boy the most. His smile widened and he curled almost into a ball on his Master, much like a younger kitten would do with its parent, or how so small might sink into the embrace of a lover.
Scott stopped his scratching and stretched his arms, "Don't get too comfortable, Kitten. I'm about to have to go."
The cat sat up on his master and nodded simply, "Okay...you won't be long, though, right?" He sat up, allowing the fox to do the same.
"Yeah...if I wait too long I'll never get any grocery shopping done. And as nice as it is, we can't eat out every night." Scott leaned close and kissed his boy on the forehead, "You stay here and watch TV, and I promise I'll be back as quick as I can." He stood up, shifting his kitten to the side on the couch, "You'll be okay on your own, right?"
Jeffery nodded again and smiled at his Master, un-muting the TV with the nearby remote, "A little lonely, but I'll be fine."
Scott just ruffled the cat's headfur with a smile and ran on up the stairs.
And just over ten minutes later, tail lights disappeared around the corner closest to Scott's house, just in time for a new car to rolled to a stop out front.
The door opened, and, dressed much more casually than he had been earlier in the day when he'd spoken to Scott over lunch, a raccoon stepped out into the dark street. The door closed, a horn let out a short honk to let its owner know that his keyless entry buttons had locked it, and the 'coon made his way to the front door.
Inside the house, Jeffery still lay lazily on the couch watching the television, his paws fidgeting thoughtfully across his stomach, when the soft honk of a car horn grabbed his attention.
He perked his ears in curiosity, and then went to the large living room window to peek outside.
It was...James?
Hurriedly, the cat scrambled through the living room and into the foyer, and before the raccoon's paw could even reach the doorbell, the door creaked open and Jeff's short muzzle poked out, "J-James?"
The visitor just smiled and tilted his head down at the boy, "Hey there, kiddo. Mind if I come in?"
Jeffrey nodded timidly. With anyone else, the answer would have been no...but than again, with anyone else, he wouldn't have even answered the door. James was different, though. He'd proven friendly, trustworthy, and kind...and even since last Wednesday, Scott had made it clear he was still welcome.
And so the boy opened the door wide enough for the older fur to enter, while still mindful of hiding his naked form from the outside. He shut the door and turned to James, not sure how to be a good host or how to greet him...or for that matter why he was here.
Was the raccoon mad at him? Or, no! Scott just left! So maybe his master set this up so they could be 'alone?' Or even worse...maybe he shouldn't have opened the door. What if James was here to hurt him? Jeff's young mind quickly thought of all the plausible and quite implausible reasons for why the 'coon would be standing in their foyer again, but in the end, could only push them aside and wait to find out, "I uhm...Scott, went out. He'll be back in a little bit."
James just smiled down at the boy, "That's fine, Jeffery. I can wait." He leaned down a little ways and put his paws on his knees, "Besides, I kind of wanted to talk to YOU anyway."
The little gray cat hesitantly returned the smile, his paws nervously scratching his stomach. "Me? Why?" though he assumed the 'coon had a bone to pick with him.
"Well," James stood back up straight, "couldn't we find a place to sit down, first?"
"Oh...sure!" Jeff turned back to the living room and made his way to the couch, simply expecting the raccoon to follow. He tossed aside the pillows that he and Scott had been lying on and tidied up the coffee table's magazine's: all those things he thought a good host should do.
The raccoon just sat down on the couch chuckling at how cute the kitten was, trying to be a good, proper little host -- despite his age, his collar, and his nudity -- and after a moment, the boy joined him.
"Uhm..." Jeffery began hesitantly with an embarrassed smile, "what did you want to talk about?"
"Nothing specific. I just wanted us to get to talk again." James smiled a friendly smile, "Somethin' wrong with that?"
The cat shook his head, "No, I guess not." The juvenile thought of James being a murderer, though, still flashed through his mind again, "D-does Scott know you're here?"
"No. He did tell me today at school that I could come over and visit you guys. I think he said 'our door's always open,' actually." James leaned back in the couch a little, "But I didn't tell him I'd be visiting tonight."
"Oh," Jeff gulped and pulled his legs up, sitting cross legged on the couch. "Well then, how's it going?" He laughed nervously, finding 'casual' conversation hard to spark.
"It's going okay." The raccoon tilted his head, "But it would be going better if you seemed a little happier. What's wrong?"
"I-I dont know." Jeffery just shrugged, "I don't really have much to talk about, and...I'm still wondering why you're really here. It's g-gotta' be more than just chatting, right? Like...I thought you'd have something to tell me...or...or something?"
"Well...I guess I do. I just didn't want to jump right into anything awkward."
"Too late to stop that."
"True enough!" James laughed, and then went ahead with it. "Okay, look: I'm not sure...if you were worried about it or anything...but..." he looked Jeff in the eyes, "You know I'm not mad at you, right?"
The cat was legitimately surprised by that, "You aren't?"
"No." James smiled as comforting a smile as he could manage, "Not at all. I mean: I wasn't happy about it at first...but...well, I think I was just being selfish. You wanna' be with Scott, and he wants to be with you. And I care a lot about both of you; I want you to be happy." He shrugged, "Besides, you were kind of here first."
"Thank you, James." Jeff fidgeted nervously, wanting to comfort his, but not sure what to say, "You aren't mad at Scott, are you?"
"Yes and no?" The raccoon looked down, not able to smile to that, "I miss him, and I wish we hadn't gotten started if it was just gonna' end so quick. But I understand, and I don't blame him." He lightly rubbed his own knee, "Scott's one of the best guys I've ever met...how great he is to you is proof enough of that. He's one of a kind."
Jeffery looked down and pulled his tail closer, nervously flicking its tip around, "Yeah."
"You're very lucky to have him." James looked back up, smiling again now, "I bet you two are very, very happy together."
The cat nodded, continuing to nervously mess with his tail, feeling less and less worthy of all the good things Scott was able to deliver. "Yeah," he mewled dejectedly.
James frowned a little again, "Jeffery...what's wrong?"
"You talking about Scott like that," Jeff shrugged and looked down at his feet, "I don't know...it makes me feel he's TOO good for me, you know?"
"Oh no! Not at all, Jeff!" The raccoon shook his head with a wide smile, "You're a wonderful boy, and Scott is lucky to have you, too! Even earlier today, when he and I were having a...well...a less than happy conversation...I could still hear it in his voice how much he loves you, and how happy he is to have you."
Jeffery looked up again, looking for reassurance from the older fur, "Really?"
James greeted the boy with a friendly nod, "Of course! You're the most adorable, sweetest, little kitten ever...and you're making Scott very happy." He tilted his head, "I just wish I could get to see you smile a little more. You always seem so sad or nervous around me."
"I'm sorry," the cat looked up and smiled genuinely at James. The raccoon was a good guy: sincere and not nearly as horrible as other furs had been to him, "I just...don't trust anyone very easily."
James looked down, "And I'm sure I wasn't easy to trust..."
"No no! It's not your fault, James." Jeff bit his lip, remembering a certain wolf on a recent, nightmarish night, "You didn't do anything wrong."
The raccoon looked back up and tilted his head again, "Well it can't be Scott!" He smiled, assuming what he was about to say would help the boy, "Scott hasn't told me much of about them, but I know you don't have the best parents in the world. Thing is, though, now you don't need to worry about them, anymore! You have Scott now, and, even if I'm just a friend, me too!"
"Thanks," Jeffery rubbed his paws together, "but...it wasn't really them, either."
"Then who, kiddo?" James reached across, lightly putting his paw on the cat's knee.
"Tony...?" the cat answered in semi confusion, having assumed that in the process of telling him they were together, Scott would have told James about the wolf too.
But he was wrong, and James just tilted his head with a concerned look clouding his eyes, "Who's Tony?"
~
Sometime later, Scott pushed open the door from the garage, a bag of groceries gripped in his paw, "Jeffery, sweetheart? I'm home! You wanna' come in here and help me with the groceries, Kitten?" He sat the bag down on the floor, "The garage door's down, so you don't have to get dressed!"
Almost on cue, Jeff turned a corner, meeting his master there near the door, "H-hi, Sir."
The fox stopped and blinked. Sir? 'Master' was one thing, but the boy hadn't called him 'Sir' in nearly a week. And not only that, his kitten's entire demeanor was off: tail limp, paws behind his back, feet shuffling, and eyes down. "Kitten? What's wrong?"
"I..." Jeffery was hesitant to answer, but did anyway, having learned his lesson the week before about keeping secrets, "I think I did something bad."
"Bad?" Scott knelt by the boy, "Whatever it is: it's okay. There aren't rules anymore; you know that. You're my boyfriend now, not my pet. So, no matter that happened, you don't have to be scared of being punished or anything." He lightly petted the kitten's cheek, "Did you break something?"
"N-no. Nothing like that." The cat shook his head, and gulped before continuing, "...James was here."
"James?" Scott recoiled slightly, immediately rushing through his own paranoid thoughts. Did James do something bad to Jeff? No. Jeff said HE did something bad. So did they do something together? Was Jeff about to admit cheating with the raccoon? No. Of course not. That wouldn't be like either of them.
Before his master could ask, though, Jeff continued: "He came by right after you left, and I answered the door for him. I let him in without really thinking if it was okay of not..."
"You let him in?" the fox interrupted with a chuckle. "Is that what this about? Are you worried you weren't allowed to let him in?"
"No...no Sir," Jeffery shook his head unsteadily.
"Then what's wrong?" Scott paused and looked around, noting that they were alone, "And you said he WAS here? He already left? I wasn't gone that long."
"Yeah, he left a little big ago." The kitten took a breath and just finally said it, in a single rambling breath, "I, uhm, we were talking, right? And I thought he already knew about it -- I thought you'd told him -- so I mentioned Tony, and-"
"Tony?" Scott cut him off. "You told him about Tony?"
"I'm sorry!" Frantically, Jeff jumped to his defense. "I'm sorry, Sir! I thought he knew. I didn't know he'd get so upset! And then he just left, and I...I..." he paused for a tremoring breath, "I'm so sorry!"
"No. Nonono," the fox shifted closer, pulling his boy into a tight hug, and shushing him. "I'm not mad, Kitten. You didn't do anything wrong. Nothing at all. Just calm down, okay?"
Jeffery let out the tiniest of sniffles, "Are you sure?"
"I am. It's okay." Lightly rubbing his kitten's back, Scott leaned away again, "Did he say anything before he left?"
"No," the young cat shook his head, taking in a few calming breaths and already feeling better knowing his new mate wasn't upset with him. But there was still one question on his mind, "Is...is everything gonna' be okay?"
The answer wasn't yes. It wasn't no either, but it certainly wasn't yes. Scott had no clue exactly what this might mean, what James might do, or how this could prove to complicate matters further. There was a chance, albeit small, that things wouldn't be okay at all. But this one time, Scott felt it was best to not be entirely honest with his kitten...
"I'm sure it will. Don't worry."
~
(September 24th)
"And I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since," Scott let out a long breath and leaned back against his desk in his classroom a short while before the first bell of the day. Soon, the first of his students would be on their way, but for now, he shared his room with only one other fur. "I mean...it's part of the reason why I..." he looked down, "after what I let...what I let happen? I owed him this much." He closed his eyes as he winced in imaginary pain.
"Scott, it wasn't your fault," James stood a few desks away from the somewhat older teacher, his arms crossed across his chest. "You didn't 'let' anything happen, you were a different fur that night."
"I was a DRUNK fur!" The fox snapped in response, more at himself than the raccoon, "And that's no excuse."
James sighed deeply, "You know how much drinking affects a fur, but you're gonna' continue to blame yourself? Even after Jeff forgave you? Even with everything you're doing to make it right with him?"
"How am I supposed to not?" Scott looked up slowly, the fur under his eyes damp, "I may not be the one that did it to him, but I still brought that...monster...into my home -- into OUR home -- and he hurt Jeffery!" He gulped and let out a shaky breath, his eyes dampening again, "I'm glad he forgave me. I just...I wish I could, too."
"Scott, all you can do is make sure Jeff is happy from now on. Never make that same mistake and just try and get over it. You can't do anything to Tony without hurting Jeff again. He just wants to forget about it, to move on, and to be with you. You're what makes him happy. Make sure he stays that way." The raccoon said his peace matter-of-factly, and nearly emotionlessly, before finally uncrossing his arms and making his way toward the door.
Scott blinked and stood straighter. "How can I put this?" he spoke up, stopping the coon from leaving. "Your words don't match their tone. You don't sound near as sure about this as you're trying to say you are." He followed along behind the coon, closing half of the distance between them, "Say what you really think."
James looked back over his shoulder, "That is what I think. I don't blame you for what Tony did, Scott. I know there is NO way that you would let anything like that happen intentionally." He turned back into the open doorway and the near empty hall beyond, "But I also think that Jeff...Jeff is a very sweet boy. And just because I'm not upset with you doesn't mean that I'm not upset." He took the few steps to the doorway, and stopped, looking back with just his eyes, "And just because YOU can't do anything about Tony...doesn't mean I can't."
With that, the raccoon was out the door, and Scott was close behind, "James wait!"
His friend, though, made no attempt to stop. And Scott opened his muzzle to try and halt him again, but closed it just as quickly. Suddenly, his attention was being pulled in two directions. The departing raccoon and his closing statement were a priority...
...but so was the promise that Scott had made the day before, and so was the lone sophomore tiger now crossing his path. James could wait, at least for now, but this might well be Scott's only chance to get the orange cat alone.
"Hunter!"
~
There we go! A Warm Bed continues!
* Starring: Oloroso Rhone as Scott Hammond James Callaway (when talking to Jeff) Phil Anthro Pist as Jeffery Anderson James Callaway (when talking to Scott) and (a special cameo as) Elliot Masters *
If you'd like to go say hi to Phil, he's got an account here at http://phil-anthro-pist.sofurry.com/
Well, well!
Now James knows all about Tony! And it sounds like he's on the same bandwagon that a bunch of you have been on since chapter eight: that raccoon is out for blood! Will he get Jeffery his justice? Is he putting himself in danger to even try? What role will Scott play in it all? And most importantly: what would Jeffery want?
Tune in next time, to find out!
Anyway, thanks for reading!
I welcome any feedback! Comment or PM me here, or email me at theottercoon[at]gmail.com
See you in due time...for Sibirskaia!