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Hello,

people, how're you guys doing?

Welcome to the Hockey Hunk once again - the penultimate chapter of the first part of the season, for next Monday, we'll be having our last chapter before the Christmas break. After that, we'll on a short hiatus and the story will be back to our screens on January, 2014, with the second half of season 5. And stand confident, everyone, pre-production of season 6 is already underway! Things are looking good for the Hockey Hunk in 2014, oh yes! I do hope that you'll will keep following the story. I still have a lot to tell about these people, and I intend to keep their story interesting and memorable. And I hope that's not just me, because you guys make it all worth it, too.

So let's enjoy the two final chapters of the year, and remember, that we ain't seen nothing yet!

Have a fun read, and don't forget to comment!

*

Well there's only just that much moping around before you have to sit down and do something about it, and there really was only one thing I could do for now, so...there I was...sitting on the couch with my legs pulled up, holding the phone and waiting for him to answer.

He answered on the third chime.

"Hello, Rowreeh," Peter sounded tired, but managed my pet name, at least.

"Uh...hi," I scratched myself behind an ear as we exchanged greetings.

"Is this the back home call, I presume?" he said.

My tailtip bumped up and down against the armrest.

"Yeah, I suppose it is," I snuffled.c

"How was your lovely family?"

Hmmm...couldn't really tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

"They're fine," I said, "everything went fine."

Until a certain point...shit...

"That's nice," he said, "Do I have to start practicing for best man's duties yet?"

My ears jumped.

"What?" I asked dully.

"Well I'm sure your parents asked you when you're going to get married."

I snuffled.

"Only if we were planning to maybe move in together," I detailed what'd been said during the dinner when we'd had some wine and...indeed, "something like that."

"Damn, I was hoping," Peter mused.

Harrumph.

"Sorry," I decided to play along, just for that moment, and then be off with it.

"Heheheh," he chuckled.

"It all went fine," I said, "I think it did. Victor had a good time. The family behaved. It was good to see them again."

"I'm sure it is," Peter replied, "I've been thinking of maybe visiting Philly at some point in the future. Go see mom and dad and maybe the siblings too."

Well that was a bit of a surprise...Peter didn't like to travel...because that involved sitting in closed spaces with so many furs who could be coughing...that wasn't good for him.

"That sounds exciting!" I enthused, or at least tried to.

"We'll see how it turns out," Peter said_, "still might have some planning to do."_

"Sure," I said.

We fell into a brief silence. Peter didn't seem to mind, even after almost a minute had passed with neither of us even trying to start a new conversation. My stomach churned; I knew I had to talk about it to Peter, he would understand, but...but how can I...how could I start on it...damn...damn...I mean...this was a fuck-up in my personal life, not his...and I'd generated more than enough drama as of late...much too much stuff piled on poor Peter.

"Peter?"

"Yeeeeees?"

"Can I ask you about something?"

"As always, sure," his voice piped in.

Well...here we go...

"Victor and I screwed up," I said.

"Well you are seeing each other...isn't it only natural..."

"Don't, please," I huffed, feeling the old tension grow even more so.

"Alright," he said.

"We had an accident and we're a bit freaked out now," I said, "the condom broke and...uhh...there was a money shot..."

I bit my lip and waited for the reaction...laughter, anger, heckling, silliness...anything he could say.

"And it's something that took you by surprise?"

"Yeah..."I rumbled.

"So you've been keeping safe?"

"Yeah, of course we have," I said, "we haven't even talked about anything otherwise yet. It hasn't even been mentioned."

"Well that makes sense, I suppose, since you're keeping it casual, aren't you?"

"I...I suppose we are...but I mean...what does that have to do with it? We've just been safe, is all."

"Of course. I was just wondering."

I frowned.

"If you think he has other guys too..."

"Does he?"

"He's not the type," I said, "You do remember the fit he threw over my kiss with that tiger..."

"Acutely and with remarkable clarity," the cougar replied in a resonant rumble.

"So there you have it," I growled, "no others."

"So is the issue that you hadn't talked about going bareback?"

I made a face and huffed to myself before I dared to speak again.

"More like...I guess we're both a bit freaked about...maybe accidentally...catching something..."

"So how come you think so? Just because you haven't compared notes on STD tests?"

"Uhh...basically, I suppose. We've said we've gotten tested in the past and been clean, and since we've played safe..."

"But you're still freaked out."

"Yeah...yeah, because it happened so suddenly...the condom broke."

"I don't think he's going to get a lion bun in the ash chute, but that might be just me."

I chuckled at the ridiculous description, no matter the topic at paw.

"I don't think that's the issue," I still had a bit of laughter in my voice.

"So are you being all Rowreeh about it then?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Being all worried and like a cat on a hot tin roof."

"Humph."

"Don't deny it."

"I wasn't denying anything, - hey, I did call you, you know!"

"Well it's part of the ritual."

"What ritual?"

"This," Peter noted, "your sex scandal:"

"Sex scandal?" I huffed.

"Well, if you had sex and now it's making news..."

"We just need an STD test," I huffed, "and I'm sure there's nothing to it. Both of us have been tested before and we haven't had any trouble with that."

I sure as hell wasn't going to tell Peter about Victor's STD scare some years back...that was private, and had nothing to do with this. He'd gotten that treated years ago, that was not an issue now...or shouldn't be, at least.

"So when was the last time you got tested?"

"A couple of years ago," I said, "you asked me before not too long ago."

"Did I?"

"Don't pretend you didn't" I pointed out, "you asked me if I was sure I was clean before we had sex, sometime in January of February."

"Hmm...I suppose so."

"And I know I'm clean," I said, "I haven't had anyone except you in a long time."

"Well there is that...but it might be a problem."

I snorted.

"What kind of a problem?"

"Just that you can never be completely sure with me, you know. The meds make it possible for me to catch all sorts of things."

I grumbled.

"You don't say that I might have caught something from you?" I asked. "But you get tested all the time, don't you?

"Well I do, because anything that can colonize my urinary tract can go up to the kidney and blow it up."

"So what's the issue?"

"The steroids make it hard for me to get a fever," he said, "A low grade infection might not cause me to have a fever or symptoms, especially if it's a localized infection. It doesn't always have to cause a blood poisoning level of infection."

I grunted.

"You're seriously starting to worry me now," I huffed, "what if I caught something from you?"

"I do feel fine, but you never know, do you?"

"Well obviously not," I hissed between my teeth. "Shit..."

"I don't think there's anything going on," Peter said_, "I feel fine, and I presume you feel fine, too, so by all means, you're probably fine. Just go get tested, both of you."_

"We intend to," I said, "hell, "I'll probably go tomorrow, if I can get an appointment."

"Isn't there a walk-in clinic at the hospital? I do have my tests done during my usual screening at the lab."

"I suppose there is," I mused, "I got my last tests through a GP, though..."

"Probably faster through the walk-in clinic," Peter mused, "besides, you'll get the full treatment once you tell you had sex with a man, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they take this cotton swab and put it up your ass..."

I winced. My butt winced too.

"I think I had that done the last time," I grumbled

"Always such a delight," Peter said.

"Maybe for you," I teased.

"And they usually get back to you soon, so then you and Victor can have a peace of mind and return to your usual buggery," Peter stated. "No problems."

"Well, I hope so," I said, "If it's my usual luck he'll end up making some chastity pledge or something."

"Kinky."

I snorted.

"Besides, he's got drama with his brother again..." I groaned.

"Oh? What has the delightful Jacob Holden done this time? Did he announce that he's opening a branch of his shop in Kirk City?"

Oh my God...a Cobb warehouse in your neighborhood...with one-day personal Cobb delivery...

Cobb as a delivery boy...

"Well, no, not that," I said, "but apparently he's...ah..."

"What? Planning to throw a candlelight supper for you and him and Victor and me?"

"Probably that, too, latently," I said, "but no...something more...extreme, I suppose..."

"I'm all ears, and I don't like waiting too much."

I let out a breath, to make sure I wasn't going to burst into laughter immediately while talking about it, so I took my time.

"Their old friend lives here now, some guy called Tate, who's an Iraq veteran and now lives here after being almost blown to bits," I started, "and...uh...well, Cobb had him over so that he wouldn't feel bored with Victor being away with me and...this Tate guy made a move at him."

Peter was reeeeally quiet.

"Why am I thinking that it wasn't a dance move?"

"No," I breathed carefully again, so as not to giggle, "he...kissed Cobb."

"Ahem...what is about these Holdens and the gay population of this town going crazy about them?"

"I don't know," I rumbled honestly, "but I know that neither of them knew that this Tate is gay, and Victor didn't tell him about himself either..."

"So he went and tried to make out with Jacob Holden..."

Well if it was even half as good as making out with Victor Holden...

"I presume so, since Cobb freaked out and Tate left."

"I can only imagine. When I asked him over, he seemed a bit jumpy when he wasn't being a cock-waving dick. Bet he thought I might try to seduce him or something else that dirty gay men do to innocent straight ones."

Damn, the images Peter was putting into my head...gosh!

"I suppose so."

"So is Victor now trying to talk him out doing anything stupid?"

"Burning his clothes has been mentioned as an option," I said.

"What?"

"I dunno, it's something Victor said, I didn't quite get it," I said.

"Weird."

"But yeah, I think that's what's going on there now, at Victor's place," I huffed, "kinda glad I'm not there."

"I feel the same, Rowreeh."

"Hah," I snuffled.

"Rory?"

"Yeah?" I muttered.

"I have to tell you something too."

I tried not to tense. Peter sounded kinda tense, too, now, after his earlier amusement at Cobb's gay plight.

"Okay," I said.

"It's about...it's about something that happened yesterday."

"Yeah?"

"I had Nicholas visit me."

No wonder he was serious.

"Really?" my voice almost went into a whisper.

"Well he'd been hankering for a meeting and I didn't want to go out so I asked him over, and he came over."

"Alright..." I mumbled, imagining Nicholas' beret flying in the air through the front door.

"But I'm afraid that's not all."

"Hit me," I said.

"When he left here, Rory, some kids tried to beat him up."

My tail coiled itself around my leg, and I found myself clutching the phone more firmly, hearing these news being spoken in Peter's soft, purring...and slightly downcast voice.

"You mean...?"

"They called him a faggot and tried to beat him up at the bus stop. They broke his phone and if he hadn't run away I bet they'd kicked his ass. The cops brought him back here because he didn't want to be alone afterwards."

"Fuck..."I hissed.

"He wasn't really hurt except a bruise on his arm, so that's a good thing, but not sure how he's taking it. He was pretty messed up."

"How long did he stay?"

"Until the evening, then I put him on a cab because he insisted going home. I did ask him to stay the night but he said he needed to be alone."

"Damn...did you...call him today or something? Made sure he's okay?"

Whatever I had ever thought of Nicholas, nobody, and I mean nobody should ever have to go through anything like that, especially not without anyone to be there for you. And I had the terrible feeling that Nicholas didn't really have anyone else but us yet, out of all his acquaintances at the time when we were students and all that. Everyone else had moved on in life, and away from the town, for most part, too.

"I called around noon and he had just woken up, so I suppose he slept on it."

"Still...damn..." I mumbled.

"You don't hear about that sort of a thing often, no, not here," he said.

"At least I haven't, no, but maybe I don't read the local papers so closely," I said, "I remember those few cases from back when we students...like..uhh...Thomas Nunn...and...what was the name of that drag queen he was with when they were beaten up?"

"...I...I'm not sure I remember, but I think they moved to New York after that incident..."

"Damn...just when you think the world's changed at least a little, something like this happens..."

I couldn't help but think about it...that on one paw, I'd seen sitting on the dinner table with my parents chatting with my boyfriend, and in the other end, Nicholas was getting his teeth knocked in by someone furs who didn't want homos in their neighborhood. My stomach ached at the thought - what if these were some bullies who'd set them up in Peter's area and would prey on anyone who was different...did it happen just outside Peter's place? A block away? I'd have to ask all those questions from Peter...make sure that he was safe.

"Doesn't always have to be gun-toting white supremacists klling dozens to make for a shitty time on the planet," Peter noted.

And that thing, too...shit...was everything destined to suck during this weekend?

"That was on TV, yeah. So much crap."

"Don't you know that Norwegian guy?"

The realization came like a ton of bricks, really...I hadn't really much thought about...about...damn...

"Haakon, yeah," I breathed.

"Might want to check if he's alright."

"I...I might do just that," I said, "Yeah, I probably should."

"It's not a big country, something that is bound to affect almost everyone living there."

"You're probably right," I said, "damn..."

"Not a good time."

"No," I said, "which reminds me...where did that thing with Nicholas happen then? Did it happen really close to you?"

"About...uh...six blocks down, I think."

Damn...that was close.

"Shit..."

"That's what I thought too."

"I sure hope they're not some...some gang that's settled there."

"I highly doubt it."

"Well you never know do you?"

"I'll start walking with a shank if you want me to be safer."

"Peter..."

"Rowreeh..."

"Peter..."

"Rowreeh, yes?"

"Oh come on!"

"Well you're the one living in a slum, shouldn't I be the one worried for your safety?"

"This isn't a slum," I mumbled ,"at least not yet."

"My point exactly."

"Oh, Peter..."

*

Thank you for reading my story!

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See you on Monday for the mid-season gruffhanger!