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Saturday Kittara was coming over to visit Kris; she was still having problems with her calculus so he'd volunteered to keep tutoring her so she didn't have another failed test that would disqualify her from joining them at the next swim meet.

That morning when he got back from doing laps in the school pool, he spent another frantic half hour trying to clean up the mess from his father's guests the night before. First he opened all the windows to let in some fresh air and hopefully get the smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol to clear out. Then he started a load in the dishwasher, mainly empty glasses from his Dad's drinking buddies.

When he pulled the cushions off the couch, to run the vacuum underneath, his jaw dropped open in shock. There nestled between one of the arms of the couch and the last cushion was the gun that Duke had given his father. It gleamed dully at him looking almost smug in his eyes. How could his father be so careless with such a dangerous weapon? The cushion fell out of his nerveless fingers and he reached down to cautiously lift the heavy bit of metal, holding it upside down by the grip. The distaste was clear in his face as he placed the weapon on the table with the barrel pointed away from himself.

He went about the rest of his task all the while trying to figure out where to put the gun so that it wouldn't be in the way but that his father wouldn't freak out on him for messing with it. He left it on the table while he carried the overloaded ash trays into the kitchen to dump them and put them in the dishwasher after he took the glasses out and put them away. He thought about just putting it back in the couch but that would be as irresponsible as his father was and he couldn't stomach the possibility of Kittara finding it there. In the end he took the chance of waking his father, opened his bedroom door quietly and left the weapon on his dresser where it would at least out of reach of his guest.

At nine am the expected knock came and he was as ready as he could be, brushing his hands down over his Abercrombie t-shirt and making sure the skater jeans he was wearing left just the right amount of his punisher boxer briefs showing. Taking a deep breath he opened the door.

Kittara smiled as she walked in, followed immediately by her cousin Audio. This was so not what he'd been expecting. The Raccoon just stood in the doorway staring at the smaller fox for a long moment before he realized he needed to close the door. "What in hell are you doing here?" He demanded his hands folding over his chest in a closed off posture as he glared at the boy.

The Fennec had a spectacular black eye; it was swollen tight shut and looked like it hurt pretty badly. "Dad and Papa made me come. I'm supposed to apologize to you and offer to do anything you need done around your house." He sniffed derisively as if he didn't care one way or the other about the edict from his parents.

Kittara elaborated, "Kerris felt that since Audio instigated that little incident that he should make it up to you by doing something for you. Uncle Mythic agreed, so he's here. They even had a few suggestions for what he could do incase you had trouble coming up with something." She seemed to take a maliciously gleeful interest in Audio's reactions to the news. The smaller boy seemed to sink in on himself, his head and shoulders slumping, ears folded back and his tail tucking between his legs.

Kris just stood there staring at the pair of them not sure what the hell was going on here. "Wait, you mean to say your fathers have told you to come over here and do stuff for me cause what you said made me so mad that I hit you?" He couldn't wrap his head around the idea. It was so foreign to him. "What kind of stuff?" He starting to consider the possibilities, having the boy do demeaning things like taking out the trash and cleaning the bathroom was starting to sound pretty good.

Audio shrugged and looked around. "Well, cleaning up your bedroom and making your bed and stuff like that, things that you'd usually be responsible for."

Kittara added from her seat on the couch, "Uncle Mythic suggested mowing the lawn, but you don't have one," as she carefully opened her text book onto the newly wiped down coffee table.

Kris thought about it for a few more moments then shrugged. "Well I do all the cleaning around the apartment, but it's mostly done. I guess you can take out the trash and maybe run another load of dishes through the washer. Whatever you do don't open Dad's bedroom door. When he wakes up he'll come out." He pointed out the door in question then promptly forgot about the boy as he settled himself beside Kittara. "How far did you get on the assigned homework?"

Left to his own devices the Fennec sighed and headed for the kitchen. Kris looked at Kittara and frowned. "They were serious? I can't believe they'd make him do stuff for me when I'm the one who hit him first." He kept his voice down so the sounds from the kitchen would cover their soft conversation.

The vixen nodded her eyes dancing. "Kerris told Mythic that Audio'd been picking at you all week and that you finally snapped cause of his bullying. They agreed that the best solution was for him to have to do something for you to make up for picking at you." She turned to the spot in her book where the homework started and picked up a pencil. "Mythic said he didn't care if Audio was smaller than you that Bullying was never acceptable and that he should be glad all he had to do was come and do some chores for you. Since school's out next month they have been planning this big camping trip, Audio's really looking forward to it and one of the things that they were thinking about was canceling the trip altogether cause of his behavior." Her eyes widened slightly to emphasize her point. "He got off easy if you ask me."

The raccoon sat back on the couch totally confused. Why would two men he barely knew take his side over their own kid? It just blew his mind.

For a while the two on the couch focused on calculus since that's what Kitt was there for, leaving Audio in the kitchen to take care of the last few loads of dishes and collecting the trash.

Kris didn't notice when his father came out of his room and headed for the kitchen, so engrossed was he in teaching Kitt the proper way to handle the current problem. The bellow that shook the house had him jumping and turning toward the kitchen in terror. "What the fuck are you doing in my house?" Apparently the older raccoon finding his son and the pretty vixen on the couch had assumed that the two were wrapped up in each other so he'd gone looking for something to eat only to find Audio with his back to the door bent over the dishwasher and had admired the ass that was thusly presented, however when Audio stood up and it became apparent that it was a boy he'd been admiring Edmond lost it! "Goddamned fucking faggots every where I look! Put that down!"

Kris managed to get to the kitchen doorway in time to see the terrified fennec backed into a corner by the infuriated Edmond. "Dad! Dad he's Kitt's cousin!" He grabbed Edmond's arm to prevent the older 'coon from landing a blow on the cowering boy. "He came over cause his Dad is making him apologize for the fight we had yesterday!" He had to pull back rather firmly on his father's upraised arm to get the older raccoon's attention. "Dad!"

Kitt stood in the doorway her eyes wide as saucers, wanting to help but not knowing what she could do.

Audio ducked his head pulling his arms up to cover himself in an attempt to ward off the blow he was sure was about to fall on him.

Edmond, his head pounding from the effects of the previous night's over indulgence, turned on Kris since his son was holding him back from hitting the cowering fox. "What fight!?" He demanded, grabbing the front of his son's shirt and shaking him roughly. "Where you fighting at school? God damn it, I brought you here to get you out of trouble, not to have you starting more!" He shook Kris again, shoving him into the counter. "Well? Answer me, boy!"

It was all Kris could to do hold onto his temper with his father physically abusing him. "He was taunting me and I punched him..." He offered up in a meek sounding voice hoping that his father would stop shaking him so that he could concentrate better on what he was trying to say.

Edmond was under no obligation to restrain himself. Something that Kris said must have sunk in, though. He shook Kris again and looked at the small fox who had lifted his head enough that Edmond could see the black eye Kris had given him. "You hit a smaller boy? You finally start to show some fucking backbone and you pick on a smaller target! I never taught you to beat up little kids. God damn it, Kris why can't you be a normal boy and fucking take on someone your own size!" He shoved the younger raccoon away from himself nearly knocking Kittara down where she stood in the hallway. "I'm surprised your girlfriend even bothers with you when you're beating up her baby cousin. Jesus Christ, what am I going to do with you! Worthless, you're fucking worthless!"

Kris managed with Kittara's help to catch himself and stand upright again but he was still reeling from what his father had done and said to him. He looked at Audio then at Kittara and winced, he was so embarrassed that they should see his father like this.

But Edmond wasn't done yet. "Get out of my sight, you worthless piece of shit! Go to your fucking room and stay there, I'll deal with you in a minute." He glared so fiercely at Kris that the boy had little choice but to obey the enraged older raccoon.

He paused just long enough to whisper, "I'll see you two later." Then turned and with hanging head and slumped shoulders went to his bedroom.

Edmond was pissed, that much the two foxes could tell from the way he'd been treating Kris, but they weren't sure what he was going to do to them. He grabbed the counter top and took a few deep breaths then turned on them again. "Look, kid, Audio was it? Tell your Dad I'll take care of my son and make sure he doesn't go picking on you again. Kittara, get him out of here, he shouldn't have to face Kris after having been beat up by him. Like I said I'll deal with that ingrate I call a son." He stood there for a few moments longer, then motioned for Kittara to collect her cousin and get him out of there. "I can't believe he had you doing his fucking chores on top of this!" He didn't apologize for mistaking Audio for a girl or scaring him half to death though, Edmond never apologized to mere children.

Kittara didn't know what else to do so she slipped into the kitchen and helped Audio up, pulling him out into the hall. "Hold on!" She whispered, slipping into the living room to collect the textbook she and Kris had been working with and shoving it into her bag.

By the time she got back to Audio, Edmond was in the kitchen doorway. "Like I said, Tell your Dad I'll deal with my misbegotten son, he won't be picking on you again, you have my word on that." There was an ominous feel to his words that had both kits shivering as they headed out of the apartment, clinging to each other with wide frightened eyes.

Once they were out of the apartment Edmond headed down the hallway. "Kris, get out of that stupid clothing and find some shorts and a t-shirt. I'm taking you to the gym. If you want to hit someone I'm going to teach you how to do it properly!" He stormed past the boys room and into the bathroom.

Kris was left sitting on his bed staring off in shock, his arm still hurt from where his father had grabbed him in the kitchen. When he heard the water start in the shower he shivered a little and pulled out his backpack. If his dad wanted him to go to the gym with him he didn't have much in the way of choices but what did he mean by teaching him how to hit someone properly? He grabbed a pair of shorts and a loose cotton shirt that would allow him some freedom of movement. For a moment he stared at the phone, reaching out to grab it and start to punch in his mother's number, but before he could finish there was a knock at the door. He stared at the phone for a moment then hung it up and headed for the door before whoever it was could annoy his father.

He pulled the door open and blinked in shock. "K-Kerris? M-Mythic?" He looked over his shoulder into the apartment and back at the two foxes. "What are you doing here?" He was careful to keep his voice down and since he couldn't stop favoring his right shoulder he kept it behind the door.

"Is your father home?" Kerris sounded upset, which was totally unusual for the happy fox.

Mythic lifted his hand to the shorter fox's shoulder and added "We'd like to have a few words with him, Kris, if he's still here."

The boy looked over his shoulder, then back at the foxes. "He's in the shower. You guys have to go! He can't find you here!" He tried to close the door on them but found Mythic's foot in the way.

"Kris, the kits came home and told us what was going on. Are you alright?" The foxes strange golden eyes peered past him into the apartment. "Do you need help?" There was a note of danger in his voice that Kris had never heard before. It was surprising coming from such a soft spoken mild mannered fox. It sent shivers down his spine.

He shook his head as he heard the water shutting off. "No, no I'm fine. Dad says he's taking me to the gym to teach me how to hit people... It'll be fine I'm sure." He pushed at the door again. "Look you gotta go he'll freak if he finds the two of you out here and blame that on me too!" Something in the tone of his voice seemed to get through to Mythic as the fox pulled his foot out of the door and let Kris close it just as his father came out of the bathroom.

"Who was that?" Edmond didn't seem quite as upset now that he'd had a chance to take a shower, but there was no use in pressing his luck.

"Mormons." Kris said as he turned to face his father. "I told them we already had Christ in our lives."

His father snorted. "Got your gear?" He didn't wait for Kris to respond, just headed into his bedroom to get dressed. A few minutes later they were in the car on the way to the gym when they passed the pair of foxes. Mythic and Kerris where holding hands as they walked down the sidewalk, both of them lifted a free hand to wave at the boy. Kris was just about to wave back when his father spit out, "Fucking Faggots on the road now. No matter where I look I can't get away from them!" Which kept the boy's hand in his lap as they sped past.