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When Chris woke up late the next morning in Mitch's bed he was alone. The human stretched and smiled, his hand moving down to rub over his abdomen. It had been a good night, and the tuckered out ex-virgin had slept like a baby. His reflection was disturbed by the memory of the long, as of yet unread, text that Brutus had sent him. With a sigh, the human slowly reached for his phone and unlocked it.

I'm not going to lie to you Chris, I'm not ok. I wish I could have had the words to say what I was feeling before now, before this wolf stole you from me. I want you to be my boyfriend, because I care about you, more than that jock ever could. Please do me a favor and give me a chance before you do anything too drastic with him.

Chris sighed and set his phone back down on the nightstand. There was no way that the human could deal with this right now. He sat up in the bed and yawned loudly.

"Mitch?" Chris called out, "Are you here?"

"Yeah baby," Mitch replied from somewhere within the apartment, "Just come out to the living room, don't bother putting clothes on, I'm still nude."

Chris chuckled and stretched one more time before climbing out of bed. He looked down at the sheets and cringed. There was a large stain on the sheets, they'd definitely have to be washed, heavily. The human walked out of the bedroom and into the living room. Chris stepped out into the middle of the living room and smiled as he saw Mitch in the kitchen.

"Morning Mitch," Chris began, "What are you making?"

"Pancakes," A voice said from behind Chris, "With bacon in them, they're like the greatest thing ever."

Chris yelped and covered his nakedness up. He turned and looked behind him. On the couch was a deer, wearing a hockey tee-shirt and a pair of shorts, playing video games on Mitch's TV.

"Aww he's shy Mitch," The deer began, "Cute as a button though. I can see why you skipped out on the party."

"Be nice Owen," Mitch replied, "Don't make him feel too uncomfortable."

Chris blushed.

"I'm going to put some clothes on," Chris began, "I'll be right back."

The human scurried back into Chris's bedroom and put on his underwear and pants. He walked back out and sat on the couch next to Owen. The deer swore and slammed the controller down on the couch.

"So," Chris began as the deer crossed his arms across his chest, "How do you know Mitch?"

Owen chuckled.

"We're both on the hockey team," Owen replied, "Mitch's house is where I crash after parties when I've had too much to drink, and..."

"It's ok Owen," Mitch began, "You can tell him."

"Well," Owen took a deep breath, "I'm also a gay athlete, but no-one knows except Mitch and you so you can't tell anyone."

Chris blinked. This was the first time anyone had come out of the closet to him. He didn't appreciate how weird it could be for the person on the other end of the conversation. Damn, now he knew how his parents must have felt.

"Ok dude," Chris replied, "I won't say a word."

Owen breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled.

"Good," Owen began, "Mitch really knows how to pick them. How did you meet him?"

Chris chuckled.

"Well," Chris replied, "I ran into him after a hockey game, literally."

"That's cool," Owen said with a smile, "I guess I should give that a try."

Mitch walked into the living room with three plates of pancakes, a bottle of syrup, and a tray of butter balanced on his arms. He bent down and set them on the table, all in a row. He stretched out and jumped over the table, landing in between Owen and Chris on the couch. Mitch put an arm around the human and planted a couple of kisses on his cheek and neck.

"Go ahead and eat baby," Mitch began, "I can welcome in the morning with you later."

Chris chuckled and smeared some butter and syrup on his pancakes and dug in. He demolished his plate, finishing the stack of pancakes at the same time before the burly athletes beside him. Owen chuckled and set his plate down, his hands moving down to his stomach.

"That was some damn good food Mitch," The deer said with a belch, "Best hangover cure ever."

"I had impress my new boyfriend today," Mitch replied, "You were just at the right place at the right time Owen."

Mitch chuckled and leaned down to kiss the human. Chris recoiled and pulled back.

"N-not in front of other people," Chris began, "I'm not really into PDA."

Mitch rolled his eyes.

"Come on," Mitch said with a frown, "It's just Owen, he's not going to care."

"I'll care," Chris replied, "I have my reasons."

"And what are they?" Owen asked, "Well, if you don't mind my asking."

Chris scoffed.

"I do, but since you asked anyway," The human replied bitterly, "Definitely has something to do with being beat up, tied to a tree, and left out in the middle of nowhere in the pouring rain for being too gay."

Mitch and Owen gulped. Mitch hugged the human tightly. Owen seemed to shrink into the couch, his eyes wide.

"Shit..." Owen began, "That's just, I thought that didn't happen anymore."

"I'm sorry," Mitch began, "I shouldn't have pushed you."

Chris sighed.

"It's ok," Chris replied, his hand rubbing the wolf's arm, "You didn't know."

Mitch pulled back, leaving his arm around the human's shoulder. Chris kissed the wolf's paw and relaxed.

"So what's the plan for today?" Chris asked.

Mitch chuckled and rubbed over the human's side.

"Well," Mitch began, "Why don't we watch that movie?"

Owen cleared his throat and sat up.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," The deer began, "But we have a study session in an hour, remember Mitch?"

Mitch groaned.

"Fuck that's right," The wolf replied, "I'm sorry Chris but we're not going to be able to hang out today. These things take forever, and then the guys all hang out afterwards."

"It's fine Mitch," Chris said with a smile, "I don't want to take up all of your life."

"Ok," Mitch began, "Come grab a shower with me, then I'll take you home."

The wolf got up from the couch and extended a paw to Chris. Chris took it with a smile and got up from the couch. Owen got up as well.

"Mind if I join you?" The deer asked, "I smell like a night of bad decisions."

Chris opened his mouth.

"Of course not," Mitch replied, "The more the merrier."

Chris frowned and sighed.

"It's just a shower," Mitch continued, "Don't worry. Nothing bad is going to happen."

Owen chuckled.

"Unless you let it," Owen replied, "I gotta imagine having a three way shower with two hockey players is just a dream come true for a guy like you."

Chris rolled his eyes.

"Can it Owen," Mitch began, "He's not doing anything he doesn't want to."

With that the wolf shepherded Chris into the bathroom with Owen on his tail. The bathroom was small, and the three males were standing shoulder to shoulder in it. That being said, it was a nice, boring bathroom that was overwhelmingly white aside from a yellowish bathmat. Mitch closed the door with a foot and put an arm around Owen and Chris.

"The shower is going to be a little cramped," Mitch began as he turned on the water, "But I think we'll be able to get along just fine."

Chris blushed as Owen stripped naked in front of him. The deer wasn't as muscular and burly as Mitch, but he was slightly taller. The human forgot his complaints as the deer began to undress him. Mitch chuckled and turned on the water.

"Come on in boys," The wolf said with a grin, "Let's clean up."

Owen chuckled and ran a hand down Chris's chest.

"Only if we can get a little dirty first," Owen replied, "I'd love to try making out with a human."

Mitch rolled his eyes.

"I suppose that's ok," Mitch began as he stepped into the shower, "Let him in next."

Owen watched hungrily as the human followed after the wolf. Chris turned his back to Mitch, the wolf's paws roaming over his smooth stomach and hips. The deer got into the shower as well, sandwiching the human between his and Mitch's furred hips. Owen bent down and started kissing the human, his tongue sweeping into Chris's mouth with powerful strokes.

Chris blushed and kissed back. Owen definitely wasn't as good of a kisser as Mitch, but what the deer lacked in skill he made up for with enthusiasm. Mitch murred and watched, his sheath swelling and pressing against the human's rear. Owen pulled back and chuckled.

"Holy shit I can see why you like humans so much," Owen began, "They are fun to kiss."

Mitch chuckled and started kissing over the human's neck.

"On our next away game you should try and get with one," Mitch said with a murr, "They have apps for people looking to screw hot guys like us."

"Maybe," Owen murred, "Let me have a turn on his neck."

After a half hour of intermittent periods of cleaning and making out, the trio of males turned off the water and got out of the shower. Chris had blushing for the entirety of the shower, and his face was still beet-red.

"So," Owen began, "That was a lot of fun."

Mitch chuckled.

"Yeah," The wolf replied, "Let's not make a habit of it though, I don't want to have to share my new boyfriend."

Chris nodded.

"Yeah," Chris began rubbing his arm, "I feel a little uncomfortable now."

Mitch rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at his feet.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Mitch began, "But I can't really say no to a bro in need."

Chris sighed.

"We'll work on that," Chris replied as he started to pull his clothes back on, "Is my shirt still by the front door?"

Mitch nodded.

"Ok," Chris continued, "I'm going to get dressed and meet you in the car."

The human gave Mitch a quick smooch and walked back to the bedroom to collect his phone. Chris sighed and turned it on and sent Brutus.

I'm coming back to the dorms now. We'll talk then.

Chris put the phone back in his pocket and walked to the entry of Mitch's apartment. He pulled his shirt on, put on his shoes, and went outside. It was bitter cold and snowing a little. The human walked up to the wolf's Jeep and climbed into the front seat. Mitch and Owen walked out a short while after and got into the car.

Mitch put the key in the ignition and after a few cranks, started the car. He pulled away from the curb and started driving back onto campus.

"So where is this study session?" Chris asked.

"The library," Mitch replied, "We've got one every Saturday."

"With all the bros there it's gotta be pretty fun," Chris chuckled.

Owen chuckled too.

"Yeah," He replied, "Yeah..."

Mitch sighed.

"Look I'm sorry Chris," Mitch began "I can understand how things may have gotten awkward for you."

Chris squeezed Mitch's paw.

"I'll figure it out," Chris replied, "Thank you for apologizing."

"Yeah," Mitch said as he pulled up to the dorms, "Anytime."

Chris smiled at the wolf.

"Thank you for having me over Mitch," The human began, "I had a lot of fun."

Mitch nodded.

"It was nice to meet you," Owen called out from the back seat, "You should come out with Mitch and the guys sometime, I'm sure they'd like to meet you."

Chris chuckled and got out of the Jeep.

"Maybe," Chris replied, "Have a good day you two."

Chris stayed and watched as the Jeep drove away. He chuckled as the deer pulled himself over the front seat and jumped in the chair, rocking the car sideways. The human turned and walked into his dorm building. He walked up the stairs and went to the outside of his room. Chris took a deep breath, and walked inside.

Brutus and his shower caddy were gone. Chris breathed a sigh of relief, at least he'd be able to relax a little bit before he had to talk to Brutus. The human kicked off his shoes and stripped naked. He folded his borrowed clothes and put them on Brutus's bed and then got dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt.

Chris blinked and looked over at the Dalmatians dresser. On top of it was a small, brand new, flat screen TV. A soccer game was on, Montreal vs. Chicago. The camera zoomed in on a slender Dalmatian with a familiar grin on his face.

"That's my cousin," Brutus began, "He's a midfielder for the Montreal Grebes. They almost gave him a job in human soccer but, apparently it just couldn't be done."

"That's awesome," Chris began, "He looks like he's pretty good."

"He's one of the best," Brutus replied as he set his shower gear down, "So how was your night?"

"The night was great," Chris said with a sigh, "Morning, not so much."

"What happened?" Brutus asked as he sat down on his bed.

"Well we had sex," Chris said, pausing as Brutus flinched, "But in the morning his friend came over, and we all um, took a shower together."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Brutus scoffed.

"It felt really weird," Chris said with a sigh, "I mean I thought that your boyfriend was supposed to not be ok with sharing you with his friends."

"What?" Brutus growled, "He shared you with his friends?!"

"Friend," Chris began, "We just made out a little, but it was still weird."

Brutus sighed.

"God what a shithead," Brutus replied, "Are you still thinking of dating him?"

Chris nodded.

"He was really sweet last night," Chris began, "He also made breakfast which was pretty awesome."

Brutus shook his head.

"I'm worried he'll get worse," Brutus replied, "Russell said some things that really made me worry."

"Like what?" Chris asked, "I mean things may have been a little weird, but I'm sure if I talk to Mitch about it he'll change them for me."

Brutus sighed.

"Alright," The Dalmatian began, "You know best. If things do get weird though, call me or your brother. He shouldn't hurt you or anything like that, but if there's even a grain of truth to what Russell told me, it's likely you might get shared more often."

Chris sighed.

"I guess I'll just deal with that when I come to it," Chris replied, "If it happens, I'll call it quits. I don't want to be passed around the hockey team."

"Good," Brutus laid back and turned toward his TV, "Want to watch the game with me?"

Chris shrugged and laid on his bed. The second half of the game had just started and the Montreal Grebes were up by one. Chris yawned and put his arms behind his head.

"Is your cousin's team any good?" Chris asked, "They don't seem to be trying to make any points."

Brutus chuckled.

"They're playing defense," Brutus replied, "They'll score again."

Chris sighed and looked over at his roommate. The Dalmatian was making a point of fixating his gaze on the TV, but would look at Chris when he thought the human wasn't watching.

"I'm sorry that I had sex with Mitch," Chris began, "I didn't see your text message until this morning."

Brutus laughed.

"I'm not upset about that," Brutus replied, "I'm upset about the fact that you want to date this guy. I don't think anyone could blame you for having sex with him."

Chris sighed and wrapped his arms around his legs.

"Look," Brutus continued, "Even if you don't date me, there are much, much better guys out there for you to date. Guys who won't share you with their friends or ditch you for heteronormative bro-time. You should date someone who deserves to date someone as special as you."

Chris shook his head.

"I'm going to keep giving this a try Brutus," Chris replied, "I was right about him last time, and I think, with some work, that Mitch will come through and be an awesome boyfriend."

Brutus scoffed and got up from his bed.

"I'm going to go watch this game in my friend's room," Brutus began, "Mitch is not a good guy for you. I have nothing nice to say about him with you. If you come to your senses about the Mitch thing, give me a call."

Chris sighed and watched as Brutus stormed out of the room. The human sighed and pulled out his phone. What he needed right now was advice, good advice. He dialed a number and waited, bringing the phone to his ear.

"Hello Chris," A female voice said from the other end of the line, "I was just thinking about you."

Chris smiled.

"Hi Mom," Chris replied.

"Wow," Chris's mother laughed, "You haven't called me Mom since you first came to live with us."

Chris chuckled.

"I know how much you like it Sarah," Chris began, "And besides, I've missed you a lot."

"Daniel and I have missed you too sweetie," Sarah began, "How's school going?"

"School's great," Chris replied, "Everything else though... I need some advice."

"What's going on Chris?" Sarah asked, "Are you seeing someone?"

Chris nodded and facepalmed

"Did you nod?" Sarah asked with a giggle, "Well what's the matter?"

"I don't know if I should be seeing him," Chris began, "This other guy I like a lot is into me too, but I like both of them. What should I do?"

Silence.

"Just think about it," Sarah replied, "Who are you happier with?"

Chris sighed.

"I don't know Mom," The human began, "It's tough."

"Relationships can be," Chris's mother chuckled, "Just take a deep breath, and don't rush into any decisions. Don't feel like you have to choose one of them right this moment. If they try that, they aren't worth your time."

"You're right," Chris replied, "Thanks."

"You should see what Thomas thinks about the whole situation," Sarah began, "He'd love to help you out. He probably knows more about the situation than I do."

"Yeah good point," Chris began, "I can't wait to see you guys at Thanksgiving."

"Speaking of Thanksgiving," Sarah replied, "It's going to be pretty thin as far as people coming are concerned. You could bring a friend if you wanted."

"I'll ask around," Chris said, "I'll talk to you later Mom, I've got to go."

"Alright sweetheart," Sarah replied, "I love you."

"I love you too," Chris said with a sigh.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Brutus sat on a yellow bean bag, a tall glass of vodka in his paw. The soccer game was on, but Brutus had lost interest. He growled and banged the back of his head against the wall. A female squirrel sitting on a bed sighed and threw a pillow at Brutus.

"Don't you bust my wall Brutus," The female began, "I'm still trying to pay off the last thing you broke in here."

"Actually Karina," A diminutive Hindi male sitting next to the squirrel began, "These walls wouldn't break unless Brutus drove a car through them."

Karina scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I know that Andy," Karina replied, "Jesus, and here I thought that civil engineers were the cool engineers on campus."

"Actually, the environmental engineers are considered to be the coolest on campus," Andy pushed his glasses further up onto his nose, "Civil engineers are second coolest."

"Fuck!" Karina threw herself back onto the bed, "I can't believe I'm not cool enough to hang out with the coolest members of the dorkiest degree program on campus. Life is just horrible."

"Guys just stop," Brutus began, "I feel like shit. This stupid human is burrowing his way into my heart. The worst part is that I can't even be mad at him for it because he has literally no idea that he's doing it."

Karina sighed.

"Look," The female replied, "Just drink up and forget about it for a while. Cut loose and have fun. Then figure out what you need to do."

Brutus chuckled and threw the glass of vodka back.

"Fuck it," Brutus howled, "Let's go crazy."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

12 hours later

Brutus stumbled into his room, missing a shoe and the bottom half of his shirt. He hiccupped and fell over, his head cannoning into his closet. Chris shot up out of sleep and jumped out of bed.

"Brutus?" Chris began as he shined his phone's flashlight one the prostate Dalmatian, "Jesus Christ are you alright?"

Brutus growled back an unintelligible reply. Chris sighed and got out of bed. The human put on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and walked over to the canine. He knelt down, and held out his hand.

"Come on," Chris said with a sigh, "Let's just get you to bed."

Brutus swatted the human's hand away and pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"I don't need your help," Brutus slurred, "I can do it."

Chris sighed.

"God Brutus how much did you have to drink?" Chris asked, his eyes widening as he saw the large, fresh scar on Brutus's shoulder, "Shit, I'm going to get help."

Brutus growled and grabbed the human's arm hard.

"Just sit by me," Brutus began, "It looks worse than it is. I just fell down some stairs."

Chris sighed and complied. Brutus wrapped an arm around the human's shoulders. Chris tried to shake off the Dalmatian's arm, but the canine only held on tighter.

"Brutus please," Chris began, "You're drunk, and I'm exhausted. Can't we just go to bed?"

Brutus shook his head.

"I need to talk to you," Brutus replied, "Let me talk to you."

"Fine," Chris rolled his eyes, "Talk."

Brutus hiccupped and scurried over to the garbage can. He heaved and vomited, his powerful back shuddering. Chris sighed and rubbed the Dalmatian's back.

"Ok just let it out," Chris began, "It's ok, you're ok."

"C-can you help me to the bathroom," Brutus whined pitifully, "I-I want a shower."

Chris sighed and stood up. He pulled the Dalmatian up to his feet and rested the canine's weight on his shoulder. The human groaned and picked up the canine's shower caddy and towel.

"Alright big guy," Chris began as he started to make his way down the hall to the bathroom, "We're almost there."

"I've never been this drunk before," Brutus said with a burp, "Can you help me out in the shower?"

Chris nodded and helped the Dalmatian through the bathroom door. Luckily for the pair of roommates, the bathroom was unoccupied. He walked the canine down to the end of the row of showers, to the handicapped stall. Chris sat his roommate down on the bench and started taking off Brutus's clothes. The Dalmatian's head slowly rolled back, and his tongue lolled out of his mouth.

"Brutus," Chris said as he nudged the Dalmatian's shoulder, "Come on stay conscious a little longer."

Brutus snorted and shot his head back up.

"Ok, ok," Brutus replied, "I'm awake."

Chris nodded and turned on the shower water. Brutus sighed and closed his eyes and let the lukewarm water run over his body. Chris stood back and watched, his arms crossed over his chest. He sat the shower caddy beside his feet and hung the Dalmatian's black towel to his left. The Dalmatian looked up at the human and smiled.

"Thanks Chris," Brutus began, "I thought you were mad at me."

Chris scoffed.

"I'm not," Chris replied, "You did make an ass of yourself earlier, but I'm not mad at you."

"Can you hand me my toothbrush?" Brutus asked, "I want to brush my teeth. I feel nasty."

Chris got the Dalmatian's toothbrush out of the shower caddy and got it ready for the canine He squeezed a small dollop of white-canine toothpaste onto it, and cringed at the weird odor that came off of the toothbrush. The human handed it to the canine and put his arm behind his neck.

"Can I wait outside?" Chris asked, "This is a little awkward."

Brutus whined.

"Could you just stay?" Brutus asked, "I might need your help."

Chris nodded. Brutus's tail started to wag. The Dalmatian started to brush his teeth, moving the piece of yellow plastic in his paw in fast and short strokes. He finished, pulled the toothbrush from his mouth, and swallowed. Chris gagged and looked away.

"Holy crap why did you eat that!?" Chris asked.

Brutus chuckled.

"I thought you lived with foxes," Brutus began, "Canine toothpaste is edible. It works better for us than human toothpaste."

Chris groaned.

"That is just so disgusting," Chris replied, "Are you, uh, done then?"

Brutus nodded. Chris moved over to turn off the water, skirting around the outside of the spacious stall to avoid getting sprayed. The Dalmatian staggered to his feet and shook himself dry. Chris groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Why did I bring the towel when you were just going to do that?" Chris asked, "Damnit, now I'm all wet."

Brutus chuckled and slowly put his clothes back on. Chris moved closer and allowed the Dalmatian to steady himself on his shoulder. After a few uneasy motions, the Dalmatian was dressed. Brutus looked down at his half uncovered torso and sighed.

"I loved this fucking shirt," Brutus began, "I shouldn't have fought that guy."

"You fought someone!?" Chris gasped, "Jesus Brutus what were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking," Brutus sighed, "That's where the cut came from. The guy grazed me with a broken bottle. He was a pretty bad guy though, I hurt him, but he's not the kind to go to the cops."

Chris sighed and sat down on the wet bench. He put his head in his hands.

"Jesus," Chris said to himself, "This is all my fault."

Brutus shook his head.

"Can you help me back to the room Chris?" Brutus asked, "We can talk when we get back."

Chris nodded and wiped a tear from his eye. The human got up and put an arm around the Dalmatians shoulder. Brutus grabbed his shower gear and walked with Chris back to their room. Chris opened up the door and ushered the Dalmatian inside. Brutus sat on his bed, and clumsily stripped naked. Chris locked the door behind him and sighed.

"Is this because of me?" Chris asked, "Did I make you do this?"

Brutus shook his head.

"I made myself do this," The canine replied, "You had nothing to do with it."

Chris turned around and took off his wet clothes. Brutus watched intently, turning away as the human walked back to his bed. Chris got under his blankets and plugged his phone into the wall.

"It's almost one in the morning," Chris began, "Let's go to bed."

Brutus nodded.

"Good idea," Brutus replied, "Can we hang out tomorrow? I really shouldn't go anywhere or do anything. I'm going to have the worst goddamn hangover of the century."

Chris chuckled.

"I'll be doing homework," Chris said, "But I'd love to chill around the dorms with you."

"Ok," Brutus smiled, "It's a date."

Chris sighed.

"Yeah," The human began, "I guess it is."

Chris rolled over on his side and faced away from the Dalmatian. Brutus sighed happily and put his paws behind his head, his amber eyes looking up at the dorms beige ceiling. The canine looked over at the human's bare shoulders and closed his eyes.

"Good night Chris," Brutus began, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sleep well Brutus," Chris replied, "Wake me up if you need anything."

Brutus tried to lay still, but after a few minutes in any position, the Dalmatian tossed and turned. He breathed a sigh of displeasure, and sat up. The electric clock at the foot of his bed indicated that it had been an hour since the pair resigned themselves to sleep. Brutus looked over at his roommate, the human seemed to be sleeping just fine.

Suddenly, Chris whined and whimpered in his sleep. Brutus's ears perked up and the Dalmatian swung his body around, his footpaws on the floor. Chris whimpered again, louder, like a cornered prey animal. The human started to struggle, his arms and legs feebly thrashing underneath the covers. Brutus bit his lip.

It's just a nightmare, Brutus thought, He'll snap out of it.

Chris whimpered and started to cry.

"Please," The human begged to the night, "Please don't. Don't do it again."

Brutus whined.

"Please," Chris cried out louder, "Please stop. I'll be good."

Brutus got out of bed and jumped into Chris's. The human sat up bolt upright and screamed.

"MOM, PLEASE DON'T!"

Brutus held the human tight, his arms rubbing over Chris's back soothingly. Chris slowly came to his senses, and started to cry into Brutus's chest. The Dalmatian laid back against Chris's pillow and kissed the human's forehead.

"I-I'm sorry I woke you," Chris began, "I, uh, usually don't have this nightmare for another week."

"I couldn't sleep to begin with," Brutus replied, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Chris sighed.

"I don't know if I can," Chris sniffled, "I could barely tell my family what happened to me."

Brutus planted another kiss on Chris's forehead.

"I'm a good listener," Brutus began, "Besides, I might not remember this conversation in the morning. That might take some of the pressure off."

Chris nodded.

"I was adopted," Chris began, "You knew that already. I thought my birth parents were normal people, good people. My dad worked a lot and my mom was a little eccentric, but all in all, I thought they were good."

Chris took a deep breath.

"That changed when I started going to school," Chris continued, his voice getting shakier as he did so, "My mom didn't send me to pre-school and almost didn't send me to kindergarten, but my dad made her. My counselor at the group home said that she was sick, in the head, and that what happened to me happened because she couldn't handle being at home alone."

Brutus held the human tighter.

"One night," Chris sniffled, "When my dad was away for the night on business, my mom came into my room and... did things to me. Sexual things. She told me she did it to prove that she loved me and to convince me to stay at home with here. I went to school as I usually did the next morning, and I didn't' plan on telling anyone what had happened, but she had left... marks on my neck. My teacher saw them, and called my Dad, and the police."

Brutus whined as Chris collected himself.

"The court process was long," Chris continued, "At the end of it, my mom was sent off to a mental institution and my dad didn't want anything to do with me. He gave me up. He didn't have the time, the patience, or the love to raise me. Turns out, I wasn't his kid anyways, my real father is out there somewhere, but no one knows who or where he is."

Chris took a deep breath.

"It happened around Thanksgiving," Chris said with a sigh, "For a couple of weeks in November I have dreams about what happened. They get worse each year. This is the first time I've had to deal with them away from home."

"Jesus Chris," Brutus began after a short pause, "I had no idea."

Chris rubbed over the Dalmatian's paw.

"No-one does," Chris replied, "No-one except my family. That's only because Thomas found out the first night I spent in their house. He's the main reason I'm not still bent out of shape about it."

"Thank you for telling me Chris," Brutus nuzzled the human's cheek, "Can I tell you something?"

Chris nodded and wiped his eyes with the back of his index finger.

"When I saw you and heard you earlier during your nightmare" Brutus began, his paw squeezing Chris's hand, "I had never felt more worried about anyone in my entire life. I'm falling in love with you Chris. It scares me to think about it, but, I think I am."

Silence.

"But you just met me," Chris replied, "How can you know I'm even worth loving?"

Brutus whined.

"Anyone with half a brain can see that you're worth all the love in the world," The Dalmatian sighed, "It freaks me out. I've never fallen in love with anyone before. I honestly didn't think I would until I was old and boring."

Chris sighed.

"I've never fallen in love with anyone either," Chris began, "What does it feel like?"

Brutus moved his paw and started rubbing the human's shoulders.

"Well," Brutus began, "I imagine it feels how I feel right now."

"And how do you feel right now?" Chris looked back at the Dalmatian and looked into his eyes.

"I feel like this bed," Brutus thumped the mattress with a paw, "I feel like you, the bed, and me, are the center of the universe. That time, space, existence, life, everything, stands still when I get to hold you like this."

Chris gasped.

"It's the feeling I just felt a few minutes ago," Brutus continued, "It's the feeling that I have to protect you, to save you from whatever demons or troubles come your way. God, I must be freaking you out. For us furs, we-."

"I know," Chris interrupted, "I know you are able to form attachments and even fall in love at first sight."

Brutus nodded.

"I told you how I felt," Brutus began, "Don't you want to be with someone who loves you?"

Chris sighed.

"What if you're just confused?" Chris asked, "What if you're still drunk and just saying these things?"

Brutus shook his head.

"I only told you that I'd probably forget what happened so you'd tell me what had you so upset," Brutus began, "I sobered up, it's been a few hours since I've had a drink and that shower did wonders."

"This is just too much Brutus," Chris put a hand on the Dalmatian's cheek, "I'm in a relationship with Mitch. I can't just leave him for a feeling you have."

"You have feelings for me too," Brutus replied, "I can tell. Just think about it ok, ask your friends, ask your brother, and see what they think."

"Brutus," Chris sighed and kissed the Dalmatian's nose, "Can you sleep with me tonight? The nightmares aren't as bad when someone else, someone I trust, is in bed with me."

"You trust me?" Brutus's tail started to wag, "You mean that?"

Chris nodded and moved in closer to the Dalmatian.

"I do."