How It Goes - Theo's Tale
#3 of How It Goes - Tales
Struggling to carry on from Scott's perspective, I decided that Theo's Tale had to be told.
Expect Part 24 in two weeks. Thank you for your patience.
Theo brushes a stray tuft of fur away from his brow as he loosens his collar. The discarded phone on the sink flashes with only a single message._Oscar's here now. Talk to you later. Love you._The bear he observes in the mirror, he notes, is one nobody would mind being caught in bed with. He grins to himself as he picks up the phone, his eyes re-reading Scott's messages.
Otter and bear. Theo sighs as he checks the time - 20:23 - before he checks the other messages. Amy would be there tonight. Brian mentioned he might. Cecil said maybe too - even though he barely knew the rabbit, Theo found that he liked him. Clever and built well. He licks his lips before he shakes his head - shooing away the thought of his naked frame.
A horn blares from outside. Theo runs a paw through his headfur as he leaves the bathroom. On the way out the door he snatches a bag full of cans; he scans his flat for a moment before he leaves and locks the door.
"There ya are," Colton grins at him. "Lookin' good. Lookin' to get laid?"
"No," Theo replies flatly as he gets seated in the front seat.
"I am. Really been needin' it."
"You never talk about sex whenever we're with the others," Theo grunts angrily.
"Well, you're the only one I know who can appreciate cock," Colton snickers, and he flashes a grin. "Get your seatbelt on, Swindon's a bit away."
"We picking up anyone?"
"Nope. You an' me tonight for the drive, baby."
"Great," Theo grumbles. Colton flicks on the radio as he revs the engine to the sound of_Dream Theater._
"So when d'ya get engaged?" Colton asks as he swings into the main road. Theo gazes out at the dark horizon, the gentle orange gleam of the sun soon set, barely hearing the dog.
"Sorry, what?"
"Engaged," Colton repeats, gesturing to Theo's hand. "Doesn't look like your run-o'-the-mill decoration, that."
"Oh...yeah, last Saturday, actually."
"Didn't wear the ring to school, though, did ya?"
Theo grimaces as he sets his eyes back on the horizon. His index runs over the golden band absent-mindedly, and he feels Colton's eyes on him every now and again. When the dog turns up the volume and speeds up, Theo sighs in relief and closes his eyes.
"Magnus, catch!"
Theo snatches the can out of mid-air; Byrne smirks at him as he takes another chug from his own, before he smoothly sits down next to Amy with his arm around her. The mouse rolls her eyes and scoots out of his one-armed embrace, which leaves the cheetah grumbling and frowning; she still winks at him, though she settles down closer to Theo.
"Been a while," she says as she places her paw on his thigh. Theo shrinks slightly, though she takes no notice.
"Yep." He glances around the room. Most of the attention's fixed elsewhere - Erik and Brian are shouting at the telly; Byrne's found his phone, trying to shy away as he grumbles angrily to himself; Travers is getting physical in a corner with Trisha; Cecil's chatting on the phone out on the balcony. Patterson and Colton, however, both look at him as they converse. The wolf gestures to Theo's hand, and Colton nods.
"So, did things work out with you and Brian?" Theo asks hurriedly as he nonchalantly scoots Amy's paw away. The mouse looks faux-offended as she kicks back into her chair.
"He apologised, but he's off my radar," she shrugs. "Good fuck and all, but I've standards."
"At least you got other fucks, though, right?"
"Could have anyone in this room if I wanted, don't you think?" She grins up at him. "Congratulations, by the way."
"On what?" Theo asks as he shifts to face Amy properly.
"Engagement," she points to his hand. "That_is_ an engagement ring, right?"
"Yeah, it is," Theo replies as he brushes his index against the gold.
"Lucky wolf," she sighs as she throws her head back. "I suppose this means I won't be having any fun with you anymore."
"Not necessarily," Theo growls softly as he scoots his chair closer to the mouse. "We talked about it. We're pretty open about fucking around."
"Really now?" she replies, intrigued. "I would not mind a piece of bear tonight."
"I'll tell you if I get drunk enough."
"You wound me," she gasps, gesturing wildly, her face dramatic. "To think that you would only fuck me drunk"
"_When_I get drunk enough, then," he snorts. "Just not up for it right now, if I were I'd drag you to Erik's bedroom right now."
"By the look of it, his bed's never been used," she says quietly, surveying the weasel carefully. His thick glasses hang askew on his nose as he rivals Brian's already booming voice in cussing at the telly.
"You're_vicious_ tonight," Theo murrs as he opens his beer. "I like it."
"Oh, there's a lot about me you love," she replies. "Oy, Byrne, throw me a beer, why don't you."
She snatches the beer in midair, and winks at Theo. As she takes a swig, the loud yells from the telly's muted and Colton claps loudly.
"Right," the dog grins as Patterson hands him a can. "So if ya haven't caught the news, Magnus's asked the wolf to marry him, so let's all drink to my man Magnus's getting married, yeah?"
Theo stares stone-faced at Colton, his eyes scanning Patterson's unreadable expression; Brian's approving nod; Erik's raised, weird eyebrows; Cecil gives him the thumbs up; Byrne's look of disbelief and confusion, even envy; Travers glares at him with the strangest face Theo has ever seen. When he breaks the silence, it's a quiet, even curious voice. "That true?"
"Yeah," Theo replies after a long silence. "Last Saturday."
The cat slips away from his girlfriend and walks over to the bear in the same massive swagger that drowns out everybody around him. His eyes narrow as he surveys Theo carefully, less than a feet away from his face. The eternal scowl breaks into a grin and a nod as he grasps Theo's hand with his own. "Congratulations. You had better treat him well or I_will_ beat the shit out of you."
"I...yeah, of course. Thanks, Travers," Theo stammers. The cat nods crossly as he returns to his girl. Moments later, Theo is overwhelmed by the others, who shakes his paw and claps him on the shoulder, giving genuine congratulations so unlike what he had always expected. He half-heartedly joins in on the cheers and celebrations, and when he takes to his drink it is with excessive fervour.
"So did that help?"
Amy slides off of Theo; his dick flops down onto his stomach, and thick wads of cum dribble down from her cunt to his balls. He buries his face underneath his pillow and groans in frustration.
"Guessing it didn't," Amy says casually as she gently rubs the bear's balls. Sunlight streams in from the window, the warmth caressing Theo's stomach.
"Fucking hangovers," he grumbles, pushing the pillow off his face.
"Shouldn't drink that much then, should you?" She lets go of his shaft and orbs and slides out of his bed. "Figured you'd feel better after a good fuck. Or three."
"You're a fucking goddess in bed," Theo sighs heavily as he clutches his forehead. "I really want to fuck you again, only I don't think I can feel my legs. Or my head for that matter."
"Goddess, eh?" she smirks. "Sounds about right. I'll get you some aspirin if you've got any."
"Cabinet in the bathroom, lowest shelf," Theo grunts. "You couldn't hand me my phone while you're at it, could you?"
"Pocket of your pants, right?" The rattle of the belt buckle is one of chaos manifest - when the phone hits his face he yelps and growls.
"Fucking hell..."
"Sorry, my bad. Not all that sober myself," Amy snickers. "Be back in a bit, going to borrow the shower."
Theo sighs loudly as he snatches the phone; the bright screen burns his eyes. He flicks through his contacts until the wolf's face beams down at him.
"Morning," Scott says happily; in the background Theo can hear sizzling.
"Hey," Theo groans. "How was last night?"
"Went really well," Scott hums. The sizzle is joined by additional clamour - dishes and cutlery by the sound of it. "Played games, snuggled each other to sleep."
"Sounds great," Theo replies half-heartedly. "Listen, Amy stayed over last night..."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. We fucked. A lot." Theo covers the mouthpiece of the phone to keep from blurting apologies.
"Sounds good," Scott chuckles. "You enjoyed yourself then?"
"Yeah, sure," Theo grumbles inaudibly. "Just... just needed to let you know."
"Thanks," Scott murrs gently. "Are you okay, though? You sound down."
"Hungover," Theo grunts, tugging at his ear angrily.
"You sure that's all?"
"Yes, Scott, I'm sure," Theo replies, annoyed. He twists his ear hard and bites his lower lip.
"Okay..." The wolf sounds apologetic. "Just... Theo, if there's anything at all, I'll come over right away."
"Yeah, sure, thanks," Theo mutters as he shifts uncomfortably. "Enjoy breakfast. Love you."
"Love you too."
Theo hangs up and throws the phone aside. Struggling with his aching head, he grumbles and growls quietly to himself - which serves only to agitate the agony - and the world spins as he plants his feet on the ground. Carefully he waddles out of his dimly lit room - the dresser and door his support as his walk remains uneven.
A thick wall of steam envelops Theo when he enters the bathroom, and he grunts when he closes the door to the sound of running water; from the shower Amy sings quietly to herself, a rehearsal of the scales. When he opens the cabinet door, Amy looks over her shoulder with a grin. "Oh hello there."
Wordlessly, Theo stumbles into the heat and slips past the mouse; he leans against the wet wall and sinks down to the ground. Amy steps aside so the warm water pours over his face, and he sighs long and heavy.
"You look like shite," she says playfully as she opens the cabinet door and steps out.
"You're done showering already?" Theo grumbles in response, looking up at the mouse. Amy reaches for the closest towel with a half-puzzled look.
"Unless you want to fuck me, yeah," she replies with a grin.
"Am so fucking spent already," Theo mutters as he buries his face in his paws.
"Shame. Promised Erin I'd be at hers an hour ago. Only way she'll accept me being late is if I'm being filled with cock."
"Already did that," Theo grunts as he rubs his temples with his thumbs.
"Yup, you did, and a damn good job at it too." She places one of her feet on the toilet as she rubs her thighs. Between his fingers Theo gazes at her cunt with a mixed feeling of desire and confusion. "We'll do this again soon, yeah?"
"Yeah, sure," Theo replies flatly as he scrunches his forehead into the palm of his paws. "Could you close the cabinet door, only it's getting chilly."
"Figured you enjoyed the view," she snickers, though she obliges. After she's brought the towel over every inch of her white fur, she tosses it over the cabinet door. "I'll talk to you later. Get better soon."
"You forgot my aspirin," Theo mutters to himself as she closes the bathroom door. He grits his teeth as the warm water trickles between his ears, down his chest, to his now-limp cock. His mind wanders further and further away, into places he thought he'd long forgotten - until the water grows cold and bitter.
A perplexed Theo opens the front door after the doorbell's rung several times. He hurriedly buttons his trousers, trying not to stumble over his previously-discarded T-shirt, tangoing through the mess of shoes by the front door. He opens the door to find Oscar, in a beige summer's jacket, underneath which is a white t-shirt; charcoal grey shorts; his signature headphones hand around his neck; and swinging from his shoulder a platinum bag with a pentagram logo he doesn't recognise in black on the front. The sheer strength of the sunlight behind the white bear makes Theo cringe as he looks away.
"Oscar, hey, I..." Theo starts as he fumbles with the front of his trousers.
"Hey," Oscar says, his voice flat. "You didn't forget you invited me, did you?"
"No, I didn't," Theo replies hastily, sheepishly, as he gestures for the white bear to enter.
"If it's a bad time, I can come back later," Oscar frowns.
"No, no, I invited you, come in, let me just..." He waits for Oscar to enter before he hurries over to his bedroom. He rummages through his dressers to find a clean white shirt, which he slips into as he returns to the living room. Oscar's seated in the couch, cross-legged with his 3DS in paw.
"You needed help with Persona, right?"
"Uh, yeah, I... I'm struggling with the Bathhouse," Theo recalls faintly as he sits down next to the white bear. "Let me just plug in the PS2."
Oscar glances up from his 3DS screen on occasion as Theo tidies the cluster of cables behind his TV stand. The start-up sound startles them both, and Theo manages to lower the sound before P4's intro theme starts to play.
"Right," Oscar mutters to himself as Theo hands him the controller. The white bear enters the game load screen and rushes through the save points. "These all yours, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, good, you have a save before the 19th of May," Oscar nods to himself, and he loads that save. After shuffling through the menu for a bit, he hands the controller to Theo. "Get to the 19th."
"Okay?" Theo replies in confusion. "Why?"
"'Cause there's a fusion skill change the day after," Oscar replies casually.
"How does that help me?"
Theo returns Oscar's frustrated grimace with a frown as the white bear shakes his head. "Okay, so basically, in Persona, each skill has a rank. Whenever you change a skill through horizontal morphing, it'll become a skill of equal rank, now, there's a persona,Kaiwan, who comes with a rank seven skill,Tetrakarn-"
"You lost me," Theo shakes his head as he turns his attention to the telly. Oscar sighs and dips his muzzle into the 3DS.
"Basically, you fuse_Kaiwan_ on the 20th - or 18thor 25th, really - and try to change _Tetrakarn_into one of the other twenty-two level seven skills."
"Which means...?"
"Means you can get_Victory Cry_ early. Or Repel Physical. Can get both if you got the time."
"What do they do?"
"Victory Cry heals you to full after each fight," Oscar shrugs. "Repel Physical does exactly what it says on the tin."
"Sounds handy," Theo remarks, half-arsedly playing on.
"Yup. Basically removes the difficulty of the game entirely," Oscar nods to himself. Theo glances at the white bear, and bites his lower lip. Oscar pays him no attention, and he, with a sigh, returns his focus unenthusiastically to the game.
"Right, thanks. I'll see you tonight."
Theo gazes down at his phone as his call ends, and he turns to the white bear. Oscar is lazily flicking through the menus of_P4_, once again loading the game. "How many times have you done that now?"
"Think I'm up at forty or so," Oscar replies calmly, as he goes through the motions as though by rote. He skips through the fusion sequence and tilts his head at the result. Theo looks at the television too - at an ugly alien face plastered on a purple star.
"You got both?" Theo asks, vaguely reading both_Victory Cry_ and_Repel Physical_ on Kaiwan's skill set.
"Yep," Oscar replies as he exits the menu and the Velvet Room, and saves the game. "Seems like my type of luck, really."
"How so?" Theo rubs the back of his head as he starts to clean up all the empty chocolate wrappers on the table.
"When I try to do something for myself, it doesn't really work out," Oscar shrugs. "Soon as I do it for somebody else? Happens right away."
Theo says nothing as he brings the rubbish to the kitchen. "So what'd you and Scott do last night, anyway?"
"Ate sweets and played_DDS_ together," Oscar replies from the living room. Theo hears the sound of the coffee table scraping against the ground.
"That's it?" Theo enters the room to find the bear sorting out his bag.
"Scott told you what happened last night," the white bear replies with one brow raised.
"Yeah, true," Theo responds uncertainly. Oscar grimaces as he flings the bag over his shoulder.
"Don't you trust him?"
Though Theo immediately turns on his grin, the preceding moment feels like an eternity. "Thanks or the help with Persona, I'll probably get somewhere now."
"You're welcome," though Oscar looks uncertain.
"So, uh," Theo reaches for the remote. "You're leaving already?"
"You don't seem all that keen to have me around," Oscar shrugs, as he fiddles with the clasp of his bag. The white bear looks sullen, and his eyes are cast everywhere but at Theo. "Not that I blame you."
"I..." Theo frowns as he slumps his shoulders.
"No, don't. It was nice to be here again, but I'd rather just take a walk right now." Oscar looks up at him with a shy smile, though his eyes shine with dull disappointment - at what, Theo can't tell.
"Well, thanks for the company," Theo nods as he turns off the telly. "You ... you have a good walk, then."
"Thanks. See ya."
The white bear leaves with no grander gesture. Theo sighs as he unplugs and puts away the PS2 and the controller. He turns off the television and looks at his reflection in the blank screen - not sure what to think.
"You've been distant lately," Scott murmurs quietly. Theo looks up from his books into the wolf's old gold. Theo hadn't truly noticed the flecks in Scott's eyes before. Now, in the sunlight, the small spots of silver and emerald and blue seems to make the wolf somebody else.
"A lot on my mind," Theo replies softly. "A levels next week and all."
"May already," Scott sighs softly as he flicks another page of his notes. "It's been half a year."
"Since...?" Theo mutters as his mind tries to focus on the legalese passages in front of him.
"I asked you out." Scott's voice trails off, and Theo looks up. The wolf's expression is one of uncertainty and worry. "Theo, can you be honest with me?"
"It... it just...," Theo grimaces, as he reaches for his jacket. He rummages through his pockets and pulls out a letter, which he hands to the wolf. "I got my acceptance letter last week. I really need my A levels."
He watches Scott finger the envelope, and his lips mouth_Oxford_as he reads through the letter. "I wish you'd told me. It feels like you've been avoiding me."
"Sorry," Theo mutters as Scott hands him back the letter. He puts it back into his pocket as he slumps into his chair. "Did you hear anything yet?"
"No," Scott says softly as he too leans back. "Didn't apply to Oxford, though."
"You didn't?" Theo blinks at the wolf. Scott snorts to himself as his finger traces a line of his own writing.
"No, I wouldn't have gotten in," the wolf looks up. His face is lined with calm and reality.
"Sure you would've," though Theo hears his own uncertainty.
"You got in, though," Scott nods and he grins. "Congratulations."
"Thanks," Theo mutters. He glances down at his books again. "Look, I really... I really should be revising."
"Me too. You work better alone anyway," Scott remarks as he gathers his notes. Theo watches as the wolf packs everything into his backpack.
"You don't have to," Theo starts, but Scott shakes his head.
"Don't worry about me, focus on your revision," Scott says as he walks over to the bear. Theo tilts his head as Scott nuzzles his ear; he snatches Scott's shirt by the collar and pulls him into a tender kiss. There's a faint taste of salt and salad somewhere in the back of his mouth. "I love you, Theo."
"Love you too," Theo smiles. He watches the wolf leave the library, and he gazes down at his books before he starts to pack as well. As he hoists his bag over his shoulder, he reaches for his phone and calls.
"Dad, you home?"
Theo glances down the steep path up to the mansion for a moment, recalling the years when he'd make the walk daily. He stops at the front porch as he rummages through his pocket in search for his key. He is greeted to the familiar interior of his childhood: a Persian carpet on which stands a table with one of his mother's favourite vases. By the stairwell hangs a large portrait of his grandfather, as posh as a gentleman can be: monocle, pocket watch, expensive suit, rigid back, the arrogance in his eyes.
"Good evening, kiddo."
Next to the portrait of his father, Douglas is one of ease and cool confidence, his grin mischievous. Theo grins back at him, though with less gusto. "Hey dad."
"Everything okay?"
Theo's grin grows forced as he places his paws in his pockets. "Actually, about that, I... I need to talk to you."
"Of course," Douglas nods sympathetically. "Join your old man for a cigar?"
"I... yeah, I would love that, actually."
Doug gestures for his son to follow. Together they climb up the stairs, passing past other paintings and pictures - some of it art for art's sake, others personal reminders of times gone by. The second floor's hall remains as always with its ornately cut and curved walls, its crystal chandelier looming over the floor. The only illumination, however, is from the faint spotlights on the upper ridges of the wall; the sunset's cut off by the woods in their back yard. Their shadows extend to the far end of the room as they stride across the floor to double doors on the right-hand side.
The thick odour is an accent of leather, cocoa and coffee; of cedar and oak; cinnamon and cloves; earth and walnuts. Several cabinets line the furthest wall, two of them stacked with bottles of various sizes and glasses to match; the others, of which there are more, are stacked with shelves of cigars of different sizes - all thick, if nothing else. From outside a few rays of light pierce the veil of leaves, its pale touch caressing the pair of couches, six chairs and three tables scattered across the floor. Douglas walks towards the fireplace on the right-hand wall, and turns it on. He then gestures to the seats closest.
Theo sits down in the chair closest to the wall. He watches his father hum and mumble to himself as he rummages through humidors and liquor closets. After a while, Douglas returns with two glasses and a bottle of scotch, and two thick cigars. From his pocket he produces a cutter and a lighter, and he pulls out two trays from underneath the table. Deftly, he cuts both cigars and hands one to Theo, alongside the lighter. Doug gets comfortable in his couch as he pushes the ashtray along the table surface; Theo feels his father's eyes on him as he lights his cigar, careful to keep the burn even.
"Alec Bradley?" Theo asks as he checks the band. His father nods as velvety smoke starts to fill the room.
"Personal favourite," Doug replies as he leans back into the couch. Theo gazes in awe at his father, splayed out so lazily in contrast to the rigid nature he remembers. The two bears take a moment to revel in the taste and smoke before Doug moves to serve the scotch.
"Where's mother?" Theo asks as he grabs the glass. He whiffs deeply, his nose deep in his glass.
"In Paris, I expect," his father replies as he takes a sip.
"Paris?"
"Think she mentioned she'd spend the weekend with Sebastien," Doug remarks as he savours another draw of his cigar.
"...who?"
"Her lover." Theo spits out his sip, his tongue bitterly burning.
"Her what?"
"Ah. We never told you, did we?" Doug chuckles. He sits upright, though keeps one leg splayed lazily on the couch. "Long story short. I'm aware of Sebastien. Lovely chap, but a bit too French for me."
"I..." Theo starts slowly, searching for words. At a loss, he takes to the tobacco and sighs, his mind swirling. When he finds the words, he is curious to find his voice is shaky. "Why are you married? Is it just convenience, or..."
"Ah, funny you should say that," Doug grins. "I love her, don't be mistaken. She feels the same. However, we've both recognised and come to accept that I can't satisfy some of her needs, and she can't satisfy some of mine."
"Do I even dare to ask?"
"She has a flair for the romantic," Doug chuckles. "So she meets with her, ah.Secret lover_once a month. Trips to the _Champs-Élysées, dinners at the Eiffel Tower, visits to the Louvre, Les Deux Magots, and other hidden gems she won't tell me about. And the wild shagging in Seb's penthouse flat, can't forget about that."
"Did not need to know," Theo grimaces.
"We won't get divorced, though, don't you worry about that." Doug leans back and drapes an arm across his gut. "So. You wanted to talk to me?"
"I did, yeah," Theo nods as his right foot taps restlessly. He fills his lack of words with another sip of scotch, another taste of the cigar - for one moment able to revel in that pleasure. "I... I got this a couple of days ago."
Theo finds the letter and slides it across the table. Doug grabs it lazily and his eyes scan the letter. "Oxford? Well done." He slides the letter back to Theo as he swigs the last of his scotch. He sits upright again to refill the glass. "So what's bothering you?"
"This," Theo sighs as he produces another envelope. Douglas's eyes light up at the emblem on the envelope, and he reads through the letter with interest.
"Ah," Douglas says softly, and he looks up. "Lund."
"Cambridge, St. Andrews, Warwick, London. Got letters from them too. And all the local colleges." Theo's smile is proud, yet forced. "Everywhere I applied."
"Clever boy," Doug nods as he hands back the letter. "But this is about your wolf, isn't it?"
"I proposed to him," Theo sighs heavily as he gazes down at the letter. "Figured I'd stay here with him. Go to Oxford, get my degree. Only now, I want to go to Lund. I want to travel."
"Have you talked to him about this?"
"No," Theo shakes his head. "I don't know if I could leave without him."
"Did you consider he might want to travel too?"
"He didn't apply," Theo looks up at his father. The older bear exhales a thick cloud of dark, heavy smoke.
"You don't need to study to travel abroad," Douglas replies as he flashes a grin. "It's not a long trip. You could visit each other on weekends."
"That's true..." Theo replies quietly. He focuses on his cigar for a while, surveying his father. The older bear taps ash into the tray, before he drapes his arms behind his head. Each puff is one Doug enjoys, and Theo envies his father's ability to laze. "What do you think I should do?"
"Me?" Doug replies after a while, as he reaches for his glass. "I think you should do whatever makes you happy."
"That's... that's it?"
"Yup," Doug nods as he dips his nose into his glass. "Easy, isn't it?"
"It doesn't sound easy."
"Depends how prepared you are," Douglas smiles, as he sips, tastes, swallows. Theo mulls this for a moment as he mimics his father. "I'll support you regardless of your choices. As will your mother."
"Thanks," Theo murmurs quietly - the knot in his stomach somewhere between tight and loose, his thoughts still ill at ease.
"Anything else on your mind?"
Theo looks at his father. His eyes are curiously concerned, and Theo feels the knot in his stomach tighten momentarily. When he returns the smile, it is with all the gusto he can muster; he leans back into his seat and draws deeply from his cigar. "No."
"Good, good." Douglas raises his glass. "Let's enjoy ourselves, then."
"You're sure?"
Theo skims the text and replies a hurried, "Yes. On my way already."
"Great!"
It's already dark outside, windy and with a faint taste of rain, yet Theo finds his stride is undeterred. The gale cuts through his thin white t-shirt and his exposed legs - though if it is the chill or his doubts that leave his hands trembling, he cannot say.
The suburbs here always had a homely feel to it. Though the houses look alike and picket fences separate them only barely where the buildings aren't connected, Theo still looks in awe at each and every home even after all these years. Even the largest house in sight could barely fill the western wing of his parents' mansion - his own home.
When he arrives at his destination, he gazes up to find light pouring out of the curtained window. The white stairwell is one simple to climb, and - strangely, Theo reckons - his hands grow steadier until he reaches the door. He knocks twice and waits for the door to open.
"There you are."
Brian's grin is accompanied by a glimmer in his eyes as he gestures for Theo to enter. The bull's physique has seen better days, though despite only in trousers Theo finds that he enjoys the bull shirtless.
"Must admit I've been thinking a lot about it lately," Brian nods as Theo closes the door. "Last weekend, I mean."
"I have too," Theo replies as he kicks off his shoes.
"You brought the cigars?"
"Yep." Theo pats his bag as he follows Brian. "You got beer, right?"
"I do," Brian nods, as he sits down on the back of the couch. The living room has a stack of books, notes and pencils stashed away by the television, and there's a few dirty dishes by the sink - but the table is clear but for two glass jugs. Then his gaze meets Brian's, and he feels a tingle in his belly rise. Brian slides over the back of the couch and gets seated. Theo walks around the couch, and flexes his fingers. The bull licks his lips and smirks up at him.
"You brought lube, right?"
Theo gazes down at the bull for a while. The lust in those dark eyes, the hunger almost feral. For a moment he remains speechless, the tingle intensifying. Then his lips turn into a grin, and he pats his bag again. "Yep, I did."
"Great!" Brian kicks back, spreading his legs; Theo notes the growing tent in the bull's trousers, and feels his own cock stir. The bull reaches out and pushes his hand against Theo's groin; the bear moans as Brian gasps with boyish excitement. "I gotta tell ya, I've wanted to try get pounded for a while now..."
"Well, fetch me a bear and get to sucking then," Theo smirks down at him, and Brian's gaze meets his.
"Oh, you're getting a taste of bull tonight too," Brian retorts as he licks his lips.
"I better," Theo growls. "I'll prepare the cigars. Get the beer and get rid of those trousers."
"Only if you do," Brian winks as he gets up. The bull fingers the buttons of his jeans as he goes to the fridge. Theo watches for a moment as he pulls out the cigars and the other necessities. Then his hands find the clasp of his belt. Brian, with two beers in hand, turns to him; Theo snatches the cold can from mid-air as his trousers hit the ground.