A Split Heart: Part 3
#5 of Heart
Mike wasn't feeling any better, but he was in control of his emotions now rather than the other way around. He was back in the living room, sitting on the couch with his elbows resting on his knees. He was clearly not happy, but he didn't look quite so depressed when Jess walked into the room.
"G'morning," she said sleepily, letting out a yawn. "You sleep okay?"
"Without so much as a dream to keep me up. You?"
The vixen yawned again. "Yeah, but I could do with another."
That got a small smile out of her wolfen friend, but it was a sad smile. The smile was like a mask or a thin veneer over an unstable core. Jess could tell that it might not take much to put him back to how he was last night, but she needed to know and suspected that it would do him good to talk about it. At least in the long run.
"Mike," she said quietly, sitting beside him, "what happened last night?"
The smile had already been fading, and that question quickly cleared any traces of it from his muzzle. "I got kicked out," he said.
"But why? What did you do to piss off your dad so much?"
"I didn't do anything!" the wolf snapped. Then, sinking back into sorrow, he added, "It would have been easier to accept if I had done something."
"Why then?" Jess asked.
"My dad found out I'm bi," Mike said quietly. When no response was immediately forthcoming, he started rambling. "I would have told you last night, but I'd just gotten kicked out of my house. I had nowhere to go, and if you kicked me out too, I don't know what I would have done. He told me to come back sometime this week when he was gone to grab my stuff and leave the key." By this time the wolf was crying again although his voice was well-modulated, all things considered. "And then I didn't know where to go and he wouldn't let me take my phone 'cause it was his phone really so I couldn't even call anybody and I came here with only the things I could quickly throw in a bag and I was about to tell you but..." He took a shuddery breath before continuing. Jess was greatful for the pause; Mike could be a really fast talker, and this gave her a chance to process what he was saying. "I couldn't take that rejection twice in one night. But if you want me to leave, I will." This last sentence was said quietly with a sense of inevitability. Mike expected her to ask him to leave. He had been okay with his sexual identity two days ago, and while he wasn't sure how anyone would react if they found out, he had thought his dad would at least tolerate it. His dad's rejection negated his faith in his friends' and family's acceptance, and he was well aware he didn't have many friends to whom he could turn. As much as he wished otherwise, he was sure very soon he would be alone and asking directions to the nearest soup kitchen.
His view was incredibly fatalistic, so he was surprised when the fox on the couch beside him pulled him into a hug. She didn't say anything, but she didn't need to. That hug conveyed a simple message: I'm here, and I care. He fell into that hug and hugged her back with a grip only a little less tight than a dead man's grip. Neither glanced at the clock before the hug, and they didn't know how long they sat on the couch, a rock being gripped by a man drowning in the rapids. However, it was some time before Mike loosened his grip and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Thanks, Jess," he said, gratitude shining through the veil of tears in his eyes.
Well, this was even shorter at only about a page, but I really don't have anything to add to this story. And the only reason they're in parts anyway is because I've been doing all the typing online and couldn't do the whole thing in one go. So sorry if you wanted more. Anyway, the page will look longer if you people comment on it. ;) So please leave more feedback, criticism, errors, et al. So anyway, at this point in time, I have three watchers, so I hereby dedicate part 1 to Xx-AKIKO-xX, part 2 to Artic Folf, and part 3 to kriffin. Thanx for watching me, as creepy as that sounds *exaggerated wink*. Also, if you wondered why I said most of you were probably wrong last chapter, it's because you probably thought he was gay. SURPRISE! HE'S BI! So kudos to you if you predicted that subtle distinction. Anywho, as I said in one of my journals, I've already written some a sequel to this longhand, so at some point, finals permitting, I'll get that out to you all too. If you want something else from me, say so, and I might be able to accomadate, especially where my back burner series are hanging out. Oh, and one final shout out, because that will either make him feel awesome or embarrassed, and both are all right reactions in my book. Thanks to Artic Folf (again) for being my most consistant commentor and for asking for more of the 'Heart' stuff after the first one. Without that comment this story proably wouldn't be here. And I'm gonna stop this now before I have more comments than I do story. Stay tuned, and talk to me! I'm lonely like that sometimes.