Blood and Tears
#4 of The Surprise
Chapter Four: Blood and Tears
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He noticed some blood-stained clothes sitting in a hamper towards the foot of the bed, and it all hit him at once...himself leaping up from the ground...his paw recoiling in pain from the force at which it hit the wall...his knuckles bleeding...a piece of broken glass on the ground...an oozing red...scarlet pain escaping from him...again...and again...and again...then, darkness...
He winced a little at the consequences of what he had done. He could almost feel the pain from the moment itself, but willed himself not to remember it. What he had done, and seeing his fox run from him like that were painful enough. He wanted to be able to rip his heart out, to stop it from hurting him so much. He didn't know what exactly had come over him. He remembered giving the fox the earring, and then things got blurry. What had caused such a horrible, disgusting change in him?
The thoughts of he and the fox alone in the dark--fearing what his friend would think if he confessed, hoping that everything would be okay, and the frustration from having him so close, and yet so unattainable--had caused the repressed monster of lust to take hold of him, and he had lost control. He watched what he had done, as though through a prison, and then broke free, only to hear the fox scream and run away...
***
Nic let his legs run for him, his mind too clouded to think of which way was home. He hadn't yet stopped crying, but he wasn't paying attention anyway. He ran across the street, causing a car to slam on its brakes, honking angrily at him, but it didn't matter. He had to get away.
Eventually, Nic auto-piloted himself home and burst in through the front door, the world outside now quite dark. He was still crying as he lunged up the stairs toward his room. At the top of the stairs, the fox collided with his sister, losing his balance and falling over.
She noticed his wet muzzle and teary eyes. "Nicolaus is something wrong?" she asked, extending a paw toward him.
A loud knock came at the door. "Nic...?" his sister's voice came quietly and calmly.
She waited at the door for a moment, as everything was silent. Then the doorknob jiggled a little, and Violet quickly opened the door. "Just tell me what happened," she said, stepping toward him.
Violet rushed forward and pinned him to the bed. "What is wrong with you!?" she shouted, her voice thick with concern and anger at the fox's behavior.
Then it hit her like a sack of bricks. Axel! she thought, suddenly realizing. She had been curious when the wolf had stayed behind to buy the earring, and now everything made sense. "Did he hurt you?" she asked, her voice falsely calm. Her brother merely lay beneath her, his eyes growing wider. This was answer enough for her. "I'll kill the bastard..." she whispered, eyes aflame with rage. She leapt off of Nic and turned for the door.
His sister paused in the doorway for a moment, as if contemplating her brother's sanity. Then, without a word, she quickly left. Nic stood up, and let his paws fall limply at his sides. A tiny metallic clattering noise echoed up from the wood floor. Nic peered down and saw the earring that Axel had given him. It disgusted him, repulsed him, and he felt a wave of nausea overtake him. He picked it up and threw it underneath his bed, not wanting to see it ever again. He felt his insides churning inside him. He flew out of his room and raced to the bathroom. Wrenching the door open, he flung himself over the toilet and began throwing up.
"Ha!" she shouted triumphantly, scribbling the address onto a piece of paper. She quickly wrote a note to her parents, who had gone out for the night. Went on a date with a wolf I met the other day. Be home before morning, Vi. By the way, Nic's fast asleep, so don't wake him up.
An older wolf appeared at the door, wearing a night gown. "What do you want, rabbit?" she asked, sounding more than a little peeved. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"I was going to call--" Inside, the phone rang. "Excuse me," the wolf said, turning her back to Violet and walking over to the phone. The door was left open, and Violet followed her in.
"What...?"
The wolf stood there in shock, not moving an inch.
"Well don't just stand there!" she shouted, grabbing the wolf by her arm. "We're going to the hospital, now!" She dragged Axel's mother to her car, and shoved her into the passenger seat. Putting the car in drive, she peeled out and sped to the hospital. Mrs. Watson sat there the whole time, oblivious to anything taking place.
She stopped and looked over to the receptionist. "We're here to see Axel Watson, the wolf recently admitted here. I'm his step-sister and this is my step-mom."
He'll be in..." she paused, looking down at a chart on the desk in front of her. "Room 407."
The two stood in the elevator, the wolf still in her trancelike state. Violet sighed. This definitely changes things, but he's stupid if he thinks he's off the hook, she told herself. The elevator reached the fourth floor and Violet hurried to the room Axel was in.
***
Axel awoke to a strange sound. His eyes were clouded and he couldn't make out the room very well. He slowly moved his paws up to his eyes, rubbing them gently to be able to see. As his sight cleared, he saw his mother crying softly into a handkerchief. "Mom?" he asked quietly.
Oh Axel! I was so worried!" she cried again, leaning her head onto his arm.
"What happened to you?" his mother asked.
He met Violet's gaze, though, and was locked for a second, until he managed to look down at his chest.
He wasn't mugged at all! He was lying through his teeth. He's obviously ashamed for something, the way he keeps avoiding eye contact, she said, scrutinizing him. He really must have done something terrible. He's not one to be so down, at least from what I've seen of him... and then it dawned on her. He did all this to himself! That's why he lied about it! But why...? Ah! _ Violet thought of her brother's hurt face, and his plea for her to spare the wolf. _Is he really in love with my brother? she wondered.
"Mrs. Watson?" the bunny began, and Axel started to sweat. _No! She can't tell my mum! She can't handle it! _ Violet noted the wolf's panic and continued on, "Can you leave the room for a moment?" Both wolves looked surprised. "I want to have a word with Axel."
She left the room, and Violet turned to Axel.
Axel obliged and told her everything, the crush, the repressing, the mall, (he left out the bits about him fondling the fox), and what he had done to the fox when he was consumed by lust. He cried when he neared the end, but the bunny's face was warm and caring. He told her about how he had maimed himself, trying to let the pain out, and her face became a little stony.
Axel was stunned by her sudden outburst. "That isn't going to make anything better! You can't sit there and wallow in your own grief and pity like some kind of fool! You've got to get up on your damn feet and make it right! If you love him," she said, seeing the shock in the wolf's face, "You'll come to me," she finished, smiling. Her face turned angry again for a moment, and she stopped short of punching him in the jaw, the wolf cringing. "Don't think I won't save this for later! This is for letting it get out of control, you idiot!" She said, getting up and leaving the room.
Axel's mother walked back into the room, a puzzled look on her face. "Who is that?" she asked.
You haven't eaten anything at all since you came home! Nic! Nicolaus, get back here this instant!" she had yelled, as he walked off toward the school.
"Hey Nic!" he heard a voice call to him. It was Tori's. Nic ignored it and kept walking toward the large front doors to the school. "NIC!" his friend persisted, and Nic turned around, seeing the ferret close by. He left his expression the same, indifferent and depressed. Tori stopped dead in his tracks. "Nic?" he asked. Tori had never seen his friend look so upset. "Is everything alright?"
What is it?"
Kari finally sighed. "Fine. If you're too alone to tell your friends, then just forget it!" she huffed, turning away. Tori looked back at Nic, who only continued to stare down blankly. He let out a long sigh as well. "Okay, Nic. I get it. But I know you and you can't just stay like that forever," he said, smiling. "So I'll be here when you're ready." He moved with Kari a couple desks away, letting the fox have his space. He kept glancing over to make sure Nic was okay, though.
When you are asked a question, you are expected to answer!" came the angry bull's voice. Tori spoke up for Nic. "Sorry Mr. Walker. Nic's doing a day of silence in honor of the genocide going on in Africa." The bull accepted this with a grunt and called on someone else instead. Nic looked up and smiled weakly at Tori, who was paying attention to the lecture again.
During lunch, he sat at a table by himself, not wanting any camaraderie for now. He didn't eat anything anyway, since any time he tried to it would come back up on him. He sighed as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. His last two classes passed mercifully quickly as well.
Why did Axel have bandages all over him? Did something bad happen to him? Why was he so sad today? The thoughts continued to plague him, and he was unable to shoo them away, having nothing better to do anyway.
He climbed the stairs and entered his room, unbuttoning his shirt and undoing his tie, and then shrugging them off. He undid his pants on both sides, letting his tail slip free from them as he kicked his pants off. He got into his bed, ready to go to sleep, but stopped. He got back out and hopped down onto his paws and knees by his bed.
He put the earring Axel had given him onto his nightstand and fell asleep, slightly admiring the way the light shone off the silver.
*end of chapter.
Oh! And thanks to my new buddies, Beo and Alpha Spirit Wolf, who helped me with ideas and stuff, as well as editing. Check them out, they're pretty hot! =3