The Masters Chapter 10
Three short rings, and William Master's white furred paw gripped and lifted his phone from its base, "Hello?"
Following the sound of a clearing throat, his brother's voice answered, "Hey Billy. How's it going?"
"Hey yourself, Toffy," Billy and Toffy: overly cutesy little nicknames their parents had given William and Kristoff when they were still cubs. No one else called them that now, but it's something they'd never managed to outgrow with one another. "I'm fine. Long week, though. What do you need? Does Ell need to be babysat again?"
"Uhm...no...it's not that." Kristoff sounded more than a little hesitant, "It IS about Elliot though."
"Is something wrong?"
"Uhm...no, not so much. But I would like to talk to you about him."
"Uhm...T-talk?" Will cleared his own throat, "What about?"
"There's just a certain...situation, and..." William could have sworn he heard his brother gulping through the phone, "We should probably talk face-to-face, and not over the phone."
"Oh...uhm...yeah, sure. If you wanna' come on over...I'll be here."
"Alright, then. I'll be on my way."
Without another word, Will hung up the phone, left only to breathe a long, heavy sigh in the silence of his apartment...
The Masters... ...of Fatherhood
(September 21st)
William Masters sat on the couch in his living room with his head in his paws and his stomach in knots. He kept telling himself it wasn't what he thought. He hadn't been found out. There was no way Ell would have told his father what happened, and there was no other way for Kristoff to know.
Yet, there Will sat, head in his paws, awaiting his brother's arrival and the looming conversation about his nephew, Elliot.
What else could Kris want?
A quick succession of knocks tapped against Will's front door, in the usual pattern they had used since childhood, and Will's head shot up as his paws fell. His brother was here.
"On my way!" Will pushed up off the couch and made the walk to the door, taking a deep breath and putting on the happiest face he could manage before he swung it open. "Hey Toffy! Come on in..."
Kristoff stepped into Will's house, an equally wide smile across his muzzle too, "Hey Billy! Your week go okay?"
The slightly younger husky just closed the door behind his big brother, "So far, so good, I guess." He nodded as he followed the other husky into his living room, "New clients...a date Wednesday, and another last night...can't complain."
Kris sat down on the couch's edge, putting his elbows on his knees and keeping his paws clasped together near his muzzle, "That's good. I can't complain too much, either." He thought about that for a moment and chuckled lightly, "Well...no, there are a few things I could bitch about."
William sat down on his recliner, "Really? Like what?" He put his own elbow on the arm of the chair and his open palm on his cheek, doing his best to look nonchalant.
"Well, the reason I came here, for one! Elliot." The somewhat older canine looked over to his brother, lowering his paws and rubbing them together, trying to ready himself to continue, "He's put me into a bit of a difficult position, and I'd like your input on it."
Will didn't change his position or expression; he just sat and listened, hopeful that his fears were unfounded, "What in God's name could you need my input on? I'm not a parent."
Kristoff took in a deep breath, exhaled an overly emphasized sigh, and simply blurted out the situation, "I caught Ell sucking a dick."
The younger dog coughed and sat up, yelping out almost happily: "Whose??" Perhaps not the best reaction, but it was the first that came to mind. Obviously, after the previous weekend, he wasn't surprised by what happened, but he WAS surprised that Elliot had found someone so quickly.
Kris perked a brow at his brother's oddly enthusiastic response. "A tiger's? Uhm...his name's Hunter. He's a sophomore from Elliot's gym class," he shot his brother a mischievous grin, "of all things."
William drew in a long breath and let it out in a short laugh, "Gym is it? Oh God..." He rolled his eyes, remembering his own past escapades, "I'll give you one guess as to where they got started!"
The older husky nodded a few times and smiled wide, looking down to his nervously shuffling feet, "Yeah." He cleared his throat, "So, I wanted to know what you think I should do. I won't feel right if I punish him for doing the same stuff WE did at his age...but I caught him quite literally in the act, too."
"Why do you have to do anything?"
"Well, I have to be a parent about this."
"Of course you do." Will leaned forward and raised an eyebrow, "But you don't have to be OUR parents."
Kris perked up some at that last bit, "That is a damn good point." He sighed more naturally, while thinking briefly over the situation, "I don't know, though. I just don't think I like the thought of him playing the field...or being a part of one of those 'groups' like we were."
The younger canine scoffed, "Why not? I didn't hear you complaining when we were in junior high and high school!" Will looked down at his paw as he counted on his fingers, "At night in our room...in that tent on our trips...with or without our 'friends' being over." He turned to his favorite memory, "Or better yet, that one foursome at Josh's party! The one where I was inside Rimmer and you were on your back under him, with a mouth full of bunny dick?"
Kristoff chuckled softly, "Yeah, we were so 'slick' and 'cool' back then! It's different now though; I'm not like that anymore." He shrugged limply, "What if I just give him one of those long lectures about the importance of being safe and protective? That'll be punishment enough, right? You know, kinda' like a torture tactic?"
"First of all: different? I graduated twelve years ago, Toffy...and you did, what, fifteen? Trust me...you may have, but not much about the world has changed since then." Will waved his paw in the air as if dismissing the thought, "Secondly, what have you done about this, so far? No, wait, let me guess." He leaned back and put his cheek in his paw again, "You stuttered and stammered uncomfortably, left the room in a daze, very silently drove the tiger-boy home...and haven't said a word to your son since."
"No...I've talked with him, Billy. I...I didn't really say much, though. I just told him that I wasn't mad...and it'd probably be best not to let Robyn know, because," the older dog smiled a bit, out of embarrassment, "because you know how she'd take this."
"Yes. Yes I do. I very clearly remember the three nights you spent at my apartment when Ell was little." William rolled his, "And what was her reasoning? She found out Stephen had experimented in high school. And when she told you that he couldn't be your friend anymore because she didn't trust him around Ell...you dared to defend him?"
"As usual, she forgot Elliot was my son too!" Kris shook his head, "Apparently her three day rant about never being alone with gay males didn't work on the boy!" He chuckled softly, lowering his tone a bit, "Sometimes I'm glad he doesn't listen to her."
"Me too!" the younger husky raised an eyebrow. "Imagine the mess we would've been in if she'd found out that you and I had been friendly back then, TOO!"
"Assuming she didn't divorce me on the spot, you can bet that you and I probably wouldn't have even spoken for the past decade!" Kristoff laughed darkly, waiting a long moment before continuing, "Don't ever get married, Billy."
"I doubt that's a problem," Will rubbed his neck, and then shook his head. "But back to the subject at hand: Ell. This isn't the horrible situation you're making it out to be, Toffy." He smiled reassuringly, "I mean, don't get me wrong: I get it. You feel like you want to be a normal parent, and tell him what he did was wrong and that he needs to stop it. But, at the same time, you did the same thing when you were his age -- probably even more than he's done -- and with your own brother, no less! So, beside the point of being a hypocrite, you can't really tell him that he did something wrong, since you know damned well that you don't even believe he did! Right?"
For a moment, the older canine just stared blankly at his brother, but then nodded to what he said, "Yeah..." He sighed deeply again, seemingly just accepting the choice he had already made, "I'm not mad at him. I'm not embarrassed by him, or thinking he should only fool around with females or anything like that..." He lifted up his paws to make a little hand gesture to symbolize scales while he re-examined the situation with his wife in mind, "But, if I don't do something, and Robyn finds out about it...you knows she'll lose her freakin' mind!"
"Right. And that's why you don't let her!" William let out a bit of a breath in thought, and stared at the carpet for a long moment, "I have a couple of questions for you, Kris. Before I can give you any advice, we have to clear up a couple of things, okay?"
Kris looked over to his older brother, changing his expression from his usual, half-serious, half-joking look to a more serious look of concern, "Questions? For me? What is it, Billy?"
"Just because it was for you, doesn't mean this is just a game for HIM." The younger dog already knew this was exactly the case, but had no way of breaking it to his brother...especially not without outing his and Ell's escapades from a week earlier, "There's a good chance he might actually be gay."
Kristoff thought for a moment, "No. What would make Ell so different from us? You said it yourself that not much has changed, apparently, over the past fifteen years. Maybe he just inherited my 'pioneering spirit'." He laughed at himself...
...but his brother's serious tone didn't change. "Everything makes him different than you, Kris," Will took care to say 'you' and not 'us,' as he looked up from the carpet. "I'm sure you want him to be like a little version of you...but we can both tell he's already not. He's not exactly popular like we were, his academic interests aren't the same, he hasn't seemed nearly as obsessed with getting a license or a car as EITHER of us -- and especially not you -- and he's never had school spirit or any athletic inclination." He scratched his forehead, "He's not you, Kris, and there is nothing to say that he's not different in this sense too. I mean: he's never had a date, there are no posters of fems on his walls, and he's always been pretty affectionate for a boy..."
Even though all of what his brother had just told him was true, the last two points were especially telling for the older husky. He nodded slowly, not entirely convinced yet, but open enough to the possibility, "I'll ask him."
"And if his answer is yes...are you really prepared to handle that?" William tilted his head, "I mean, if he's just experimenting, then he's just a curious kid like we were -- and like so many other teenage boys -- but if he's gay...can you really deal with that, Toffy?"
Kris looked his brother over, giving him a questioning look, "Why couldn't I? He'd still be my son. It doesn't matter who he's attracted too."
"I just had to make sure," relieved to hear that, the younger canine shared a soft smile with his brother. "Regardless of high school, I didn't know how you might take that kind of news." He raised his eyebrows, "Plus, it wouldn't be all that unusual if him being gay, I dunno', reminded you of what you've done? Like he was a big flashing 'You're gay!' sign walking around your house and making you feel guilty or uncomfortable."
"I'm not ashamed of what happened in high school, Billy. I don't regret my experimenting, and I'll love my son no matter what." Kristoff shrugged, as he again repeated the real problem, "I'd have a hard time with Robyn though. I'm sure she'll find a way to blame ME for it."
"Which, again, is why you keep your muzzle shut, for Ell's sake." Will smiled wide, proud of his brother's sensibility, "I'm glad you're not to shaken up by the idea of him being gay. I do have another question for you, though." He chuckled, "It's funny. I see this on TV, all the time, with marijuana, but never with homosexual experimentation. Are you planning to tell him that you've...been curious, too?"
The older dog leaned back and chuckled lightly, pointing to himself with his thumb, "MY high school sex life isn't in question. I'm not gonna' tell him a thing! Some of us like our privacy."
"I really think you should, Kris. I mean, you can leave my and your...private explorations...out of the story, but I think it might help him to know you played around with guys too." William remembered he supposedly 'didn't know' Elliot was gay, "Especially if it turns out that he's just experimenting, like we were."
Kris sighed deeply, trailing into a light-hearted chuckle, "Why must you insist on having a relevant point?"
The younger husky just shrugged, "Sometimes things are just easier to see from the outside, than in."
Kristoff sunk into the couch, still oblivious to how much Will actually knew about his son, "Anything else? Any more questions?"
"Nope! Just that advice you came for," Will leaned back as well. "First, try not to scare him much more. He's probably at home, frightened to death about what you might do. And knowing him, he may even be crying. You need to let him know that you're okay with this, that you did it too, that nothing's changed, and that you'll always be there for him. You know: tell him all of those parental things that I'll never have cause to say. I mean, you'll need to set guidelines, sure. Things like: only in a safe environment, not when his mother's home, make sure he trusts his playmates, and all of that."
"Makes sense, but-"
"Not done," William stopped his brother from interrupting, and then drew in a breath. "And then," he paused again to let it back out, "you need to get him to admit to you, what we both already know he is." Obviously growing nervous with where he was taking this, he took in another breath and looked up at the ceiling, "and then I need you to hand him over to me so I can finish the job."
Kris perked a brow, "Hand him to YOU? After I tell him how I love him, how I'll always be there for him, and get him to admit that he's gay, I just...give him to you? Why in the world would I want to do that?" He shook his head in confusion, "It seems to me that that's the time for all the hugs and bonding and...fielding whatever questions he'll most certainly have."
The younger canine looked down from the ceiling, "Sure, you need to do all that too. But it's just that...when it comes to the questions, I think Aaron and I are a bit more equipped to handle them than you." He averted his eyes, "After all...you aren't gay."
His brother's words sunk in slow. Kristoff's head tilted to the side so completely, that it fell against his shoulder as if his neck had gone limp. He knew very well what his brother meant by that, and while the shock of the confession left him dazed and numb, he only managed a response to one word: "Aaron? Do you mean Aaron Jones?"
"The great and powerful 'Rimmer,' himself!" Despite his boisterous and honest reply, Will was still hesitant to look back and make eye contact, "Same old bunny dick you got yourself so well acquainted with and everything!"
The older dog's jaw hung open, "And you and he are...together?"
William just sighed and began the story, finally looking directly at his brother, "On Tuesday, I met one of my new clients: a cute little bunny rabbit named Patrick Roark." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, "He asked me out on a date, and after a lot of convincing, I caved. See, unlike you, graduation wasn't the end of my 'explorations,' and the only thing I HADN'T done with a guy was have an actual date. So I figured: I'm breaking into my 30s now, and it's time I stop lying to myself! So I took him up on the offer." He shrugged and smirked, "Come to find out the next day, at lunch, that Patrick was just his pseudonym..."
Kris laughed, barely believing what he was hearing, but genuinely enjoying the hint of joy in his brother's voice, "And it turned out to be Rimmer?" He brought his paws up and scratched his head, "That's...quite a story. Does this mean you're gonna' actually start dating?"
"Start?" The younger husky laughed, mockingly, "After our first date on Wednesday, his visit to the office for an impromptu lunch delivery on Thursday, and after our second date last night...I think we've ALREADY started!"
"I can't believe," Kristoff rubbed his temples like he was getting a headache, "that I'm finding out my brother and my son are both gay in a span of less than twelve hours."
Will eyed his brother, cautiously, but hopeful, "You gonna' be okay, Toffy?"
"Are you kidding me? I'm fine," the elder husky looked back at his little brother, with a playful, nearly insulting smile. "I'm not even surprised! Especially not when it comes to you! You know 'confirmed bachelor' has been a codeword for like a century, right?"
William sat up straighter now, happy his brother was taking this so well, both for his sake, and for Elliot's, "Well that's good! Cause Aaron's coming over today, and he's probably not far off, by now. And coincidently enough, his car's in the shop, so HIS brother is gonna' be dropping him off!" He chuckled, "So, I guess that means he and I are already up to the whole 'meeting the family' stage of the relationship...but without all the pesky parents to screw everything up."
"Oh great!" Kris pretended to be offended, "So I get saddled with his brother while you two go off and fuck?"
"You know, actually...we haven't done that yet," Will smiled a soft smile, half in subtle affirmation that his building relationship was about more than sex, and half in pride that he and Aaron had controlled themselves. "I mean...not since high school anyway," he chuckled.
"No way! Really?" the older canine looked playfully shocked. "You and Rimmer have spent any amount of time alone, and managed to keep it PG??"
"Well...I didn't say that," William coughed. "I just said we haven't fucked."
"Oh! I see," Kris leaned his head back for dramatic effect. "So he hasn't changed that much since high school, then? Or were YOU the instigator?"
"Hey? What can I say? With a cute bunny sitting beside me...sometimes my paw gets a mind of its own." The younger dog smiled and moved along, "So, is there anything else you wanted to ask about this whole Elliot situation? Maybe just something you wanna' say about it? Or, hell, maybe you just want to vent a bit at your little brother before you go talk to your kid?"
"Well, actually, I DO have something to vent about," Kristoff sat up and moved to the edge of the couch again, clearing his throat. "Since you're with Rimmer, and I caught Ell messing around with his new tiger...I can't help but wonder," he paused for effect, "is EVERYbody having more sex than me!? I'm the married one! Shouldn't I be getting it with SOME regularity?"
"First of all, I think you misunderstand the meaning of marriage. And secondly," Will smirked and raised an eyebrow, "if you're really that hard up for sex, we could always set up a tent in the park and-" he got cut off by a knock at the front door, and sighed, "and Rimmer's timing is impeccable as always." He winked jokingly at his brother and stood up, "Be right back...lover."
The older canine pretended, again, to be offended, "Hey! You know I prefer to be called sugar tits!"
William stopped at the front door and looked through the peep hole, "If this is the police, you'd better have a warrant!"
Outside, a small dusty bunny rabbit, Aaron, stuck his thumb to the peephole so the husky couldn't see out, "I don't need a warrant! We know what you're up to, in there! Now open the damn door or we'll start shooting!"
"Holy sweet mother of God don't shoot!" The husky stepped away from the door and feigned fumbling to open it, "I-i-it's just me and my brother, officer!" He pulled it open quickly, to reveal his bunny rabbit standing there with his paw hovering right where the peephole had been.
Aaron leaned back to rock on his heels, "And we're just selling cookies!" He stood a bit to the side to show off his older, larger brother behind him, "See? He and I? Cookie salesmen."
Will went right ahead and ignored Aaron, and held out a paw to the second rabbit, "The name's William. Nice to meet you."
Aaron's brother offered a warm smile and shook the husky's paw, "Dr. Stan Jones. It's a pleasure to meet you, as well. My brother won't shut up about you! And I can only hope you're as amazing as he makes you seem." He rolled his eyes with a laugh, "Though I must say: if a third male in my life starts inundating me with stories about their boyfriends, I may just lose my mind!"
William raised an eyebrow, preparing to ask who second male was that the older rabbit was talking about, when Kristoff stepped up to join the conversation.
Kris squeezed in, in front of his brother, and eyeballed the two rabbits, but mainly the smaller and more flamboyant one up front, while still speaking to Will, "Is the front door the new hot spot, Billy?"
William just smiled at his brother, and then at Aaron, "Aaron, I think you remember Kris...and his muzzle."
The small rabbit smiled wide, and chirped, "How could I forget??" He then looked behind himself and lifted up a paw to show off his own brother. "And Kris," he introduced the older rabbit with a deeper more dramatic tone, "this is Stan! Dr. Stanley Jones!"
Kristoff chuckled and extended his paw out towards the Dr., "I'm Kris Masters."
Stanley took hold of the second husky's paw, just the same as the first, but with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile, "Wait. Kris Masters?"
"Yeah?" Kris returned the raised brow and smile, "It's short for Kristoff."
"You could also call him 'Toffy' if you want," Will interjected...
...and Aaron asked, "You still call him that?"
Stan, though, just pulled his paw away, still smirking as he pointed at Will, "And you're Will Masters."
Will just blinked, smiling back hesitantly, "Uhm...yeah?" He looked at Aaron to see if he had any clue what his older brother was getting at.
But Rimmer just continued with his wide smile, shrugging at the confused huskies before looking back at his older brother again, "Now that we're all done with the roll call...can we move along?"
"Sorry! I didn't mean to come off odd. It's just..." Stanley stepped closer, holding back a laugh, "Are either one of you Elliot Masters' father?"
Kris raised his eyebrows again and gave the professional looking bunny a concerned glance, "I am. Are you one of his teachers or something?"
Stan shook his head, "No. Not quite. I'm an M.D., not a Ph.D. You know: medical." He lifted his chin, "But...have either of you ever met his tiger friend, Hunter?"
~
There we go! The Masters continues!
* Starring: Oloroso Rhone as William Masters and Dr. Stanley Jones Phil Anthro Pist as Kristoff Masters and Aaron Jones *
If you'd like to go say hi to Phil, he's got an account here at http://phil-anthro-pist.sofurry.com/
Elliot's dad is very nice, indeed! Good for Elliot!
But now, so let's handle the reveals... Some of you had already figured this out, but here I go anyway!
William and his brother Kristoff engaged in incestuous experimentation during their high school years, which means that in Will's earlier foursome story, the players involved were: Will, Kris, Aaron, and a kangaroo named Stephen. It's been hinted at since chapter 2, but only now was it OFFICIALLY revealed.
Also, Dr. Stan Jones is Aaron Jones's brother! So if this means that Hunter's father figure (his grandmother's doctor) is the older brother of Aaron...and Elliot's ACTUAL father is the older brother of Will...and Will and Aaron are dating... Isn't that kind of like Elliot & Hunter's uncles are dating one another?
And what complications might all these six-degrees-of-separation cause? Stay tuned to find out!
Anyway, thanks for reading!
I welcome any feedback! Comment or PM me here, or email me at theottercoon[at]gmail.com
See you for the next 5 chapters of The Masters! ...for the next 4 chapters of A Warm Bed! ...and, in due time...Sibirskaia!