The Depth of Support

Story by KlausNightfur on SoFurry

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#4 of Time, Confusion, and the Feelings that Arise

Well I am sorry this one took so long but classes were hectic last week! Here is the next chapter in series and I hope everyone enjoys! Comments and critiques greatly appreciated! :3


"This is bullshit!" The young jindo screamed at screen before him. His hair and fur both furiously disheveled as he continued hurling a string of obscenities at the defenseless monitor. "How the hell can he do this to me? I worked my ass off for him and this is how I am rewarded? My final paper was exceptional! I had three different professors check it and each one marked it as being exceptional, yet this jerk gives me a B?! Gah this is why I hate drakes!!! Self-centered, pretentious assholes the lot of them!!" He slammed his forepaws onto his desk as he fought back tears of frustration. Emrys had spent weeks properly researching the influences of drugs on famous pieces of literature. Countless nights of sleep were lost as he delved into the myriad of opinions, facts, and theories concerning a topic mired in debate. Yet now it seemed as if his efforts had all been in vain. He could have done something much less thought provoking and received the same score with half the effort.

"Did he at least give you a reason as to why he refrained from giving you a higher mark?" Brandon stood over him staring dully at the computer screen, the light reflecting in the deep brown of his eyes.

"Yeah... He did. In the words of the "great" Professor Xeramen my paper was uninformative, too focused on opinion rather than fact, and quite frankly unoriginal."

"Harsh... I'm not sure that last comment was necessary. I have never even heard of a freshman tackling a topic quite that involved. I mean usually students stick to the basics in that course."

Emrys gave a huff and stood abruptly, walking over to his bed and flopping face down into his pillow. He suppressed the urge to scream as a paw ran gently through his hair. Brandon had become much more attached as the days went by. He seemed to be around whenever Emrys needed him, yet somehow he knew exactly when to give the jindo his space. It was almost too perfect a situation to be believable, yet Emrys was not about to ruin a good thing. Especially since he recently had come to realize that certain feelings were developing for the shepherd. Feelings that seemed to be reciprocated in earnest.

"Hey, don't worry about this. No one gets an A in Xeramen's class. He has always been a jerk, nothing is going to change that. Just be glad you will not have to take anything else with him. Fletcher is a much better instructor anyway. Plus his infatuation with fantasy makes his exams that much more fun to take, and don't get me started on his assignments."

Emrys rolled over and hugged his mate's arm tightly. It was almost a surprise that he thought of Brandon as his mate. True they had been dating for a few weeks now, but the jindo was very particular about whom he referred to as a mate. Conall had been the last one to have that privilege, and that had turned into a disaster. The shepherd was different though; kind, caring, intelligent, always thinking of Emrys. He reminded the jindo a lot of Flynn. Flynn who had yet to come home from class. Flynn who never failed to invoke an unfathomable depth of yearning in him. Flynn who he could never have. These thoughts were quickly dashed as he forced his mind back to thoughts of the canine before him. The warmth of his fur and the strength of those muscular arms. That lean build which complemented a beautiful face. Yes, Emrys could definitely get used to waking up to this every morning. Why should he dwell on something he could never have when all that he could want was right here in front of him?

"That look you are giving me certainly does set one's mind at ease dear one." A gentle strength permeated that voice. This dog definitely knew the perfect thing to say and was more than confident in that fact.

"Now why would your mind not be at ease? I mean you have the sexiest canine at Prowers hanging on your arm. How could you not be happy?"

"Sexiest canine? You are being modest. I would say sexiest anthro at Prowers and feel confident in that assessment. You would have to be to captivate me so." He gave a sly wink as a boyishly handsome grin split his muzzle.

Emrys blushed at the compliment. "You really do seem to know the perfect words for all occasions..."

"A gift really. One that seems to come all the more naturally around you..." The shepherd's demeanor shifted to one of a more serious nature. His eyes focused sharply onto the jindo's own hazel eyes and his breathing seemed to quicken. "Emrys, I need to say something. I want you to listen carefully. I have been with countless furs, male and female. I have felt the comfortable warmth of love, the fiery heat of lust, and the cold pain of heartbreak. There have been two others that I thought I loved. I gave myself to them both willingly, and both times I had my heart trampled under the feet of infidelity. It has been two years since I have found someone that I felt like I could be myself with. The night we met has played over and over again in my head with the same conclusions. So it has been the same with every day since then. I feel the timing is right, but I want you to take what time you need after this. You do not need to force yourself... but I can no longer contain these words. Emrys... I love you."

A bell, a tiny ringing sound as clear and sweet as could ever be imagined seemed to sound within the jindo's head. What it was he did not know, but he knew that what Brandon had just said was the cause for this sound. That phrase that he once held as a dream has now become something of a reality. For the second time since he had met Brandon he was speechless. The shepherd seemed content to wait for a response, no matter how long it took to produce one. Lucky for him, Emrys had already made his decision in regards to the shepherd.

"I love you too Brandon." It was all he could muster, yet it was all that was needed. The two furs embraced and shared an intimate kiss, sealing the fact that the two had fallen for one another. It was to be the start of something beautiful for them both. Emrys melted at the thought of finally having someone to share himself with. Someone he could trust with his own heart. He could finally be happy with his lot in life. This knowledge brought tears to his eyes, and through those tears he released all of his worries and anxiety.

Flynn blushed as heard the words through the cracked door. Once more he had unintentionally overheard something that he had wished he'd not. It was startling, this revelation from the shepherd. Those two were in love? Flynn felt a flood of emotion sweep through him. Mostly happiness in the fact that Emrys was so happy with his new mate. There was also apprehension. Brandon and he were going to have a little chat. No one was going to hurt the jindo again, that he would be sure of. Yet, there was another emotion. One of an unfamiliar nature. A pain deep inside of him, dull yet not so much that it would escape notice. The happiness he heard in his best friend's voice was breath taking. Flynn could not recall a time where he had ever heard Emrys that happy. It was as if a weight had been lifted from the jindo's shoulders, and Flynn had nothing to do with it. The collie knew he should be happy with this turn of events, yet he could not shake the dull throbbing within himself.

He padded softly to his own room and eased the door closed. He needed to talk to Kat. Her voice would make all of his troubles go away. The two seemed to be talking less as the semester went on. Kat and he were on such different schedules that they only got a chance to call each other every two to three days. She had an exam earlier that day, so she shouldn't be busy. Flynn waited silently as the phone rang. Kat never picked up. The collie waited for the inevitable text that she would call back, but none came. He needed to talk to her, why wasn't she answering?

The collie sunk to the floor and inhaled deeply. He would need an early meditation period it would seem. A hot shower would be just the cure for his oddly stressed mood. He quietly stepped from his room, his towels were in the dryer and he did not want to disturb the other two furs so he went out of his way to be silent. The soft panting and moans coming from the room told him that his efforts were not necessary. He tried not to listen as he passed by, but the sound of Emrys moaning in ecstasy froze him in place. He cursed softly as he shook himself out of his stupor. This was not something he should be listening to. The pleasure emanating from the voices within gave him enough cover to increase his pace and he returned to his room hastily. It was one thing to overhear a confession of love, quite another to overhear the two while in the throes of passion. He needed this time more than ever.

The water rushed over him in a familiar rush of comfort. His eyes closed and his arms and forepaws flowed through the motions of his meditative form. He was surprised when he first saw the shower in his new home. It was huge as the previous owners, some of Emrys' family, had been quite the wealthy couple. It was perfect for his meditation and though the bill could get a tad high, the rainforest shower head was worth the extra cost of water. He chose to run through the 8 pieces of Silk Brocade that always seemed to even out his mood. The feel of the water combined with the calm of his movements quickly emptied his mind. He relaxed and allowed his body to flow from head to tail. He could feel the calm, the peace settling within as he lost himself in the motions.

A loud thud startled him out of his meditative state. It had been quick, but Flynn was quite sure that the two lovers had gotten a bit carried away. Sighing he closed his eyes once more. His breathing evened back out as he prepared himself to begin the process anew. A vision of Emrys flashed through his head. His eyes remained closed but his emotionless state was shaken to its core. The face on the jindo was one of immense pleasure. His hazel eyes were pleading lustily as his tongue lolled from the side of his muzzle. He heard the soft moaning inside his head as he imagined the jindo's slender figure lying exposed before him. He felt himself grow stiff at the mental image. His forepaw traced down his stomach and grazed his growing shaft. He shivered and began to stroke himself eagerly as he thought of himself being the cause of the jindo's pleasure. He knew it was wrong, knew this was not something he should ever be fantasizing. No one had ever been in his thoughts this way since he and Kat began dating, yet here he was fondling himself eagerly as visions of Emrys played through his mind.

Another loud thump startled him to realization. He panted and felt his mind race to grasp what he had just been doing. "Fuck...." He said to the silence. What had he just been thinking? The relationship between he and Emrys had never been of that nature. The collie had never thought of another male in this light, yet here he was thinking of doing unspeakable things to his best friend! He felt his chest constrict and knew that he had to return to his calm state as soon as possible. These thoughts were poison to his own relationship. If Emrys of Kat ever found out he would not be able to live with the consequences. He knew that he would be without both of them. The canine stood and quickly began clearing his mind once more, reaching his center after what seemed like an eternity. The motions came second nature and peace found him. He remained in this state for the next hour, allowing his stress to melt away completely before stepping out to towel off.

He dressed and stepped out as Emrys and Brandon were saying their goodbyes. Their muzzles lingered on each other as they kissed lovingly, neither one wanting to release the other. Flynn stepped back into his room to give the two their privacy. No matter what odd feelings swam through him, the collie was most certainly happy for his friend. Flynn would do his best to support Emrys, he just hoped Brandon was willing to do the same. Glancing down, he noticed a missed call flashing on his phone. The call back was made eagerly and the voice on the other side was a welcome comfort in what had been an unexplainable afternoon.

"I hope we did not disturb your roommate. I would hate to be the cause of strife between you two." Brandon stood with arms wrapped tightly around Emrys' waist. It was a comfortable position, just another perk of finally finding someone.

"Why Brandon, you think I would have been so loud had Flynn been here? He has not come home yet so you have nothing to worry your pretty little nose over." Emrys winked and gave a soft giggle as his forepaws traced up the shep's muscular arms. The glance over the jindo's shoulder told him that it was not some coincidence that his mate had asked about Flynn. Emrys closed his eyes, he felt a twinge of embarrassment as he realized that Flynn had been home, he had just been too preoccupied to notice.

"I have to go for now, but I will talk to you later on tonight okay? I love you..." He gave the jindo a quick kiss before padding off to his car.

Emrys sighed and turned, walking apprehensively towards the collie's open door. He made sure to enter as he always did. As long as he acted like it was no big deal then Flynn should be fine. He knocked softly before leaning against the doorframe. Flynn sat statue-esque, staring at the cell in his forepaw. Emrys could see the screen enough to notice that Kat's number was pulled up. "Well are you just going to sit there or is our dear Kathleen going to be receiving a call from her loving mate?"

Flynn seemed to shake himself out of a daze. "What? Emrys... I'm sorry. I didn't hear you enter. Yeah I am going to call her. I just zoned out a bit."

Emrys perked his ears curiously. This type of behavior was atypical of the canine. Flynn was usually fully aware of the goings on around him. "Are you ok Flynn? You are acting a bit strange... Bad day of class I assume?"

"Not bad... just long really. This entire day has been tiring."

"Well I'm sure talking to our favorite feline will make it all better! After that we can have dinner and stream a movie? It has been a while since we hung out with just us!" Flynn nodded and smiled, though the gesture was just that, a gesture. The smile never really reached his eyes. "Umm... May I ask how long you have been here?"

The collie chuckled and shook his head violently, standing and bouncing on his hindpaws. "Long enough really. I must say you two are quite noisy..." The mischievous grin on his face to Emrys that the Flynn he knew had returned.

"Well we will try to keep it down from now on... Though I can't make any promises. Brandon has this way of..."

Flynn raised his forepaws in interruption. "Wait... too much buddy. I am glad he makes you happy and all but I am not sure he would want his secrets out in the open."

Emrys gave a sly grin of his own and took up his usual leisurely position on Flynn's bed. "Very true. Plus you would not really have any use for his secrets... though Kat on the other hand..."

Flynn blushed and glared playfully at his friend. "I think she has enough secrets in that department."

"Not really secrets to me. I have heard some of the things she does, even used some of them myself! Perfected them I would even say." He giggled and the deepening red showing through the fur of the collie's cheeks. "Anyway, give her a call so we can have our night! Don't keep me waiting okay?"

Emrys padded off eagerly. He and Flynn used to spend every Friday night watching films of all sorts. It was something of a tradition and even Kat had joined them when she came into the picture. It was comforting that some sense of normalcy could be had among all the chaos of life as students. Emrys flopped down on the couch and allowed himself to reminisce on those days when it was just he and Flynn. It had been during one of those nights that he first realized his feelings for the collie. Flynn had fallen asleep near the end of the movie, odd since Emrys was usually the one to doze off. He remembered sitting there admiring the sleeping collie; the beautiful merle fur, the thin yet muscular build, the softness of his lips. He remembered leaning in close to those lips as if to kiss them. At times he regretted not doing so, yet their friendship had meant so much more than that. He would not have endangered it out of mere want.

Flynn stepped in and sat down beside the jindo, leaning against him as if they were more than friends. Though there was no hidden intent behind the gesture, the close proximity always stirred the jindo's emotions. Tonight was no different, though two occupied his mind this time. He still loved Flynn, which was something he felt would never change. However, Brandon was also gaining a place in his heart. He found himself wishing the shepherd had not left. He needed to be held. It was then that he felt Flynn's arms wrap around him. It was again nothing out of the ordinary at one point in time. They used to fall asleep like this all the time when they were young. There was no meaning to it then, and there was probably no meaning to it in Flynn's eyes now. It was just something that had always been. Emrys could not ignore the meaning for him. His heart raced. Even if the collie did not see any deeper into this, it felt like more was behind it. He wanted to pull away; knew he should pull away. His body just wouldn't move, or was it that he truly did not want to pull away? Regardless of his want, he lay there for as long as he could remember. The both of them falling asleep to the sound of a film that neither of them remembered starting.