Events of an Uneventful Freshman Year: Predators and Prey

Story by BossTom on SoFurry

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#7 of Events of an Uneventful Freshman Year


Brutus swore and shot out of bed as Chris's alarm went off. It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving weekend and the pair had agreed to sleep in and skip their classes, at least, that's what Brutus thought. The Dalmatian reached over and shut the alarm off on Chris's phone. It was 10 A.M. Brutus groaned and got back under the covers, putting the pillow over his eyes to blot out the sunlight that leaked through the closed blinds.

Chris quietly opened the door and walked into the bedroom in nothing but a pair of shorts. The human hummed quietly as he put his towel and toiletries on his side of the room. He stripped naked and turned to look at the Dalmatian.

"Babe?" He began as he lifted the pillow off of the Dalmatian's covered head, "What are you doing?"

Brutus shifted, uncovering his head down to his eyes.

"I thought we weren't waking up until noon," Brutus grumbled, "Your obnoxiously loud alarm woke me up."

Chris sighed.

"I'm sorry," Chris began, "I've got to go to class today. The guy who I'm going to be working with is giving a talk in my Chemistry class today."

Brutus sighed and stretched, inadvertently showing off his muscled torso and arms. The Dalmatian sat up and patted the bed in front of him. Chris chuckled and got back into bed, sitting in front of the canine. Chris leaned back, his naked back meeting Brutus's soft furry chest, with a happy sigh.

"Doesn't mean you have to go," Brutus kissed his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around him, "I thought we were skipping our classes today."

Chris shook his head.

"I wanted to," Chris began, sighing as Brutus grumbled, "Really, I did. I need to meet this guy though."

"Can't you get coffee or something with him when you get back?" Brutus nuzzled Chris's chin and rested his muzzle against the human's bare shoulder, "I was really looking forward to spending time with you this morning. We've both been so busy lately."

It had been a busy week. The couple had been working harder than usual to finish everything that needed to be finished before their trip to Chris's small hometown in North Dakota. Brutus licked his mate's cheek.

"It's alright," Brutus began, "You go to class. I'll be honest, I'm surprised you even agreed to skip classes with me in the first place."

Chris looked back at the Dalmatian.

"Why is that surprising?" Chris asked.

Brutus chuckled.

"Because you are a total goodie-two-shoes when it comes to school," Brutus replied, "I mean, I've never heard of a guy turning down an offer for a blowjob because of math homework."

Chris blushed at the steamy memory and shook his head.

"I've told you that I'm terrible at multitasking," Chris blushed harder, "Besides, I did make it up to you later that night."

Brutus chuckled.

"So you did," Brutus chuckled dirtily and felt up the human in his lap, "You humans have the softest hands..."

Chris giggled and squirmed as the Dalmatian started kissing and nibbling over his neck. Brutus chuckled and let up, his tail wagging as Chris turned to kiss him deeply. Chris pulled back with a smile.

"So," Chris intertwined his fingers with Brutus's, "What are you doing today?"

Brutus shrugged.

"Now I guess I'm going to sleep alone until noon," Brutus began, "And then get up, shower, and go on a six hour drive to North Dakota with you and your brother."

Chris smiled.

''When you say it like that it sounds so painful," Chris chuckled, "It's just a lot of singing along to whatever's on the radio and road trip games. Not painful at all."

Brutus groaned.

"Oh god kill me now," Brutus stuck out his tongue.

Chris kissed the Dog again, this time slow and tenderly. Brutus murred and kissed back. Chris pulled away and chuckled, his hands moving down Brutus's muscular chest. Brutus's ears drooped and he looked down and away from the human.

"Can we talk," Brutus asked, "About the... You know..."

Chris nodded and moved his hand up to Brutus's cheek.

"I want to do it Brutus," Chris began, "It's going to keep me safe and make our relationship that much stronger."

Brutus whined.

"These past two weeks have been amazing," Brutus replied, "I can't remember the last time I've been so happy. I just, I don't see why you have to. I mean I can be the catcher, it doesn't bother me that much and it should be safe enough without you taking drugs if we use condoms."

Chris chuckled.

"And I will definitely take you up on that offer in the near future," Chris smiled, "I want to do this though. I really don't like being a top. Beside you are the Alpha in this relationship. "

Brutus chuckled. An Alpha was a Fur who was considered the head of the relationship. They were the ones who generally set the tone, and, generally, the ones who ended up reciprocating an attachment. In the relationship between Chris's adoptive parents, Sarah, his mother was the alpha. In Thomas's and Janet's it was Thomas.

"It's different with you. You were the one who attached second, remember?" Brutus replied.

"I deferred it to you," Chris nudged, "Besides, the Alpha is always in charge in bed right?"

Brutus shook his head. Chris blinked in surprise.

"Really? I thought that Alpha was the top in gay relationships?" Chris replied, "Well, whatever, you still are."

Brutus shook his head.

"It's not really that big of a deal Chris," Brutus chuckled, "The whole "Alpha" thing is just something furs made up to show who attached to who in a relationship. It's just gossip."

Chris chuckled.

"I'm sorry I don't know all of Fur culture already," Chris stuck out his tongue, "I'm a quick study. I'll get it down eventually."

Brutus chuckled and nuzzled the human's cheek. The Dalmatian looked over his partner and sighed. Chris kissed the Dalmatian's cheek and squeezed his paw.

"I want to do this for us," Chris began, "Not because I think you're in charge, but because I want to."

"There's still a risk Chris," Brutus looked away from the human, "God, if I got you sick..."

Chris sighed and paused.

"Do all Fur relationships feel like this?" Chris asked.

"Like what?" Brutus asked.

"My rational mind is telling me one thing," Chris explained, "It says, just don't do this, you've just met him, he's not worth it, yadda yadda yadda. My heart, my soul, says that being with you is all that matters in this world. Even if the worse happens, it's all going to be ok, because you'll make it ok."

Brutus whined.

"That's what it is in a nutshell," Brutus sighed, "I've been going through the same thing."

"It gets better right?" Chris asked, "It's not going to be this hard to deal with all the time right?"

Brutus licked Chris's cheek and squeezed the human.

"You just can't think about it," Brutus began, "If we stay together, it will get better. You'll see that time and time again, we've been there for each other, and that your rational mind has nothing to worry about."

Chris nodded.

"So," Chris squeezed the Dalmatian's paw, "Can I do this? If I get started now I should be over the worst of my symptoms by the time we come back for spring semester."

Brutus whined.

"It's going to kick your ass Chris," Brutus began, "What if your grades suffer because you're too sick to put in full effort for your classes?"

Chris nodded.

"Ok," Chris began, "How about I start after finals?"

Brutus paused and sighed.

"If you have to do this," Brutus closed his eyes and nodded, "That would be the best time."

Chris nodded and looked back at the Dalmatian.

"Are you 18?" Chris asked, "It doesn't matter, but I don't know if you are actually the same age as me or not."

Brutus chuckled.

"I am 18," Brutus chuckled, "Going to be 19 in a week or so though."

Chris smiled.

"Do I get to take you on a super romantic birthday date?" Chris asked, "Someplace super expensive and fancy like, I don't know... Taco Bell?"

Brutus rolled his eyes.

"Babe," Brutus began, "You never have to worry about paying for anything when you are with me."

Chris blinked.

"Why?" Chris asked, "Are you rich?"

Brutus hesitated and nodded quickly.

"Holy crap!" Chris exclaimed, "Then what are you doing here? You'd think you'd be at one of the more expensive places. Like some Ivy League school or something."

Brutus shook his head.

"It's a long story," Brutus began, "I don't want to make you late for class."

Chris looked down at his phone. It was 10:30.

"I've got time," Chris replied, "I just won't go to the library before Chemistry."

Brutus chuckled.

"Well, the main source of money in my family is my great-grandmother," Brutus began, "She was the sole inheritor of one of the biggest fashion companies in Italy. She sold it, but is still a majority shareholder. After my grandmother died, my mother became the sole inheritor of those shares."

Chris nodded, wide-eyed.

"My father owns the local news station where I'm from," Brutus continued, "You can say that my family is very well off."

"Sounds like it," Chris replied, "So why did you go to school here?"

Brutus sighed.

"Great-grandma doesn't like me too much," Brutus began, "She's very old fashioned. My mother is so scared of losing her inheritance that she does whatever her grandmother says."

"What does that have to do with you coming to school here?" Chris asked.

"When I was diagnosed, my great-grandmother wanted nothing to do with me. She bought into the notion that only homosexuals got FHIV, and she didn't want to have any homosexuals in the family." Brutus explained, "She had me kicked out of my house, I couch surfed for the rest of my sophomore year of high school until my Dad was able to get a cheap place, some crummy apartment across town, for me to stay in."

Chris nuzzled up to his boyfriend and softly scratched behind his ears.

"He'd visit all the time," Brutus scoffed, "He'd say that Mom still loved me, but I didn't believe him. Until, she started visiting me too. I understood why she did what she did. With my disease, losing her shares would have meant that taking care of me would have been a huge burden financially. This way, she was still able to send a small amount of money my way and pay for my treatment."

Chris planted a kiss on the Dog's cheek.

"Is that why you weren't going home for Thanksgiving?" Chris asked.

"I'm allowed to come home for a couple weeks during Christmas and summer vacation," Brutus began, "But other than that, I'm pretty much estranged until the old bitch dies. Which, judging by the last phone call I got from my parents, is going to be soon."

"That's just rough," Chris began, "I'm sorry that things between you and your family are messed up."

Brutus shook his head.

"It's alright babe," Brutus nudged the human with his muzzle, "You should start getting ready for class."

Chris chuckled.

"I thought you wanted me to stay here," Chris replied, "You haven't been doing a good enough job to convince me to stay."

"You've already established that you are going to class," Brutus began as he got out of bed, "If you're meeting an employer you should be looking your best."

Chris nodded and chuckled.

"I trust you'll be able to help me in that department right?" Chris replied, "My sense of style is horrible."

Brutus chuckled and looked over the human.

"I think I can make it work."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chris walked into the Chemistry building with just the right amount of swagger. His short hair was styled, fluffed up but not spiky, and his clothes were reserved, sophisticated, and most importantly, cute. He was wearing a dark green zip up jacket with a lighter green tee-shirt with dark teal jeans that hugged his hips and rump nicely. The human walked up the stairs and, halfway up, nearly collided with Owen.

"Chris!" The Deer exclaimed, "I haven't seen you in forever!"

Owen leaned in to give the human a hug, which Chris grudgingly accepted.

"I hear that you're dating Brutus now," Owen smiled, "How's that going?"

Chris shuffled nervously.

"Really well," Chris replied, "How did you hear? I don't recall telling anyone outside of Brutus's friend group."

"Brutus told me," Owen began, "He's in my Anthropology class. We sit next to each other."

"Oh," Chris blushed, "How much do you uh, know?"

Owen shrugged.

"Everything I suppose," Owen replied, "Brutus is a pretty open guy."

Chris took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry if I seem a little awkward," Chris began, "I didn't expect any of Mitch's friends would want anything to do with me after that scene at the Angler."

Owen chuckled.

"We're all kind of steamed at Mitch for how he handled that situation," Owen began, "Expect an apology to come your way in the near future."

Chris sighed.

"I handled it badly too," Chris paused as the Deer put his hands up, "What?"

"Save it for Mitch," Owen smiled, "You don't have to apologize to me."

Chris chuckled and nodded.

"So," Chris began, "How is he doing?"

Owen hung his head and blushed.

"He's ok," Owen replied, "I was actually thinking of asking him out after I well, after this whole thing blows over."

Chris smiled.

"That's great Owen," Chris put a hand on the Deer's shoulder, "Does that mean you have to come out of the closet?"

Owen shook his head.

"I did last week," Owen began, "Mitch wanted a distraction, so he offered to help me come out."

"That is awesome Owen," Chris chuckled, "Is it going better than you thought it would?"

The Deer nodded.

"Yeah," Owen chuckled, "It's weird, I thought the guys would have freaked out if there were two gay guys on the hockey team, but they were super supportive. I still need to tell my parents though, that's the next step."

Chris nodded.

"It's the toughest step for sure," Chris began, "I wish you luck. It was nice seeing you again Owen."

Owen nodded.

"Yeah, it was nice seeing you too Chris," The Deer smiled and then sighed heavily, "I've got to go, I'll be late for my tutoring session. If I don't go my professor will fail me."

"For Chemistry?" Chris asked.

"Yeah," Owen asked, "For the Introduction to Introductory Chemistry, basically Chemistry for retards. I'm not the best at science, and after I bombed my first midterm I had to start going to a tutor. This guy is a major asshole though, he spends more time calling me stupid than actually helping me."

"Can you change tutors?" Chris replied, "If your professor would allow it, I would be more than happy to tutor you."

Owen's ears shot up and the Deer beamed.

"You'd do that for me?" Owen asked, "That would be wonderful! I'll ask my professor as soon as I can."

Chris smiled.

"Ok," Chris began as the pair went their separate ways, "I'll see you around Owen."

The Deer nodded and went down the stairs and out of the building. Chris chuckled and went to the auditorium where his class was held. He took his usual aisle seat in the front, right in the left-middle of the room. The fur sitting next to him today was an older male Red Fox, who looked over the human as he sat down.

"You look really good today," The Fox began, "Who are you impressing?"

Before Chris could open his mouth the lower doors to the auditorium opened up. The professor walked in with a male Snow Leopard. He was tall and physically imposing, with piercing emerald eyes. The Cat looked over Chris, smirked, and prepared for his talk. The professor held his arms up and cleared his throat.

"As many of you know we have a guest speaker today," Professor Bridges began, "Please be respectful and give your full attention to Andrew Munro, who is going to discuss his research and his experience doing research in chemistry for the university."

Andrew smiled politely and gave his talk. He was doing research on synthesizing new drugs to cure a particularly rare but dangerous strain of tuberculosis. He took up his 45 minutes, and after no questions were asked Professor Bridges dismissed the class. Chris stood up and walked up to the Snow Leopard.

"Hello Andrew, I'm Chris," Chris offered his hand, "I'm the undergrad who expressed interest in working with you."

Andrew chuckled and shook the offered hand.

"Believe me," The Cat replied with a slight Scottish accent, "The interest is all mine."

Chris blushed as the Snow Leopard looked over him predatorily.

"Ah yes," Professor Bridges chuckled, "Chris is a veritable Chemistry prodigy. He will be a valued addition to your research team Andrew."

Professor Bridges packed up his stuff and walked to the exit. He turned to see if Andrew was coming. The grad student waved the other feline on.

"I'll catch up with you Steven," Andrew began, "I'd like to get to know Chris a little bit."

The older male nodded and left the room. The Snow Leopard chuckled and moved closer to the human once the room emptied. Chris blushed and backed up, until his back was up against the wall.

"I can smell that you associate," The Snow Leopard practically spat out the last word, "With Dogs."

Chris blushed.

"Yeah," Chris chuckled nervously, "Lucky for me Dogs chase Cats."

Andrew chuckled and unsheathed his claws. The human meeped and looked at the sharp appendages. He shuddered as Andrew brushed them across his cheek.

"Surprised I have retractable claws?" Andrew asked, "It's rare, but useful."

Chris looked up at the Snow Leopard.

"Dogs don't chase me Chris," Andrew continued, "I chase them."

"W-what do you want?" Chris asked, trying to shrink away from the feline as he pressed up against him.

"An assistant first and foremost," Andrew began with a chuckle, "A playmate second."

Chris shook his head.

"I refuse," Chris replied, "I refuse to be your research assistant. I have a boyfriend."

Andrew tsked and sheathed his claws, using his now disarmed paws to lift Chris's chin.

"Then you are going to have a very hard time graduating," Andrew chuckled, "You need an internship before you do a research project, both of which are required to graduate."

Chris shuddered.

"If you don't agree," Andrew continued, "I'll make sure you never get one as long as I am at this university."

"You can't do that," Chris began, "If you did I'd tell the board, I'd get you kicked out of here."

"Use that big brain of yours Chris," The Snow Leopard purred, "Who would they believe, me or you? They'd believe the son of the Chancellor. In case you were wondering."

Chris bit his lip and looked down at the floor. Andrew shook his head and lifted the human's head back up, giving the human's chin a prick with a claw.

"Why are you doing this?" Chris clenched his fists, "Are you just some kind of psycho?"

Andrew chuckled and shook his head.

"Not a psycho Chris," Andrew replied, "But a predator. You should try it some time. Power over your prey is the greatest drug that ever existed."

"You're sick," Chris began, "Fuck you Andrew."

"Yes, I am sick" Andrew grabbed Chris's chin, "Because of this society. I can't help that I was born with a stronger instinct than most Furs. I can't help that my body spurs me to take what I want, mate who I want... and hurt who I want."

Chris's eyes went wide.

"You're scared," Andrew chuckled, "I like that."

The feline shook his head and laughed.

"You think that I'm the only Fur with this problem?" Andrew asked, "We all do, each and every one of us. Even your sweet little puppy boyfriend."

Chris shook his head.

"Brutus would never do this to me," Chris replied, "My brother would never do this to me."

Chris whimpered at the memory of the time Thomas kissed him. Andrew chuckled.

"Sounds like you're lying," The Snow Leopard shook his head, "You know I'm right, one day, your Dog will show his true colors. They all do."

The Snow Leopard released Chris's chin.

"I tire of this banter. You've got two choices," Andrew growled, "Work with me and graduate, or don't."

The human fought back tears and glared into the Cat's eyes.

"Fine," Chris spat, "Don't think I'll make it easy for you, pervert."

Andrew chuckled.

"I love it when they fight," Andrew purred, his fingers tracing over Chris's neck, "But I love it even more when they don't have a choice."

Chris tried to push the Snow Leopard off of him, but was pushed back up against the wall, hard.

"Where do you think you're going?" Andrew chuckled, "We aren't done yet."

Chris shuddered with anger, which quickly turned into fear as the Snow Leopard brandished his razor sharp teeth. Most furs had adapted to an omnivorous lifestyle and had the dentition to match. Very few, for physiological reasons, kept the diet of their feral ancestors. Andrew was one of these few.

"I-I," Chris stuttered, "I have to go."

"Really," Andrew's tail swished behind him, "Go where?"

"My brother's picking me up soon," Chris replied, "If I'm late he'll ask questions."

Andrew huffed.

"Fair enough," Andrew chuckled, "But I need one more thing from you."

Andrew let the human go, convinced that Chris would stay put.

"What?" Chris asked, keeping his back against the wall.

"A show of good faith," Andrew smirked, "A kiss."

Chris shook his head.

"You have to," Andrew began, "Otherwise, you don't get the job... you know what happens if you don't get this job."

The Snow Leopard squared up in front of the human and leaned in. Chris sniffled and, with a tear running down his cheek, planted a shaky kiss on the Snow Leopard's lips. Andrew growled with anger and kissed back, violently. Chris whimpered in pain as the Cat's paws roamed over his body and Andrew's rough tongue scraped around his mouth. Andrew's paw, with claws extended, scratched the back of Chris's neck hard enough to draw blood. Chris cried out and fell to the floor as Andrew pulled back with a bite on the human's lip.

"That was pathetic," Andrew spat as he pulled back from the whimpering human, "You've got to do better. Next time, when I say kiss me, kiss me like you would your slobbering boyfriend. Do that, and I won't have to correct you."

Chris clutched his mouth, a small trickle of blood running down his chin.

"Why me?" Chris asked with tears in his eyes, "Why me?"

Andrew patted the human's head.

"Because you were the weakest prey," Andrew chuckled, "Now I suggest you meet up with your brother."

Andrew collected his things and headed for the exit. Before he opened the door, he turned back to look at the human.

"I trust you are smart enough not to tell anyone where you got that little scratch," Andrew began, "I'll see you in the lab Monday night."

Andrew left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Chris sniffled and hurriedly collected his things. He ran up the incline and into the closest unisex bathroom. Mitch was waiting for him and followed Chris, eyes wide at the sight of the human in such a state. The Wolf tried to open the door, but found it locked.

"Chris," Mitch knocked, "Jesus Chris what happened?"

"Go away," Chris managed to get out in between sobs, "I can't see you right now."

Mitch whined.

"Just let me in Chris," Mitch began, "What's wrong?"

Chris paused and unlocked the door. Mitch whined and entered slowly, locking the door behind him. The human stood with his back to the Wolf, a wad of paper towels held to his lower lip. Mitch's eyes widened at the sight of red, bloody claw marks on Chris's neck. Mitch sighed, grabbed some paper towels, and held it to the back of Chris's neck.

"Chris," Mitch began, "Who did this?"

Chris shook his head.

"It's nothing Mitch," Chris looked back at the wolf, tears in his eyes, "If I tell you I'll be in trouble."

Mitch growled.

"If someone is hurting you, you have to tell the school," Mitch began, "This is so wrong Chris."

Chris shook his head.

"They wouldn't believe me," Chris sniffled.

"Of course they would," Mitch nuzzled the human's cheek, "You can't hide this kind of evidence."

Chris whimpered.

"He's the Chancellor's son Mitch," Chris shuddered, "If I tell, he'll know, and he'll make me pay for it."

The Wolf sighed.

"Let's get you cleaned up and back to Brutus," Mitch began, "You need to tell him this is happening."

Chris opened his mouth.

"I know you're dating him Chris. It's fine," Mitch looked at the human with tear-laden eyes, "I can see that he's better for you, but that means that he's got to protect you."

The wound in Chris's lip stopped bleeding. The human turned and sobbed into Mitch's chest. The canine sniffled and held the human tightly.

"You're happy with him right?" Mitch asked as the human's sobs started to die down.

Chris pulled away, wiped his eyes, and nodded.

"I am," Chris nuzzled the Wolf's cheek, "Ok, let's go."

"Wait," Mitch began, "Can I apologize?"

Chris paused and nodded. Mitch took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Chris," Mitch fought back tears and looked away from the human, "I should have never hurt you and Brutus like that. I wasn't myself that night, I was just jealous and mad, and just plain stupid."

Mitch looked up at the human, his ears plastered against his head and tears swimming in his eyes.

"Can you forgive me?" Mitch asked, "Can we try and be friends?"

Chris took the Wolf's paw and, after a long pause, kissed Mitch softly on the cheek.

"Of course we can be friends," Chris smiled, "There's nothing I'd want more."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mitch gave the human a hug outside of his dorm. Chris hugged the Wolf back and sighed.

"Thank you for being there," Chris began, "Thank you for apologizing."

Mitch's tail wagged slowly.

"I saw how stupid I was acting," Mitch replied, "A life with you in it, in any way, is better than a life without you. I realized that after Russell dragged me out of that bar."

Chris sighed.

"Have a good break Mitch," Chris began, "I'll let Brutus know what happened and that you want to help."

The Wolf nodded and sighed.

"You take care of yourself Chris," Mitch tussled the human's hair, "Text me when you get back."

"I will," Chris replied, "I'll see you in a few days."

The pair shared another hug and parted. Chris sighed and walked up to his room. He took a deep breath and walked into his room, doing his best to put on a smile for Brutus. The Dalmatian turned away from his closed purple suitcase and beamed at the sight of Chris.

"Hey hon," Brutus's tail wagged as Chris came over for a hug, "I just finished packing my bag."

Brutus sniffed the human.

"Did you make another friend?" Brutus chuckled and nudged the human, "I thought we agreed to be monogamous."

Chris sighed.

"Well," Chris bit his lip before lying, "I met my employer, turns out he's a touchy feely kind of guy."

Chris turned away from the Dalmatian and made a show of going through his dresser. Brutus's eyes went wide at the sight of the wounds on his boyfriend's neck.

"Chris," Brutus asked, "Where did you get those scratches?"

Chris shivered and fought back tears as he searched for his black turtleneck. Brutus whined and stepped closer, putting a paw on Chris's shoulder.

"Baby," Brutus whined, "What happened?"

Chris turned to look at the Dalmatian.

"My new boss," Chris sniffled, "Basically, he's got me cornered, and the only way for me to well, graduate, is to play along."

Brutus wrinkled his nose.

"Play along?" Brutus began, "Wait... Fuck no Chris, report that asshole."

Chris started to cry.

"His dad is the chancellor," Chris rubbed his arm, "I looked it up, just to make sure he wasn't bluffing. He was telling the truth. They won't believe me if I do. Even if they do, he'll just get a slap on the wrist."

Brutus shook his head.

"You have the scars to prove it," Brutus growled, "It won't matter because you have the proof."

Chris shook his head.

"This guy is fucking crazy Brutus," Chris replied, "Like Hannibal Lecter, or Jeffery Dahmer. If he doesn't go to jail, he might hurt me, or worse."

Brutus shook his head, his hackles raising.

"I refuse to believe that you can't get out of this," Brutus started to pace, "You can't just let this guy get away with that."

Chris shook his head.

"What did you do?" Brutus asked, pointing at Chris's neck, "Or was that just to get his rocks off?"

Chris shook his head.

"I-I didn't kiss him the way he wanted me to," Chris shuddered, "Look, I know you're pissed off, but I need you to not be right now. Just be calm and help me calm down."

Brutus nodded and took a deep breath. He walked up and hugged the human tightly. The Dog licked over Chris's cheek and sighed.

"Fuck Chris," Brutus sighed, "What do we do?"

"I talked to Mitch," Chris began, wiping his eyes, "I ran into him after it happened. He said he'd help us."

Brutus nodded.

"I can't say he's my favorite Fur right now," Brutus began, "But I'm glad he's going to help."

"I think the best way to get this over with is to well, get evidence," Chris sighed, "Video evidence."

Brutus opened his mouth.

"Right now," Chris continued, "Because of who he is and the lack of witnesses, he could be able to spin any story he wanted and still get away with it."

Brutus whined.

"So what," Brutus began, "We just have to watch him hurt you again, or rape you, or worse?"

Chris shook his head.

"We just enough to incriminate him," Chris scoffed. "Hell, if you caught him boasting on camera the whole thing would be over and done."

"Boasting?" Brutus growled and hugged Chris tighter, "I can't believe this is happening."

"I think it'll work," Chris began, "I shouldn't get hurt, and if we time it right we can get the authorities there before anything happens."

Brutus sighed.

"Can we ask your brother?" Brutus asked, "He'd know what to do."

Chris shook his head.

"He can't know," Chris shook his head, "He'd make this whole thing much louder than it needed to be."

Brutus sighed and nodded.

"Ok," Brutus began, "I won't tell him."

Chris broke away from the Dalmatian and turned back to his dresser. The human sighed and started digging through his shirt drawer. Brutus sighed and turned off the volume on his phone and snapped a picture of the wound on Chris's neck. He texted Thomas.

Do not let Chris know that I told you, but Chris was attacked, sexually. This guy, the Chancellor's kid, is threatening Chris. Something about not being able to graduate. Chris won't tell the authorities, he's convinced this guy is going to get away with it and hurt him for blabbing. What should I do?"

"What are you looking for Chris?" Brutus asked, standing up on tip toe to look into Chris's drawer.

"My black turtleneck," Chris sighed, "I don't want any more people asking questions."

Brutus thought back to the last time the pair of them had done laundry.

"You put it with your dress clothes," Brutus's tail wagged, "I remember you making a big deal over where to put it."

Chris smiled and stood up.

"Damn you've got a good memory," Chris chuckled as he walked over to his closet, "What would I do without you?"

Brutus looked down at his phone and saw a text from Thomas.

Don't worry about a thing. I'll handle it.

Brutus watched Chris put the turtleneck back on.

I'm out front. Chris hasn't been checking his phone.

"Are you ready to go?" Brutus asked, putting his cell phone back in his pocket.

"Yeah," Chris replied as he finished dressing, "Is Thomas here?"

Brutus nodded. Chris blinked and checked his phone. The human chuckled at the sight of three missed messages on his phone. He opened them up, and blanched.

Hey Chris, it's your boss, Andrew. I figured you've already started telling people what happened. As long as nothing comes of it, you'll be ok. The second I get wind of the authorities finding out. Your life is going to be hell. Have a nice break and I'll see you Monday. I hope you are more cooperative in the future.

XOXO Andrew

Chris deleted the message. Brutus looked over at the human concernedly, his arms full with both of their bags.

"Everything ok?" Brutus asked.

"Yep," Chris began, "Let's go."

Brutus followed after the human, who held the door open wide for him. Chris locked the door behind them and then led the way downstairs to the front parking lot. The couple walked over to Thomas's car. The fox smiled at Brutus and opened the back door for him. Thomas then walked over to hug Chris.

"I thought you hated this turtleneck," Thomas began, "Isn't it itchy?"

Chris nodded.

"Yeah," Chris bit his lip, "I have teeth marks. From urm, you know, my boyfriend."

Thomas looked over the human, mentally weighing over calling him out on his lie. Ever since Chris had been small, lip biting was the one way to catch him in a lie. Thomas chuckled.

"You still haven't stopped biting your lip when you lie Chris," Thomas shook his head, "You've really got to work on that."

Chris hung his head and got into the back of the car. Thomas sighed and looked back at Brutus. The fox made eye contact, nodded, and got into the driver's seat. Brutus knew what that meant. For better or worse, Thomas had handled it.