New Mexico (Todd)
#20 of First Steps
I wake up back at my old house. I don't see anything strange. I mean, nothing's out of the ordinary. I lift the blanket off of me and get off the bed. Holy shit! I just realized that I was naked! I quickly cover myself with my tail. I go over to my dresser and get some of my clothes. My white briefs, which I do admit are a bit tight on me. My favorite orange T-shirt and jean shorts. I walk downstairs and see my parents on the couch watching TV.
"Hello?" I ask. They don't respond. It's like they don't know I'm here. I try to speak louder.
"Hello?!" Again. Nothing. I feel like I'm talking to the back of their heads. I slowly walk up to them and tap the back of mom's head. She turns around and looks at me. At first I think she's about to say something, but she doesn't. Instead, she stands up, comes around to the back of the couch and puts her paws on my shoulders. For the first time in a while, I smile.
She does the same, but not in a good way. I feel a sudden pain in my shoulders.
"Mom. You're gripping me too hard." I say. She only grabs me tighter. She pushes me back against the wall with strength she never had before. I smack my head on a picture frame and feel glass in the back of my head.
I hurry and get on my feet and run out the front door. I reach to the back of my head and I see blood on my paws, literally. I'm freaking out. I'm holding my paw on the back of my head and keeping the cut on it from bleeding further.
I turn around and see my mom walking out the door like a zombie. I quickly run down the street and Wendell bumps into me. He quickly grabs my paw and tugs on me.
"Todd, c'mon. We've gotta go." He starts to run half-dragging and half-pulling me towards his house.
"Wendell. What's going on?" I ask.
"There's no time to explain." he runs into his parent's garage and opens the garage door. He pulls his SUV out and motions for me to climb into the passenger door. I do so and buckle myself in.
"Hang on tight." Wendell shifts the car into drive and speeds off down the street. I'm getting scared out of my mind.
"What the hell is going on around here?" I ask.
"I'll tell you later."
"No," I put my foot down, "Tell me now! I'm not about to be left alone in the dark!"
"Fine. Most of the people Knoxville hates us."
"Why?"
"Because we're gay. And apparently, this is some sort of city that doesn't allow LGBT residents. Bastards."
"What do you mean?"
"You haven't heard? Everyone in town is looking for us trying to kill us." This is crazy! Since when to the people in this town hate me? I thought we were the good guys yesterday.
"So what do we do?"
"We're leaving town." We turn a corner and see the fucking cat trio. Wendell slams on the brakes and we stop. Allan breaks my window with what looks like a crowbar and pulls me out. I cry out in pain and I get thrown on the ground. In my peripheral vision, I see Ray shoving Wendell to the ground.
"Hey!" I shout, but Allan holds my muzzle shut while Steele uses a roll of duct tape to keep it shut. All I can do is cry out in muffled screams. I see them do the same for Wendell. I've never been this scared in my entire life. I see Ray take out a switchblade and Steele holds Wendell down. Before I can see anything else happen, Allan flips me over and I'm lying on my back, with him on top of me.
"Oh no you don't!" he malevolently says, "You're not gonna see your little faggot boyfriend leave this world."
"What?!" I try to shout. I struggle against his strength but it's too much. Allan pulls out a revolver and I freak out. But, there's no going anywhere. this heavy feline is holding me down. He points it at me. I scream so loud my vocal cords burn. Last I hear is the gunshot.
***
"Todd! Wake up!" I hear a familiar voice say. Wendell. I open my eyes, breathing heavy. I'm even sweating a little bit. "What the hell is the problem?"
"I had a nightmare." I quickly bury my head in his chest, too scared to come out. He wraps his arms around me and I'm shaking a little bit.
"I don't think that was just a nightmare." Wendell says.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you were mumbling in your sleep. Then you were shifting around in your seat constantly. All of a sudden, you were thrashing about like you were gonna die and started screaming. I think it was a night terror. What happened?"
"We were back home and Ray, Allan, and Steele killed us both." I say.
"What? Todd, they're over a thousand miles away from here."
"Where are we?"
"Albuquerque. We're halfway through New Mexico. Right now, we're in a parking lot in Walmart. Me and Dexter spent about an hour trying to convince the manager to let us stay here until around 9."
"So where is he?" I noticed that the tiger wasn't in the truck.
"He went to get gas for the truck. Plus I asked him to get some food for us to eat while we're here."
"Did you get any sleep?" I ask.
"For about an hour or two. But, I wanted to make sure that you got sleep."
"Oh, well don't worry about me. you need sleep too." He pulls me in tighter. I almost forgotten about my nightmare, but I'm pretty sure it's going to pop up in my dreams more often.
"Todd. You scared me with your little night terror. I'm not sleeping when you are." Wendell says. I guess he has a point.
"So now what?" I ask.
"Well, you can still lay down on my lap. Because after that, it's nonstop until Los Angeles." My ears perk up at that. Then it really hits me at how close we are to getting to California. For a moment, I'm a bit relieved that my dreams will probably not come true anytime soon.
"That's great to hear." I say.
"I know. I'm especially excited to see Ange. I wonder how she's gonna react when she sees us."
"Probably with a shocked face, but happy." I start thinking a little bit. "Wendell?"
"Yeah?" he asks.
"You realize that this could drastically change our lives? I mean it's not just change in scenery. It's a change of our lives. We have to enroll in a new school, where we will probably never see our old friends again."
"That's ridiculous. Sarah and Bruno said they are already on their way here."
"But for how long? They can't stay here forever. And besides, what about your family back home?"
"Well, my dad can go fuck off and as for my mom..." he lets out a heavy breath, "I don't know. I don't know how things are between me and mother. Dad's probably exploding over what I did with his shirt. Mom's probably getting a divorce with him, but I'm not there so, I wouldn't know."
"But, what about..."
"You sure do worry a lot more than you have in the past." Wendell interrupts me.
"Well," I sit up, "This is a drastic change for me. Everything is just fucking changing all of a sudden. Ever since I agreed to be your boyfriend." Oh shit! I hope he didn't take it that way!
"What're you saying, Todd? That we should..."
"Don't say it." I hurry and put a paw over his muzzle before he can finish his sentence. "I don't want us to do that. I've never been more happy with you. And I'm sorry that I said that. I never should've." Before I could give him time to respond, I kiss him. "You make me the happiest fox ever. Please don't think we should-" Wendell kisses me back before I can finish my sentence. I mur into the kiss and hug him tight. I don't want him to go.
"We're never going to." Wendell says. I tear up and we go back to making out. He gently runs his paw down my back and my tail. I gently pet his head, stroking that soft silver grey fur.
"You have such soft fur, Wendell." I say in between kisses.
"Yours is softer."
"No it isn't."
"Oh, yes it is." He carefully pokes me in the side. I giggle. "Is foxy still ticklish?" He puts his evil grin on. Oh no. I know that look!
"Wendell Tripp, don't you dare!" I say.
"Too late." He pushes me so I'm laying down on the seats. He gets on top of me, preventing me from moving. He locks both of my paws together using one paw and starts using the other to tickle me in my side. I can't help but laugh. Why must he be stronger than me?
"You've got a nice laugh there you vulnerable fox." Crap! I know that tone. Dominant mode. Here? In the parking lot?
"Please stop!" I beg in between laughs.
"I love it when you beg. It's such a turn on." He starts kissing my neck. I yell out something that sound like laughter and arousal at the same time. It sounds weird, but what can I do?
"No! Quit it! I'm too ticklish!" I yell.
"Exactly. That's why this is happening." He flips me over so I'm laying on my stomach. What is he about to do? I'm really scared right now, but excited at the same time. Suddenly, I feel a claw dragging it's way up the sole of my foot. I laugh (I think even harder than last time). I'm sure he's back there smirking at me, thinking about how much he loves doing this to me.
"Stop!" I try to flip over and lay on my back, but a paw pushes me back down and stops me.
"Don't you dare move. Bad foxy." I get spanked in the ass, hard. I moan a little bit. "Try to move again, and I'll smack harder." Great. Now I can't even do anything about it. He goes back to tickling me. I laugh harder, gripping the seat to try not to turn around. Even though I barely move, I get spanked again anyways.
After a while, he lets me go. Dexter still isn't back yet. Why is that? "Where's Dexter?" I ask.
"I told you. He went inside to get food. Let's just enjoy right now because it's probably our last chance to get some fun time until we get to Los Angeles." Wendell says.
"Ok. Let's just cuddle and kiss until Dex gets back."
"Alright." He carefully wraps his arms around me and lies down next to me, shifting so we're both sitting on our sides. He kisses me passionately, with me kissing back. It's a french kiss before I know it. Wendell knows it's my favorite kind of kiss. He starts to gently rub my back. In response, I hug him tighter. Next thing I know, Wendell runs his paw down my back and starts rubbing my ass.
"What is it with you and my ass?" I ask.
"I can't help it. You've got a nice one." Wendell winks at me.
"You do too." I smile.
"I know, but yours is sexier." He gently smacks it. Not as hard as he did before, but still just as arousing.
***
"You guys done in there?" Dexter holds the driver's door, smirking at us. We were right in the middle of a make out session when he opened the door.
"Oh. Yeah." Wendell says, then sits up, "Sorry about that."
"Whatever," Dexter climbs in, closes the door, and in minutes, we're back on the highway.
"So, what were you two doing here?" Dexter asks.
"Well, we didn't have sex if that's what you're thinking." Wendell says. I punch him in the arm giving the Dude?-did-you-just-say-that? look.
"No. I can tell you didn't do that."
"How?"
"Because you two don't smell of each other." Wendell couldn't help but laugh at that comment. To be honest, I do too. It was a bit funny.
"Hey Dexter? Is it okay if I take off my seatbelt for a while?" I ask.
"That's fine. But, just so you know, we're not gonna stop until we get to L.A." he says.
"Alright." I take off my seatbelt and immediately, I rest my head in Wendell's lap.
"Awww, what's wrong, Todd?" Wendell says.
"Nothing. I just want to cuddle up with you." I give him a smile. He rubs my head in response. I mur a little bit. He puts a paw under my muzzle.
"Sounds like someone's a happy fox." Why must he be so teasing? And here? Now? With Dexter in the truck with us?
"You." I say.
"Me, what?" Wendell says.
"You... make me happy."
"You make me happy too." He leans down and kisses me.
"Are guys planning on making out?" Dexter asks, "'Cause right now, I'm trying to drive." We ignore him as I sit up and continue to lock muzzles with Wendell.
DISTANCE TO LA: 627 Mi.
CURRENT TIME: 11:32 A.M.