In The Doghouse

Written by MadDogAirPirate
Illustrated by Weaselgrease

Weylen had never felt more apprehensive. He wasn't sure which bothered him more, his dad's apparent irritation and disapproval, or that his dad's cock wasn't more than a foot from his face. It made it pretty hard to focus, not that he was quite able to make eye contact with Jarvis to begin with.

"I specifically remember telling you to get dinner and to head for your room. This isn't your room," Jarvis noted with measured restraint. "You want to explain why you're here? And keep in mind, there seems to be an answer written on your body."

The little wolf could hardly hide his conspicuous arousal. He wasn't sure which had driven him to watch more, the fact that he was attracted to Ichitro, the fact he was still pretty new to sex, or the fact that he was confused, since that was something the coach had done with him. Why was he here with his dad? What had brought that on?

"Hey. Eyes up here." The punch to that statement was all command.

Weylen cast his gaze upward, not wanting to see his father when he was irritated with him. "I... I guess I heard the noise and was making sure everything was all right."

"Stayed for a while to check for that, didn't you?" the father rebuffed, his arms still folded. "I told you I was having company, and I expected you in your room. You violated my privacy. This stuff doesn't concern you."

Ichitro, who'd remained sprawled on the bed during the exchange, shifted toward the door a bit more with his body, though he remained pressed down on the bed. "Actually, it makes sense. He's at that age; he knows both of us. He just wanted to know what was going on."

Not taking his eyes off his son, Jarvis retorted, "he has schoolwork to do. Maybe he should be focusing more on that. Hm?" The raised eyebrow seemed to be suggesting that Weylen should get the hint.

"I'm sorry, dad."

"I'll deal with you later. Go to your room."

In a mix of dejection and worry, Weylen got up and started down the hallway. His pace was slow, and the conversation that began to erupt didn't make him go any faster.

"Now wait a minute," he heard Ichitro interject. "You're pissed at him for curiosity?"

"I'm pissed at him for spying. I didn't raise him like that."

"Ever think he's just trying to learn some, maybe about sex, or about what his father does?"

"That isn't healthy, what he just did." Jarvis's irritation was building, Weylen could tell that much.

"Healthy enough if you look at it! Given what we were talking about downstairs, sounds like you've never had the talk with him. How else is he gonna learn?" Ichitro pointed out.

"That's what sex ed is for."

"Yeah, and I teach sex ed at school. Weylen's in my class."

"Then let him learn it in school. Don't tell me how to run my house or how to raise my son." The edge to Jarvis's words was impossible to miss.

"All I'm saying is that he needs someone to talk to about this stuff, and if you're doing this and not talking with him-"

"HEY." The raised voice made Weylen's fur stand on end, and he decided it wasn't as good an idea to be hanging about in the hallway. If he got caught, it would be that much worse. As he headed down the side hall toward his room, he could still hear the conversation. "If you wanna teach my boy in school, that's fine, but here, this is my house. I'm responsible for raising him. I have expectations in place, and he just broke a big one. What do you want me to do, just let him watch?"

"Well... no, but-"

"Exactly. So don't tell me how to raise my kid."

Weylen heard footfalls down the hallway, and Ichitro's voice was a lot closer. "You're right. But if you don't talk to your kid, he's gonna have to learn it somewhere else."

"Just get the hell out."

"Working on that."

Weylen barely had time to duck into his room. He didn't even shut the door. The room was dark, and the wolf just flopped down on his bed. After that, the two of them had fallen silent, and he was left with nothing but his thoughts. His doorway wasn't in a direct pathway to the stairs, as it was in a side hallway, so he never saw Ichitro pass. Why did this bother him so much? Shouldn't he have been happy to see Ichitro there today? Maybe what bothered him was that Ichitro wasn't there for him. He'd come into the house to spend time with Jarvis. More than time, come to think of it. He'd seen enough through the keyhole. His father had been fucking the coach. It was a sight he couldn't have taken his eyes off of if he'd wanted to. And the thing was... he didn't want to. He felt like his dad was doing something he'd really wanted to do. From the sounds Coach Ichitro was making, his dad was making him pretty happy, too. And then he ruined it once his dad had seen him.

It didn't feel right to him, even without that, though. Ichitro's suggestion that he just wanted education aside, that wasn't it, entirely. Weylen knew that much. He'd wanted to figure out what was going on between his dad and the bat. Just a few days before, he was worried his dad would find out about what he'd done with Ichitro, and today, Ichitro was an invited guest for his dad.

He wasn't even sure that anything sexual was going on between the two of them, until he'd seen and heard it with his own eyes. It wasn't like he could just do his homework with noises like that coming from down the hall. It hadn't been the first time that a night like that had happened, in the house. But it had been the first that involved someone he'd known.

Light shone into the darkened room. Weylen hadn't turned any lights on. He glanced over to see his father, now in underwear, though even those couldn't erase the bulge still held beneath them. That was the other thing that had been oddly distracting to the wolf. He just hadn't been used to thinking about his dad like that.

"Hey."

Weylen sat up and directed his attention toward Jarvis, but he didn't say anything yet.

"This last week, something hasn't been right with you," he rumbled. "The talking back to me about having someone over downstairs. The spying on me. I know I raised you better than that, so something's definitely going on. Anything you wanna tell me?"

Weylen cast his eyes down to the floor, even if the rest of his head didn't move. "I don't know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"That's a lot of shit and you know it. Of course you meant to." The larger wolf flipped the lightswitch on the wall so that it wasn't dark in there anymore. "What I want to know is, is something wrong? There some issue you have with me?"

Weylen shook his head, not so much because he'd given it a lot of thought, but because it was the answer that would give the least amount of trouble. "I guess I was curious. He's my teacher at school, and I like him. But he wasn't here to see me."

"So that gives you the okay to spy on me?" Jarvis began disapprovingly, before seeming to catch himself. He grunted. "I didn't think about it like that. Him being your teacher. ... You know, I have guests over sometimes, and I... do stuff like that. Your mom's been gone a while, and sometimes I get together with someone I like. Ichitro's the one who helped you out when you had acid on your clothes, right?"

Weylen nodded, hands folded in his lap, saying nothing further yet.

Jarvis shrugged. "Made him a pretty righteous guy. Not to mention I met him in the bar I go to. ... You know, much as I hate to admit it, he made a pretty good point. You're gonna be sixteen next week. And you and me, we've never had much of a talk about sex." He took a deep breath, before taking a seat next to Weylen on the bed. He put an arm around the young lupine.

Weylen tensed up a little at first, but relaxed as he realized the grip was meant to be comforting. "I'm learning sex ed in school. With Coach Ichitro."

Jarvis nodded. "Still, this should've come from me first. You know that thing you'n me had a little while ago?" He pointed to the bulge in his underwear, and to Weylen's clothes, though both had pretty much gone back to states of no arousal, now. "You've been getting those for years, right?"

Weylen couldn't help but feel awkward, having the sex talk with his father. It wasn't that he didn't want to know more, but from his dad, it just felt weird. "Yeah."

"Well, they pop up, sometimes you're not sure why-"

"Uh, dad, like you said, I've had them for years. I know that part."

Jarvis cleared his throat. "I forget, because I'm doing this later than I should have, you know some stuff. You know how to... fix the problem when it's just you, right?"

It was strange how the topics that he could talk about with Ichitro seemed so much harder with his own dad, in both directions. "Yeah, dad, I've done that."

Jarvis gripped Weylen's shoulder a bit tighter. "Good, one less thing to worry about. All of us guys do that kinda thing. It's when we start to get with other people where we start to differ."

There was a moment of silence while the older lupine tried to figure out how to continue. "I had your mom for years, 'n you know, she's always got this spot no one's ever gonna fill. I don't see me gettin' married again or trying to replace your mother. ... But, guys, they've got needs. Because those keep popping up." He pointed to Weylen's crotch with his hand. "And sometimes, people get lonely, and they miss how it feels to get together with someone else. Usually when I send you off to your room and I've got somebody staying overnight, that's what's going on."

"I know, Dad."

Jarvis sighed. "Well, if you know, why are you spying on me? Why'm I having this talk with you?" Frustration had definitely gotten the better of him again.

"He's my teacher. ... And he's a guy."

That response seemed to have thrown Jarvis. "So is it over the fact that Ichitro's a guy? That what bothered you?"

"No! I wasn't bothered. ... Not by that I guess. I was curious. I haven't really seen, uh...." Weylen felt his face flush.

Jarvis chuckled. "Okay, now I'm getting it a little bit. Still, watching your dad? Eh, guess it's the only immediate source. So there's no hangup on the fact I was doin' it with a guy?"

Weylen was cautious in his response. "There shouldn't be, should there?"

"Not to many folks, but some, they still have issues with it. They don't think it's the natural way of things. Truth is I bet if you analyzed most of their bedroom habits they all do something that someone else would consider not the natural way. So never bothered me. Guys, girls. Either way. Your mom knew I could like 'em both, and once in a while even she let me out to play. ... Your mom was a heck of a woman."

Weylen was hoping he was getting what he was hoping he was getting. Maybe he could even tell Jarvis about what he'd done with the coach. "So, does that mean you'd be okay with me getting together with, uh-"

Jarvis cut him off. "Not so fast, there. You got things to worry about when it comes to sex. And you're still really young, yet. I want you to focus on your schoolwork. There will be plenty of time later for that stuff. You're probably not ready yet."

"What things to worry about?" Weylen asked.

"Well... getting some girl wolf pregnant. And especially if you decide to go outside of your kind, there's diseases. Hell, even with your kind."

"Yeah, some of that, Coach Ichitro's talking about with us in school."

"Beyond that, though, there's getting hurt. Emotionally. People get attached, even if they don't mean to. Not everybody. Some people can do it without that happening. But especially when you're young, they blend together." Jarvis grunted. "And I don't wanna see you mess up your schoolwork or your high school life with it. You only get one go at it. After high school's done, who knows."

That got the adolescent lupine thinking. Maybe that was it. Maybe the reason he was bothered by what had happened was because he wanted to do more with Ichitro. If Ichitro was going to be involved with his dad, he couldn't compete with that. His dad was way more experienced. Hell, his dad was doing to Ichitro what he might have liked to do if he was a bigger wolf, built like Jarvis. "Yeah."

"So, if you have any questions about that stuff, you could talk with me, or with your coach, since that's his job teaching it to you at school. But Weylen." He felt his father's eyes lock onto his. "I don't ever want to find you're spying on me like that again. You're gonna respect my privacy, or the next time, I'm not gonna be nearly this understanding. And if you start having concerns about sex, how about you come and talk to me before you do anything that might get you in trouble?"

Weylen knew there was only one answer he could give. "All right. I'm really sorry, again, Dad."

"Eh. Don't worry about it." Jarvis got off the bed. "Homework's done, right?"

"Not all of it," Weylen admitted in a small voice.

"Finish it before bed," the larger wolf directed.

With the door closed, it left Weylen only with his thoughts. He wasn't sure how long he'd stayed up, but he did know his homework still wasn't done when he finally did settle in to sleep.

-------------------

Wednesday passed in much of the same blur. The young lupine remembered seeing Ichitro once or twice that day, but everything felt awkward. He didn't even say hi when he did run into him. With his father, it felt much the same. The talk the night before had helped a little bit, but he'd seen and heard way too much for it to merely be put out of his mind.

He'd returned to an empty house that night, as his father had been called in to work. A note explained it all.

'Weylen - I'll be at the fire station for all 36 hours in a row. Normally they split it up, but they needed me both days. Leftovers are in the fridge from when you cooked yesterday. Don't forget to go to work at the library tomorrow. Back early Friday. -Dad'

In different circumstances, Weylen pictured himself inviting Ichitro over to spend the night. Then he could get that time with Ichitro like his dad did. It sounded nice, tossed around in his mind, but he was much too worried that Ichitro would decline. If Ichitro had a choice between his father and Weylen, he was pretty sure the bat would choose Jarvis. There was much less taboo, and he wouldn't get into any trouble.

The whole thing with Ichitro just felt like one big mistake, now. The vice principal was sniffing around. There was his dad's involvement. The sex ed lecture about sex and love being both connected and not being connected just tormented him. He was young and foolish.

--------------------

Thursday meant gym class. Not even the students' attempts to get a rise out of Hex Harris during first period phased him. He went through the class in a kind of dull dread. Would he talk with Ichitro? Worse, would the whole class just pass uncomfortably as if nothing had happened?

Mr. Harris remained frazzled and positively unkempt by the time the bell rang, but he didn't panic. Weakly, he waved as the students exited the classroom, only to find Nurse Rilla hanging about in the hallway, giving the evil eye to most any student that looked too joyful leaving math class.

It was only his second gym class, and yet it felt like so much longer. It served all the more as a reminder that he didn't know Coach Ichitro that well. The locker room was abuzz with his classmates chatting as they got changed. Once the bell rang, one person was noticeably absent, however. Riley hadn't shown up. That was a small relief to Weylen. He didn't think that Riley was going to beat him up, exactly, but Riley laid his machismo on the thickest in gym class. That made Weylen a prime target. Without him there, he was paid much less attention. He sat in much the same place, at the back of the locker room, toward the showers.

He wasn't sure if it was self-consciousness or not, but he tended to wait until most of the others were changed and heading out before he actually moved to slip out of his jeans and into his black gym shorts.

"'Ey."

The voice was quiet, and it took a second repeat before Weylen turned around to look into the showers. "'Ey! C'mere."

Weylen's first reaction was to look around to see if anyone else had heard it. Most of the students had filed out to the gym. He turned back, peering into the darkness of the shower. He couldn't really see Riley, but he knew it had to be him. Walking in there might well be asking for a pounding.

"I ain't gonna be so nice in a minute." the kangaroo hissed. Torn on what he should do, Weylen sidled back against the wall. Actually, Weylen wasn't that up for facing Ichitro, right now, either.

"You're not gonna hurt me?" he whispered toward the darkness.

The last two students had cleared out, so that it was just him. Ichitro and his assistant coach were nowhere to be seen, either.

"Would ya get in 'ere?" Riley had come close enough to the door that the dim remnants of light revealed his body. He wasn't wearing anything but underwear at the moment. "It's just us. Getcher arse in 'ere!"

Checking one more time to make sure nobody saw him, Weylen slipped into the dark shower, its only light from the locker rooms that he'd just left. Breathing uneasily, the wolf felt Riley clasp a hand on his shoulder.

"I ain't gonna beat ya up or anything, I promise. Not today, anyway," he half-assured. "Ya wanna touch it?" he asked ominously.

The question definitely made Weylen freeze, before he subconsciously took a step back. "We're supposed to get to class," he protested inanely to the kangaroo.

Riley peered around the corner for good measure to make sure they were alone. "Not fer me. I'm takin' a half day, gonna head down to the nurse's office after this. I figure you can skip your own visit to the nurse's office if you keep quiet. Get me? Besides, might do you good to skip a period. Last week you got detention in here anyway, right?"

How much had changed in just one week. Weylen didn't know where he stood right now, when it came to Ichitro, but all the more he didn't want to tick him off. Then again, he really didn't feel like going through a whole period trying to avoid eye contact with the bat.

Even in the dim light, Weylen could tell Riley was hard. His cock was making a pointy tent that reached out a few inches ahead of him. "I'm not sure about-" the wolf began.

Riley grabbed him by the shirt, lifting up the collar so that Weylen had to stand on tiptoe just so it wouldn't potentially rip. "I saw how long you stared at it. You might wanna rethink. Either we go through the rest of the year with me doggin' ya, or things get... easier. Might even stand up for ya," he offered vaguely. He lowered his more powerful arm so that Weylen's feet rested upon the ground again. "Reach in and wrap yer hand around it."

Eyes wide, with his body surging with nervous adrenaline, Weylen wasn't sure how much of it was curiosity, how much of it was just to avoid trouble, and how much was willingness. Ichitro got together with his dad. Someone more his age. It made sense that the lupine would probably have an easier time with someone his age.

Riley licked his lips, as Weylen put his hand against the kangaroo's belly and slid it down into the marsupial's underwear. The whole of it was so different from Ichitro's. It curved upward to a tapered point, the head far less broad than the bat's. Riley's was a lot slicker, just covered in a wet layer of kangaroo musk, coating itself on Weylen's fleshy fingerpads.

The kangaroo breathed out, slowly, heavily, a smirk on his face as he knew he had Weylen at that point. "Yeah... jus' feel that baby throb in yer hand. Go on, stroke it." Sure enough, he could feel the vascular throb of Riley's hot cock. Feeling half paralyzed, Weylen did as instructed, in fear of being caught or pissing Riley off.

He could tell Riley was pushing closer, closing in, but before he knew it, Weylen was pressed back against the wall of the shower. The larger kangaroo's cock rubbed wetly against the wolf's shirt, at least until Weylen felt Riley's larger, thicker fingers grab the shirt at his bellyline and just lift it right off him. He let go of the cock only so that Riley could lift the shirt off him without ripping it, and he felt Riley's powerful grip grab him by the wrist and direct his hand right back to Riley's cock.

In nothing but his gym shorts, with Riley's cock pressed wetly against his belly, Weylen could feel himself pushing from his own sheath, but he felt powerless to stop it or reverse the process. Riley let out a grunt as the young canine stroked the length, his hand brushing past kangaroo balls nestled above the sheath.

Riley scraped his hand over the front of Weylen's shorts, finding the pushing force of the bespectacled canine's erection against the fabric. "Heh. Knew it. ... Knew ya liked this stuff," he muttered in a few huffs of excited breath.

Weylen said nothing as he felt Riley's cock against his belly, the kangaroo's underwear that had been pulled down just below his hips finally settling low enough that the just dropped down his legs, slinking one way, then the other, until they came to rest around his large ankles. Weylen was excited, but even he didn't know what he really wanted to happen here. Riley wasn't someone he felt as comfortable with. Then again, he had felt comfortable around Ichitro, and that didn't seem to make a difference. He had a cock pressed against him, right now. What did Riley want to do to him? Even if he did want to bolt, where could he go? There was no easily escaping this situation. Did he want to?

Riley seemed to know it, too, by the crooked grin he wore. "Down on yer knees, wolf," he directed.

Weylen already knew enough to figure out what Riley was getting at. Riley's cock was pretty long, much like Ichitro's, but it was thickest by far at the base, and it tapered to a thinner length the farther up it went, until it came to a fairly pointy head. And while the coach's was pretty straight, Riley's naturally curved upward a bit.

"I-I'll do it if that's all we do," Weylen bargained with palpable uneasiness. He'd blown someone before. Hell, he'd even enjoyed doing it. Riley said nothing in response; he only placed one of his large hands on the top of Weylen's head, gripping it as well as he was able to in his larger palm, before pushing downward to encourage the kneeling.

One knee dropped, then the other. Riley's cock definitely had more of a scent than Ichitro's did, a stronger, muskier smell greeting Weylen's nostrils as the tip of Riley's cock, dotted by a pool of pre, loomed before him.

"Clean it up, wolf," Riley commanded, a deeper tone coming from him than Weylen was used to. "Start lickin'." The grip on Weylen's head got just a bit tighter.

Looking up uneasily, Weylen measured Riley, and there was no doubt about it, he was serious. Swallowing uneasily, the wolf closed his eyes. Leaning forward, he let his tongue hang before he draped it slowly down the length. There was much more a taste to Riley, something almost equated to the musk that wafted in the air of a sports team shower.

"Yeaaah, mate. You wolves like lickin' yer dicks like that, eh?" As Riley relaxed a little bit feeling the tongue on his cock, Weylen kept going, expecting more of the distinct Riley taste with each strip of cock his tongue brushed against. "Bet you lick yer wang all the time, don't ya Weylen?" He exhaled sharply. While his bodily posture was softening, his cock was rock hard.

Weylen's mouth was full, so he only grunted. He'd paintbrushed his cock a bunch of times, but he'd never been able to autofellate. He surmised he'd just given up too soon. As this wasn't turning out as horribly as he feared, Weylen started to relax, too. Riley was kind of hot, especially with how big he was. Weylen had to admit, he liked guys bigger than he was.

"'Nuff with the lickin', get that mouth of yours on there," Riley directed in the dim chamber. "You know you wanted ta, now go'wan, suck my dick, mate...."

This one was done with much less hesitation. Weylen opened his eyes now, casting them upward past Riley's slight paunch that cushioned the front of his moderately muscled frame. Riley had let go of the wolf's head and was balling his fists, squeezing them and nudging his cock forward, until Weylen swept it right into his mouth, sweeping his muzzle downward a time or two to get more of it in.

What had been a tense and trapped moment in the school shower started to feel less like one. With Riley's dick in his mouth and the pleased grunts coming from the larger student, the wolf started wanting it, more. If he couldn't get together with Ichitro....

Riley's ample hand scooped behind Weylen's head, cushioning it from the wall as the kangaroo pushed forward, feeding the smaller classmate his cock. "Fuck yeah, mate... get it all in there." Weylen was glad for the hand, as Riley started to greet him with nothing but a faceful of bellyfur and a pair of overhead testicles as he kept bucking himself into Weylen's mouth. And with Riley's powerful legs, those bucks were powerful. The girth for much of Riley's upper cock wasn't a problem, but the length started to be. As the musky underside of the cock coated his tongue, Weylen felt the impact of the head of the cock against his uvula, pushing against the back of his throat. He gagged slightly.

Even when hard, Riley's cock bent and flexed a bit. Weylen started to fuss, indicating he wanted to get up, to get Riley off him. Riley grabbed Weylen by both of his wrists and he slowed down his gyration. "Easy, now," the marsupial cautioned. "Gonna push in slow... open yerself up."

Riley's balls smooshed up against either side of Weylen's muzzle as the jock pushed forward. With his head no longer cushioned, Weylen didn't want to fight, and instead pressed back against the wall for what he was able as Riley invaded his throat. The tip of his cock pressed in until it couldn't go anywhere but down, and down it went, stuffing wetly further into him, right through a muscled flap Weylen knew he had. One of Riley's hands went behind Weylen's head again and cushioned it.

"Go'wan, wolf... swallow."

He'd been trying not to do it, feeling his throat stuffed full. Eyes trailing upward, Weylen caught the intense look on Riley, before his throat muscled tugged on his cock as the wolf attempted to swallow. It wasn't like swallowing normally, as his body right away was telling him that he couldnt get the muscles to move the full range.

He felt Riley shudder, the tremor rippling through his arms, his hands, his belly, and even his groin. With a low moan, the kangaroo leaned his upper body against the wall above Weylen. "Now that's a blowjob. Again." The gyration more just became a forced push into Weylen's throat as he held his cock in. The next swallow caused a shudder, one gentler than before. "More. More, fuckin' blow me, Weylen...." Hooked on the drug of a pre-orgasm tingle that was almost as good as the real thing, Riley wasn't about to give it up.

The lupine student had settled into his own arousal, a dot of wetness against his shorts, seeping into the material.

Weylen could feel the cock pulled downward into his throat for just a little bit before it retracted, and he swallowed yet again. Riley gritted his teeth, grunting with each swallow. Weylen kept pulling almost as if he was quaffing a soda, only without liquid.

At least, it started out that way. With a stiffened buck against Weylen's muzzle and another long shudder, Riley let out a moan that translated into a convulsion in Weylen's mouth. The whole length of Riley's cock shuddered as he felt a wet sensation coating deep in his throat, warm, as the jock emptied the contents of his ballsac through his taut, springy cock where it would spurt into Weylen and trickle downward into the wolf's belly.

Focused on the rushing orgasm and the internal trickle of jizz, Weylen couldn't hold back, either. He felt his cock tingling, but there was nothing to do but surrender to it. Beneath Riley, the wolf blasted a gooey wet stain of jizz into his own shorts, briefly flashing on the glad realization he had a change of clothes, since he was in his gym clothes.

After a pause for afterglow, Riley pushed himself back from the wall, letting go of Weylen's head. "Hold on, we ain't done yet," the kangaroo said, to Weylen's confusion. As his wet, spent cock dipped and bobbed in front of him, he dragged Weylen away from the wall somewhat before kneeling and parking himself between the lupine's legs. Uncertain, Weylen still let Riley control what was going on, even as the big guy pulled Weylen's sticky shorts and underwear down from his body, taking them off, entirely. The sting of embarrassment from nudity was somehow long behind him.

Riley's grip on both his ankles is what started to raise alarm. "Uh, Riley, what're you-" Weylen began, louder than the usual quiet tone they'd been using.

"Shhhhhh!" he hissed in an attempt to silence the wolf. "Got one more thing I know you wanna try. Just keep it down, no matter how good it feels." Riley lifted Weylen's ankles up so that his rear was in the air, slightly, and he started to line himself up, inching himself and his still pretty hard cock forward.

"Riley, I-" Weylen began, just as he felt the tip of his head push against flesh instead of fur.

"You lubed it up nice an' it starts small," he tried to assuage.

Weylen wasn't ready for this, that much, he knew. He tried to scoot back. "Hang on, I'm not-"

"And what the heck is going on, here?"

That voice was much louder than their quiet tones. Both students looked over their shoulders to see the assistant coach with his hands on his hips, still hanging onto that clipboard.

And all at once, Weylen knew they'd been busted. Then again, how much of this was really his idea? Did it matter, right now? Weasel didn't know. He felt his face flush. Weylen still didn't know if Weasel was aware of what he and Ichitro had done, but they were close enough that if Ichitro had told anyone....

Neither student had provided an answer for Weasel; they were seemingly frozen in place.

"You skipped class to do this. Weylen, I'm-" he began, but seemed to think better of that statement he was going to make. "Get some clothes on while I figure out what to do with you. No, shower first. And you'd better hurry, the students are gonna be in here in ten minutes."

The two stood up, Weylen embarrassed, though Riley more seemed a ball of hostility than anything else.

"You better not say anything or so help me, I'll bust your-" Riley began.

"Save your words before this gets a whole lot worse," Weasel snapped, plenty of bite in his own tone. "During class, doing this, it's way beyond inappropriate, disrespectful... you two could be looking at expulsion."

"You just go ahead and try," Riley dared. "You know what I could do to you?"

"Excuse me?" Weasel challenged, acid dripping from his tone of voice. "You think guts are gonna solve this, or any other mess you get into? You've got a jail cell with your name on it with the way you're going." The sharpness of Weasel's words cut everything, especially Riley, who looked phased, even scared, by it. But he said nothing.

"Now I need to figure out what to do with the two of you," Weasel remarked sternly, looking from one student to the other.

"Mr. Weasel, I... I... I'm sorry." Weylen could bring himself to say nothing else, nor to look at Weasel.

"Is sex this horrible thing?" Riley challenged, seeming to find a second wind to his rebelliousness.

"No," Weasel countered. "It's not. But it deserves a lot more respect than this, and so do we. We expect you to get out there for gym class, not to get sticky in the showers instead." He arched an eyebrow. "One word to your mom and this would be a nightmare and a half, Riley. You know she heads the gifted student program here."

"You wouldn't dare," Riley pushed back, but fear was definitely in his eyes.

"Try me," Weasel murmured quietly. He sighed, folding his arms, all while still holding onto that ever-present clipboard. "But what good would that do you? Just would ruin your lives, wouldn't it? It'd cause a whole lot of problem for you and everyone else around you. Not that you thought about that." He cast his gaze on Riley. "And didn't we teach you anything in sex ed? You weren't even going to use a condom?"

The assistant coach turned away. "Get showered, get dressed, and get out of my sight. Both of you." He started off.

That left both stunned and confused.

"So you're not gonna tell my mom, get me expelled?" Riley asked tentatively.

"Wouldn't it hurt more if I didn't?" Weasel shot back without ever turning around. "Live in fear, Riley. Maybe it'll wise you up. Though that'd be a hell of a thing. Think I'll just let it hang over your head." With that, he turned the corner to head out of the locker room and back to the gym, leaving only the two students.

Their showers were quick, and they dressed silently. Riley's clothes and backpack were in the corner of the showers. After he'd gathered them, the kangaroo left, just a moment before the students, sweaty and with spent energy, came back in. Weylen could only hope he looked spent in much the same way as he dealt with his overwhelming uncertainty.

"Hey Weylen, where were you?" asked Wayne, the fat beaver student after he waddled in.

The bell hadn't even rung yet. Even so, Weylen scooped up his own backpack and made his way down the hall, leaving gym class behind. He needed to find someone to talk to.

-----------

Throughout all of science class, Weylen fought back the urge to pull Darwyn aside and ask to talk. Scribbling doodles and marks onto his notebook, he kept his hand occupied while he figured out whether or not he had the courage to confide in Mr. Dingo.

No matter what, everything had left him terribly confused. Leaning up against his desk in front, Darwyn just struck him as that cool, friendly teacher. What was more, when he'd felt overwhelmed before, Darwyn was the one that had listened to him and told him that everything would work out. He needed something like that, right now.

"-and the thing is, as Pangaea split, and the shifting plates pulled the land mass apart into the smaller continents we knew today, so too did the biological diversity of the planet. That's why it's believed that remains of truly primitive forms of life are everywhere, but more recent species are localized. That will tie in when we get to our chapter on evolution in biology, in the second half of the year."

The bell sounded so crisply after Darwyn's statement that one would almost think he'd timed it. The students began their shuffle to gather up their belongings.

"Don't forget, pages 45 to 48, and answer the quiz questions at the end, for homework to be turned in tomorrow!" he called over the chatter.

Weylen hadn't even begun to pack up his belongings, a factor which rendered the cheerier Darwyn into a much more somber one as he started to head over. Hands on his knees, Darwyn crouched slightly and leaned over to bring his taller frame down to the seated student's level. "Weylen, is everything all right with you?" His eyes were wide, his brow knitted slightly in that concerned expression that Weylen had only seen on his science teacher.

In response, Weylen looked down at his desk. "I was hoping I could talk to you about something."

Darwyn's warm smile flared up a bit. "Well, I think we already are. One moment." He headed to the front of the classroom to shut the door so that it was only he and Weylen. "Now then, you were saying?"

The little wolf took a deep breath before pressing his glasses back up on his nose, as he felt them slipping down. "You remember how I was talking about how I thought I found someone who-" he began, but he seemed to choke on the sentence. "Can I talk to you about guy stuff?" he asked, cautiously, starting again.

Darwyn took a seat on the desk in front of Weylen, pulling one leg up and craning his knee as he got comfortable. "You can talk to me about whatever you like, Weylen. I told you, I'll do what I can. Seems like this school year's started out kind of rough for you." The dingo's expression had softened into almost one of pity.

Weylen nodded. "A lot of stuff, yeah, but the thing is... I kinda got together with this guy I know," he explained hesitantly. "We got to do some guy stuff... adult stuff." He looked expectantly at his teacher.

Darwyn shrugged, feigning innocence. "Adult stuff? You did your taxes? Served on jury duty? Went to a town council meeting, help me out here, Weylen."

"Uhhh. Not that kind of thing. We kinda felt... each other." Ever cautious was Weylen in revealing what he'd done.

"You mean you hugged someone, kissed?" Darwyn sought to clarify.

The wolf scratched an itch on his arm that wasn't really there. "More than that. But now I feel all weird about it."

Darwyn pieced together enough from those statements it seemed. "Ohh! You know Weylen, there's nothing wrong with liking someone. Male or female. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Weylen shook his head. "That's not it." He looked up at Darwyn, as if the dingo's face would somehow provide the answer to whether or not he should tell everything that had happened. He had to tell someone. Normally he'd have told his father, or Ichitro, but both were hardly options on this one. Darwyn, meanwhile, had shown a lot of interest in the young wolf and made him feel a lot better when everything was crashing down. Why did this seem so hard to get out? "I kinda got together with someone and we did some... sexual stuff."

Darwyn looked off at seemingly nothing, then just nodded a few times, slowly. "Okay. Not unusual for your age. Having regrets?"

Weylen shrugged before looking back at his open binder, as if he'd just be able to read what to say next. No such luck. "I liked it, and it felt really good. And we were gonna get together, and do it again. But before it happened, I found out he was getting together with somebody else."

Darwyn stood up, apparently deciding to take up the fine art of pacing as he continued to listen. "Okaaay, I think I'm following. So the guy got together with somebody else. With another student in school?"

Weylen looked down at his chest, nearly burrowing his head into his now-folded arms. "My dad."

Darwyn lost track of where he was going as he turned about and smashed a toe against the leg of Weylen's desk, inadvertantly kicking it and pushing him a good foot backward. "Ahhhg, DAMN it." As he took a seat to look at his toe, he could hardly let something that big go past him. "Your father... got together with the one you liked?"

Weylen didn't answer, even though it was the obvious conclusion given that he'd just said that.

"Just who is this boy who'd sleep with your father?" he asked, leaning back as he started to massage his sore foot.

Weylen sighed, but he'd some this far. "Coach Ichitro."

Darwyn tumbled right back off the chair he was sitting on sideways so that he smacked against the ground with a smack. Even through the pain riddling his body, Darwyn's focus was very much on that name. "Ichitro? You had... he had...." Darwyn's face was contorted, brow scrunched and eyes tightly shut as he gritted his teeth. "How did something like that happen? Weylen, did Ichitro make a pass at you?"

Weylen just nodded, feeling foolish, ears hot. "Yeah."

"Not during gym class, right? Not on school grounds, or during the school day?"

The headshake Weylen gave was almost imperceptible. The embarrassment was overtaking him, and Darwyn's strong reaction just made him feel more foolish. What had he done? Why did he say anything?

"Weylen. Talk to me here. I wanna make sure you're okay. He coerced you into doing stuff, didn't he? Shifty-eyed bat, I knew it-"

"No," Weylen tried to correct. "He gave me the chance to, and I kind of took it-"

"Well, he's got another thing coming, he'll be out on his ass as soon as I bring this up to the principal-"

"NO!" Weylen had tears in his eyes and was leaning away from Darwyn in his chair, repulsed by the idea. "You told me I could tell you stuff in private and you wouldn't judge me or tell anyone."

Darwyn froze in his bitching, midsentence. "Yes, Weylen, I did say that, but we're talking about inappropriate-"

"I don't care!" the wolf snapped back. "You said you wouldn't, which is why I told you. Coach Ichitro gave me a choice and I took it."

Darwyn shook his head. "You only think he gave you a choice, Weylen. He pushed you toward sex."

The wolf stood up and started to gather his things. Darwyn had said the wrong thing.

The dingo picked up on the finished mood shift immediately. "Woah, woah, Weylen." He took a deep breath, unclenched his fists, and finally got up off the ground, dusting a bit of dirt off him. "I'm sorry. I'm just going to sit down, ask some questions, maybe, and I'll let you explain. I won't go to anybody."

Weylen stopped putting his items away. "You're not going to turn in Coach Ichitro? You promise?"

That had the dingo gritting his teeth, instantly. "He didn't hurt you, right?"

"No. Not really."

Darwyn moved over to the desk at the front of the class and sat on the front lip of it. "Hop up here, all right? Tell me all about it."

Reassured yet cautious, Weylen walked over and hopped up on the desk. Darwyn put his arm around the red-eyed wolf.

"Okay, now," Darwyn intoned softly. "You start from the beginning and tell me all about it. Can't say I approve of this, and I'll tell you why. But I want you to get it all out. And no... I won't turn Coach Ichitro in. I promise." He pulled Weylen to him a little bit. Weylen didn't fight the ambiguous embrace.

The deep breath the wolf took didn't feel like nearly enough to allow him to continue, but he continued anyway. "Well, the acid, he really did keep me from getting hurt, and, he saw all of me, but that was an accident." He thought to reword it. "Or, at least, he didn't plan it out, it just was what happened."

Darwyn nodded in response, keeping silent for now as he kept a grip on the young wolf's shoulder. He turned for a moment to grab the coffee mug full of water on his desk to get a drink.

Weylen explained, "But when you took me to Canine Comforts and he offered me a ride home, I talked with him about sex ed stuff, 'cause he's my teacher. So we got back to my house, and he unzipped his pants and asked me if I wanted to-"

Darwyn's need to say something had overpowered the drink of water he was in the midst of getting. Spraying water in front of the desk, he couldn't contain himself. "He unzipped his pants in the truck, just like that??"

Weylen stopped in his story, shutting down again. That just gave Darwyn more opportunity to talk.

"Weylen, Coach Ichitro is there to talk with you about sex. He shouldn't be inviting you to touch him while you're all alone in his truck! He should know better. It's not... it's wrong, Weylen. He's an adult. No adult should just be coming onto you for anything sexual like that."

Weylen said nothing in response, head hung low.

"That's the problem with sex ed, he teaches you what goes where, but he doesn't take any time to focus on proper relationships." Darwyn shook his head. "Don't you see? He used your curiosity of sex to get you to do stuff he wanted. ... What stuff, uh... what did you do, exactly?"

Weylen had tears pooling in the corner of his eyes. "I touched his... anyway, I did to him what I do when I mastur-" the wolf began, and yet somehow, talking about sexual things seemed so much harder, so much more taboo, with Darwyn. "So I gave him a... a handjob, and he asked if I wanted to... suck his-" Weylen began, but winced, when Darwyn's grip on his shoulder became much tighter. "Darwyn, that hurts."

Darwyn loosened his grip in surprise. "I'm sor-did you?" he transitioned after starting the apology. Weylen nodded, in response.

Darwyn sighed. "Did he, uh, finish... you know, shoot?"

Weylen shook his head. "He offered to do that to me, and I wanted to know, and he leaned over and... I kinda... shot. In his mouth."

Each new fact seems to just wind Darwyn up tighter. "Weylen... sex is probably new to you, and I know you want to try stuff out. But any adult that asks for something like that from someone your age, they're only after one thing. And once it's done.... Well, how did you feel after that?"

Weylen shrugged. "I was embarrassed so I kinda went into the house. Later on I talked with him though, and asked if we could do it again... because I liked it. He said yeah. But then, that thing... you know, with my dad."

Darwyn looked up at the ceiling, an awkward silence passing between them before he finally broke it. "Weylen, he's giving you the wrong idea. Adults shouldn't just approach someone your age and ask for sex. You're a teenager, young, still in school, still learning how to handle things. He took advantage of that. And even then. People don't just do that. It's unseemly. People don't just approach someone else and ask for sex when they're not looking for a relationship."

Weylen cast his gaze over toward Darwyn, his next wording soft but unmistakable. "My dad does that, too."

Darwyn nearly bit his tongue on what he was about to say next. Apparently he thought better of it. "Maybe your dad's going through a tough time or something Weylen. But you were old enough to know your mom pretty well, right? Did he do that stuff while your mom was alive?"

The lupine shrugged. "Not like-"

"Of course not!" Darwyn rode right on top of that uncertain admission. "Good adults don't do that. They know that sex is meant for relationships... for really caring about the person. If you don't care about the person you're with, you're only going to end up hurting them. And look at what Ichitro did. ... With your father. I'm surprised at that. Oh Weylen," Darwyn lamented, pulling the wolf closer into a soft hug, wrapping his other arm around him. "No wonder you're so confused by all of this. You look up to your dad, you started to get cozy with Coach Ichitro. Weylen, I'm so sorry."

The hug and the general understanding reached had made Weylen feel better, even if every detail and conclusion wasn't right. "I just didn't know what to do," the little wolf admitted. "Doesn't he like me?"

Darwyn dodged that question. "You know you can talk to me about this stuff anytime, right? I won't turn Ichitro in. I did promise you I wouldn't. And I won't tell anyone who doesn't know about this."

Weylen sniffled before trying to straighten up. "There's kinda... one more thing," the wolf added with much less timidity than he'd done earlier when trying to explain things.

Darwyn seemed surprised, but he let the adolescent out of the hug. "Go on."

"This morning, I had gym with him, and I didn't want to go out there. And... you know Riley?"

Darwyn nodded. "Of course, he's in class with you."

Weylen continued right on the heels of that statement, wanting to get it out. "He called me into the lockers during gym class, and... we kinda did the same stuff that I did with Ichitro."

Somehow, that didn't hit Darwyn as hard, after the prior news."You were probably just acting out, not knowing what else to do."

"It was Riley's idea," Weylen countered. But he began to wonder if that was true. He could've walked away. He never had to go into the showers at all. He had his shorts on through most of the ordeal. He really could have gotten away. Couldn't he have? "Weasel kinda spotted us, looked ready to explode. But I don't think he's turning us in."

"You've learned the wrong lesson, and the wrong order of things," Darwyn offered. "People don't just have sex without regard for a relationship," he repeated. "It always ends badly. Always. Always. Sex is best left for someone you want to build a relationship with. What you need right now is a safer alternative," Darwyn offered, cheerfulness returning to his voice, whether faked or genuine. "Gather your things and come with me."

Weylen hopped off the desk and finished stuffing his backpack. He didn't wear a jacket that day, so he just went with Darwyn, not even bothering to stop at his locker. Darwyn led the way down the hall, past the teachers' lounge, and out to the teachers' parking lot.

The dingo started to fiddle with his keys. Weylen couldn't help but wonder. Was Darwyn giving him a ride somewhere? "I kinda rode my bike in today-" the wolf stated.

"I want you to take... this." Darwyn had fished a key off his keychain. "This is the key to my house," he explained quietly. "It's about half a mile from the school, at 44 South Street. You know where that is, right?"

Weylen accepted the key but just looked down at the shiny bit of metal he held in his hands. He nodded slightly. "So... are you saying you want me to come over to your house? When?"

"Whenever you want!" assured Darwyn cheerily. "Well, okay, not during school hours. I don't want you skipping class. But you're welcome over at my house, anytime. If I'm there, I'll invite you in, and if I'm not, you can unlock the door and wait for me."

That was... a bit too much for the wolf. "Aren't you worried I'd take your stuff or break something?"

He laughed in response. "You, Weylen? A sweet wolf like you? You planning to do those things?"

"Well... no. But.... Hey, you still have a housekey, right?"

The dingo took a minute to respond. "Of course I do, I've got a spare. Just take that, put it on your keychain. Just come over. Doesn't matter if it's 4pm or midnight. You have some time now? You could always ride your bike over. I'll just drive on ahead."

Weylen nodded in response.

"Excellent!" the tawny-furred teacher remarked. "I'll see you in a bit."

Weylen ambled almost mechanically over to his bike, his mind too busy thinking about what all this meant to really pay much detailed attention to his surroundings. So Coach Ichitro had tricked him into getting sexual with him? That didn't sound quite right, given that Weylen had been interested to begin with. Maybe he was confusing curiosity and interest. Heck, maybe he was confusing opportunity with interest.

The ride over to Darwyn's house was easy enough, and it didn't take more than ten minutes. As he got there, Weylen was greeted by a peculiar sight. Darwyn's car was parked in the driveway, but he could swear he saw Darwyn's feet scrambling and kicking about in a window when he first arrived, right before the window shut behind them. As he was left to puzzle that, he saw a slightly frantic Darwyn appear at the front door.

Weylen couldn't help but smile. "I thought you said you had a spare key."

"Oh, I did, I did," Darwyn assured. "It was just... inside my house. Fortunately, I always know the one way to get in." He stepped aside. "Please, come in."

Weylen did as he was asked. The door led right into Darwyn's kitchen. An elegant counter ran the whole way around two walls of the room. The dining table, meanwhile, rested at an odd 45 degree angle in comparison, and it ran halfway into the larger living room. A comfortable multi-section couch angled in a half-square toward the television, with just a little coffee table amid the middle space. It had that look of someone trying to appear elegant and refined... but even Weylen could tell, some of the furniture came from chain stores and had to be assembled. One thing Darwyn had lots of, though, were bookshelves, all crammed with books. In fact, there was a sideroom that Weylen spotted with cardboard boxes filled with more tomes than he'd not put onto his shelves.

"I still have some unpacking to do," his teacher admitted. "Think you'll be sticking around some, today?"

Weylen offered a smile. "I don't know. I guess I could stay for a while, I'm not expected home anytime soon, really." After all, his father was working all through the night.

Darwyn headed into the kitchen, setting his keys down. "You can make yourself at home. The cable's all hooked up, but the internet's still not working right."

The wolf grinned. "Well, I could take a look at it. I'm pretty good with stuff like that. It's how I got my job at-" he began, and his grin faded quickly. "Oh, I completely forgot! What time is it?"

Darwyn checked the clock on his microwave in the kitchen. "Says it's 3:52."

"I have to get to work!" Weylen explained. "I'm expected to start work at 4."

Darwyn picked his keys back up from the counter. "Well, fortunately the library's only a few minutes away. Actually, I need to go anyway. Since I don't have internet, I need to use their computers to look up some lesson aides. At least we should get you there before you're late. I can even pick you up, give you a ride back."

Weylen shook his head. "That's okay. I can always walk back. You're right, this place isn't so far. So at nine, I'll walk back and grab my bike before I head home, I think."

"Suit yourself. But you're welcome here, anytime. Don't lose that key."

It would turn out he liked working at the library. It was peaceful, easy work, and he managed to get all his homework done. Weylen was actually tempted to ask to stay over at Darwyn's house that night, but he knew his dad expected him home, and he would flip if Weylen wasn't there should he call. He spent the night back home alone, just thinking about the events of the day.

-----------

By the time he'd woken up, Jarvis had returned. There was a trail of removed clothing that led from the door to the couch in the den, and his snoring permeated much of the house. Weylen took note of the fact that there weren't the usual trail of liquor bottles about, so either he had a really quiet night, or he was just too tired to get drunk. Weylen headed right to school, taking his bicycle once again. It felt so much easier than the bus stop.

He wasn't ready for the sight greeting him as he headed for homeroom. Weasel waited at the door, arms folded. "Been waiting for you. Come with me. You, me'n Riley are going to have a serious talk."

Clutching his backpack apprehensively, Weylen just nodded, wide-eyed, saying nothing. He'd hoped that they'd escaped any punishment. It didn't appear to be that way any longer.

Riley, however, wasn't on time. "Go wait in the locker room for me," Weasel instructed. The teen nodded, heading off. Passing students at their lockers or chatting as they walked, he could only wonder what was going to happen.

The locker room wasn't empty. As soon as he walked down the hallway into it, there stood the coach. Ichitro looked to be just as surprised to see him. "Hey there. Were ya sick yesterday?"

Weylen couldn't look him in the eye. "Wasn't feeling well. But I was still here."

Ichitro arched an eyebrow. "That so?"

The door opened, and Weasel walked in with Riley. That puzzled Ichitro all the more. "What's going on here?" the bat asked.

"I'm just going to have a few words with these two," Weasel explained dodgily.

"Yeah? I'll just listen in." The bat folded his arms. Ichitro was no fool; he knew something was up.

"This is something I'm going to take care of. If you wanna stay, Ichitro, that's fine, but you don't say a damned word and just let me deal with it. I don't care how much you want to. You're gonna hold your tongue or you can get out now. Not a word until I dismiss them. You got it?" Weasel had made it clear enough. He meant business.

Ichitro shrugged. "If you say so."

"You two," Weasel instructed. "Sit on the bench, there." Weylen joined Riley as the two sat down, anxiously wondering what was to become of them.

Weasel paced in front of the two, hands clasped behind his back. His chest seemed so puffed up that it gave the impression he could explode at any minute with a barrage of vitriol. When he finally spoke, it was far more measured than that, though perhaps no less harsh. Weylen tried looking at him, but Ichitro stood just a few feet behind him, within Weylen's field of vision. That made it much harder to do.

"I went home last night, and I had to think for a long time on how to handle this. Most other teachers would turn the matter over to the principal, and that would be that. But I can guarantee, it would have resulted in suspension, and that would stay on your permanent records. I didn't know if that felt right. I had to think on whether you two both deserved that. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized. It didn't matter. Two of you made a choice yesterday, and I'm not going to hold one to a different standard over the other. You both made it."

The young wolf winced at the assistant coach's words, but he knew them to be true. He could protest on how Riley had forced him. It wouldn't feel right to do so. The wolf did have chances to escape. To speak up. To never go in there in the first place.

"And I really had to believe I was sure of that," Weasel continued. "I sure as hell wouldn't want anyone to be manhandled, in whatever regard, if they didn't want to be. Sexual or no."

Ichitro's whole brow had knitted into a tight mass of irritation by now.

"The bottom line is that the two of you opted to go into the showers, during class time when we expected you to join us for gym, and got sexually involved. Like I said yesterday, the thing that bothers me the most, by far, is that you did so when you knew we trusted and expected you to join us for class. Frankly, boys, that was a big fuck-you to both of us, and it still pisses me off."

The bat opened his mouth, clearly wanting to just blast something, but he kept himself contained. Now he looked to be the one who could explode at any time. Weylen could see from his cowed stance that Ichitro's chest was heaving.

"And beyond that," he continued, trying to maintain his level tone even though he had moments where it presented a challenge, "I come across the two of you, and Riley, just in time, because you were about to go right to penetration, without a condom.

"But I decided since the offense is against us, I'm keeping it here. And sure as hell I don't want you think you get a lecture and just walk off. Riley, from now until the end of the calendar year, on Thursdays and Fridays, you're going to be serving detention with me. You're also on second string for wrestling. I don't care how good you are. I'm not going to allow you to get accolades with knowledge of that kind of misconduct. You should be glad I'm not kicking you off the teams entirely. And don't think to try me by skipping or giving me a hard time at any point, or I will turn it over to the principal, and your mother will find out." Weasel paused, almost daring the kangaroo to challenge it.

Riley didn't respond, and he'd actually looked just as cowed as Weylen. It had been a big shift from the day before.

"And you, Weylen. You'll be serving detentions Monday and Tuesday. With me, not Ichitro. I'm not sure if that will come as more of a relief or not."

"Uh... Mr. Weasel? My dad expects me home after school. And I have work on Tuesdays." The wolf was so meek that his voice barely had any volume at all.

"Those don't fall under my problems, Weylen, and I'm not bending the punishment to accomodate you. It's supposed to be inconvenient. Now, we're done. Get out of here."

Riley made as quick an exit as Weylen did, with the two of them glad to have the unpleasant scolding through. As soon as they were out, the kangaroo didn't say a word. He made his way right off to homeroom. Weylen stopped as soon as he reached the nearly empty hall, taking stock. The wolf felt like he might cry, and he didn't want that to happen back at homeroom.

"You didn't tell me, after something like that? What the hell's wrong with you?" Ichitro's voice carried out to the hall, audible enough that Weylen caught it clearly. "Bring that kangaroo back here and I'll break his nose!"

"I told you I was handling it. You're a biased party." Weasel's tone was sharp, but even.

"Damn right, and he's about to find out how biased! He used Weylen!"

"Shut up for a minute and listen to me. I walked in on them. The anal part, Weylen wasn't ready for, but what had happened before it had been his doing. I'm sure of it. He didn't call for help or leave the locker room."

"Ever think maybe because he's worried Riley might cream him?" the bat accosted.

"Poor choice of words," Weasel quipped. "I told you. I spent all last night thinking about what I saw. Weylen got involved because he wanted to. I'm sure Riley encouraged it, but he made his own choices. But more importantly. He did so in gym class, instead of going out and facing you. Why might that be?"

Weylen physically winced at Weasel's observation. The assistant coach was bringing something to a head that he didn't want discussed. Part of him wanted to flee, but not knowing how this would play out would plague him even worse.

"What the- hey, don't make this about me." The defensiveness was palpable, even out in the hall.

"Doesn't that seem out of line from Weylen's usual behavior?" Weasel challenged.

"Hey, I told Weylen, the stuff we did was for education. Okay, and maybe for our own enjoyment. But I made it clear that he shouldn't get attached or read too much into it. I told him."

"Yeah, well, maybe you need to have a different talk with him when you go home one night and fuck his dad. Didn't you say he walked in on you?" Every challenge from Weasel was matter-of-fact more than angry.

"Ever think his dad bears some of the responsibility here?" Ichitro was becoming less emphatic with every retort.

"And now that kid's serving detention with me two days a week. He skipped class to avoid you, and Riley was probably just a replacement for what he didn't think he'd be getting."

There was a pause. "Shit."

"Where are you going? I said I'd handle it." That was Weasel.

That time the voice was much closer.

"You handled it wrong."

"Substitute the word 'I' instead of 'you' and you'd have the sentiment correct! So close."

The door to the gym burst open, eliciting a gasp from the startled wolf. Ichitro poked his head out into the hallway, and he immediately peered in the direction of the gasp. "Ah, good!" He grabbed Weylen, partly by the shirt, partly by a strap of his backpack, and hauled him back into the hallway to the locker room.

Then he shoved an unanticipating assistant coach Weasel out into the school hallway. His protest was cut short by the door shutting in his face.

Weylen backed away from Ichitro as soon as the bat turned toward him. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I swear."

Ichitro, though, was more concerned with the way Weylen was shrinking away from him. "Shut up about that. Get in there and sit down."

As Weylen complied, he heard Ichitro's voice behind him.

"I'm sorry, Weylen." Even when he said it though, it didn't sound at all like it would if Weylen had said it. It sounded like something Weylen had to accept, immediately. The bat was gruff, and clearly he remained irritated.

Weylen just sat down on the bench, but he didn't even look at Ichitro in response.

"I didn't mean for you to get the wrong idea. That's why I told you before, don't read anything into the sex beyond education purposes. You know I like you. I like you a lot." Ichitro found himself trying way too hard to explain. In the midst of his explanation, he went wide-eyed, then glanced down at Weylen.

The wolf still wouldn't look at him.

"Forget everything I just said," Ichitro interjected into the silence. "That sounds like something I'd say to a cheap date." He pointed to the spot on the bench next to Weylen. "This seat taken?"

The lupine shrugged, remaining downcast and silent.

Ichitro sat down, and sighed, seeming to let all of his defenses go. "Weylen. You remember the first day of class, I talked about how people read different things involving sex and love? ... Well, when we got together, I let you make the decision, and I tried to draw a clear line. And we were fine then, right?"

The student looked up a bit and gave a faint nod.

Ichitro smiled a bit, glad to see a semblance of a positive response. "Your dad stood up for me over the incident with Rhonda and her cell phone, when her dad wanted me written up or fired. And we'd already met at a bar. So, we got to talking. And I'd agreed to spend some, uh, time with him. I didn't even know he was your dad before I agreed." He peered down at the wolf, who still looked horribly uncomfortable.

The bat shook his head before continuing. "I should have talked with you before I got too friendly with your dad, even so. Pulled you aside, made sure it was okay... hell, asked if it was okay. It would have been the right thing to do. And even then, it might have caused some problems. But not as bad as not talking with you seems to have. Weylen, I don't think the thing with your dad is gonna be any more than a one-time thing. And it doesn't have to mean that we can't do some stuff anymore."

Only silence greeted Ichitro. Weylen still didn't say a word.

"Listen to me. I still sound like a horny bastard," he lamented. "When I heard about what you did instead of gym class, it burned me up inside. But I think I caused it. I'm gonna speak to Weasel, get you out of those detentions."

Weylen shook his head, and glanced sidelong over at Ichitro. "No. It wouldn't feel right."

"Don't worry about Weasel. I outrank him."

"No. I mean, I kinda did it, and he's right. I decided to do it."

Ichitro grunted. "All right. ... Why did you, anyway? Just last week Riley almost beat you up, didn't he?"

Weylen shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes I think he likes me. But he treats me bad whenever other kids in my class are around."

A touch of a smile returned to the bat's face. "Well, high schoolers, you're always concerned about what other kids think of you. Chances are that's what's going through his mind. As you get older, you usually worry a bit less about it. What was that I heard about not using a condom, though? What were you two gonna do?"

The bell sounded, signaling the end of homeroom.

"Can I go?" Weylen asked tentatively, checking with the coach.

"Guess you do have classes to get to. Are we... okay?" Ichitro asked, his guard down. "I'd rather not have you mad at me or thinking I don't... well, that I used you for sex."

"It was my decision," Weylen offered. "Just like in class yesterday. So I don't think that. I have to get going or I'm gonna be late."

"Yeah, fine." The bat didn't sound thrilled. The conflict still felt unresolved between them. But Weylen had had enough of the talk, and he was still confused. As he left the locker room behind, just seeing assistant coach Weasel was enough to bring it back to the forefront. He hurried past, just wanting to get away from all of it.

More than anything else, Weylen was no less confused about it all. It did bother him that Ichitro had spent time with his father that night. Maybe, especially, it bothered him because he'd felt like an afterthought that night. It didn't feel right, to feel like an afterthought with someone that he'd taken a chance with and gotten sexual with. It was just tough to shake.

------------

The bell sounded, and the Friday school day was over. Normally, that triggered relief and excitement for students. It didn't trigger anything of the kind for Weylen. About the only relief he felt was that he had some safe haven with Darwyn. The wolf reached into his pocket and clutched the key he was given. He knew where he was going, and it wasn't home, yet.

He found himself glad that he had his bicycle today. It was like his ticket to freedom, to escaping. Not to mention, it was also his ticket back home so he wouldn't be missed for dinner. Well, if he wanted to go home. He still wasn't sure.

Weylen had expected to get to an empty house. It surprised him to see Darwyn's car already in the driveway. The wolf had made his way right to Darwyn's house. Perhaps he'd missed the dingo's vehicle passing him.

The lupine student knocked once, but no one answered. After a moment of uncomfortable ambivalence, Weylen tried his key. The door clicked as the lock popped. He pulled the door open, stepping in.

He'd only been in the house once, so far, but something was immediately different. It took him a moment to figure out just what it was. Across the home, where the archway stood to a small room previously cluttered with boxes, there shone a light source. There weren't any boxes in there anymore. Now, there was a bed, and a desk. As he approached to peer inside the room, he also saw a small television resting on a nightstand. He saw half of Darwyn, bent around the bed, fiddling with something beside the nightstand. He stood up, realizing that Weylen had walked in.

"What do you think?" he asked with a genial smile.

Weylen peered behind him to the object he'd been handling. "Is that a TechFox 360?"

Darwyn shrugged. "You play video games, right? I recall hearing you talk about them once. I hope I got the right system."

It still took quite an adjustment to realize what Darwyn had done. The wolf nodded, but he took off his glasses, cleaned the lenses against his shirt, and put them back on as if somehow that would dispel what he'd seen. It did not. "What's this for?"

Darwyn brushed some dust off his shirt that he'd picked up from the floor. "Well, I wasn't using that room for anything. I figured I'd set it up to be your room."

Weylen was a young wolf, and he knew he had a lot to learn, about people, and life in general, but even he felt that the smile Darwyn offered obscured something.

"I don't know, Mr. D."

"We're not in school. Darwyn works, if you want to use it."

The pupil dodged that. "You didn't just buy all of this stuff, did you?"

"Well, I, uh. Some of it. I had the bed, in storage. It's all right, isn't it? It's clean and it's not that old. If it doesn't meet with your satisfaction, I could always-"

"Why?" Weylen cut in.

"Why what?" Darwyn asked, puzzled.

"Why would you do all that for me? Give me a key, set up a room, buy a TechFox?" Weylen wasn't sure if he was more skeptical or hopeful.

"Weylen, you just went through an ordeal where you witnessed your father and a teacher who'd used you for sex getting together. I imagined that had to be really tough to have in your environment. This is just a safe space for you. That's all I want. Really. If it's too much I can take it back, too."

He shrugged. "No, I guess it's okay. I don't have any games, though."

Darwyn raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? That doesn't come with games?" He pointed at the TechFox 360.

"No, you have to buy them."

"But the fellow at the store said Tigrosoft made it. Doesn't it have a hard drive?"

"Yeah. The games pretty much come separately, though," the bespectacled lupine explained.

His science teacher shrugged. "I can fix that soon enough. Maybe I'll run and pick one up later tonight. Consider it an early birthday present. Yours is next Wednesday, right? Sixteen. Big year."

Weylen went wide-eyed for a second. "You know when my birthday is?"

"We've got files on all the students, Weylen," the dingo offered in explanation.

"Ah. Yeah, next Wednesday."

"Well, if you didn't have any plans, I figure I could set up something here. Or somewhere else. Your pick. Like a party."

"I don't think I do. Who can I invite?" the adolescent questioned.

That gave Darwyn pause. "Oh yeah. Good point. Well, figure out where you want it, and then we can tackle that! Anyway, I'll finish hooking that up later. Sit down for a minute. Let's talk about this party."

No one had really ever gone out of their way to do so many nice things for him before. It felt entirely new. Usually he was so caught up in his expectations and schoolwork. His father had never done anything that elaborate for him. No one had. Ever.

The wolf barely remembered walking over with Darwyn to the couch in the living room. Both of them sat down. "So," Darwyn piped up in a restart to the conversation. "About this party."

Weylen reached over and gave Darwyn a big hug. "Thank you so much for doing all of this."

The dingo beamed, reaching an arm around the wolf. "It really wasn't fair, what happened to you. And it's not your fault. Your dad and- well, they did what they wanted to do and didn't think about you. But I think about you. So. The party!"

Weylen just stayed snuggled against his science teacher's side. "I don't know. Going out to eat might be nice. There's only a few people I might want there. Alex Karzik. Maybe Guillermo Cap. He seems nice. Ben Avery, if he'd come."

"Sounds okay to me. You pick the place. Might be better if we do this on a day without your dad, if we can."

"I think he works this Wednesday anyway. He does long shifts and his goes right through the day."

"I can't believe he wouldn't take the day off to spend with a kid like you." The disdain was clear enough.

And yet, Weylen didn't feel bothered by it. It was sweet. "It's nice to have someone who thinks that much of me." He snuggled in a bit closer, pressing himself against Darwyn's side tightly, so that he was actually sitting on half of his teacher's lap.

The dingo reclined slightly, stretching his feet out in front of him, under the coffee table. "I'm just glad I could help. See, someone that really cares for you, they'll do things, and they won't require anything in return. They just want to see you happy. That's what I want, more than anything. Especially after you got the wrong message."

Weylen could feel something pushing into his side as he continued to lean and press up against Darwyn. His first thought was that it was a spring from the couch, but the couch and cushions were below. He was resting partly against Darwyn's lap.

"Sex is a special thing. It's meant to be shared with someone who you just know thinks the world of you. Who'd do most anything for you. Someone who wants a relationship," the adult elaborated.

It was more insistent now. The wolf turned slightly and glanced down. There was no doubt about it, to the student. Something was pushing up from his teacher's pants. Weylen didn't mind. He just snuggled closer, pushing up, somewhat, to wrap his arms around Darwyn's chest. Darwyn adjusted, though, spreading his legs out some.

"And that's something you have to keep your eyes open for, to wait for. It's not going to be someone interested in just sex. It's going to be someone interested in you. Who likes all of you."

Weylen peered down at the dingo's crotch. It wasn't dug into his side as much, now that he'd moved, but his attention had clearly been called to it. "...Darwyn, you like me, right?"

"Of course I like you, Weylen. I think you're a really special young wolf. Someone I really need to look out for. You can trust me to do that. I won't steer you wrong."

The young canine placed his hand gingerly on top of the mound of throbbing trousers very close to his body. The touch was almost imperceptible at first as Weylen gathered the courage to do what he felt was so right, and so needed, right now. Darwyn had just gone way out of his way for him. He'd done so much for him. Every word that reached Weylen's ears spelled out to him that Darwyn was a better choice. A safer choice.

Though it was through cloth, Weylen's hand clearly gripped around a mass of flesh that he could feel. So could Darwyn. The dingo peered down, catching sight of the teen's paw gripped around his excitement.

"Well," the wolf offered. "I like you, and you keep showing me over and over how much you think of me. Maybe I can make you happy, too. I can't take all this and not do something in return."

Darwyn stammered as the wolf straddled one of his legs, leaning back against his belly and chest. Weylen could hear his instructor's heart beating rapidly. Still keeping his grip on Darwyn's erection, his other hand groped around the dingo's groin, feeling about the dockers he was wearing, until he located a clasp and zipper. It took little to unfasten it, and Weylen gripped the tab of the zipper and started pulling it down, separating the metal teeth.

His teacher tightly gripped the back of the couch with an arm spread in each direction. "Weylen? Are you sure-" Darwyn began, but stopped.

He felt the open air as his hardened cock had been exposed. There was no way to deny his excitement now. Weylen, however, had seemed to make up his mind, and he started to slide his face down Darwyn's chest. He knew what he was aiming to do.