Things in Kyle's life have changed a lot in the past few weeks, and those changes continue...

Just a timeline note here, this story takes place after the events in Test of Manhood, the previous chapter from Kyle's point of view.  That means it takes place during the last week that Todd is absent from school, roughly three weeks after the Big Game stories take place.

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.  Consider it a New Years Eve gift to start 2008 off right.  I’m sorry things have taken so long for this chapter to come out.  It’s been almost a year since I posted a new chapter for this series.  Writing a book will do that.

So far, the High School Days series has 30 characters including the parents, is 434 pages long in Word, and contains some 235,057 plus words.  Not bad, considering I started writing the series in January 2004.  I'm 25 chapters in, and there is a lot more to go.  Don’t worry however late I may be in posting a new chapter this series will not die anytime soon.  I hope you've enjoyed it so far.

I want to thank NightCat once again for his Green Mount Chronicles, where ever he may be, for inspiring me to such heights.  If anybody still keeps in contact with him, I would love to know because he has vanished as far as I can tell, taking his own wonderful stories with him.

I hope you all have a great new year.  -Teiran

And now the annoying warning message:

This story deals with sex between males, in graphic detail.  If you're not over 18, this is illegal for you to even look at, so stop right now.  If homosexual content is not your cup of tea, you can leave the tea party.  The characters and story are copyright Teiran’s player 2003, do not redistribute without permission.  Otherwise, enjoy!

-Teiran

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High School Days

Chapter 25 Quality Time

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            The locker room was still full when Kyle came out of the shower room.  The tiger’s pads slapped against the tiles as he stalked to his locker.  He pretended to dry his paws on the towel, but really he was hiding his crotch from the room.  Kyle’s face burned, but he had to cover up today.  Usually he didn’t even think about it, but he didn’t want anybody to see the erection he was holding down.  Most days it didn’t matter to the tiger who might be looking at him.  Today, it mattered.  He didn’t want the rumor getting around that he’d popped a boner in the shower.  If Brian heard that, the mountain lion would be insufferable.

Kyle turned the dial on his locker, growling as he messed up the combination for a second time.  The tiger thumped the metal door with his fist, and the locker sprang open.  The tiger continued to growl softly, unable to believe what had happened in the shower room with Rob and Brian. 

It just didn’t make any sense.  Rob had come up behind him as Kyle got out of the shower and just grabbed the tiger’s ass.  Kyle’s stomach churned as he thought about the way the horse’s cock had actually pressed between his cheeks.  He could almost feel it prodding between his cheeks now, and the very thought made his chest tighten and his dick twitch.  Then Brian had flashed Kyle his cock!  The cougar had watched Rob grope Kyle, grinned, and pulled his own hard on out for the tiger to see.  Kyle had just turned away, but he remembered the smirk on Brian’s face.  It was like the mountain lion knew what happened with Nick, and was mocking him.

Of course Brian didn’t know, how could he?  But now it felt like everybody was watching Kyle, as if everybody knew and was coming on to him now.  The tiger dropped his towel into a hamper and pulled his clothes out of his locker, turning his body so no one could see the half hard-on he had.  The tiger’s face burned, his round ears turned back as he got dressed.  Kyle was just pulling on his pants when Tyler appeared beside him.

“Hey,” the bear snapped, his breath washing over Kyle’s face, “What the hell is wrong with you?  I thought you were on my team.”

            Kyle’s face wrinkled, his whiskers fanning out as the bear’s breath assaulted his nose.  Tyler had definitely had fish for lunch.  Tyler’s breath might stink, but the shirtless bear was good looking despite his personality.  Kyle could smell Tyler’s sweat, and having the muscular bear stand so close to him still made Kyle’s chest tight, but he couldn’t let that show.  So Kyle kept his face blank and turned away from the bear, focusing on the inside of his locker.  “What are you talking about?”  Kyle said as he pulled his pants up over his butt and buckled his belt.  He felt a lot more comfortable with his pants on.

            “You know damn well what I’m talking about Kyle,” Tyler whispered, keeping his voice down so nobody else could hear.  “I’m talking about how you and your butt buddy Nick stopped us from teaching Keith a lesson.”

            Kyle felt his heart skip a beat, but he stayed and he narrowed his eyes at the bear cautiously.  Did Tyler actually know what had happened between him and Nick, or was the bear simply insulting him like he insulted everyone?  Did it matter?  “What do you mean?” the tiger growled, anger rising as he thought about how screwed up all this was. 

            Tyler growled a little, his muzzle jerking towards where Keith was standing.  The wolf was changing back into his normal clothes now, but Kyle could tell the wolf was nervous.  Surrounding Keith were the Hales brothers, and the four huskies looked like they were ready to jump the wolf at any second.  Keith kept glancing at Coach Townson to make sure the older wolf was still in the room.  Then his gaze turned towards Kyle and Tyler.

            Tyler sneered at the wolf, and Keith looked away.  The bear looked back at Kyle and went on, “When you two came in, we had that tail raiser cornered and coach distracted by some otter.  We were about to fuck that fag up before you and Nick butted in.  That’s twice now Nick’s stood up for a tail raiser,” Tyler’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Kyle.  “What’s going on with him?  Nick secretly a fag or something?”  

            Kyle stared at the fuming bear, and the tiger’s scowl deepened.  Tyler was totally serious.  Then Kyle realized what had really happened.  He and Nick hadn’t stood up for Keith, they’d simply come in the locker room and Tyler and his buddies had lost their nerve.  It was one thing to beat a kid up in front of a bunch of freshmen nobodies, but Nick had been really clear about how he felt about gay bashing.  Tyler was pissed because he hadn’t gone through with it, this had nothing to do with what Kyle and Nick had done, the bear was just pissed he didn’t beat Keith up.  “You are kidding me,” Kyle snarled, the tiger’s whisker’s fanning out as the shame and fear he had been suppressing all week turned into anger.  “Are you fucking kidding me?  You’re pissed because we happened to walk into the damn locker room at the wrong moment?  Do you know how stupid you sound?”  Kyle slammed his locker shut and people began to turn their heads towards them. 

            The bear’s eyes narrowed and he stuck his nose right in Kyle’s face.  “There some reason you’re defending that faggot?” the bear growled and Kyle snapped. 

The tiger roared as he pushed Tyler up against the lockers.  “There some reason you’re such a fuck up?”  Kyle yelled at him, “Nick told you what was going to happen if you kept this shit up.  If your stupid plan had succeeded, half the defensive line would be suspended, and we would all be fucked next week!”  Tyler squirmed as Kyle kept him pressed against the lockers, and Kyle could see him thinking about fighting back.  People began to whisper, and a crowd started to form around them.  Kyle could see Coach Townson heading their way, and he dropped the bear.  “I don’t have time for your shit,” Kyle growled, before grabbing his things and stalked out of the locker room.

            Tyler rubbed his neck as the door banged closed behind Kyle.  The bear just looked away from coach Townson when the wolf arrived, but he did look at the Hale brothers when the teacher was gone.  “We’ll get them later,” Tyler muttered to the four huskies, and they all nodded a little

            ***

            Kyle sat in Nick’s car, his elbow propped up on the door as he waited for Nick.  The wolf’s convertible was parked in the front row of the school parking lot with the top down, so Kyle had simply hopped into the passenger seat to wait until Nick finished changing out of his football uniform.  Kyle always did this when Nick was running late, and so people hollered and waved at Kyle as they passed by.  The tiger didn’t really acknowledge anybody; he just stared at the school with his chin propped up on his paw, thinking. 

The sun beat down on Kyle, making his fur warm and his thoughts drowsy, but Kyle could not keep from wondering about what had happened in the locker room with Tyler.  The bear was always hard to deal with, but he was getting worse the closer graduation got.  Everybody on the team was wound up tight because of the state championships in two weeks, and for the past week Tyler had been stirring them up over Keith.  The wolf’s rather public outing last week had really split the team, and it was starting to show in practice.  Some of the guys didn’t care, and they were taking their cues from Nick, but a lot of the team was pissed.  If things kept going the way they were, something would happen, and chances were it would be a fight between Nick and Tyler. 

Kyle sighed, tired of waiting and tired of being so nervous.  The last week had been really frustrating.  Nick was acting as if nothing had changed between them, but Kyle couldn’t think like that.  Everything was different now.  Every time Nick touched him, even if it was just a playful slap on the back, Kyle tensed up, wondering if it meant something.  The wolf would suggest going out to eat, and Kyle immediately began to wonder what the wolf’s intentions were.  When it was just the two of them, hanging out and talking, Kyle wondered who was watching them.  Little things in their friendship had taken on a whole new meaning. 

Sometimes Kyle would lay awake at night, wondering what the school thought about his friendship with Nick.  What if everybody thought the way Blake did?  Nick’s family paid for the football equipment Kyle used.  The school itself didn’t care where the money came from–they got the cash and two of the best athletes the team had ever fielded–but what did everybody else think?  Did they even know?  What would the team say if they knew that when Nick went shopping for jeans, Kyle ended up getting the same kind?  How many people at school thought that he was Nick’s bitch?  Would they change their minds if they really knew that the wolf probably spent more money on him than Kyle’s own mother did?  It made the tiger’s stomach churn just thinking about it. 

Kyle’s stomach rumbled, and the tiger winced a little as his stomach reminded him that he had not eaten enough today.  Food had become an issue too.  Before, lunch had been Kyle’s biggest meal, but now every time Nick pulled out his wallet Kyle felt worthless.  He couldn’t stand letting Nick pay.  The tiger had started getting to lunch early and buying his own food like he was supposed to be doing, but it just wasn’t the same.  Nick had the cash to buy whatever Kyle wanted for lunch, and the wolf had been doing it for so long Kyle had forgotten how little money his mom actually gave him.  Kyle’s stomach growled again, aching after such a long practice, but the tiger couldn’t stand letting Nick pay anymore.

With a shake of his head, the tiger broke out of the gloomy thoughts and tried to focus on the people waving at him, calling back to his friends and teammates until he saw Blake.  The rabbit was walking down the steps, his hips swishing back and forth as he carried his books in front of him.  Kyle turned his head away, but Blake had spotted the tiger already.  The bunny sauntered over to the mustang convertible, letting one white paw slide across the sleek black hood, his fingers dancing up to the tiger’s door.  “Hey there, stripes.”  The rabbit whispered, making sure no one but Kyle could hear him.  “Mighty sexy car you’ve got here.  Waiting for your wolf?” 

            Kyle’s paw snapped down, trying to slap the bunny’s paw off Nick’s car, but Blake pulled his paw back in time.  The tiger’s impassive face twisted into a sneer as he glared at Blake, “Go away Blake.  I told you not to come near me.”

            “No you didn’t,” Blake wrinkled his nose, grinning at Kyle, “but if you’re afraid I’m going to turn your boyfriend’s head I’ll leave.  After all, if you and your sugar daddy are planning on going for a ride tonight I don’t want to interfere.” the rabbit’s voice dripped with honey as he tilted his head, “Course, I’d love to watch…”   

            Blake hopped away, giggling as the tiger roared at him.  Kyle looked down, his face burning as the rabbit left, hips wiggling as he moved.  The tiger’s chest tightened, his breathing shallow as he looked down at his paws.  Kyle slouched down into the leather seat of the black mustang, and for a moment he thought about what having sex with Nick in his car would actually be like.  Kyle knew the wolf had done it with girls in his car before, he bragged about it.  Nick had a spot he would take them to, fold down the passenger seat and…

            Kyle closed his eyes, growling at himself as his erection sprang to life and tented his jeans.  He was not going to think about this, not now.  He was not gay; it had just been a fluke, just a one-time thing, and nothing more.  It had to be.  Kyle opened his eyes, panting from the heat as Nick opened the driver’s side door and hopped in the car. 

            “Hey dude, sorry about the wait,” Nick said, tossing his book bag in the back seat.  “I was trying to find Kevin, but he wasn’t in the locker room.”

            “Why do you need to see him?” the tiger asked, trying to keep his voice level.  Kyle didn’t really care why Nick was looking for Kevin, but it did make Kyle’s chest tighten.  Kevin had been the one who started all this, and if Nick was seeing him…  Kyle looked away from his friend, shifting his legs and hoping the wolf had not noticed his tented jeans. 

            “We got that history test Monday, remember?”  Nick said, spinning the wheel as he backed the mustang out of the parking space and away from the school.  “I don’t want to flunk a class right before the championships.  The team would kill me.” 

            “Oh right, the test, right,” Kyle said, licking his nose and breathing a little slower as they left the parking lot and the wind cooled his fur.  “He’s just your tutor right?”  Kyle began to relax, his grip on the armrests loosening. 

            “Yeah he is,” Nick glanced down at Kyle’s paw as his grip loosened.  The tiger’s strong paw had left impressions in the leather.  “You okay?” 

            “Yeah I’m fine.  Just glad it’s the weekend.”  Kyle muttered, looking away from Nick.  “What are we going to do this weekend anyway?”

            “I don’t know, we could catch that new Bond flick,” Nick said with a shrug, “I hear the fox they got to play him this time is a really good actor.” 

            Kyle shifted in his seat, feeling the bulge of his wallet in his back pocket.  It was not a very big bulge, unlike the one in the front of his pants.  “Nah, I don’t have the cash for that this week.” 

            “So?”  Nick said, his voice reflecting the grin on his face.  “I’ll cover you man, you know that–” 

            “NO,” Kyle snarled, shifting his legs and trying to adjust his erection so it wasn’t visible as his pride burned.  The tiger’s ears flicked back and he tried not to look at Nick, but he could see the wolf staring at him out of the corner of his eye.  Nick was shocked at the tiger’s reaction, and that made Kyle feel horrible.  He didn’t want Nick to be mad at him, but there was no way Kyle could let the wolf pay for his movie ticket tonight, not after what Blake said.  He had to suggest something else, and just hope that Nick forgot about his outburst.  “Look, you’ve got a ton of movies at your place.  Why don’t we watch one of those and work out?”

The glance Nick gave him lasted a fraction of a second too long.  “Sure, that sounds cool, we haven’t worked out like we normally do in a while.”  Nick said, flashing the tiger a grin.  “Let’s grab some food at that steak place and do that!”

Kyle felt the shame heating up his face, because he knew he couldn’t pay for something like that even if he wanted to.  The thought of a nice juicy steak however was so tempting, and it made the tiger’s stomach rumble so loudly that Nick laughed.  “I guess you agree!” the wolf said cheerfully, patting the tiger’s belly, and Kyle just nodded. 

***

Nick opened the door to the pool house and tossed his keys and backpack on the counter.  Kyle followed the wolf inside his little house, listening to him talk about colleges.  “So, Duke sent me another letter, they’re practically begging us to come there.” 

“Yeah, I got another letter from them too,” Kyle said, setting his own backpack down by the door.  The conversation at dinner had wandered onto the subject of college, and where they were planning to go after graduation.  It was a frightening topic, because there wasn’t that much time left in their senior year.  The tiger kicked off his shoes, while Nick went over to his DVD collection.  “I got one from Penn State and New York, too.  They’re all offering me a full scholarship to play football there.”

“Everybody is offering us a full ride.”  Nick said over his shoulder, “But I still think we should go to Bayson.  I mean, you remember how awesome the campus was.  What those dorms were like?  They were actually nice, and you gotta admit there was a lot of fine ass there,” Nick said cheerfully, the wolf’s tail wagging as he looked back at Kyle with a lecherous grin. 

It was true, Kyle thought.  When they had visited Bayson College a month before, the place had been crawling with fine girls attending the university’s medical program.  Yet, Kyle frowned at the way Nick had said it.  ‘Fine ass’, like so much else the wolf said, took on a double meaning to the tiger.  Thinking about it now, Kyle could remember Bayson College being filled with good-looking guys, too.

“Besides,” Nick went on, “they’ve got a nationally ranked football team already.  With us on it, they might go all the way to a national title.  Wouldn’t it be awesome to win something like that?  Bayson is the best place we can go.”

            Kyle frowned a bit, his whiskers twitching as he thought about Bayson’s reputation.  “I don’t think Bayson is going to admit me,” the tiger muttered, “I don’t exactly have the kind of grades they expect.” 

            “Nah, they’ll let you in,” Nick said dismissively, “They let me in after all,” Nick, said, selecting a movie and popping it into his DVD player.  The wolf’s big screen TV flickered to life as he flopped down onto the couch.

            “You got your acceptance letter back already?”  Kyle said, rummaging through the fridge looking for something to drink. 

“Yeah, didn’t you?  We sent them in at the same time.”  Nick said, starting the movie with the remote. 

 “No, I didn’t. But then I don’t have parents who were alumni,” the tiger muttered.  Parents, he added silently, that would quietly make a very large donation if there were any question about their son getting into the university of his choice. 

“Yeah, but that doesn’t matter as much these days,” Nick said.  “Can you believe we’re doing this already?  I mean it doesn’t feel like we should be graduating so soon.  Going to college, maybe even playing pro?”  The wolf grinned up at Kyle, his eyes sparkling.  “Can you believe it’s been six years since we met?”

“Has it really been that long?”  Kyle said, and then paused as he got to the couch and stared at the spot beside Nick on the couch.  It was really the only place you could sit and watch the TV, but the wolf had spread out on the couch like he always did, draped over the armrest so his legs were on the couch.  That meant one leg reached well into the spot where the tiger was supposed to sit.  Kyle forced the fear welling up in his chest back down and shifted into his normal seat, his best friend’s leg curling up so he could sit comfortably.  Kyle leaned away from Nick’s legs, trying to keep the coiled muscle out of his thoughts.  Nick didn’t seem to notice the tiger’s discomfort.  They lapsed into silence as the film started. 

***

            The movie was an old Bond flick, one of the better ones that Kyle had enjoyed the first time he and Nick had seen it in the theaters.  The spy stuff was better than normal, the action scenes were an awesome series of running gunfights and fast car chases, and the villain had a better than average maniacal laugh.  The sex scene, however, made Kyle squirm in his fur.  Bond was a fox after all, and the girl for this movie was a bombshell of a panther.

Kyle could barely watch them going at it on screen.  Kyle couldn’t help but think that the silhouette of their muzzles, locked in a passionate kiss as they made love, was too close to what he and Nick would look like kissing.  The real action was off screen, it always was, but the close up of their faces as they ground together in the sand made it much too easy to imaging that she, could actually be a he.  It was stupid, Kyle knew that, but imaging that Bond was doing a male panther made the sensation of Nick’s legs pressed against his own much more noticeable.  Kyle could see Nick paying very close attention to the flickering TV as the two action heroes made love.  Kyle thought about the last movie they’d watched together, and his gaze focused on Nick’s paws, and then at the wolf’s crotch.  Nick’s face turned toward him, and Kyle’s eyes snapped back to the screen.  The tiger focused on the screen and tried not to think about it anymore, but it was not easy with a panther moaning on screen.  In the end the world was saved and the credits rolled without Nick’s paws roaming anywhere they shouldn’t.

            The two jocks sat on the couch as the credits rolled, the light from the television making their fur glow.  Nick looked at Kyle, and the tiger swallowed as he tried to think of something to say.  The nervous tension began to rise, and Kyle watched as Nick stood up and stretched, his big wolf’s body stretching out after staying in one place for so long.  Nick twisted back and forth, popping his back.  “So, we going to work out now?” the wolf said happily, his tail flicking back and forth as he smiled. 

Kyle smiled at his best friend as the wolf helped him up.  “Sure man, we’ve been putting it off way too much because of school.”  Nick nodded and went into his room to get changed.  Kyle followed and caught a pair of workout shorts the wolf tossed to him.  Kyle flattened his ears as Nick undid his belt, and the tiger ducked out of the wolf’s room to change in the bathroom.  Nick didn’t seem to notice, but Kyle felt like an idiot doing it.  Usually, the tiger would have stripped down to his underwear right there, but not this time.  Besides, Kyle thought as he bit his lip, he didn’t actually want to see Nick in his underwear right?  He wanted things to be like they used to be.

***

            The time Nick and Kyle met had on the football field.  It was the summer after their fifth grade year, as the regional little league football association got together for it’s summer try-outs.  Back then Kyle had never expected to actually be able to play on the team, but he went to the try-out games because he loved football.  The tiger loved it so much that he watched it all the time and tried to get the neighborhood kids to play with him.  He was too big, however, and the kids who lived his run-down suburban neighborhood did not like being knocked down whenever they got the ball.  Some, like a bunny he used to be friends with, refused to play at all.

So try-outs meant a big game where Kyle could run fast and hit hard, with lots of players who wouldn’t run away from him once he got the ball.  Kyle begged and begged his parents to let him play on the team for real, but there was no swaying his new stepfather.  The older tiger was an architect, and had no time or money for anything related to sports.  Kyle’s mom had taken him this year only because he kept asking until his stepfather couldn’t stand it anymore, and he had made Kyle promise that if he got to play he wouldn’t talk about actually being on the team afterwards. 

            Once on the field, the forty or so kids were rounded up and split into two teams by the new coach.  The coach was a young wolf who introduced himself as Ricahrd Townson.  He was fresh out of college, and he refereed the game while shouting tips and encouragement to the boys.  He was even running up and down the field as the local kids jostled and fought for the ball, using his whistle to keep things from getting out of hand.  No one was wearing pads; this was just a friendly game after all to see who wanted to join the team.  Kyle played like he always did: hard, fast, and good.   

This year was different in another way too.  For the first time, there was another kid who showed up that was Kyle’s size.  He was a black-furred wolf whose sharply dressed mother looked out of place standing on the sidelines.  It was like she had no idea what to do at a place like this, but her son Nick sure did.  The wolf ended up on Kyle’s side, and after the very first play Kyle knew he liked the new kid.  Nick threw Kyle a perfect spiral, and Kyle ran a touchdown before any of the other kids realized what had happened. 

 That was only the beginning.  Nick could catch any pass Kyle threw, could rush right through most of the smaller kids acting as blockers, and he even knew how to block for Kyle when the tiger was the one rushing the ball.  Between them they destroyed the opposing team.  It was so much fun that by half time Kyle was whooping for joy whenever he would block for the wolf, who would end up breaking free of the mass of kids and run the length of the field before anybody could catch him. 

The kids on the other team were crying foul as the points mounted up, but at half time Coach Townson swapped Kyle and Nick to the losing team, giving the underdogs the advantage.  The whole crowd of boys hollered and yelled, and former teammates fought hard to hold onto the lead Nick and Kyle had earned them.  Nick and Kyle just kept playing, and in the end the score was basically tied.  Everybody was tired and sweaty, but it had been a lot of fun.

            After Coach called the game and everybody was milling around, Nick ran up to Kyle panting.  “Hey!  Hey you were awesome!” the wolf barked, his paw pumping Kyle’s in a handshake.  Kyle had wondered about that at the time.  Nobody his own age had ever shook his paw before.  “I’m Nick, who are you?” the wolf said happily.

            “Kyle, and you were pretty good yourself.”  They started to talk, gabbling so fast that neither of them was really listening.  Kyle didn’t care, it was just fun to find someone else who liked football.  Kyle turned his head as his mother called to him, waiting by the car where his step dad was waiting impatiently.  “I gotta go,” he said, half turning away from the wolf. 

            “Wait, aren’t you going to sign up?”  Nick said, looking over at where Coach Townson was signing up the kids who still wanted to play.  “I mean we were awesome together.  Don’t you want to play during the season?” 

            Kyle shrugged and frowned as his step dad started to shout at him.  “I can’t.  My step dad won’t pay for the equipment and you can’t play in the league without pads.” 

That was when Kyle’s mother and father arrived, in a cloud of argument.  They bore down on the young tiger, bickering between themselves until they were right next to Kyle and Nick when his father shouted.  “Kyle!  What are you doing boy?  Come on, we have to go.” 

“But Tom, I was just,” Kyle started to say, but his mother interrupted him. 

“Kyle, what did I tell you about talking like that?” Mrs. Perez snapped, her tail lashing back and forth like a whip.  Kyle glared at his mother, but she had always been unbending about this.  She had only been married to Tom for a year now, but she always insisted her children call her current husband ‘Dad’. 

“Fine, Dad, I was just talking to Nick about joining the team,” but Kyle didn’t make it through the sentence this time either. 

“Then get in the car young man, because we already talked about this.”  His father stomped away, shouting, “I’m driving home in ten minutes.  If you two aren’t with me enjoy the walk.” 

Kyle growled at his stepfather’s retreating back, while Nick watched in shock.  “Is he always…” the wolf started to ask, but Kyle was pulled around to look at his mother.  She didn’t need to kneel down far to look him in the eyes. 

“Kyle, why are you doing this to me?  We’ve been through this before, I can’t buy the equipment you’ll need.”  His mother was glaring at him, but Kyle could tell she didn’t like doing this.  She wanted to let him to play, she always had, but there just wasn’t the money for it.  Kyle knew there wasn’t the money for it.  There was never money for anything. 

            A new, cheerful voice said, “Well, maybe I can help with that.”  All three of them turned to look at Coach Townson, who had just come jogging over to the little group.  The young, athletic wolf was stripped to the waist, his whistle bouncing against his chest as he tossed the football from one paw to the other.  “You two were amazing out there…” he trailed off, waiting for Kyle and Nick to supply their names. 

“Nick Thompson,” the wolf said, shaking the coach’s paw.

“Kyle, Kyle Perez, but,” The tiger shifted, his eyes flicking between the two wolves, and then to his mother.  “I can’t play,” Kyle said, his ears turning backwards as his mother sighed. 

Coach Townson’s eyes sparkled as he said, “There’s nothing I can do to convince you?”

“I’m sorry,” Mrs. Perez said smoothly, her tail flicking back and forth a bit, “but we simply can’t afford to provide the equipment he needs.  We’ve been through this with the last coach, and I’m sorry we wasted your time.” 

“You’re about 5 feet tall, right?”  Coach Townson said, seeming to ignore what the tigress had said.  “If the equipment is really the only thing holding you back Kyle you can have my old football pads.  I played in high school, and I was about your size then.  What do you say?” 

“I’d ask why you’re doing this,” Mrs. Perez said smoothly, the suspicion in her voice easy to hear, “What’s in this for you.”

“Love of the game?  Seeing a promising kid get to do what he wants?”  The wolf smiled as Mrs. Perez’s eyes narrowed.  He just smiled at her, “A more cynical answer would be that I want to win.”  Mrs. Perez glared at the smiling young wolf, waiting for him to say more.  Coach Townson sighed as the tigress continued to glare, “I want to be a professional coach, and if I can coach an unknown little league team to their finals during the summer, it’ll look really good.”  The wolf smiled, his eyes meeting the tigress’s gaze. 

With a jerk of her head, Kyle’s mom nodded, “Then he’ll be here next Tuesday.  Come on Kyle, before your father drives off.”  Mrs. Perez turned and stalked away, but she had a slight smile on her lips.

Coach Townson patted the tiger on the shoulder and said, “See you then, Kyle,” and bounded away to talk to an otter boy and his mother. 

Kyle grinned sheepishly as Nick whooped and slapped him on the shoulder.  “All right, looks like we’re teammates,” the wolf said with a big grin.

“Guess so,” Kyle said with a grin, slapping the wolf back before racing to catch the family van as his father drove off.

***

            Kyle struggled, breathing out and straining as he tried to force the buckle on the side of his shoulder pads together.  He was sitting in the now empty locker room of the high school football stadium.  The little league teams got to use the stadium on weekends, but he was alone now because all the other kids were out on the field practicing already.  They didn’t have to fight just to get into their pads. 

Finally, the plastic clicked together, and Kyle sighed with relief.  The tightness in the shoulder pads made his breathing shallow, but it was still bearable.  He’d used the pads for two years now, and the coach’s old equipment had served him well, but now it was beginning to reach the limits of what it could do.  The last two months had been like this, as another growth spurt sent Kyle rocketing upward and out, his frame filling with muscles so quickly that he was outgrowing the passed-down equipment.  It didn’t matter to the tiger though.  He was having an awesome summer.  He was gonna be in high school next year, he was playing on the school team and the league team, and he wasn’t going to let a little thing like tight shoulder pads stop him from playing.  Kyle stood up and grabbed his jersey, ready to play.

Then, there was the sound of tortured metal giving way and a sudden release in pressure on his chest.  It had finally happened.  The strap had given up completely, breaking away from the pads entirely.  Kyle pulled the plastic pads over his head and hurled them across the empty locker room with a roar, his eyes watering in anger.  He would never be able to replace them.

            The door opened, and Nick poked his head through.  Kyle liked Nick, because the wolf was the same size as him and loved the game just as much as he did.  Over the last two years, they had become fast friends.  “You alright?” the wolf asked, his own brand new shoulder pads gleaming in the soft light.

            “No,” the tiger growled, and he began stripping off his leg pads. 

            Nick padded over to where the fallen shoulder pads were and picked them up slowly.  “The strap tore the fittings right out.  You’ll have to get a new one,” the wolf said, examining the broken pads.  The wolf’s finger ran along a crack in the plastic, and he noticed the spot where the pads had dented the lockers.

“I can’t get new ones; you know that,” Kyle grumbled, “and I don’t think Coach has any more.”  The wolf nodded once and stayed silent as Kyle finished taking off his uniform.  The tiger wordlessly pulled off his football pads and stood up, looking Nick squarely in the eyes.  Nick was wearing brand new pads that his folks had bought him for the season, and Kyle hated that he couldn’t have new pads too.  It wasn’t fair.  He didn’t want to leave the team over something so stupid.  The two young boys were giants for their age, and Nick seemed to be keeping pace with Kyle’s growth spurt.  Kyle wanted to say something, to thank the wolf for making the last few summers a blast, but he didn’t know what words to use. 

The two teammates stared at each other for a moment, and then Nick pulled his jersey over his head.  Kyle watched as the wolf unbuckled his shoulder pads, pulled them over his head, and handed them to Kyle.  “What are you doing?”  Kyle said, holding the pads awkwardly. 

            “Making sure my teammate can play.  I can get new ones.”  The wolf sat down and started pulling his uniform off.  “Try it on.  If it fits, then you can try the rest of my pads too.  I can get new ones tommarow.” 

            Kyle stared at the equipment as Nick handed it to him, “Why?” the tiger asked. 

“Because I can,” Nick said as he pulled his kneepads off and handed them to the tiger, a smile growing on the wolf’s muzzle.  “I’d do anything for you dude, you know that.”  Kyle ducked his head and smiled, nodding in thanks as he took the pads.

***

Back in the here and now, Nick and Kyle were still working out together.  Their work out was a grueling routine of free weights, bench presses, and machine lifting.  Nick and Kyle spotted for each other, taking turns lifting two hundred pounds each, slowly working each muscle group in their bodies.  It was a real routine for them by now, because they had been doing a version of it for the past six years.  Ever since, Kyle thought, they had met back on the little league field.  Remembering that day was a good distraction for Kyle, who did not want to think about what Nick looked like laying on his back, his muscles tensed as he lifted the equivalent of the tiger’s body weight into the air. 

Kyle counted the reps for Nick, keeping track of the wolf’s progress, his hands hovering over the bar in case the wolf needed help.  Nick never did.  Kyle tried to think about something, anything else to think about other than the wolf’s body.  College was too worrying, and the future made the tiger’s knees weak.  The thought of going off to college with Nick had sounded like an awesome plan once, but now the idea of living in a dorm room with the wolf had become a terrifying prospect.  How was he supposed to sleep in the same room as Nick without, well, sleeping with Nick?  Now, all Kyle wanted was for things to be like they had been before.  Things were good before, he had felt comfortable with Nick, and now that was all gone. 

Kyle didn’t want to look at Nick and imagine the wolf naked.  It was hard not to though, because the wolf was stretched out on the weight bench like a pin-up from a muscle magazine, his tank top riding up as his muscles tensed and relaxed as he moved the barbell up and down in a slow rhythm.  It was enough that Kyle could feel his shorts growing tight as the wolf lifted.

“Hey,” Nick barked as he brought the bar up, letting the heavy weights fall into place on the support bars.  “There something wrong?” the wolf asked, his head turning to the side as he looked up at Kyle.   

“Nah, course not.”  Kyle said evenly as Nick sat up, turning around on the weight bench to face the tiger. 

            “You sure everything’s alright?”  Nick said, his voice laced with concern.  The wolf put his paws on the barbell, looking up at Kyle suspiciously. 

“Yeah, I’m sure.”  Kyle swallowed nervously, trying to keep his eyes from glancing down at his own shorts to see how much he was showing.  He could feel the half erection tenting the borrowed shorts, but if he looked down to see how bad it was then Nick would notice for sure.  “What makes you think something is wrong?” 

“Because you just skipped back twenty reps when you were counting, and that’s the second time it’s happened tonight.”  Nick smiled up at Kyle, turning so he was facing Kyle and straddling the bench now.  “What’s wrong, you think I need to work out more?  Or is something else bothering you?”  The wolf’s words were playful, but Kyle could tell he was concerned.  The tiger felt Nick’s paws touch his own, and he looked down nervously. 

Nick’s paw was just resting on Kyle’s paw, and Kyle nervously pulled his out from under the wolf’s.  “No, no I’m fine.  Nothing is bothering me,” Kyle lied, his face burning as Nick looked up at him in concern.  

“Dude, something is bothering you.  I can tell, so just say it.”  The wolf grinned a little, “Or is this what is bothering you?” 

Kyle tensed all over as Nick pressed his paw against the tiger’s crotch.  The tiger closed his eyes for a second, biting his lip so a whimper wouldn’t escape as the wolf’s paw put pressure on his trapped penis.  Part of Kyle wanted to say yes, because his erection was begging for release now that Nick had touched him, but he was scared.  There was no other word for it.  The thought of sex with Nick terrified the big tiger in a way he couldn’t put into words.  Kyle tried to anyway, even though his chest felt like a vice had been clamped around it.  “No, it’s just, I don’t want to ask you for anything you don’t want…” Kyle trailed off, his thoughts swimming as Nick’s fingers began to slowly rub the sides of his growing shaft.  Nick’s slow strokes sent a warm glow up Kyle’s body, and the tiger felt his face grow hot.  Kyle’s muzzle curved into a dopey grin and he ducked his head as the blush crept down his neck.

Nick was smiling too, his muzzle turned up towards the tiger.  “Come on man, it’s cool.  You know I want to do this,” the wolf said casually, and Kyle did nothing as Nick’s fingers hooked into the tiger’s waistband and pulled his shorts and underwear down.  Kyle’s penis hung down, the half hard shaft curving down under its own weight.  “Besides, if this is what’s distracting you,” the wolf said smoothly, one paw gripping the tiger’s shaft and holding it up towards his muzzle, “it should at least be distracting us both.” 

Kyle didn’t say anything as Nick began to lick his cock.  The tiger continued to bite his lip as the wolf’s fingers stroked his shaft, coaxing the blood into Kyle’s cock head as a warm tongue lapped at the tip.  Nick did that until the tiger’s dick was hard as a rock and standing up proudly, the flared head of Kyle’s dick pressed against the wolf’s tongue.  Kyle shifted his feet and put his hands on the barbell, using the weight bench for support as the wolf’s muzzle descended.  Kyle groaned as Nick’s muzzle surrounded his dick in warm, wet suction.  Kyle rumbled, his eyes closing as the feeling over took him.  Nick’s mouth felt damn good as it moved up and down his shaft. 

Course it feels good, Kyle thought, anybody’s mouth on your dick feels good.  The tiger sighed, his chest tightened and his legs tensed as paws caressed his thighs, fingers brushing the tiger’s balls as Nick sucked on his dick.  That was a lie this time and he knew it.  Kyle knew this blowjob felt so awesome because it was Nick doing it.  Kyle tried not to think about the fact that it was a guy giving him head, but it was such a huge turn-on knowing that it was Nick doing this that it didn’t matter.  His best friend, the guy who would do anything for him, was curling his tongue around Kyle’s dick and that made it so much better.  The wolf was putting a lot of energy into it too.  Nick was hungry for the tiger’s cock, not just going through the motions.  Kyle opened his eyes, panting as he watched his dick disappear into the wolf’s muzzle.  The slurping moan of pleasure Nick made as he pressed his nose into the tiger’s crotch fur sent a chill up Kyle’s spine, and he could feel Nick breathing in the scent of his crotch deeply.  Kyle grinned, one paw rubbing Nick’s head absently. Watching his cock slide into Nick’s mouth made the tiger’s balls ache for release. 

He could feel it coming too.  Nick knew what Kyle’s rhythm was, that the tiger liked it slow and with pressure along the bottom of his shaft and the head, and Nick was pushing with his tongue in all the right spots.  Kyle’s paws gripped and released the metal bar, his legs beginning to shake as he got closer and closer.  The throbbing in his shaft, the tensing, aching pleasure spreading out from his crotch made Kyle moan, the warm wetness of Nick’s mouth getting him so close, and then suddenly dragging him over.  Kyle roared as his shaft pulsed, his dick throbbing in Nick’s muzzle as he came hard into the wolf’s mouth.  Nick didn’t pull back or let up; he just sucked even harder with his nose buried in the tiger’s pubes as Kyle filled his muzzle with jizz.  Kyle panted, his paws gripping the bar tightly as he began to relax, his orgasm slowing to nothing. 

Nick he kept his muzzle wrapped firmly around the tiger’s shaft as Kyle’s orgasm waned.  Kyle gasped, his body wracked with a pleasure that burned so bright it hurt as the wolf’s mouth worked on his cock, tongue swirling around the tiger’s shaft.  Kyle mewled in shock and ecstasy as Nick slowly pulled back, his paw milking the last drops of cum out of Kyle’s dick, the wolf’s tongue stimulating the tiger’s now oversensitive cock head. 

            Kyle finally relaxed when his softening dick popped out of the wolf’s mouth, and both boys were panting for a second as Nick wiped the cum from the sides of his mouth and licked his paw clean.  Kyle was panting hard, eyes half-closed as the wolf stood up, the weight bar between as the wolf grabbed Kyle in a big hug.  Kyle knew it was coming, but he didn’t twist away fast enough to stop the wolf’s kiss.  Nick’s muzzle turned, and the tiger didn’t have the strength to stop the kiss from become a deep, muzzle meshing embrace.  Nick held the kiss for a long while before Kyle finally pulled back, gasping for air as the wolf smiled at him. 

            “Better now?”  Nick asked, his tail wagging playfully as Kyle staggered back a bit.  Kyle blinked and his vision was blurry for a second until he steadied himself. 

            “Yah, yeah I’m okay.  That was good,” the tiger muttered, his mind reeling.  He could just taste the lingering salty sweetness from the kiss that had to be his own cum, and Kyle’s mind rebelled against the lust of the moment.  It was like someone had slipped ice down the back of his shirt.  Fear grabbed hold of Kyle’s thoughts as he tasted his own seed, and he broke the kiss.  His chest heaved once, the tightness making it hard to breathe.  Then strong arms surround his chest as Nick crushed the tiger in a big hug.  Kyle melted back into the hug, his hands trembling as he hugged Nick back. 

            Kyle could feel the urgent, firm pressure of Nick’s cock as it rubbed against his rear, still trapped in the spandex workout shorts.  “Well if you’re just okay, maybe we can improve that?”  Nick whispered, and the wolf nibbled gently on the tiger’s neck.  “I turned the hot tub on when we started to work out.”  Kyle could just see the wolf’s grin as Nick’s paws stroked down the tiger’s muscled body.  “Why don’t we go relax like we always do, but this time,” Kyle could see Nick’s grin as he fingered the tiger’s shorts, “We do it without these.”

Kyle chewed his lip as the wolf’s paws pressed against his chest and slid downward slowly, stroking over the tiger’s sensitive cock and settling on his hips.  Part of Kyle wanted to say yes.  He and Nick always soaked in the hot tub after a work out just to relax, but the wolf would certainly make this time more interesting then usual.  The wolf would probably hold Kyle against the side of the tub and fuck him senseless in the warm water.  Kyle’s chest tightened, and his butt clenched as the wolf’s erection rubbed slowly against one cheek.  It would be so easy, and feel so good, to have the wolf inside him again.  The tiger’s hips pressed back against the wolf’s erection on pure instinct, and he groaned as Nick started to stroke his cock again. 

            Then the tiger’s brain caught up with his balls.  The wolf was going to make Kyle his bitch again.  It wouldn’t be a drunken, meaningless thing this time.  If he followed Nick into the hot tub, it would make everything Blake said about him true.  He would be Nick’s bitch.  The thought of Blake watching as Nick fucked Kyle was like a bucket of ice water in the face, the cold chill running down Kyle’s spine as he slowly pulled away from Nick.  “Dude, come on,” the tiger muttered, brushing the wolf’s paw away, “I’m not your boyfriend.” 

            “I didn’t say you were, but I could make sure you liked it,” Nick said, taking a step towards the tiger and tugging on his arm, trying to guide him towards the hot tub. 

            “No,” Kyle snapped, spinning around so he was facing Nick and holding the wolf back with one paw.  “I wouldn’t.”  The tiger grabbed the waistband of his shorts and pulled them up again, tucking his spent cock back into the borrowed shorts, his paws shaking. 

            Nick’s grin wavered for a second, and his head tilted a bit in confusion.  “Well you sure did last time, I mean you,” The wolf tried to step closer to Kyle, but the tiger pushed him back harder this time.

            “I was drunk,” Kyle, snapped, his voice shaking as his tail whipped back and forth.  “I’m not gay, and we’re not doing anything again.  Ever,” Kyle’s chest was tight with fear, and the only thing he could think about was getting away from Nick right now.  Kyle could see the wolf’s erection, see the lust in his eyes and it didn’t matter if the wolf was his best friend.  If he stayed here, he’d be nothing but a bitch, and the thought turned Kyle’s stomach.  Kyle grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head.  He just wanted to get out of here. 

            “Dude, Kyle we just did something,” Nick snorted, his face twisted in confusion now as he pointed back at the weight bench where they had just been standing.  “I just sucked you off, remember?”

            Kyle grabbed his school bag and slung it over his shoulder, saying, “Yeah, you sucked me off.  It was awesome, and now I’m going home.”  Nick reached out to grab the tiger’s arm and Kyle shoved the wolf away roughly.  “I’m going home,” the tiger hissed, his eyes avoiding the wolf’s shocked expression. 

            Nick said something, but Kyle couldn’t hear him as he pulled open the door and raced outside.  The yard around the pool house Nick lived in was brightly lit, and the tiger could hear Nick shouting at him from the doorway as he ran past the wolf’s mustang and up the driveway.  Kyle barely looked back as he ran into the night, catching just a glimpse of Nick standing in his doorway, the darkness closing around the tiger as he ran home.  

            ***

Kyle was panting heavily when he finally turned down his own street.  It was late and the night was hot.  It was the sticky, wet heat before a storm, and the tiger’s fur was heavy with sweat, his shirt and borrowed shorts were soaked.  Running out on Nick had been an idiotic thing to do.  Kyle’s house was six miles from Nick’s place on foot, and a good part of the trip was all up the massive hill overlooking the lake.  The only good thing about the run was that it made Kyle forget what he was running away from.  Once he was at the top of the hill, the tiger could look back towards the lake and admire the way the moonlight played across the rich part of town and the lake.  The mansions down on the lakefront glowed in the night, each one lit up just like Nick’s house was.  Kyle didn’t look at Nick’s house though.  He couldn’t stand to. 

Kyle moved slowly down the street towards his house.  It was way past his curfew, but if he could make it into bed without alerting his mother there was no way for her to get mad.  There were still lights on, because there was always someone awake in the Perez household.  Kyle crept around back, careful to duck down low under the windows until he got to his own room.  The window was still unlocked, and Kyle lifted the glass pane carefully so it made no noise.  The screen popped out easily just like it always did, and Nick slipped into his own house without a sound. 

The tiger kicked his shoes off and closed the window slowly, thumbing the lock into place and then, quietly, Kyle lay down on his bed.  Well, mattress.  That was all Kyle’s bed really was, a mattress thrown on the floor in the corner of his tiny room.  It was the only way his mother had been able to afford a mattress big enough to fit him, and the tiger was much happier having a queen sized mattress that fit him than a twin sized bed that collapsed when he flopped down onto it.  Kyle panted as he pulled a blanket over himself, his chest heaving slowly as he faced the wall.  It would be any minute now, he was sure.

The handle of the door turned, and light flooded in from the hallway outside.  Kyle’s mother sniffed, and he could just hear the soft growl of annoyance as she checked on him.  She would be mad in the morning, there was no avoiding that.  Kyle’s mom had been in a foul mood a lot lately.  Kyle hadn’t really asked her about it, but he knew that David wasn’t staying at the house on weekends anymore.  She’d tried to keep it from him and the rest of the foster kids, but everybody in the house knew David had spent the last few weeks at the hospital, and then at the Hayes’s.  She had begun checking on everyone a lot more closely, but she couldn’t get made at him for being in bed.  That was all that mattered really.  If she caught him sneaking in, then she could tan his hide, but with so many kids to watch she couldn’t prove he hadn’t been home all night. 

Kyle relaxed as the door closed, rolling over to face the far wall and the door.  He tried not to dwell on what happened with Nick, but as he went to pull his shorts off and get comfortable in bed, he realized that the shorts were Nick’s.  If he had stayed at Nick’s, then it would be the wolf pulling the shorts off him right now.  Just like the wolf had done before going down on him.  The wolf had just done it, without asking permission and without hesitation either.  Course it had felt damn good, a blowjob always did, but afterwards…  Kyle squirmed in his borrowed shorts and tried not to think about the look on the wolf’s face when he shoved Nick away.  The wolf looked so hurt, as if the tiger had betrayed him.  Kyle twisted in Nick’s shorts, feeling wretched as he lay on his mattress and stared at the ceiling.  Maybe he had. 

Kyle turned his head and looked at the phone on the floor near his bedside.  He had to talk to somebody.  He should call Nick and talk to him.  The tiger reached over and picked up the headset, his finger hovering over the numbers.  He should call Nick.

Kyle dialed, his fingers twisting the phone cord as he listened to it ring.  Eventually, there was a click, and a sleepy female voice said, “Hello?”

“Sarah?  It’s Kyle.  Can we talk?”