Is this Real?
#2 of In Love, This is Real
Please read the disclaimer for the Prologue if you have not already done so. Thank You.
In Love, This is Real: Part I
Is this Real?
2005 by Eldyran
"Nothing matters! It's not real!"
Rin took a deep breath and took a step back from Adrian, the muted echo of his outburst drifted over the bluffs with the chilly night breeze. He came to this tall secluded hilltop a lot to think about his problems and to be alone, but his friend Adrian followed him even here, his secret, private place. The soft wind rippled the branches of the few scattered pines that stood vigil over the small college town below, the murmur of the pines foretold the impending autumn storm. The air was crisp and cold, but aside from the whistling wind, a dead silence formed between the wolf and fox.
For a moment, nothing was said from either party, and Rin took the time to watch the wind whip his friend's blue windbreaker across his silky fur. A type of majestic magic seemed to touch Adrian's fur, which rippled in so many fascinating lines; not even the light of the full moon above could wash it of its vibrant red coloration with black tips. The moonlight reflected off Adrian's dark brown eyes, and for a moment, Rin trembled as he realized the dark glare was meant for him. He had never seen Adrian angry before, but the look of his eyes quickly softened to their normal comforting gaze, which led Rin to disbelieve he even seen the glare to begin with.
Adrian stepped forward abruptly, and even though the fox was smaller than the wolf, Rin's sharp green eyes flinched. He brought up his paws to ward off the blow that he knew would come for him.
Rin realized after a moment that he had shut his eyes, and that no blow fell. He opened them slightly, and watched as Adrian slid his arms past Rin's and cupped the side of the wolf's head with his paws. As their eyes focused, locked on each other, the wind slung a few heavy drops of frigid rain against Rin's jeans, thick wool shirt, and exposed fur. The smell of ozone preceded the tingling of the electric air, which only added to Rin's apprehension. Lightning flashed over Adrian's delicate features, and Rin sucked in a deep breath as Adrian drew his muzzle up close to Rin's own.
"Is this real?" Adrian asked as he slipped his lips over Rin's own.
Both lips quivered just before contact, but afterwards, the heat of their mingled breaths joined them together in ways either of them felt possible. As their lips began to move ever so slightly against each other, the peal of thunder boomed over the hill, and a curtain of rain fell down upon the two furs. Rin felt hot and cold at the same instant, and that at moment, suspended in time, he thought back with crystal clarity the day six months ago he had met his best friend ...
* * * * *
Rin adjusted his massive load of books he held, and walked with a grim determination to his next class. As he strode through the halls of the commons building, the lopsided weight of the backpack behind him caused an irregular lope in his stride. Rin tried to ignore the stares of the others he passed, but his frustration at his crappy class schedule only increased as he quickened his pace. He only had three minutes to make it all the way across campus before his Appreciation for Historical Literature class began.
He didn't even have time to run back to his dorm room to change out his math books for this quarter to the massive load required for the next literature class. Rin ducked and weaved through the throng of students, the hallways looked less than an move through than a obstacle course. He bounced off a freshman lynx still reading the campus map, and Rin turned his head in anger to yell back at her. Before he could open his muzzle in protest, he found himself careening to the tiled floor; his literature books flew from his tenuous grasp like a fragmented Olympic discus.
He expected to feel the unrelenting tiled floor greet his less than stellar landing, but something softer broke his fall. He tumbled once or twice, and saw a flash of red fur, art stencils, and a tumble of intertwined limbs not his own. He came to a rest with his large muzzle an inch away from a smaller one, and through the double vision, realized that someone smaller was pinned beneath him.
Two pairs of dazed dark brown eyes stared into his green ones.
The crowd, now stopped to watch the chaos, broke into hoots and whistles. A few even gave derogatory yells to get a room. Rin growled and jumped up, and the crowd took a step back. Some of the hecklers made it a point to slink away, and others started to head back to their intended destination. Rin flexed his claws, but found no one to pin his outrage on. He stooped down picked his literature books from the tangle of art books on the floor. Other furs passed by, but no one seemed interested in helping him out. Rin froze when he felt a small paw touch his shoulder.
"Ar .. Are you all right?" a soft tenor voice asked behind him.
"Maybe if you ..." Rin began as he turned to face the fur who would make him late for the second day of class. He wondered if the Professor would excuse him, or simply cut him from the class roster during roll call. He stopped dead when he turn all the way around, unable to say anything.
If this was where the student body was headed, the freshman who he passed in the hallway just now had better cut her losses and drop out now. The student who now stood in front of Rin looked like some homeless reject with a bizarre and tragic fashion sense. The small fur was definitely a fox, too beautiful to be a male, too slim in certain proportions to be female. He clutched his slender right arm and looked at Rin with apologetic concern.
Rin would have most likely growled at the clumsy fox any other day, but the mud encrusted and paint splotched canvas bag rain coat he wore almost made him double over in fits of laughter. Another oversized canvas hat covered most of his head, almost like a goofy cross between a beret and a shower cap. One of the black tipped red ears poked out sideways from the sad excuse for a hat. The fox's fur exposed fur was dull with what Rin could only think of as dust or dirt. Rin looked down at the fox's sandaled feet, only to see the toes crusted in more of the dried mud substance.
Rin sighed, the sad sight of this tragic figure in front of him flushed any anger he felt away. He suddenly felt very tired. He stooped to pick up a remaining book, and then after the other fur made no attempt to retrieved his own stuff, picked them up as well. He stepped forward and shoved the art books into the paws of the fox.
"They call it a hallway," Rin offered to the stunned fox, "Don't stand in the middle of it." He marched off without an apology, but as he turned to go down a flight of stairs leading to the buildings sub-floors, turned to look one last time at the perplexed fox. Sure enough, he stood by the same spot, scratched his errand ear with his good paw, and continued to watch Rin with a dazed look. Rin turned in disgust and headed downstairs. "The entrance standards are getting more lax each year," Rin muttered to no one in particular.
He turned this way and that, trying to make it to the maze of underground utility tunnels that connected almost every building on campus. The college had been designated at one point a community fallout shelter back in the fifties, although most freshman didn't know of its existence. A lot of the upperclassman used the tunnels as a subway express system to move faster between buildings, despite the protests from the campus maintenance crew.
Rin stepped into the first of many dim corridors; the sound his sneakers made on the cement floor echoed faintly down the tunnel. It was dank down here, and cold, but Rin started down anyway. He ducked under the occasional conduit or pipe, almost sure of the direction he was headed. Soon he heard low voices up ahead, and as he turned at the next corner he passed by two furs, a male badger with black Ramones shirt and a female ferret with a similar Misfits shirt and black slacks. They seemed to whisper to each other as Rin moved further down the corridor. The stare they gave him creeped him out, but he figured they were just down here to hang out alone, to pass some drugs, or to stalk there next victim on their murderous string of homicides. He moved on.
Soon however, Rin heard steps echo behind him. He tried not to get paranoid, so he turned at the next junction. He thought he was now headed to the basement of the physical plant, and no student would have a reason to go there. After a minute he stopped at a corner and listened. His heart skipped a beat when the din rhythm of approaching steps drifted across the silence to his perked ears. His fur bristled, and after he braced his nerves, peered back around the corner. The badger and ferret appeared in one of the spots of light afforded by the occasional ceiling lamp. Their eyes glowed a bright yellow amber in the reflected light. Their feet never seemed to touch the ground, and Rin's lungs froze as he turned back around the corner.
Shit.
They couldn't know. They couldn't have been sent. He peered around the corner and they simply weren't there anymore. This was impossible.
Get a grip, Rin thought to himself.
He slipped into the shadows regardless, and tried to lose his unwanted tails in the Cretan maze. After a few minutes, he was hopelessly lost. Rin heard footsteps echo everywhere. He tried to figure out where they were in relation to him, but all his nose could pick up was the dank stench of strong mildew and chemicals. His breath misted in the frigid air in front of him, how could it possibly get so cold in September?
Something passed by in the shadow next to him, and out of fear, Rin bolted to the first door he saw. He slammed the door shut behind himself and raced up the concrete steps. He paused as he heard a distinct THUMPH behind the door as something slammed into it with tremendous force. He didn't wait to see if whatever it was could open the door, and he soon found himself upstairs in the mechanical room of his dorm building. Rin didn't question his luck, and soon emerged through the doorway of his small dorm room. As the comforting sound of the door lock clicked in his ears, Rin slung his backpack and books into the corner on top of some dirty clothes and crashed on the mattress on the floor.
What a way to start off the school year.
* * * * *
Two weeks later Rin had grabbed some food substitute at the college cafeteria when someone tried to hold his paw. Well, actually, Rin had reached for a glass over by the juice machine when it happened. It could have been an honest mistake.
"I beg your ...!" Rin exclaimed, threatened by the sudden unwanted contact. He turned to the fox who had his red and black paw on the same glass, but stopped in mid sentence. Rin wasn't used to seeing a male fox with such vibrant fur, and he followed the slender but toned arm up to the face. Rin yanked his paw away and moved down the beverage line, unable to quiet his nerves.
He poured himself a glass of milk and moved out to the tables outside; his hands still shook as he set his tray down at an empty table. As Rin sat down and picked at his plate, he tried to turn his thoughts back from the face to that of his burned tatter tot hot dish. His quickened pulse was not altogether unpleasant. He chided himself for the way he felt towards a complete stranger. The fox probably meant nothing by it.
Rin shoved in a spoonful of mush and chewed absently. To take his mind off the taste he peered around the tables. The cafeteria seemed pretty empty for a Saturday night, as most students drove the few miles back home to do laundry and hang out with their friends. Rin decided he would go back to his dorm room and see if any of the foreign information technologies students had set up any good LAN games. The salty slop between his teeth, combined with the tedium of a boring weekend, sent Rin into a apathy induced trance. He didn't even notice the fox from the juice dispenser sit across the table from him.
" ... if I sit here?"
"Hum?" murmured Rin out of his full mouth as he stopped daydreaming.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" asked the fox, "Everyone I know is gone for the weekend, and I don't feel like choking this gruel down alone."
"Eh why not?" said Rin as he shrugged, and tried to wash down the starchy meal with some milk, to little success. "Misery loves company."
He shoveled in some more hot dish and peered over to the fox's meal. He had procured himself two slices of cheese pizza and a salad. Rin noted how safe of a bet it was, given the Russian roulette you could play with cafeteria food. He then spied the glass of orange juice and the realization of who the fox was struck Rin. "So was the OJ worth the price?"
"Wha?" asked the fox with uncertainty in his soft voice.
"Never mind." A few moments of silence ensued.
"I've never seen you in the café before," commented the fox between bites of green lettuce.
"I have an odd schedule," Rin offered vaguely, "I usually get out of class late." There was a pause and Rin looked up into the eyes of his partner in misery. "I don't do mornings."
The fox stopped with the fork halfway up to his open mouth. His delicate facial features sharpened in Rin's vision, and he felt his pulse quicken again. Rin's eyes narrowed as his heart skipped a beat. Those deep brown eyes and blank expression looked very familiar. Rin stared at the fox for several seconds, and the fox seemed to blush and grow uncomfortable underneath the scrutiny.
"You are the fox from the hallway a few weeks ago ... aren't you?" Rin accused. The fox put down his fork with the salad leaf skewered on it
"I ..." He began, eyes filled with several parts apology and several parts bashfulness.
"I almost didn't recognize you from last time, what did Hobo Chic go out of style a few days ago?" asked Rin, pointing to the fox's well chosen attire of designer jeans and a silk shirt.
"Hobo chic ?" Blinked the fox as he tried to remember what the wolf was referring to that day, "Oh ... you mean my sculptor's smock?"
"Your whoist whats?" Rin asked. The fox giggled, and Rin, despite his apathy to this gloriously miserable night, could not imagine a more celestial sound.
"The smock keeps smuggles of clay and glaze from sticking to my fur and clothes." Rin eyed the fox suspiciously.
"So what you're a ... potter?" He pried.
"Sculptor ... mostly." Adrian seemed shy about it for some reason. Rin just went back to his slop with little eagerness.
"And ... what is your major?" The curious vulpine inquired. There was a pause.
"You mean my flavor of the quarter?" asked Rin between halfhearted chews.
"Um what do you mean?"
"It is English Literature if that's what your asking."
"Interesting?"
"More interesting than playing with expensive Play Dough." There was another brief silence. Rin sighed and pushed his paw towards the fox. "My names Rin." The fox grasped his paw, shook, and formed a half smile.
"Adrian."
"That's a pre ... tty nice name." The fox blushed slightly.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it, I wanted to know what name to tell the cops next time you decide to assault me."
"Hey wait a minute! For the record you ran into me, and secondly ..." The wolf's ears perked up at this, and for the first time that day, his eyes lit up at the promise of a fight.
"... How about explaining to me why someone so intelligent didn't move out of the way if he saw me coming?"
"I didn't ...."
"Artists, who work with their hands, are neither clumsy nor dumb. You were distracted by something or someone, ergo you failed to get out of my way." The fox was either fuming or speechless, Rin grinned smugly.
"Why the hell should I tell you? This is rich, coming from a wolf who had his neck turned 180 and was more than likely looking at that female freshman's ass rather than where his own was going!" Adrian exclaimed.
"So you did see me coming?" Rin confirmed. Adrian went silent again, then resigned to chew on his slices of pizza. "And for the record," Rin consigned, "I wasn't looking at her ass ...".
The rest of the meal was ate in silence.
* * * * *
A month later Rin ran at night through one of the many hiking trails on the hillside bluffs above campus. He seemed neither jogging for fun or exercise nor to reach an intended destination. He simply seemed to be running, and once in a while looked back behind him. His breaths came in semi controlled huffs, and his baggy gray shorts and green sports shirt fluttered against his athletic form. His erect ears flinched to and fro, and seemed to snap up each sound the light, mixed coniferous and deciduous forest around him made.
His beat up sneakers pounded against the hard packed earth in steady rhythm. There was a snap of a branch ahead of him and he veered off the main path on a smaller one back down to campus. He turned his muzzle back to sniff the air as he fled the disturbance. Rin was pretty sure that it had been just a doe, but he didn't want to take any chances. Rin slowed however as he sensed a strange mixture of emotions in the breeze that drifted upwards to these bluffs.
Anger. Hurt. Betrayal.
The blue lamp posts that marked the beginning of the secluded but well groomed trail appeared just ahead farther down the path. Rin slowed even more to something like a leisurely jog; he certainly didn't want to alarm the one who was already upset even further. As he neared a stone bench isolated by thick bushes, Rin heard thick sobs from whoever seat there. He jogged past, and looked to see who it was, a little curious. He slid to a halt when he saw it was Adrian.
Adrian sat there with his head in his paws, wet with tears. His jeans and plain blue cotton shirt were blotched with dirt. Rin was paralyzed, his first instinct was to run away, but the sincerity of the sobs, the vulnerability of the fox, made Rin heart soften. He edged over to the distressed fox, and knelt down in front of Adrian.
"He .. Hey you ok?" Rin asked in a concerned tone.
"Go Away!" Adrian yelled through his tear streaked paws. Rin jerked back as though he had been struck.
"Ad ... rian? It's Adrian isn't it?" The fox looked up, surprised that a stranger knew his name. His face fur glistened in the lamp light from all his crying. Adrian's brow furrowed as he realized who it was.
"What do you want?" The fox accused, "To poke more fun at me?" He buried his head in his hands once again, and the sobs resumed even harder.
Rin tried to say something in retort, something that would hurt the fox even more, but as he searched his repertory for one of his best one line zingers, he found none. The only thing he could do was stare at this poor thing, in so much pain. For once he looked at Adrian not as a clumsy poorly dressed moron, or a snooty over dressed prep, but as an actual person. And right now this person was hurting, and Rin wanted that hurting to stop. Rin did something unexpected.
He sat down next to Adrian and but his arms around the bawling fur.
Adrian flinched for a second at the contact, but Rin's strong hold seemed to comfort him, and the cries softened.
"What happened?" Rin inquired in a softened voice.
"You wouldn't understand!" wailed Adrian, looking up at Rin, and even though most of the beautiful face was hidden in layers of shadow, he still saw that Adrian's soft brown eyes were thick with fat tears.
"Maybe I wont ..." Rin offered, "...but I want to try ..." Adrian looked up at Rin and stopped crying. He sobbed once and ran his arm over his nose and muzzle. The fur came away drenched. Adrian seemed hesitant to share any information, but Rin was glad he had stopped crying, so he released him. Instead Rin rubbed his back with a large paw, in an attempt to soothe the smaller fur.
"Is it about school?"
"Kinda," the foxed sniffled, "More like home."
"Problems with the parents?"
"No, a ... friend"
"Oh no!" Rin exclaimed, "Your friend get into an accident?"
"No he .. He doesn't want to see me anymore ..." Adrian began to sob lightly in his paws again.
"Was he your best friend or something?" Adrian seemed to hesitate, then nodded slowly.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Rin offered, not sure if he really understood or even cared., but tried his best to empathize. He knew from his psychology classes that physical contact and even attempted empathy, however paper thin, usually helped someone in distress. "I'm sure you'll get over it."
"He said he LOVED ME!" Adrian screamed as he wailed up to the sky. He burst out with even more sobs, thicker than even before. Rin froze. He wasn't able to say anything to comfort the poor fur, still shocked that Adrian had come out to a near complete stranger. After a few minutes, Adrian looked back up to Rin.
"I knew you wouldn't understand ..."
"I ... I ... " Rin stammered, his heart thundered in his ears. He wasn't sure if now was the time or place to confide in the fox, but before he could open his muzzle, a rather large crow landed in the maple tree next to them and let out a rather protracted, load, and obnoxious, squawk. Rin jumped as though a gun pointed at him had been just been cocked. Adrian stopped sobbing at once, alert that something bad was about to happen. Rin muttered something under his breath that Adrian couldn't understand to the crow like bird. It let out a rather annoyed squawk and fluttered its wings, whatever Rin said was not received too well.
"Come on," said Rin as he grabbed a hold of Adrian's arm, "Its not safe here."
"It's n ..not?" Adrian's lip quivered, but did not resist as Rin picked him up by his arm and dragged him back towards campus. Rin shot a glance to Adrian, now aware that he didn't want to frighten the fox even more.
"Yeah ... um its not a safe, or private, place to talk about this sort of thing.." Rin backpedaled, but Adrian seemed to agree with him anyway, and after he picked up the pace, Rin let go of Adrian's arm. "Its been a tough night for you ... let me walk you back to your room."
Adrian seemed stilled by this, although Rin wasn't sure if Adrian thought Rin was getting funny with him or just being nosy. They made small talk all the way back to campus and the short stroll up to Adrian's' dorm room, but Rin looked back over his shoulder every once in a while. Rin was relieved when they came to Adrian's door.
"Well here we are" Rin said uncomfortably, as if he suddenly ran out of purpose.
"Yeah .." Adrian said, his face fur still crusty from dried tears. He seemed emotionally exhausted from tonight's drama. There was a few moments of silence as Rin shuffled his sneakers on the tiled floor.
"You should come with me to the gym tomorrow night." Rin said suddenly. Adrian looked up with a tired look.
"Oh I don't think I'm feeling ..."
"I guess I should have rephrased it." Rin smiled, and his paws made nervous movements in front of his chest, "I'll be by tomorrow at eight sharp to take you to the gym." Adrian muzzle, opened as if to say something, but then just smiled.
"Rin?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks ... for everything tonight."
"Anytime"
For a moment both furs looked like they want to reach out and hug each other, but Rin suddenly realized what he was doing and coughed nervously.
"Tomorrow night at 8pm. Sharp" Rin reminded as he turned and walked away, "And don't try to get out of it, I can track down you by scent now ..." Rin made a goodbye gesture with his paw before he turned a corner and disappeared. Adrian waved hesitantly, blushed after a moment, and went inside his room.
* * * * *
Adrian stepped out of the locker room and felt decidedly stupid. He had to borrow an extra set of sweats and athletic shirt from Rin, both of which were several sizes to big for him. The only time Adrian even needed to come to the gym was for his general education requirements, although he didn't mind playing sports per say. He stopped and watched Rin in the corner alternate between arm stretches and push ups.
Though not overly muscular, Rin's lithe form rippled as he used his upper body strength to lift himself off the ground in several smooth repetitions. A thin layer of sweat already glistened off his gray and white fur with black streaks. His tight shorts and black athletic shirt seemed to hug his form, to stretch with each colossal strain. Adrian seemed unable to move, and watched with fascination as Rin continue to grunt with the exertion. Rin flipped over on the mat he was using, began to pull on his shoulders again, and that's when he noticed Rin.
"You look good." Rin said flatly. Adrian's ears flicked a bit, unsure if it was meant to be taken as a compliment or in jest. "You stretched out yet?" Adrian just shook his head.
"Well come on man, gym closes in forty five minutes," Rin patted the mat next to him, "Unless you feel like using the elementary schools jungle gym later." Adrian squinted, unsure if the wolf was actually being serious. Adrian took a spot on the mat beside Rin and started in some easy yoga stretching positions he learned from one of his friend' workout DVD's. He heard a couple of snickers from beside him as his face was planted firmly into the mat.
"Just what in Dante's Inferno are you doing?
"Umph ... "Adrian tried to remember what this particular position was called. Before he could respond Rin turned him right side up and shook his head.
"We're here to get out some pent up aggression, not fall asleep." Rin lifted him off the mat by his arms. Rin took a close position behind Adrian, so that his chest almost came into contact with Adrian's back. Adrian shivered at the sensation, but was afraid that he might upset Rin. The wolf took his right arm and began to pull it across the other shoulder.
"Let me know when it first starts to hurt." After a moment Adrian tensed. "Good, that's your current comfortable range of motion." He took pressure off the arm slightly. "Now I want you to pull this arm with your other just like before, your should feel a tingling in that shoulder, but if you ever feel pain, ease off."
Adrian tried to concentrate on what the wolf was saying, but could only stare forward as the close proximity of the wolf caused his nose to quiver with the heavy scent of Rin in the air. Rin patted Adrian on the back and moved in close behind the fox's ear. Adrian's vision swam before his eyes. "Good, now switch to the other arm."
"We'll skip the push ups for now, we'll just start you off with something easy tonight." Rin said as he moved back, picked up his duffel back, and headed down the hall.
Adrian rubbed his shoulders absently and then followed the wolf, uncertain of where they were going. They moved to a smaller run down room with a huge mat on the floor and crack walls. Aside from a flickering light bulb, the only thing in the room was a beat up duct taped heavy bag suspended it seemed, precariously from the center of the ceiling from a rusty chain. Rin dumped his duffel at the mat's edge and moved to inspect the bag. He spun it a bit, his paws slid over the textured surface. Adrian wasn't sure what he was doing.
After a moment Rin went back to his duffel and pulled out two pairs of black mitts. One pair he threw to Adrian, the other pair he expertly slipped on, and sealed the Velcro before Adrian had his finger through his pair. Rin's eyes flashed as he watched Adrian fumble with the glove. He stalked over and grasped Adrian's paw, forced the glove down, and with a sharp scratch, the Velcro was tightened. The other one took even less time to put on, and after it was forcefully adjusted, Rin nodded sharp and slapped his right paw down upon Adrian's shoulder . The intense look in Rin's dark green eyes made Adrian shiver.
Rin moved back over to the punching bag and nodded to Adrian.
"You want the first honor?" Rin asked. Adrian shook his head, unsure.
"Your loss." Rin shrugged. He looked at the bag once, sized it up, and Rin's fist materialized into the bag.
Adrian flinched as the thud retorted into his ears. If Adrian hadn't known any better, he would have swore that there had been a second between the impact in the sound, but knew that wasn't possible. Rin jabbed at the bag, circling it. He alternated between left and right blows, some light, some heavy. It seemed to Adrian there was little rhyme or reason between the selection of blows, but Rin's brow was furrowed, eyes intent, focused.
After about half a minute, Rin began to growl low, and the rain of blows came harder, lasted longer. Rin's arm tendons bulged out obscenely, locked, as the bag flew back. Rin's footwork brought him close to the bag, and he slammed the bag low in a series of brutal, short uppercuts. A fine spray of sweat flew from Rin's shiny fur, and the bag seemed to jump straight up with each blow, until Rin finished the combo with a vicious roundhouse kick that sent the bag flying.
Adrian watched Rin's sneakers make contact with the ground, unaware that they had even left in the first place. Rin turned to him, his green eyes gleamed with a hint of yellow. Rin snapped his head and a few droplets of sweat hit the ground, his nostrils flared with each inhale his large frame took. Adrian stared in awe, unable to say anything.
"Well," Rin said after a few moments, "Want to show me what you've got?" Adrian stepped forward without saying a word. Rin flinched, but moved back, taken off guard.
Adrian sized up the bag, and looked for his optimum striking height. He wanted to make a good impression on his new companion. Adrian assaulted the bag with confidence, his blows landed with merciless precision. Adrian paced his blows more evenly then Rin, aware that although Rin had displayed amazing power, he could display a more focused technique. As the minutes wore on, Adrian fought fatigue and blinding sweat, but kept his pace regardless.
Rin analyzed the fox's ability with great interest, genuinely surprised at the smaller canine's stamina and skill. He liked what he saw. As Adrian hopped back from the bag to catch his breath, Rin stepped over to him.
"Have you ever been in a fight before?"
"No ... why?", replied Adrian, who relaxed his stance but kept his fists at the ready. Rin grasped Adrian's wrists.
"You keep your wrists straight and firm when you strike, thus you allow the shock to transfer to the elbow, a joint better equipped to handle the force of impact. You use the correct part of your fists to transfer the maximum amount of energy into the blow, but if I can make a suggestion ..."
Once again the wolf stepped behind Adrian and grabbed his arms. The sensation of being held came into Adrian's mind, but he banished it almost at once. Rin was trying to show him something, and he didn't want to confuse the wolf's body signals for something that wasn't intended. Adrian fought to control his racing heart, and his pulse pounded even harder in his ears.
"Next time you strike, I want you to make your intended point of impact six inches behind your initial." Rin moved Adrian's arms to emphasize the pattern, and rested his head just above Adrian's right shoulder. "After contact, use your upper body mass to help follow through with the blow." Adrian tried to listen to what the wolf was saying, but the closeness and scent of Rin's sweaty body next to his own made it hard to concentrate on anything but his own growing arousal.
"W ...wont that cause me to go off balance?" Adrian tried to stammer out.
"If it does, then adjust your lower body stance spread to compensate for it." As Rin finished with his instructions, he moved his head slightly so that his muzzle brushed the fur on Adrian's own cheek. Adrian's lip quivered with the contact, and Rin spoke right into his ear. "I find you quite impressive."
This proved to much for Adrian, and he slipped out of Rin's embrace before he was able to embarrass himself by crying out. Rin straighted back up, and seemed perplexed by the fox's sudden movement.
"Is everything ok?" Rin asked, quite concerned.
"Yeah I ... just feel dizzy," Adrian offered, "like I need some water." This seemed to set the wolf at greater ease, and he moved to the duffel to fish out a bottle of water and hand it to Adrian.
"If you're feeling dizzy, then we better stop for tonight," Rin said with a sly smile. He took out a white towel and a bar of soap from the duffel and offered it to the fox. "You should go hit the showers, I'm going to finish my workout before I call it a night." Adrian took a gulp of water and nodded, now more confident in his ability to get his feelings under control. "Don't worry," said Rin with a warm smile, "I wont be too long."
Adrian nodded again and left the room for a shower as the wolf suggested. A nice cold one.
Rin continued to smile as he watched Adrian leave, but as soon as he was gone, Rin's ears drooped as the smile ran away from his face. He was certain that he had made Adrian uncomfortable with his less than subtle flirtations. Rin was also pretty certain that Adrian didn't like him the way Rin wanted him to from the way Adrian shrank from his touch, and after how awful Rin had treated him at the beginning of the school year, how could Rin blame him?
Rin couldn't decide when he had accepted his crush on Adrian. Even as early as the cafeteria, Rin felt a immense attraction for the beautiful fox. Something happened to Rin when he found Adrian crying on that bench, and he didn't know if he could even explain it to himself. He wanted to confide in him about his own orientation during Adrian's sudden outburst, but it didn't feel sincere at the time, and to confess it now would just seem like a even lamer come on. A tear welled in Rin's eye as he realized that he had just screwed up any chance of going out with Adrian. Like always, Too Soon, Too Fast.
Rin's paws started to clench as his anger turned inward. His muscles twitched and jumped as they brimmed with self loathing. The feeling of having nobody returned to that empty hole in the pit of his stomach, twinged as always with phantasmal whispers of inadequacy. The tear fell from his face and splattered noiselessly on the mat below.
Just as it had so many times before in this exact same place, Rin's right arm drew back, and his eye color flashed bright yellow. Rin's fist sliced through the air with lightning speed. It punched through the bag in one quick strike, and the chain holding it up almost snapped from the shear force. Rin looked like he wanted to howl, but as he realized what he had done, his face drained of all its hate and the unnatural hue washed from his eyes.
A few seconds later Rin sighed and withdrew his first; small amounts of stuffing fell out with it. He picked up the duffel and pulled out a roll of duct tape that was identical to the stuff holding the bag together already . He began the familiar ritual and tore off a strip of duct tape, and tried to hold back the return of tears as he consigned himself to the only clear choice ...
* * * * *
As Adrian stepped in the shower stall and the frigid stream of icy water soaked his silky fur, he gasped a sigh of relief. His arousal threatened to break his composure even now despite his best efforts, and this polar emergence helped tempter his innermost needs. He began to lather himself and took note of just how flushed the skin under his fur had become. His paws lingered on his partial emerged member a few moments and he shuddered with the brief but stimulating contact. His mind clouded over with arousal so intense he couldn't even feel the cold, biting water.
He fought the urge to fantasize about Rin, but the recent workout session make his resolve lessen. Rin seemed so different now from the first few times they meet. When Adrian first saw Rin sulk through the commons hallway after his ceramics lab, he couldn't help put stop and stare at Rin with unbridled infatuation. The fact that he had a boyfriend back home made him feel a bit self conscious about these strange, unforeseen feelings towards a complete stranger, and before he had a moment to clear his head and move on, Rin had made contact with a female freshman and turned most likely to look at her assets.
The sudden change in Rin's movements made the unexpected impact inevitable. Was he really didn't foresee was how much of a jerk Rin turned out to be, and he seemed like he absolutely wanted no contact with Adrian, physical or otherwise. As much as Adrian tried to approach Rin for the possibility of friendship, he was rebuffed too many times, even for his own immense patience. Adrian simply avoided Rin whenever he saw him on campus, sad that the wolf wasn't interested in even talking.
Things took a definite unexpected turn when Drake, his hometown boyfriend of only a few months, called to break up with him one night. Drake was very nonchalant about the whole thing, but Adrian was devastated. Adrian took it very seriously when someone told him that they loved him. After Paul hung up on him, Adrian ran in tears to the park trail just above campus on a secluded hillside. He felt as though his world was about to shatter, and he could not remember a time when he felt his heart so broken.
For all purposes, he was alone in the world. That was, until he felt a stranger near. Once he discovered it was Rin, he lashed out and hoped Rin would go away before he could get hurt again. Rin didn't leave. Instead Rin reached out and held him. As afraid as he was, the contact felt so real, so genuine, that Adrian couldn't help but let it all out. Adrian was worried that the message contained in his outburst had made Rin uncomfortable, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Now just a night later, Adrian felt as if Rin had just tried to put the moves on him, a silly idea concocted by a lonely heart, but still he wondered ...
Adrian chided himself again as he tried to abolish such sophomoric notions. Rin most likely was just interested in helping him through his breakup, and if he thought otherwise, Rin might take it the wrong way, and not be friendly to him anymore. The temptations to fantasize about Rin, about watching him strain and sweat, grew too much to ignore, and his paw slid over himself one again.
Just a little ... Adrian thought eyes closed, as he began to stroke himself; the cold water only intensified the pleasure and heat from his stiff and slick shaft. As his rough pads slid over the soft and smooth texture, Adrian shuddered with the feeling, eyes sealed shut, and a soft moan escaped his lips.
"Your shower that good?"
Adrian jumped in fight and embarrassment as Rin stepped naked into the shower stall next to him. Rin turned on some hot water and ran his head through it. It seemed that he hadn't noticed Adrian's acts of self pleasure, and as Adrian breathed a sigh of relief, he was grateful for the short tiled wall between them. Adrian tried to calm himself and go on with his shower as if nothing had happened.
"Oh yeah" Adrian said, his voice still a little shaken, "Its been a while since Ive worked up this much sweat." Adrian's eyes popped wide as he realized what an innuendo he had just gave. After a second of thought, he giggled with the circumstance. Rin reached over and rubbed Adrian's head and erect ears roughly, and laughed as well.
"Well I'm glad it seems the workout has put you in a better mood," Rin said as he lowered his head into the stream of steaming water. Rin shut his eyes and reached over the short stall wall between them, and groped blindly for Adrian's bar of soap. Adrian watched in fascination, suspense, as Rin's paw fumbled inches away from his naked form. The paw soon found the bar, and Rin's, paw slid away, much to Adrian secret disappointment.
"I know I usually feel better after I get my frustrations out, and I'm just glad you got some out from yesterday," Rin said as he lathered his muzzle and body, eyes still closed. Adrian tried to resist his curiosity, but moved to peer over the wall. He hoped Rin wouldn't notice. Rin turned his head towards Adrian and he jumped back just before Rin opened his eyes. Rin opened his eyes and gave a sly grin. "I hope you don't mind if I pry, but who was this guy that gave you so much grief."
"Oh ... you mean Drake?" asked Adrian as he took the soap offered to him and began to lather himself. He slid his head under the water, and Rin took the opportunity to peer over the wall. He hoped Adrian wouldn't notice. He jumped back just before Adrian returned from the spray. "I don't know, I hope I don't freak you out by talking about him."
"Not at all," Rin smiled as he lied through his teeth, "Besides I make it a policy to collect blackmail on all my new friends at the earliest opportunity." Adrian's ears perked at the implication. Even if Rin didn't like him as more than a friend, he would love to be his friend. He really liked Rin, even if he was a bit strange and moody.
"Y ... You really mean that?" Adrian's lip quivered at the notion.
"Of course ... as long as you promise not to body check me again in a crowded hallway filled with my loving and devoted peers ..."
* * * * *
As Rin felt the rain wash over him, his lips locked with his best friend, he tried to sort out how he felt. So many feelings, so many thoughts threatened to crash over him like strong wave on a barren cliff base. He was about to drown in conflicted emotions, carried away in a sea of doubt, hope. His lungs strained for air, and it took all of his inner strength to break the embrace. His hot breath steamed in the frigid air, his lips burned with memory of Adrian's kiss. Rin found it hard to stand, and Adrian moved to hold him up when he saw his best friend falter.
Adrian held his friend and rocked him in the downpour, their body heat mingled to keep the cold at bay. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, but he refused to let his stubborn friend give up on life, and on himself. The storm continued its unrelenting assault, and battered them with strong winds and rain, until Adrian decided it was time to find shelter. He looked up into the sorrowful green eyes of Rin, his fur and clothing completely drenched.
"You've had a rough night ... let's go back to your room."
Rin nodded hesitantly, unable to speak. He wasn't sure what Adrian meant by that, but right now, Rin wasn't sure about anything. As Adrian took his paw into his own and led him on the muddy path back down the hillside, Rin thought back to the events that lead up to this melodramatic night: the problematic return of Drake into Adrian's life, the foreboding appearance of the Corax, raven harbingers of the Magikans of Morningstar, and his own budding love for his best friend, his savior, his soulmate ...
~ Fin - Part I ~
Please don't be offended if I don't respond to comments and or suggestions about this series. They are always appreciated.