Egaran Stars - 31. Reinard- Bonded

Warmth surrounded the fox, Reinard’s eyes opening tiredly. His body ached, muscles throbbing with a dull burn as he lay in bed. He was in his bond form, sprawled out in a pile of sheets, body on full display. Standing with a quick gasp, the Faro nearly collapsed again, his legs wobbling as his groin protested loudly.

Letting his body shift back into his bipedal form, the fox slipped off the bed, landing on all fours with a pained grunt. Galen had done it. He had finally fucked him. And the tiger had left the fox a quivering bundle of burning nerves.

“Galen…? Galen?!” he called, his voice crackling.

Footsteps sounded outside the door, the tiger peeking his head into the room.

“Hey there, I was just coming to wake you up. We have work in two hours.”

“I can’t move…” Reinard grunted, sitting against the bed.

“Aw, poor little guy. Let me help you,” Galen smirked, carefully pulling the Faro to his feet. “I’m assuming I can touch you, right? I mean, you were all over me last night.”

Reinard grunted tiredly, too sore to argue. The tiger’s hands cupped under the Faro, squeezing his butt playfully as he lifted Reinard onto his hip. The fox let out a tiny gekker of protest as he was held like a kit, sitting on Galen’s arm as his butt protested the pressure exerted against it.

“I’d call you a cub, but really, I’m proud of you. Your first time having sex and you took an Egaro on. Just wait until we get you in bed with a human…”

Reinard’s entire world shattered at the comment. What the fuck was the tiger talking about? He couldn’t sleep with another person! It was insanity!

“What the fuck Galen? Do you have any idea what we did yesterday?”

“Yeah? I took your virginity,” the tiger said, carrying the fox into the kitchen. “You should be glad it wasn’t Iason. He’s huge.”

Galen set Reinard on a chair, humming quietly as he moved toward the counter, where a plate of cakes sat nice and warm, waiting for them. There was a soft click, and the tiger returned, setting a pill in front of the fox.

“Here, this should work for you. At least, it’s supposed to work on most bipedals,” the tiger said, setting a cup of water next to the pill.

Reinard looked between the pill and the tiger, tears threatening his eyes. He couldn’t cry. He wouldn’t cry. Okay, so he had gambled and lost love. If he could call it love. But at least he should be able to have a kit. The way Galen took him, there was no way he wasn’t going to become pregnant.

“Come on, it’s not poison,” Galen said.

“What is it then?” Reinard asked, picking it up suspiciously.

“A morning after pill. I went out and got some for you,” the tiger said, shaking his head.

“Okay, but what does it do? For the morning after sex?”

“It keeps you from getting pregnant. I don’t know if you noticed, but Themis was rather against me sleeping with you, and if you get pregnant, she’ll have both our heads.”

Reinard dropped the pill in disgust, the tablet sliding across the table.

“Why the fuck would I take something like that?! I need to get pregnant, and you obviously aren’t going to help with that, telling me to go fuck someone else. You understand that is impossible, right? I would die if someone else entered me.”

“Oh stop being so dramatic,” Galen grunted, hand slapping over the pill. “You aren’t going to die from sex. I’m not ready to be a parent. And I doubt you are too. Just take the pill and when Cassandra is finished with her heat, I’ll be out of your fur.”

Reinard glared at the tiger, fur bristling.

“You fucking dumbass! You bond with me and now you want to go our separate ways?! You have ruined me!”

“Hey, you were the one that agreed to it!” Galen protested. “I’m just trying to keep you healthy! And it’s none of my concern if you don’t want to fuck Ryan. Why the fuck would you want to stay with me in the first place?”

“BECAUSE YOU FUCKED ME!”

Reinard stood up on his chair, leaning against the table for support as his body protested.

“You fucked me, bonded with me. I will never be able to find anyone whose emissions would not leave me in agony because my body has literally adapted to be perfect for you! You fucked me over Galen, and if you abandon me, you leave me to a life of loneliness, a life unfulfilled. Worse, you will have caused the death of my clan.”

He panted heavily, his body heaving as he stared the tiger down. For his part, Galen was forced into a stunned silence. The Faro could see the cogs turning in Galen’s head, realization hitting the Egaro in waves.

“Why would you fuck me then? Why would you agree to be with someone who cannot be monogamous?”

“Because I thought you cared about me. I thought I saw a glimmer of hope for the future. And Golaski damn it, I was prepared to sacrifice my happiness for my people.”

“But why? How can one Faro make such a difference?”

“It’s not about making a difference. It’s about survival,” Reinard shuddered.

Galen stared at the fox, shaking his head slowly. Reaching toward the Faro, the tiger pulled him into his arms, wrapping Reinard into a tight hug.

“Look. I’m sorry. If I had known fucking you would be this disastrous, I would have never done it. I never wanted to hurt you Reinard. Take your pill, okay? I promise, when the time is right, I’ll fuck you again and we’ll put a cub in your belly. But right now, the time is not right.”

Reinard nodded painfully, reaching for the pill. He set it in his mouth, taking a swig of water. Galen smiled and turned away to get their breakfast. As soon as his back was turned, Reinard spat the pill out, flicking it toward the recycler. He didn’t have the time to wait for Galen to be ready.