Waif and Stray - 10. Pain and Revelation

~☆~

The auditorium was empty as the restraints were finally released. Zack got up stiffly. He didn't have words for that experience yet, and reflection could wait. He had been pretty sure Finn passed out for a bit there - he was awake now but not moving as the straps were unbuckled. Zack staggered over, Mr Sunderland offered to help but he politely declined. Finn just stared miserably into the middle distance, allowing Zack to guide him wordlessly away from the urine-dripping trestle. The naked teens didn't have far to go; their school uniforms were in the changing room just off stage left. Alone, Zack found he actually had to dress Finn, who made no effort to cover himself. The taller teenager was actually getting worried; it was like something was broken behind those hazel eyes. He gave up on the thought of attempting to get underwear on the dark blond marionette or himself, it would be far too tight on the wounds. By the time he had them both decent there was a knock at the door; a policewoman.

He started in shock until he recognised Finn's older foster sister he'd met at the home. She seemed to recognise the state of the boy immediately.

"Ah shit. He been like that since it happened?" At Zack's nod, she continued, "It's okay, our sister Charlotte can get through to him. So, dad on a business trip, mum went with, staying with cousin who is on shift. All suspended with no place to go. Yeah?"

Zack was surprised she knew, and still a little intimidated by Lucy, but she was right. His dad had been asked to do a special one-off set of lectures and he had no idea where he was supposed to go now, so as she introduced herself he just nodded as she explained his cousin had asked Sara for advice and been referred to Charlotte to babysit him. He knew his cousin just wouldn't want him alone after a whipping, it wasn't that she didn't trust him at 16, and he really was worried about Finn so didn't object.

Finn's foster sister dropped them at the ivy covered cottage. Char wouldn't be long getting back from the University; Lucy had only gotten involved because the school rang the foster home and she'd picked up, and Charlotte was coming from the wrong direction. The radio on her chest didn't give her time to come in with them, but she gave the taller kid a spare key and told him to just stay with Finn for a bit. Best she could do.

~☆~

The door opened easy enough and he found himself getting immediate help with Finn. A raven haired neko guided them to the living room and assisted in laying the silently morose boy face down on the sofa. The catgirl looked to him with concern.

"You?"

She seemed to sense his distress too, though he was far more worried for Finn and just nodded. As he watched her give him a disbelieving look, a voice whispered "Why?"

Surprised, Zack knelt down by the sofa, unwilling to rest his rear end anywhere. His school trousers kept sticking to him, and something seemed to upset a different neko in another room by the sounds of things, the first running to help it. A relief - he wasn't actually all that comfortable around neko. He smiled at Finn, friendly as he could.

"You were supposed to deny it first time he asked, I was trying to get you out of it."

"No, I mean... why?"

"You seem okay. Rest of the class are annoying. Just get the impression you reckon most folk aren't worth letting in. I agree to be honest, most of the time, but I'm epically bored."

"...so you got caned on the off chance it would save someone you barely know 'cos you're bored. That's... pretty damned bored."

Zack joined in word for word with 'pretty damned bored' and the two managed a faint smile each. Zack felt so relieved; he'd been getting more concerned for Finn than he'd realised.

"That was crazy. I mean, seriously."

Finn nodded. "I know. Thank you. Not being alone... helped."

"Gods, it did. They always do it like that for cheating?"

"Yeah, but not for lying. You didn't deserve that."

"No one deserves that, don't care what they did." Zack cupped his buttocks gently and clenched his teeth, "Perdition! That pain was insane! I thought I knew what the cane did but Grey just flicked at us a few times in class, didn't he? That was a whole other level."

Finn nodded sadly. "I think I might have pissed myself. In front of everyone." He was sure he could smell it on himself.

"Did you? Might be why Chloë was screaming at people to shut up, she lost it a bit."

Hazel eyes blinked in surprise. "Chloë did?"

"Absolutely. I think Grey spanked her for it by the sound. Someone back there got it." He smiled "Wouldn't worry about a little bit of pee anyway. We survived it; I wasn't sure at one point."

Finn slipped back into silence, but reacted when Zack placed a hand in his, curling his fingers around the other teens' in support.

~☆~

~☆~

Once again it was Finn that surprised with speech first. He professed a need for bathing (he felt he was really starting to stink of stale urine) and made an attempt at an apology which was squeezed into silence by Zack and Char both instinctively acting in concert. Even if he was done embracing, they certainly weren't, not yet. He smiled, revelled in the acceptance, and hugged back. Charlotte started talking gently, explaining that Beccy wouldn't be ready for Zack til after they'd eaten that night. No, Rebecca wouldn't be coming here, she worked with lupo and had one to get home to. No, she wasn't angry, just upset her cousin was hurt. When the questions stopped, Char suggested "Look, I got through it texting a girl who was thrashed with me. Best people to chat to are each other. Go relax in my bedroom upstairs if you like, I'll only be a text away if you need anything at all. I'll bring some lunch later and keep the neko out of your hair for now. Oh, and Finn? It's in your head, you don't smell. I promise."

Finn thought he understood. He led Zack up to the attic and explained "Ghost, our new rescue neko, got beaten pretty badly before he came here. We'll be freaking him out, smelling all sorry for ourselves."

Zack nodded, made sense. Frankly he didn't care as long as they could keep chatting. Finn lay face down on the big double bed after putting the radio on, and Zack joined him at a respectful distance.

Finn was obviously feeling awkward. Zack would tell himself for many years that it was his awesome ice breaking skills and natural talent with the boys that inspired his next move, but honestly his butt just hurt. He declared aloud to anyone listening "Well, frankly I don't care who sees. These trousers are sticking to my skin and the air in here is lovely and cool." With that he reached under himself, undid his trousers and pushed them down to mid thigh. "Oh, five that's better."

Finn stared for a moment. "Sticking to your skin?" Jeremy after his last switching came to mind. In horror he slowly turned to look at Zack's exposed rear end. Six thick bars of deep purple marred the dusky skin, oozing crimson from the wounds he'd just reopened. "That's blood Zack. Blood makes it stick. By the gods, look at you!"

Zack blinked in surprise, looking back over his shoulder. "Crap." It was so understated, so far from covering the situation it was almost funny.

"Stay there." the incarnation of youth and summertime muttered, his pretty eyes flashing warningly. Zack would have to now, hiding his erection at being so exposed against his belly. Finn returned with an armful of supplies.

"Stay still. Look, if this is too embarrassing, I can get Char. You never have to see her again, might be easier, but there's patches of fluff from your trousers in the wounds. It'll probably get infected if somebody doesn't..."

Zack shook his head. "Not a girl, please. Even more embarrassing. Would you?" It was a massive lie - Charlotte seemed lovely - but he needed it to be Finn. The shorter boy brought tears to his eyes cleaning the wounds, but was so tender, telling him that it was mostly lots of little bits bleeding, not a big wound. Zack was observed carefully for what felt like ages until Finn declared it stopped and applied a topical anaesthetic cream. It was a wonderful sensation, Zack's young hardness straining under him; he felt like a baby again, about to be diapered, and it was a guiltily thrill at this that threatened to spill him over when compounded by Finn rejoining him and instantly dropping his own trousers. The blond was blushing, Zack realised with a shock. He enjoyed it. He liked touching your backside.

Finn lifted his hand up to rest on the bed at eye level between them. "Do you mind if we just...?"

Zack didn't mind at all, slipped his hand over the other his new friend's and closed his eyes.

~☆~

The rest of the afternoon, the two boys avoided the throbbing ache in their rear ends by sleeping through it. After Char dropped Zack home, meeting Beccy and agreeing the boys could spend the next day of their suspension from school together too, the small family of four was finally reunited around poor Finn. Ghost, every trace of bruising now gone from his body and his insatiably curious nature increasingly shining through, curled up with the teen in sympathy while a most protective Jinx stroked his hair.

"I gave him your phone number quickly as he left. Dirty trick, but had to know." She lightly rubbed a pencil over the pad from the coffee table, revealing what was written on the previous sheaf of paper. "Yup, wrote out 'Finn' before the number." She flipped the pad, showing it to her brother.

"Recognise the artist's handwriting anywhere?"

~☆~

Finn didn't manage to get his head around the revelation, much less a plan for how to proceed, before the new enigma himself was dropped off early the next morning. Beccy was still doing double shifts that started long before the late winter dawn; Finn hadn't considered this and scrabbled for his pyjamas, having been warned of the impending arrival by Jinx but still only just buttoning the top before Charlotte answered the knock. Jinx kept glaring at him for some reason, but he managed to look comfortably relaxed, in his opinion, as if he hadn't been nude a moment ago at all. The catgirl's meaning dawned at the last possible moment, and he whipped the neko ears off his head so fast Zack started slightly at the movement as he entered. Jinx, in a moment of subtlety he'd scarcely known her capable of, winked at him then led Zack to the lounge to meet Ghost, allowing a chance to hide them. Too close you idiot, he'd run a mile if he saw that.

Zack had suspected his minor nerves at being around neko had been noticed yesterday, now he was certain of it. He consciously knew that the average one, an immature catgirl especially, was vanishingly unlikely to try and hurt you, and Jinx had seemed very friendly yesterday, even helping with Finn. The other teen himself was very comfortable around her too - but none of that really helped. He was still wary, finding it hard to let her deceptively, disarmingly dainty hands out of his line of sight despite how ridiculous he knew he was being. An upset lupo could be just as dangerous... heck, an excited one could do damage... but he understood lupo. He didn't understand neko; they were a mystery behind glittering eyes, seemed to have a much stronger will even than humans, with motivations he didn't grasp and strange sensibilities he was sure to accidentally offend.

This long held fear took a heavy blow the moment Zack laid eyes on Ghost. The catboy was being his usual divinely innocent self, not getting up to anything particularly controversial, and considered the new boy carefully when he was ushered closer by Charlotte with an explanation of poor vision. Zack couldn't help but think the brown iris suited the kit's complexion best, but the green was so stunningly beautiful it was a blessing. He could relate. Unaware that he was the first person not to have any real outward sign of the ordeal the diminutive neko had suffered, his greeting was unmarred by the scent of sympathy. This was more than surprising to Ghost, and very welcome. After a few nightmares he still suffered through diapers at night, and being treated maturely made him feel an awful lot better about himself in a way he hadn't realised he needed. The catboy tempered his reaction, suppressing the desire to give immediate hugs and going for what he hoped was a more friendly head rub at the hand that reached down to stroke his hair. Ghost could detect the fear laced through Zack, and though he didn't understand it, wanted to avoid making it worse.

"You're gorgeous, aren't you? Wow, that eye is amazing!"

Finn grinned, kneeling down by the two and taking Ghost's hand. "He was in the kitten farm. Char saved him, we've been fattening him up a bit. Given what he's been through he's amazingly relaxed."

Jinx, who could detect the bigger boy's unease, had noted the nervous glances and didn't want to push the situation so slipped off to the playroom for a snooze. She was feeling a little nauseous this morning anyway and a lie down was probably what she needed, though was a tiny bit frustrated too. She was adorable, not scary, everyone knew that.

Charlotte left the boys for a while, it was still a bit early. They spent a few hours chatting about Ghost and Jinx, Zack happy to listen to Finn wax lyrical on his love of neko and everything he'd learned from his sister. Finn looked so cute when fresh from bed, he thought, glad the teen seemed to find no shame in nightwear. It seemed odd, but he'd ended up claiming to sleep nude when he lived in the city; all his classmates seemed to think pyjamas were childish. Zack didn't really follow that one, since most admitted their fathers wore them, and thought the teen's light blue ones looked quite comfy. He ended up describing Valentine, his cousin's lupo, and was surprised by a blushing admission that Finn was familiar and had gotten in a 'bit of trouble' with Charlotte for petting the golden-eyed wolfboy.

"By the way you're rubbing your butt, sounds like the same kind of trouble I'm usually in."

Finn grinned incorrigibly, hazel eyes peering through messy hair. Usually a reference to spanking in normal conversation would have him cringing, sure whoever he was talking to would notice he was fascinated by the idea somehow, but Zack's open admission just made him smile.

"You should probably run a mile you know. Bet I'm as good as Chloë at dragging people into trouble."

"Yeah, bet you're a lot of fun along the way though." Zack instantly regretted saying that. It was too much - he was so desperate just to make friends, never mind anything else, and if he kept saying stuff like that he'd scare Finn off. The two stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, both searching for safe words that would pull them back from the precipice of the unknown, before Charlotte breezed in to make breakfast.

"We're going to have to pop to the home quickly this morning Finn. The Powers that Be need a signature from both of us and our foster father over your change of address." Seeing fear in her brother's eyes, she added, "Jeremy, Lucy and Michael will all be there too, they miss you kid." Charlotte knew full well that the presence of those three would put Finn's mind at rest a bit. "Will you be OK here alone Zack? Help yourself to anything you like, we won't be long."

Zack nodded his agreement, and joined in the morning meal. No one was too overly concerned that Jinx missed it.