Egaran Stars - 18. Galen- Introspection

He watched the tiger pushing into Daphne, taking her, filling her. Iason groaned loudly, his hips slapping against the tigress, hands holding Daphne down. The whole scene disturbed Galen, the moans, the soft murmurs, the high growls. The tiger tried to ignore Daphne, focusing more on Iason.

He couldn't. He couldn't watch this. There needed to be another dick there… and less boobs.

Shutting off the video, Galen let out a heavy sigh, heading toward the door. He stepped outside, watching the chelöna swimming down in the waves, its shield-like, boney back making the tiger wonder if anyone had ever ridden one.

Probably not…

Shaking his head at the random thought, he leaned against the house, feeling a cool breeze play over his fur. The day had been long, and he felt tired, but as the sun finally sank below the horizon, Galen knew he was nowhere near sleep.

Themis had assured him Reinard was okay. They would keep nepáta in the house and that would cure the fox's depression. Galen had his doubts about that. Someone who seemed that eager to end themself needed something other than nepáta to cure them.

And despite their animosity, Galen wondered… surely there was some way he could help the fox. Give him something to hold on to. Without the complexity of being lovers with his enemy, preferably.

That was ridiculous. Reinard was not his enemy. Sure, the Faro was a self-centered asshole who insulted him every chance he got, but that was no reason to call him an enemy.

Grunting softly, Galen headed down to the beach, sitting in the wet sand at the water's edge. He needed to figure this out. The Egaro was… definitely attracted to the fox. And he didn't like it. Galen was determined to prove Reinard wrong. He was not a rapist, and he knew how to control himself.

But he still felt wrong somehow. Was he supposed to baby the Faro? Let Reinard say anything, do anything, to keep him happy and alive? That didn't feel right. Sure, he had made a few remarks that probably didn't need to be made. He had gone out of his way to disrobe in front of the Faro… but that was just for swimming. He would have done it in front of anyone. Probably.

The tiger had certainly been out of line telling Reinard he wanted to throw him in the ocean, but he had apologised for that too. Did he need Reinard to accept the apology?

Without a doubt. And it showed Galen… he really cared what the Faro thought of him. For whatever reason, he needed Reinard's approval. But he couldn't just shut off the snarky remarks.

Picking up a stone, the Egaro skipped it out over the waves, every slap of rock on water answered with a bioluminescent ripple. It cheered him up, though only a little. Maybe he needed to look for the light in the dark.

He had fucked his hero. That was certainly a good thing. And Iason had even complimented him. But even for an Egaro, sex wasn't everything. He had a new place to live… for now. Galen knew he would be moving soon enough. As soon as Cassandra was ready to have a roommate again. It was another good thing. He didn't need Reinard's negativity drawing him down. They didn't work together, and Galen just knew they never would either. He needed to get over the fox's looks.

But it wasn't just looks either. It was the insecurity. Reinard seemed scared of his own shadow at times. Not to mention Galen had seen him wearing a dagger to bed. It was ridiculous. What would he need a dagger for? Any robber worth their fur would be carrying a gun.

Shaking his head, the tiger pushed that thought out of his mind. Instead he thought about Reinard, about how he could help the Faro, make him feel less insecure.

He turned on his heel, making his way slowly up to the house. Shutting off the lights, Galen headed to the bedroom, yawning widely. The tiger crawled into bed, his head turning to face the sleeping Faro next to him.

Maybe he needed a distraction. Laying here, watching Reinard sleep… it was not helping him at all. The tiger wondered how Iason would handle this.

"By staying far away from you," he remembered with a grunt.

It was good advice. And he figured Iason knew what he was talking about. The Egaran star had been doing this for years already. Galen would just have to figure out how to follow Iason's advice while having to live with the person he was supposed to avoid.

He heard a sudden whimper, Reinard crying out in his dream. Once again, the odour of urine filled the room, a rapidly growing puddle spreading toward Galen.

Scowling, the tiger stood up again, hurrying to avoid the puddle.

"Reinard!"

The fox shot up, a wordless cry escaping him as he panted. He stared at Galen, horror apparent on his face. A horror that once again turned to an embarrassed whimper, Reinard's ears folding.

"Fuck this. You get to clean the bed this time," Galen growled.

The tiger turned toward the door, trying to conceal the rod that was starting to poke out of his sheathe. He knew he was into urine… but wetting the bed… he couldn't let Reinard know he was turned on by that. The tiger would never hear the end of it.

No… he needed to get out of the house, needed an excuse to leave.

And suddenly he got it. The perfect solution for escaping the house, and a way to ensure this never happened again.

"I'm heading out," the Egaro grunted. "The sheets are in the closet. Enjoy your piss."

He stepped out of the house, calling a boat over. Hopping in, the tiger directed the driver to a store, knowing what he was about to do would piss Reinard off to no end. There was no better way that he could think of though, and he hoped that this would help in the end.