Hey everyone! Gweall and I are at it again with another collaboration. We kinda love working together, if you haven’t noticed. It’s always a lot of fun. If you don’t know who Gweall is, I suggest you go find out.
Important: In case you don’t know who Gweall is, this story is set in a world where a disease has caused some people to develop animal traits. Originally, the ‘infected’ were mistreated and oppressed, but later on gained rights.
Enjoy!
*******
Tucker rolled out of bed with a low growl. He stretched his furred arms high above his head before dropping them and lumbering towards the kitchen for breakfast. He grabbed a semi-clean bowl and filled it with milk and fruit loops. He pushed some stray papers off the table and sat down in one of the rickety chairs that hardly held his weight.
“Man, I really need to get someone in here to clean all of this,” he said out loud. He finished his breakfast and headed for the shower. His large form took up most of the room and the claws on his feet often scratched the bottom of the tub.
Though most of his mass was muscle, a lot of it was fur. He had been a big guy before the mutation, and now he was even bigger. Being mixed with a grizzly bear only increased his furriness and his stature. He stood at probably 6′ 3″ and weighing in at 220 pounds. His body was lined with muscle. The small rounded ears on the top of his head completely contradicted everything else about his body. He had developed the teeth of the large bear, which he wasn’t completely upset about. He stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. After pulling on a pair of jeans and a shirt, he began cleaning up around the house.
He worked as a contractor and was paid surprisingly well. Not to mention he believed in getting by with only what he needed, so he didn’t waste money on lavish things. He could have afforded to hire someone to clean up his small apartment, but he wasn’t that lazy. He picked up the clothes and started the laundry. The dishes were done quickly and he vacuumed up the small amount of hair he did shed. He opened the windows to the small apartment, letting in some air. It smelled like it was about to rain. He stretched and looked around the now clean home. He nodded in satisfaction before closing up the windows, grabbing his wallet and stepping out the door.
The streets were beautiful. They were lined with Infected after Infected, not a human in sight. Not 50 years ago Infected were enslaved and treated lower than animals. Now they were the top dogs. Humans served as slaves, if they were still around. Most had died off or were scurrying about the streets like rats. A few years ago, another outbreak of the virus hit, turning even more of the humans into Infected. This time the virus had mutated, and Infected could reproduce. Their offspring bore resemblance to only one of their parents, usually the Infected. As more and more humans started to dwindle off, Infected began to reign supreme.
Tucker walked down the street, comfortable among his own people. He stopped at a store and stepped inside. The clerk that greeted him was a poodle. Her voice was high pitched and just as annoying as the dog itself. He gave her a friendly smile anyways, before looking through the racks of clothing. In the back of the store there was a section labeled ‘Humans’ He hesitated, before walking over to the few aisles designated for the dying species.
“Do you have one at home?” the poodle clerk asked.
“No, just looking,” Tucker said.
“I hear they make great slaves, hard to find though. Most of them know better than to be outside, especially with the slave catchers around,” she said.
“I guess.” Tucker mumbled. He didn’t really agree with how the Infected treated their human cohabitants. Sure, humans had enslaved them and tortured them for years. But not these humans. The ones who were around when everything had first started were either dead or too old to be any harm. It wasn’t fair to treat this generation of humans like this. In Tucker’s eyes, this made them no better than the humans all that time ago. He picked up a shiny collar and examined it for a moment before putting it down. The clothes in the section were few and far between, but the leashes, collars, gags, and blindfolds were plentiful. He shook his head before walking back to the section labeled ‘Large Mammals’.
He picked out a new jacket, a pair of pants, and a shirt. After ringing up the items, the clerk smiled cheerfully at him and waved goodbye as he walked out of the store. It had started raining when he was inside, but the rain didn’t bother him. He had only been walking for a few minutes when he heard a shout. He turned to see what was going on and felt a light tap against his chest. He heard a small ‘oof’ and looked down to see a thin human staring up at him with wide eyes.
***
Luka fought his way out from under the newspapers he’d been using as a blanket. The rain must have just started and already the papers İstanbul Escort were a soggy mess. He stood and started peeling it away. The ink ran off the paper and added yet another greyish stain to what had once been a white T-shirt. He ran his hand through his hair and immediately regretted it. His blond hair was knotted and disgustingly dirty and greasy.
He sighed and looked around his alley. There had been a time when others shared the spot with him, but they were all long gone and he didn’t know what had happened to them. It was an unspoken thing that all bonds were temporary. They had to be. Still, he’d liked them and he hoped they’d found a nicer place, but he knew that was unlikely. He didn’t even know if there was such a thing anymore.
There was a loud crack above him and one of the gutters broke loose from the building. A stream of water poured down into the alley. Luka went over to it and tried to rinse away some of the grime that he’d acquired.
Once he felt that he was as clean as he was going to get, Luka left the alley. He walked with his head down, eyes focused on the sidewalk. He tried to make himself as small as possible, an easy task considering he was about 5’4″ and rail thin. The last thing he needed was trouble.
After about few minutes of walking, Luka found his destination. He darted into the alley behind Franklin’s Bakery and grabbed the cinder block he kept hidden behind the dumpster. He used it as a step stool and landed with a thud on the pile of trash bags. He reached forward and tore open a bag. After a few seconds of searching, Luka found a donut with pink frosting and sprinkles. There was only one bite taken out of it. Luka silently celebrated and peeled the napkin off his breakfast. He ate quickly so as not to allow the embarrassment of his situation to ruin a good find.
He licked his lips and smiled for the first time in a while. Luka loved sweets and that was the first one he’d had in a long time. He decided to take it as a sign that it was going to be a great day. He stood with new-found confidence and tried to ease himself out of the dumpster. However, the slippery conditions made it hard for him to get out and soon he found himself landing hard on his ass.
He let out a whimper, but didn’t allow himself any more than that. He didn’t want to get caught dumpster diving. At best, that would lead to getting yelled at or maybe a beating. The worst possible outcome would be the police getting involved and possibly going to jail or slave training.
As soon as he had that thought, he heard a shout. He turned in horror and saw a red faced hog hybrid dialing a phone.
“Shit,” he muttered. Luka forced himself to his feet even though he was still sore from his fall. He started to run. A flying projectile struck him on the back of the knee and he fell again, but quickly scrambled to his feet and ran more. His worn sneakers slipped on the wet sidewalk and he stumbled when he lost one, but kept going. He had no destination in mind. All he knew was he couldn’t get caught.
He could feel a cramp starting to form in his side and he coughed a bit, but he didn’t stop running. He turned a corner quickly, hoping that he could make his trail more difficult to follow. He crashed into a solid, fur covered form.
***
Tucker stared down at the thin, blond headed human. He looked so scared and young. Tucker felt immediately protective.
“What are you-” He heard a shout and looked up to see a pair of police officers turn the corner and begin running towards him. The human looked back before scurrying behind Tucker.
It seemed like the human was crying and having some sort of asthma attack. “Please,” he squeaked. “Please help…”
“What are you doing, kid?” Tucker asked, but the police reached him before the human could answer.
“Is that thing yours?” The officer asked, putting emphasis on the word ‘thing’. Tucker looked at the frightened human, who had poked his head out from under his arm, still hiding behind Tucker.
“Uh…” Tucker didn’t know what to say. “Yeah…” All the while his brain screamed at him ‘What the fuck are you doing!?’.
The human seemed only slightly relieved. He still stared at the police with terrified grey eyes and his entire small body was shaking.
One of the officers sneered. “You really should keep that thing on a leash.”
“I’ll take note of that, thanks,” Tucker said, not really interested.
“And clean it up, too. It smells.” One of the officers wrinkled his nose. They both scoffed at the tiny human and turned around, walking back the way they came. Tucker turned around to face the small man.
“What are you doing?” he asked, still not really sure what had just happened.
The human had sunk to his knees and was clutching at his side, trying to catch his breath. “I…was, uh…in the dumpster,” he said between gasps. “I got…got caught.”
“Alright, alright. Just calm down,” Tucker said, the İstanbul Escort Bayan boy was panting hard and was obviously having trouble breathing from his escape. Tucker looked around. Several people were staring and he rolled his large brown eyes. “Come on,” he said, and began walking back to his home.
The small human coughed and followed Tucker, struggling to keep up with the bear hybrid’s long strides. He cleared his throat. “Do I…have to pay?” He cleared his throat again and then softly added, “I don’t have any money.”
“What? No, kid. Just…come on,” Tucker mumbled. He wasn’t really used to talking to other people. He felt awkward and clumsy around the small human.
“Where are you taking me?” the kid asked. He looked around nervously.
“Back to my place. They weren’t joking, you do kind of smell.” Tucker said.
The human blushed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault…” Tucker said, awkwardly. He opened the door to his house and the human hesitated. “Just come in.” The kid scurried inside and looked around the newly cleaned home.
“What now?” the kid asked. He was visibly shaking as he looked around. He finally met Tucker’s eyes, but then he looked away quickly.
“Jesus, what happened to you, kid? Just hop in the shower. I’ll see if I can find you something to wear,” Tucker said.
The kid backed away slowly. He seemed reluctant to turn his back on Tucker, but eventually he had to as he looked for the bathroom. He darted into the room and closed the door quickly.
Tucker watched him go, confused by his skittish nature. He wondered what it was like back when humans were top of the food chain. He shook his head and his thoughts landed on food. He assumed the kid hadn’t eaten in a while and was probably starving, especially if he had been digging through trash. He picked up the phone and was about to dial the number for the nearest pizza place when he realized he didn’t know what the boy would want on his. Without thinking he walked to the bathroom and opened the door, revealing the backside of a naked human. He blushed and looked down as fast as he could.
“I am SO sorry!” he shouted, shutting the door.
Tucker could hear the kid start crying on the other side of the door and he felt guilty. “What do you want?” the human asked, his voice barely audible.
“I’m ordering a pizza…I just didn’t know what you would want. I’m sorry.” Tucker repeated again, mentally kicking himself for just barging in. “I just haven’t really been around anyone in a long time. I’m sorry.”
‘Why do I keep saying I’m sorry, damn it?’ he asked himself. “Sorry…” He couldn’t stop himself from saying it again.
“I…I don’t need anything,” the kid said.
“Come on, kid, you’re starving. You’re as thin as a twig.” Tucker cringed, recalling the brief glimpse of a skeletal frame. “It won’t cost you nothin’ just tell me what you want on it. I’ll eat anything.” Tucker said, still nervous and awkward around the slim boy.
“I just like cheese,” the kid replied.
“Okay, I can do that. Uh, go ahead and wash up…I’m sorry, again. I didn’t mean to….Sorry.” He mumbled, before stepping away from the door. He hesitated and stepped back. “Hey, kid…” He started. “What’s your name?”
“Luka,” the kid replied.
“Nice to meet you, Luka. I’m Tucker.” Tucker said. “You can call me Tuck…if you want.” Tucker said. ‘I never let anyone call me Tuck, why am I saying he can call me Tuck?’ He stared yelling at himself in his mind.
After a period of silence, Luka said, “Thanks.” Tucker heard the water start. He swallowed and went back to the living room to go order the cheese pizza.
~~~~~~~~~~
Luka had to admit the shower was nice. For the first ten minutes, he just stood under the warm water, enjoying how it felt. The water was draining away grey and Luka hadn’t even started scrubbing at his matted blond hair. He looked around and saw a large bottle with a picture of a bear covered in suds. He reached down and grabbed the bottle, wondering if it was alright to use. He sniffed it and it reminded him of the pine trees in the park. He put a dime sized amount in the palm of his hand and started to wash his hair.
He tried to focus on getting clean and not think about the fact that Tucker had walked in on him. Luka was disgusted by his own body. It was usually dirty and covered in bruises. His ribs were starting to poke out and he wasn’t at all muscular.
He started to cry a bit and tried to stop it, but he couldn’t. Soon he was sobbing and watching the dirty water drain away. He hated where he was in life and he was scared. He didn’t know what Tucker wanted from him. No one was ever this nice.
He stopped his tears when the water started to run cold. He turned it off and stepped out, looking for a towel. He grabbed one and started to dry himself off. The towel was huge and soft and he found that he liked the feeling of wrapping up in it. Once he was covered, Escort İstanbul he opened the door just a crack. “Um…Tucker?” he called out. “I’m done.”
“Oh, uh…okay. Hold on.” He heard the grizzly say, in his nervous voice. He heard him rummage around in some drawers and then there was a knock on the door. “Uh…I have some clothes…I don’t think they’ll fit. But it’s all I have for now. I can go buy you something while you eat, if you want.” Tucker said. He opened the door and without coming all the way in, stuck his hand through the small gap.
Luka took the large shirt and put it on. It hung down to the middle of his thigh and one of his bony shoulders stuck out. “Uhm…” He didn’t know what would happen if he asked for clothes. “I think this is OK.” He put on the shorts and did the best he could with the drawstring, but they still hung low on his hips. He slowly opened the door and stepped out, his eyes trained on the ground. He heard Tucker laugh and glanced up quickly.
“Uh, I can go get you something. They’re not that expensive and I won’t use the money for anything else. The pizza is in there. Help yourself. You can have anything I have to drink…I think all I have is water and some milk…But I can pick up something. Just…Uh…stay here…Okay?” Tucker said. He grabbed his wallet and headed towards the door. “I’ll lock the door, to make sure you’re okay…Uh…Cups are up there…Uh…bye,” he mumbled, still shy. His deep voice sounded commanding and strong, but somehow he was almost as meek and embarrassed as Luka was.
Luka got himself a glass of water and started on the pizza. It was delicious and as much as he wanted to stuff the whole thing in his face, he paced himself to avoid making himself sick. He looked around the kitchen and for a moment he felt bad for Tucker. Luka didn’t know much about homes, but this one seemed lonely.
Tucker wasn’t gone long, and he soon came back with two bags in hand. One of them was filled with clothes fit for a human, and the other had two liters of soda, a carton of juice, and a small pack of beers. Tucker put the drinks in the fridge and then picked up the clothes.
“Uh, they didn’t have much. But I got what looked decent. I didn’t know what size you were so I got the smallest they had…I think it will work…” he mumbled, and handed Luka the bag.
Luka accepted the clothes and made an effort to look Tucker in the eye as he said, “Thank you.” He carried the clothes into the bathroom and put them on. The clothes did fit well. He looked at himself in the mirror and combed his hair with his fingers. For the first time, he actually thought he looked almost good. Tucker had made a wise choice with the black shirt and skinny jeans. Luka stepped out of the bathroom. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen next.
“Uh, did you get enough to eat?” Tucker asked, before he even touched the pizza.
Luka nodded. “Yes. Thank you.” He sat down nervously across from Tucker and watched the big bear eat and drink a beer. He was starting to feel a little more comfortable and he thought that maybe Tuck wouldn’t ask anything in return.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was hard to hand the clothes to the small human. Seeing him in his clothes, and after he used his shampoo, he smelled like him. It turned him on to no end. He had never been attracted to other men, but this one drove him crazy. He thought it was best that the younger man put on some clothes that actually fit, otherwise Tuck was worried he would maul him. The young man seemed to be warming up to him quickly. He sat there quietly watching Tucker eat and drink a beer. He didn’t drink that often, but he did like a cool beer every now and then.
“I really appreciate everything,” Luka said. “I can leave whenever you want.”
“You don’t have to rush off, if you don’t want to,” Tucker said. “I have plenty of room…The couch folds out into a bed…if you want to stay there.” The truth was Tucker didn’t want him to leave. He liked having the other man around, even if it was awkward. He also didn’t want him to sleep in a different bed.
Luka glanced at the couch. “If it’s OK with you…I really would like to. At least until the weather gets better. My alley is probably soaked still…”
“Alley? You live in an alley?” Tucker was shocked. Sure, the young man didn’t look the best. But it was still shocking that someone would live in an alley. It was just one of those things you heard about but never faced.
Luka blushed. “Uh…yeah. It’s not so bad though. I mean…well the gutter broke so a lot of water got in it but usually that doesn’t happen because it’s uphill…and it’s got a lot of boxes to sleep on…” Luka stopped trying to defend his home and sighed.
Tucker stared at the man, and couldn’t help but feel his heart ache for him. He wanted to help the boy, but he was so skittish.
“Well, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you like.” Tucker said. “I have no problem with it.” He smiled at Luka.
Luka smiled for a while, but then looked nervous. “I can’t pay rent. There’s not really a lot of work for humans…”
“You don’t need to pay for anything. It’s fine. I don’t spend money that often and it won’t kill me to buy a little extra food.” Tucker smiled.