Of Mice and Men Ch.06

Surprise!

;) Final chapter

~~~~~~~~~~~


“Is that the last of it?” Carey asked, as Ethan set the box down.

“Yep. I didn’t have much, and that’s all I wanted,” he said, staring at their new house. Since he had started his therapy, he had gotten a job. It paid well, and wasn’t too hard. Carey was looking, but he still had a hard time being outside for that long. But he had been making good progress. Since he no longer needed to be in the program for infected people, he had decided to move out. Trish wasn’t happy about it, and made sure to threaten Ethan a few times before they left, but overall she was happy with the move.

The small house was barely big enough for the two of them, but it was in good shape. Two bedrooms and two baths. They had yet to decide what the second bedroom would be, it wasn’t like either of them had any guests to need a guest room.

They had spent the last two days packing everything up, and walking it over to their new house (since they spent every last dime on the place). Ethan sighed and sat down.

“Still feeling a little run down?” Carey asked, putting a hand on Ethan’s forehead.

“Yeah, I think I have a cold or something,” he mumbled.

“Why don’t you go lay down and I’ll make you some lunch, huh?” Carey smiled. Ethan smiled back, weakly.

“That sounds awesome. Thanks, babe.” Ethan kissed him, and then headed upstairs. They hadn’t completely unpacked, but they made sure the bedroom was set up. He fell onto the bed, and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ethan had been getting worse and worse. Carey took his temperature for the third time that day, watching it carefully to make sure it didn’t get any higher.

“Ethan, you have a temperature of 102,” Carey said, worried.

“It’s just a cold,” he mumbled, mind hazed with sickness and drugs.

“This isn’t just a cold, Ethan,” Carey whispered. Ethan stared at him, curiously.

“What do you think it is?” he asked. Carey shook his head and left the room. “Just get some rest,” he threw over his shoulder as he left. Ethan felt like crap. He had for days now. He quickly filled the sheets with sweat as he twisted and turned, trying to get comfortable. He knew he should go to the hospital, but he didn’t want to make Carey go. He knew the man was still terrified of doctors and hospitals. He didn’t want to put him in that situation, especially since he hadn’t really been in one since he was released from the lab. Carey returned shortly to wash away Ethan’s sweat with a cool rag. His eyes were red and it was obvious he had been crying. Ethan took his hand.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Ethan asked. Carey looked down at the bed.

“You won't go to the hospital because of me,” Carey replied. Ethan swallowed. Apparently he wasn’t very good at hiding his thoughts.

“I don’t want you to have to go somewhere you’re scared of. Especially if you’re not ready,” Ethan said, voice filled with exhaustion.

“You shouldn’t put that off just for me,” Carey mumbled. “What if you’re really sick?” he asked.

“I’m fine. It’s just a little fever. Some NyQuil and it will go down.” He leaned back against the pillows.

“Ethan...” Carey said, worried.

“If you’re really worried, I can go to the hospital by myself,” Ethan said.

“And how would you get there?” Carey crossed his arms. Ethan hadn’t thought about that.

“I’ll be fine, Carey. I just need to sleep a little,” he mumbled, eyes heavy.

“I’m really worried,” Carey said, tears filling his eyes again. Ethan stroked his cheek.

“I know, but don’t be. I’ll be-” Ethan was cut off mid sentence as he turned and vomited onto the floor.

“Ethan!” Carey crawled onto the bed and held Ethan as he finished throwing up what little food Carey had forced him to eat.

“I’m ok,” he mumbled, as he wiped his mouth. Carey stroked his hair as he panted from exhaustion.

“You’re not okay,” Carey replied, as he pulled the blankets over Ethan, trying to get him to sleep. But before he could settle in, Ethan shoved them off.

“I‘m cold,” he mumbled.

“Okay...” Carey whispered. “I...I need to go look at something real fast, I’ll be right back.” Carey jogged downstairs and rummaged through the unpacked boxes belonging to him. He pulled out an old, torn and stained folder. He leafed through it quickly, ignoring the several pictures of him on lab tables, passed out cold from drugs.  “Symptoms...” he mumbled, as he found the page he was searching for.

‘Subject experienced high fevers, followed by organ failure, and then finally his transformation set in. If not for the care of the facility, subject wouldn’t have made it through the change.’ The note was scribbled in sloppy doctors writing in a box labeled ‘symptoms’.

“Organ failure.” Carey remembered the symptoms well. He had turned yellow, the result of his liver failing. His joints had been swollen and he could hardly keep any food down. He felt like he was dying, which he probably was. He set the folder down and jogged back up the steps quickly, watching over Ethan as he slept feverishly. His stomach was swollen, which Carey knew to be another sign of liver failure, and his skin was already taking of the faint yellow color Carey hadn’t noticed before. “Fuck.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Carey?” Ethan mumbled, as the paramedics wheeled him into the ambulance.

“Shhh... it’ll be okay,” Carey soothed, visibly shaking at all the medical equipment around him.

“What are you doing?” he moaned, weakly fighting off the paramedics.

“Stop. Ethan, you’re sick you... you need to go to the hospital.” Ethan was in no condition to take the news.

“But you-”

“You can’t worry about me right now. You’re really sick. We need to go now. I’ll be waiting there for you,” Carey said. “They probably won't let me see you, but just know I’ll be there, okay?” Carey said, heart pounding in his chest at the thought of stepping foot in the hospital. Ethan was going to say something but passed out instead.

Carey spent the next several days in the hospital. After the second day, he stopped jumping or cringing every time a member of the staff went by. By the third he was able to walk around without having a panic attack. As scared as he was, he refused to go home. He wanted to be there the second they let him see Ethan.

“Can I see him, today?” Carey asked the same question every day, and everyday he was given the same answer.

“Maybe tomorrow,” the nurse responded, once again. Carey slouched in his seat and continued flipping through an outdated magazine that was meant to keep people busy. He sighed. They had told him he had been right in his assumption, Ethan was infected. But that was all they would tell him. As the nurse watched his face fall at the news he couldn’t see his boyfriend, she took pity on him and glanced around. “Maybe, just a short visit,” she winked. Carey jumped up and smiled, before hugging her roughly. She led him down the hall, and opened the door. Carey, from experience, knew what to expect. But it was still shocking. He was hooked up to many machines, all doing the jobs his organs should be doing.

“Is he getting any better?” Carey asked.

“Yes. As I’m sure you know, when his mutations begin to set in, his symptoms will begin to vanish. Until they’re completely gone,” the nurse explained.

“I know,” Carey said.

“Some of his mutations have already started,” she said, moving Ethan’s hair aside to show two small bumps.

“What are they?” he asked, brushing them with his fingers.

“We’re not really sure yet,” she mumbled. “But he is growing some fur, so it’s some sort of Mammal,” she smiled. “I think you two will be cute together, whatever he is.” Carey blushed.

“Thank you,” Carey said, as she led him out of the room. Saying his last goodbye to Ethan in a long time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another week passed before Ethan was taken off of the many many machines. He had been getting some color back in his skin, and since the machines were gone, they let Carey sit with him through visiting hours. Each day sparked new changes, and it was becoming fairly clear what he was becoming. But none the less, the nurses took a fur sample (part of the ample amount of reddish-brown coat that had nearly covered his body) and tested him, coming up with a White Tailed Deer hybrid. Carey watched, as day by day his antlers grew, and his fur became thicker and more full.  Soon, it was only the doctors and their drugs that were keeping him under that saving him from the pain of the transformation, which Carey still remembered all too well.

“We were going to wake him up today. It seems his transformation is mostly done. He still has a fever, but that should disappear too, in the next few days,” the doctor said, looking at a clipboard. “I usually have to give this big long speech to family and friends about how they’re the same person blah blah blah, but you seem to have a hold of that aspect of it.” The doctor smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling in a friendly way.

“Yeah. I’m all set there.” Carey squeezed his tail nervously. While Ethan had been out, he couldn’t help but pick up the nervous habit again. “How long will it take for him to wake up?”

“It shouldn’t take long. We use a special drug for infected patients. Maybe half an hour or so?” the doctor guessed. Carey thanked him. “Oh and, I’m not sure what your transformation was like, but he’s definitely going to need someone to be there for him,” he said hesitantly.

“I know. I’ll be here for him.” Carey placed a hand on Ethan’s feverish one.

“Good. I’ll leave you two to it, then.” He smiled, and hung the clipboard from the bed.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Carey replied. The doctor had been so nice to him over the past week. He had made sure Carey left and got food when he would forget to eat, he would let Carey stay in the room with Ethan a little past visiting hours, and made sure he got lots of rest. He was very nice. But for now, all Carey could do was wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ethan moaned as he began to wake up, tossing his head to the side. Carey was sure he still had a huge headache. He remembered how his head felt like it was going to cave in after he transformed. He couldn’t imagine how painful those antlers must be.

“Carey?” he moaned.

“Ethan...” Carey stood from his seat and walked over to the bed.

“Where am I?” he mumbled.

“The hospital,” Carey explained. He finally opened his eyes and stared at Carey.

“Baby, you’re in a hospital,” he said, stunned. Carey nodded with a smile.

“You needed me,” he whispered. Ethan smiled.

“I’m proud of you.” He took Carey’s hands in his. “What was wrong with me?” He turned his attention back to the reason he was in the hospital.

“Well...” Carey pulled his chair closer to the bed and sat down.

“What? Am I okay?” Ethan began to get worried.

“Yes. yes! You’re fine. You’re not dying or anything,” Carey laughed nervously. Ethan sighed and smiled.

“All my limbs are intact, then?” he laughed.

“Yep. All your limbs... and a few more,” he mumbled the last part.

“What?” Ethan frowned, thinking he hadn’t heard him correctly.

“Ethan, you know I’ll always love you. This doesn’t change anything,” Carey said. Ethan stared at him.

“What’s wrong with me, Carey?” he asked. Carey swallowed.

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” he answered, honestly.

“You’re lying to me. Carey why are you lying to me?” He began to panic. “What’s wrong?” he asked, as Carey began to cry.

“Ethan, please just calm down,” Carey said, holding his hand tight. At the comforting presence of Carey’s hand, he took a few deep breaths and began to calm down.

“Carey, please, just tell me what’s going on,” he said. Carey took a deep breath.

“You had a fever, and your organs started failing,” Carey began. “I knew what it was, I just didn’t think... fuck,” Carey swore and put his head in his hands.

“Carey, please...” Ethan begged. Carey took his hand, and slowly moved it up to the top of his head, letting him feel the medium sized velvet antlers growing from his skull. He went pale and tried to get out of the bed, landing on his new hooves. He nearly fell, being caught by Carey who could barely hold him up. Carey set him back in the bed.

“Okay, okay. Just hold on.” Carey, said and hurried to the bathroom, grabbing a small handheld mirror. He handed it to Ethan hesitantly. As soon as he saw his reflection, he began to cry. “Ethan, it’s okay,” Carey soothed, putting a hand on his back.

“Don’t touch me!” he snapped, and slapped Carey’s hand away. Carey held his hand to his chest like he had been bitten. It didn’t really hurt, not physically anyways. “This isn’t happening. This is just a n-n-nightmare. I just need to wake up. Please wake up, please.” Ethan slid deeper into the pillows.

“I still love you,” Carey whispered.

“I don’t want this! I can’t be like this!” He held his ears, now longer and furred.

“Why? There’s nothing wrong with you, Ethan. I think you look great,” he murmured, holding onto his tail.

“Tail... tail!?” he sat up. His hooves kicking under the covers, using the bed to support himself as he turned and looked over his shoulder at the mirror, seeing the small tail dangling just above his ass. “Fuck... I have a tail, what the fuck?!” he screamed. He pulled the mirror back and chucked it at a wall, making Carey flinch.

“Ethan please, just calm down. You shouldn’t be exerting yourself,” Carey said, afraid to approach his boyfriend.

“God, this can’t happen to me. I can’t be like this. I’m disgusting.” He held his antlers in his fists, tugging at the solid velvet covered growths. Carey stared at him silently.

“Is that what you think?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Do you think I’m disgusting?” Tears fell from his eyes.

“I’m not talking about you, Carey!” Ethan shouted at him.

“So what? Infected are okay, as long as you aren’t one? Is that it?” Carey snapped. “It’s all fine until they get too close to home, right?” he yelled.

“Yes! Okay?! Yes! I have no problem with you or anyone else but I don’t want any of this!” he shouted.

“Fuck you, Ethan,” Carey stormed out of the hospital room.

He didn’t feel like walking all the way home, so he grabbed a cab, throwing the cabbie a fair tip before walking inside the house. He had finished unpacking while Ethan was in the hospital, trying to keep himself busy when he couldn’t sit with him in the room. He walked up to their room, and crawled into their bed. He stripped naked under the covers and curled up in the comfort of the pillows. Before he could even think about what had happened, he was asleep.

He was woken a while later, by the sound of the bedroom door opening. He knew who it was instantly, by the soft sound of hooves clicking on the hardwood floors. Instead of looking up at Ethan, he stayed curled up in bed, pretending to be asleep. But Ethan knew otherwise.

“I’m sorry, Carey. Please don’t be mad at me,” he whispered.

“How did you know I was awake,” he asked, bitterly.

“I guess these new ears come with new hearing. It’s kind of throwing me off,” he mumbled. Carey turned onto his back in the bed and stared at Ethan in the doorway. “I’m sorry about what I said. It wasn’t true.”

“Yes it was,” Carey stated. That was what hurt the most. That he knew it was true, but neither of them wanted it to be.

“Maybe. But I’ll get over it,” Ethan smiled.

“This isn’t funny, Ethan. This isn’t something you just take a pill for and it goes away. You’re going to be like this forever and if you can’t-” his voice cracked as he took a deep breath. “If you can’t learn to at least... at least accept it.” Carey sighed. “I don’t want to lose you,” he admitted.

“Lose me? Carey, what do you think I would do to myself?” he asked. Carey shook his head as the tears fell from his eyes.

“I’ve known more than one infected who just couldn’t handle it and-” he just sighed and gave up trying to talk.

“Carey, listen to me.” Ethan sat down on the bed. “I love you, and that’s all I need. I can... I can learn to deal with this, if I have you.” He smiled. Carey smiled back and hugged Ethan. “Do I have to sleep on the couch?” he pouted. Carey laughed and shook his head. “Good, I have no idea what these antlers would do to the upholstery.”

“Hey, watch those things. I could lose an eye,” he laughed and kissed Ethan.

“You really don’t mind? All of this I mean.” He looked down at his soft brown fur, with white fur covering his chest and the bottom of his tail.

“No, I don’t mind. In fact, I kind of like it.” He brushed his fingers through the fur. “Your ears are soft.” He touched Ethan’s ears, making him moan.

“Now I know why you like that so much,” he sighed, leaning into Carey’s touch.

“I didn’t think they would be soft,” Carey touched the medium sized antlers on his head. “I wonder why you became a deer?” he asked, while trailing his hands over Ethan’s body.

“I went hunting with my dad once. Key word being once. I never was one for the ‘sport’,” Ethan mumbled, snuggling in with Carey. “Go figure, right?”

“Ugh, hooves suck,” he grumbled, kicking them under the covers.

“You’ll get used to them,” he kissed Ethan gently.

“I suppose,” he yawned, as his eyes began to close.

“They let you out of the hospital already?” Carey asked.

“Yeah. They said since the symptoms fall away so fast,  I was fine to go home,” he mumbled, already falling asleep.

“Good...” Carey mumbled. “I’m glad to have you home,” he smiled to himself, as he drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Fuck!” Ethan swore, as he slipped for the thousandth time.

“Okay, note to self, get carpeting.” Carey handed him a cup of coffee.

“Please,” he mumbled.

“We can go shopping today for some rugs until we can get the floors redone,” Carey said. Ethan sighed.

“It’s just so weird to think of this as a long term thing.” He accepted the steaming cup of coffee. “How did you handle this?” Ethan looked up at Carey.

“My situation was a little bit different,” Carey laughed. “I mean, I was kind of locked in a lab with a bunch of scientists poking and prodding me,” he said.

“Right...” he mumbled. “How do you deal with all the sounds? I don’t know how good your hearing is compared to mine, but I have a massive headache,” he groaned.

“Here.” Carey walked to a drawer in the kitchen, and pulled out earplugs. “Just wear them when it gets too much, I still have to use them sometimes,” he smiled. Ethan shoved them into his ears and shrugged, thanking Carey. He sat down, and was silent for a long time before Carey noticed he was staring at his reflection in one of the glass cupboard doors. “Ethan?” he whispered, snapping Ethan out of his reverie.

“Sorry, spaced out,” he said, looking down at his coffee.

“Are you okay? I know it can be a lot to take in... I... when I first changed...” Carey sat down and took a deep breath. “I got a hold of a scalpel and tried to cut off my tail.” Carey grabbed the long extremity and showed Ethan a thick scar near the base. “They wrestled it away from me before I could do too much damage, but I’ve always regretted it. You really do get used to it, Ethan. Look on the bright side of things, okay?” Carey smiled, blinking his large innocent eyes. Ethan stared at him, before giving him a kiss.

“Thank you for helping me through this. I’m sorry I fought with you,” he said. Carey nodded.

“It’s okay. I knew you wouldn’t take it that well, I was prepared.” Carey smiled, sickly. Ethan stood and put his empty cup in the sink, but not before falling on his face on the way back to the table.

“So... rugs?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After spending a LOT of cash on rugs, they managed to form a makeshift pathway throughout the whole house. He would still need to step on hardwood floors for some things, but to get around he was safe from the dreaded hardwood and tile flooring.

“Better?” Carey asked, as Ethan walked around. Instead of his knees reversing, his ankles had grown slightly, to support his weight on his new hooves.

“Much,” Ethan smiled. “Can I ask you something?” he asked. He seemed to be in a sour mood since they had returned home. Carey nodded. “How do you deal with all of the stares,” he asked. To be honest, Carey hadn’t noticed anyone staring, but after so long, he had learned to ignore it.  It didn’t even phase him anymore.

“You kind of just forget about them,” Carey said. “It helped when I met you, and you took me outside. Because I knew I had you, and you weren’t staring.” Carey leaned up against Ethan’s chest. Since he had gotten out of the hospital the night before, he had taken to not wearing shirts, same as Carey. He agreed that it bothered the reddish-brown fur that covered his body. He had more fur than Carey, it covered his back and his arms all the way down to his hands where it finally thinned out. The brown fur continued around his shoulders and down his chest, stopping mid stomach, where it was replaced with the white fur that was the sure sign of a white tailed deer. His legs were covered for the most part too, stopping just above his hooves.

“I’m definitely glad you don’t stare. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you,” Ethan held his hands.

“You’ll always have me.” Carey kissed him. “Shit,” he cursed suddenly. “We forgot dinner. And I don’t wanna cook,” Carey pouted. Ethan hesitated.

“Then let's go out to eat,” Ethan swallowed.

“Are you sure? You won't be uncomfortable?” he asked.

“No, I know this great chinese food place too,” Ethan smiled.

“Okay... if you’re sure.” Carey obviously wanted to go, but was concerned about Ethan.

“I’m sure!” Ethan lied, and pushed him out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The restaurant was mostly empty, which made both of them happy.

“You know, we have to make friends eventually. We can’t just be that weird couple who don’t talk to anyone,” Carey laughed. Ethan chuckled as they ordered, the waitress was a thin woman covered in black stripes and orange fur.

“See, Infected people are everywhere. Like you said to me, things aren’t how they used to be. People are a lot more accepting and tolerant of us now,” Carey said, once the waitress had left.

“Us. I have to admit it still sounds weird,” he laughed.

“You’ll get used to it. I have to use the bathroom,” Carey excused himself and found the bathroom on his own. On his way back, he was looking down at the carpet when he ran into somebody, falling backwards. “Oh... sorry,” he mumbled, as a hand dropped down to help him up.

“No problem, I wasn’t paying attention either,” the voice said. Carey looked up as he recognized it.

“Mike...” he said, shocked. Mike frowned.

“Have we met?” he asked.

“Oh, it’s the little mouse boy! With Ethan!” Tony poked his head out from behind his taller boyfriend.

“Oh! Yeah... it’s...” Mike snapped his fingers, trying to remember.

“Carey, hi.” He smiled.

“What are you doing here?” Tony asked.

“Ethan and I are here for dinner,” Carey said, pointing to the only other person in the restaurant.

“Where, I only see that infected-- holy shit it’s Ethan.” The last four words poured out of his mouth faster than Carey could understand him. Ethan still stared down at the mat showing the different chinese new year animals, so he hadn’t seen them yet.

“Oh, yeah. He just changed a few nights ago. He’s still kind of shaken up about it,” Carey said. Before anyone could say anything to Ethan, Carey added, “w-would you guys like to j-join us?” His stutter came out, as Chris showed up just in time to hear the news about Ethan. He was still nervous around people.

“Well...” Mike hesitated, trying to think up an excuse.

“Sure,” Tony smiled.

“Tony-”

“Do me a favor Mike, and go get that little bag out of the car with your balls in it. I forgot it.” Tony snapped, before walking over and sitting next to Ethan with a smile.

“You got served.” Chris rolled his eyes and walked over to the table, sitting across from Carey’s spot.

“You’re welcome to join us too, Mike. He really has changed.” Carey smiled nervously, before going to sit next to his smiling boyfriend.

“-Exactly what you needed to get your head on straight.” Carey caught the last of Tony’s sentence as he sat down. Ethan laughed.

“Yeah, it probably was. Carey was a big help too,” he smiled as his boyfriend sat down. Carey smiled too. Everyone watched as Mike pulled over a chair at the end of their booth, sitting with a sigh. “Hey, Mike,” Ethan smiled. Mike stared at him for a second before holding out his hand.

“What’s up man?” he smiled as Ethan took his hand in their ‘secret handshake’.

“Oh you know. Antlers,” he pointed to his head, where his antlers had nearly doubled in size. Carey couldn’t decide if he was happy to see his old friends, or nervous. Or both.

“I see that. Look at that peach fuzz going on there.” Mike reached up and played with the velvet covered antlers.

“Hey,” Ethan chuckled, swatting his hand away.

“Hooves, too,” Chris pointed out, under the table.

“Well, you look like ten times less-ugly than you did before,” Mike joked. Ethan laughed and hit him playfully, across the table.

“Boys. Don’t make me turn this restaurant around,” Chris warned. The two ignored him, and Tony, as they tried to stop their mini war. Before anyone could do anything, Ethan filled a spoon with soy sauce, and flicked it at Mike. Instead of landing on his opponent, Carey’s perfect white fur was stained with the liquid. Everyone went silent, biting their lips nervously, as the liquid dripped from his ears.

“Oh it is on now,” Carey gave an evil smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Ethan kissed his sleeping lover as he climbed over his body, mindful of his hooves, and headed into the bathroom. He yawned as he turned on the light and looked in the mirror. In the past month he had grown accustomed to his appearance. He had even begun to get used to his hooves. As he looked in the mirror, he noticed his antlers beginning to peel. He shrugged and stepped into the showers, hooves making a distinct noise on the shower floor. He turned the water on high as he began washing his chest and arms. He was washing his hair, moving up to his antlers, when he felt several scraps of velvet dangling from them. He scrubbed harder, and soon his antlers were only half covered in velvet. He looked at the hard bone that now replaced the soft velvet.

“What’s up with your antlers?” Carey asked, mouthful of toast as Ethan walked downstairs.

“I don’t know, is this normal?” he asked, picking off another chunk of velvet.

“Google it,” Carey offered. Ethan raised an eyebrow. “What? How else are you supposed to learn about your species?” Carey asked. “I’m a lab rat. I know everything about me. Google that shit,” Carey shouted, pointing to his laptop. Ethan rolled his eyes and picked up the blue machine, turning it on and typing quickly.

“Apparently it is. It says male deer shed their velvet and its replaced with the hard bone underneath, just before mating season,” Ethan mumbled.

“Huh. Come on, we’re gonna be late,” Carey said.

“Where are we going again?” Ethan frowned, shutting the laptop.

“Tony’s birthday party. Mike threw him a surprise party, remember?” Carey said, “I already called a cab. Stop that,” Carey slapped Ethan’s hand away from his antler as he picked off the velvet.

“It’s annoying,” he mumbled, and let his hands fall lazily to his sides.

“You’re annoying,” Carey stuck his tongue out and ran, giggling, as Ethan chased him out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The party was booming when they arrived. It was more than a small get together, the room was crowded with friends of Mike, Tony, and Chris. Friends from class and from the dorms gathered round and alcohol was in everyone’s hands. Carey was forced to refuse a drink multiple times, from multiple people. Even Ethan had decided to stay sober so Carey wouldn’t be left in the dark, though it did look fun. Ethan smiled as he convinced Carey to dance, bringing him to the middle of the bar’s dance floor. The music throbbed in their ears, making Carey twitch when the music would hit a high whining note. But soon, the blush faded from his cheeks as he was swarmed by Ethan and the music.

As Carey began to relax and have fun, more and more men began to take notice of his thin body. Mike had introduced them to the couple, but the names were long forgotten in a mix of alcohol and thumping music. Ethan watched as several men migrated closer to Carey, he felt his heart rate increase as they smiled at him with lust in their eyes. He glared, and pulled Carey closer. The anger boiling inside Ethan went unnoticed by the smaller man, who had long since drowned in the music of the bar. Ethan began to relax again, once Carey was close to him. But, it was short lived, as the men moved in closer once more. Ethan’s anger sparked when he watched one of the men run his hand up Carey’s side. Carey immediately stopped dancing, realizing it wasn’t Ethan touching him.

“Hey, you want to get out of here?” the man asked.

“Oh, uh, sorry. I’m actually with-” Ethan interrupted Carey, by shoving the man who had touched him.

“Back off!” he snapped, stepping in front of his white-furred boyfriend.

“What the fuck?” the man swore, as he backed up.

“Ethan!” Carey shouted, surprised at the sudden burst of anger.

“What the hell are you doing?” Mike ran up, quickly recognizing the problem. Ethan refused to turn his glare from the man who had touched Carey’s side.

“Fuck you man, I don’t see your name on him.” The man stepped up to Ethan, ignoring Mike and Carey as they tried to separate the two.

“Let’s go, Carey,” Ethan said, taking Carey’s arm.

“Ethan, what is wrong with you?” Carey asked, as Ethan dragged him out of the bar.

“We’re going home,” Ethan grunted, not saying anything more. Luckily the bar they had chosen was only a block away from their home, and they were there in no time. Before Carey could even open the door and get a breath in to yell at Ethan, he was up against the wall as Ethan tore his clothes off.

“I don’t think so, if you think you’re getting anything after what you just-” Carey was silenced as Ethan kissed him passionately. “Maybe just a little something,” he mumbled, as Ethan continued to strip him. Before the front door was even closed, he hoisted Carey over his shoulder, and carried him into the bedroom.

“What has gotten into you?” Carey laughed, as Ethan put him on the bed. He tore off his shirt, ripping off several buttons and enjoying the feeling of his fur being free of the confining cloth. Carey moaned as Ethan fell over him, and began biting and nibbling at his neck. With one large hand, he pinned Carey’s wrists above his head, and used his other hand to begin to stroke his cock. Carey moaned as Ethan abandoned his cock and pushed his legs up to his shoulders. He sucked two fingers into his mouth, before shoving them roughly into Carey’s ass. Carey gasped, as Ethan scissored his fingers quickly, stretching him open, before reaching over and grabbing the tube of lube they kept in the bedside table. He poured a large glob onto Carey’s opening, and threw the tube aside. He spread it in and around his hole, before lubing up his cock with what was left. He lined up his cock, and pushed it in all in one thrust. Carey cried out as he was filled. His cock exploded over his chest, a few shots reaching his face. He moaned as Ethan began pumping in and out of his ass, hitting his prostate several times.

Ethan nipped at Carey’s neck harder, marking him with hickeys from his jaw to his shoulder. Carey was hard again in no time, but his orgasm was farther away now. As Ethan fucked him harder, the room was full of the slapping sound of sex. He grunted heavily over Carey, licking and sucking his chest and upper body. He used a hand to stroke Carey’s cock. As Carey was building towards his second orgasm, Ethan was finally reaching his first. As he brutally pounded Carey’s ass, he came. He bit down on Carey’s shoulder, filling his ass with cum. As he felt Ethan fill him, Carey came again. Only a few shots of seed came out this time, but it was enough to cover his lower stomach.

Ethan collapsed. He felt his stomach stick to Carey’s as his cum sealed them together. Carey’s legs fell around Ethan, as he collapsed in a crumpled heap under his lover.

“Shit. Carey, I’m so sorry. I-I don’t know what happened to me,” Ethan said, through his gasps and pants. “Are you okay?” he asked. Carey nodded, mind numb and ass sore.

“God that hurt,” he murmured, as he stretched his back. “But I liked it.” He blushed as he looked at his cum covered body.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Ethan asked again, as he stumbled into the bathroom, legs weak and his head clouded.

“Ethan, I’m okay. I’m not made of glass,” Carey said, as he took the wet rag from Ethan and washed his boyfriends body lovingly. When he was done, Ethan took it from him and wiped the cum and lube from Carey. As he fell back into bed, exhausted, Carey rested his head on his chest, before either could say anything they were asleep.


~~~~~~~~~~~
“You went into rut,” Carey said, as he continued to search online. “We probably should have finished reading that article last night,” he chuckled.

“Rut?” Ethan asked, sitting down at the table.

“Yeah. It’s mating season for bucks, basically. They fight each other for mates and when they finally get to them...” Carey stretched and sighed. “well, I think last night was a good example of that,” Carey smiled, softly. A blush filled his face as he felt his cock hardening in his jeans at the thought about how rough Ethan had been the night before. It had been a long time since Carey had even thought about sex, before Ethan came along. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about his lovers dick.

“So uh... how long does this rut thing last?” Ethan smiled. Carey looked up.

“Well, it’s hard to say since, obviously, you’re not a full deer. But their normal length is 1-3 months,” Carey said, innocently. “Are you... still feeling the effects?” he asked, trying to keep the excitement from his voice.

“Maybe just a little,” Ethan said, as he felt his heart pick up speed.

“This is going to be a long and pleasurable three months, isn’t it?” Carey smiled at Ethan’s wicked glare.

“Very pleasurable,” Ethan took him by the wrist and led him upstairs quickly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Early November came faster than either of them could realize. The three months Ethan spent in rut was both enjoyable, and miserable. He would still be pawing at Carey weakly, when they were spent from a long day of lovemaking. But the new side in Ethan, brought out a new side in Carey as well. As he became more comfortable with different things in the bedroom, he became more comfortable outside as well. After a blushing explanation from Carey, Mike and Tony had quickly forgiven Ethan for his sudden outburst at the party. In mid October, Ethan was no longer in rut. As he finally settled down from the three month long sexual high, his antlers fell off. He ran his fingers through his bare head.

“I kind of miss them.” Carey popped up behind him and wrapped his arms around Ethan’s waist.

”I think I do, too.” He laughed.

“They’ll grow back.” Carey ruffled Ethan’s hair as he straightened his tie.

“Man, you should dress up more often. You’re hot.” Ethan laughed as he turned and returned the favor, wrapping his arms around Carey.

“Oh Jesus, I thought we were done with this.” Carey laughed.

“I may be out of rut, but that doesn’t mean I don’t find you sexy as hell.” Ethan bit Carey’s ear. Carey moaned and leaned back into his chest. They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

“That would be Chris, he’s giving us a ride.” Carey smiled.

“Ugh, I swear he’s doing this just to spite me. What a Buck block.” Ethan mumbled.

“A Buck block? You’re an idiot.” Carey laughed, and shoved Ethan away playfully. He opened the door and greeted Chris. “Just a minute, Bambi over here has to find his other shoe.” He rolled his eyes. Ethan stuck his tongue out at the two and disappeared to find the missing shoe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“They’re so cute together.” Carey whispered to Ethan, who shushed him as the couple said their vows. Carey felt tears begin to fall. Ethan looked at him quickly, doing a double take.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to cry.” He whispered, as Carey wiped his tears.

“They’re just so happy, look at them!” Carey pointed to Anthony and Mike as they slipped rings over each others fingers.

“Well, maybe that will be us soon enough.” Ethan smiled, taking Carey’s hand.

“You want to get married?” Carey said, hopefully.

“Not right now, but maybe someday.” Ethan said, and kissed Carey’s temple. The crowd cheered as Mike and Tony kissed, sealing their vows and uniting them forever. People stood and clapped as the couple laughed and smiled, and the party really began.

“I love you, Ethan.” Carey said, as they made their way to the food and the dancing.

“I love you, too.” Ethan hugged him tight. “Come on, we need to take notes for when we get hitched.” He winked, and dragged Carey into the crowd.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~