FIRST THINGS FIRST – ReluctantHero, let me address the biggest problem with your two successive reviews: do not ever tell me that Remus Lupin is unsexy. Remus Lupin is the smartest, sweetest, most misunderstood, and above all sexiest werewolf ever created, and he is my favorite Harry Potter (and one half of my OTP – WolfStar).

Moving on. While I understand your point about judging Keet, I stand by Link's characterization because the absolute most important thing I've tried to communicate in these two stories is that being manipulative is WRONG. I'm not saying that Keet was trying to manipulate Link when he saw Keet's poverty, but I am trying to show that Link is constantly subject to mental conditioning that deprives him of the liberty to think for himself, which is why he always makes his best decisions when he's alone. I'm trying not beat it into your head but I am trying to show this type of manipulative conditioning as realistic, so yes, sometimes it goes unpunished. Not to spoil anything, but (as you pointed out) this story can't exactly end well, which is why I'm planning on a sequel. I never planned for NDIL to be stand-alone because I wanted to tear Pipit's proverbial rug of love out from beneath your feet. So, while in a shallow way I think Pipit meant all of his expressions of love (the muffin room, the ring), he's not a good guy at heart (and he knows it, and feels quite guilty about it). Some people can't help but be manipulative dickheads.

As I hinted to above, you're partly right about the shit hitting the fan, but I don't think it will all end in the way you'd expect. I've been working to build a plot on what I'd already produced without having much of a story in mind, and I think it will come together nicely. Oh, and thank you for the reviews, through which I've gleaned some surprising new insight into my characterization (particularly of Link).

Link blatantly did not register what Zelda had said. He stood before them, gazing at her numbly with his mouth hanging open. Fledge couldn't see the life in his eyes.

"What?" he grunted.

"Link, Pipit is cheating on you… again." Zelda winced, uncertain what to expect from the half-naked boy in front of her, but Link just continued to stare at her. Fledge stepped forward to intervene.

"Are you alright Link?" There was a nod. "Do you remember what we talked about the other night? About the tension you felt between you and Pipit?" Another nod, slightly more hesitant. "Well, Zelda and I have been keeping a close watch on the situation because we don't want you to get hurt, and we found out that Pipit is cheating."

There was a moment of heavy silence, and then Link rubbed his face in exasperation. "Really? Pipit's cheating? Again? So soon after all that shit we went through? Is this a fucking joke?"

Zelda shook her head gravely. "No, we're pretty sure."

He glared at her, and in a few short seconds Fledge saw thousands of emotions flash across his face as he finally processed what they were saying. His muscles tensed, and Fledge felt that Zelda was on edge, ready to take whatever Link threw at her. However, he just continued to stare at her as the pain grew behind his eyes, and a single tear fell onto his cheek.

"I don't believe you," he whispered. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when Link screamed, "I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!" He sunk to his knees, sobbing. Fledge fell after him and took his hands, but Link yanked them away. "How can I believe you?"

"Link," he started soothingly, "I don't know what's going through your mind right now but I want you to know that we're here for you, and we want what's best for you. We thought it would be better to tell you now then to let it continue."

"Why would he do this?" Link asked desperately, his voice cracking. Tears welled in Fledge's eyes as he felt his friend's pain. "I thought we had everything figured out. I thought we would be best friends forever. I thought he loved me."

He pulled off a ring Fledge had never particularly noticed before, a simple silver band, and held it close to his face as his tears flowed. Then, he pressed it into Fledge's hand.

"Who is it with? Who's he getting together with?"

Fledge stood and caught Zelda's eye uncertainly. "We don't know," she lied. "But we think he's with them now. I think it's best that you see it for yourself."

Clenching his jaw, Link stood abruptly, and Fledge saw the change in his eyes as the pain at Pipit's betrayal became anger that fueled Link with a new energy. He charged past them without a word and was on his way to Pipit's dorm room. Fledge trailed behind him with Zelda.

He held the ring Link had given him in his hand, looking at it curiously as they walked in silence. It was inscribed with a series of etched markings that looked like the language of the Sacred Realm and seemed to sparkle as they caught the light. He supposed Pipit had given it to Link as a symbol of his love, and pocketed it so that, when the time came, he could restore it to its proper owner.

In no time at all, they reached Pipit's room. Link froze for a moment outside the door, and Fledge could here Pipit's strong voice emanating from within. He prepared himself mentally for whatever image was awaiting him as Link threw open the door.

Pipit sat at the edge of his bed with his legs spread wide, his trousers around his ankles and his shirt thrown onto the floor. Keet was fully clothed, kneeling before the other boy.

Bracing himself against the bed with one hand, Pipit used the other to hold Keet's head steady as he thrust his cock upwards into the boy's mouth. He groaned carnally as Keet gagged, taking his full length into his throat. When the door opened, however, Pipit froze, staring at them like a deer in headlights, his cheeks flush with interrupted pleasure.

Keet sat up and immediately looked to Fledge, whose hand had jumped to his unrequited arousal at the sight.

The room was deathly quiet.

Then Pipit jumped up, pushing Keet aside roughly and desperately pulling his trousers up in a disastrous attempt to conceal his fully erect arousal. "I can explain," he offered lamely. Fledge could almost hear the cogs in his head working as he attempted to spin a plausible story.

Link said nothing. Fledge couldn't see his face, but he could feel the fury emanating from the boy in waves.

"I-I-I p-promise, this – this isn't what it looks like."

"What does it look like, Pipit?" Link asked, his voice quavering as he held back his anger.

"It's just – we were just – Keet, he – I didn't mean – we," Pipit stammered as he struggled to connect all the pieces together in an explanation. He suddenly turned on Keet. "He forced himself on me! He said he couldn't live without me, and then – and then he threw me back onto the bed like this. You walked in at just the wrong moment."

"That isn't what this looks like," Link intoned.

Pipit stepped towards him. "Link, please – I swear, I can explain all this. Why don't we go somewhere and we can talk all of this over."

Link stepped back. "No. That's over. There's no way you can make up some bullshit to get out of this. There's no way you can play the victim now, Pipit. I may have forgiven you before, but how many times do you think you'll be able to pull the wool over my eyes before I have the sense to notice?"

"No! No, this isn't that," Pipit pleaded desperately. "This is something else, please, just let me talk to you."

"No," answered a sudden and unexpected voice from over Fledge's shoulder, "Why don't you let me talk?"