Author's note: Warning: (non-explicit) sexual situations! N. Gin masturbates. Nefarious walks in on him. Much hilarity and awkwardness ensues. And, of course, more flashbacks and drama. This chapter may make you think both "WTF!?" and "Awww". I cut the ending of this chapter a bit short, because I wanted to put it up as soon as possible and finish the latter ones. Also, kudos to anyone who gets the pun in this chapter's title.

***** Chapter VII: Coitus, Interrupted *****

There was no door to the den, but I had plenty of privacy as I hid in the alcove beside the doorway. My breath shallow and quick, I eagerly slipped my trousers and underpants off, letting them drop to the floor.s

I pressed my behind against the wall. It still felt a little sore, but the cool stone felt soothing on my bare skin.

And so, there, in the dimly lit guest room, I began to take care of my business.

I thought of my sweetheart, Widget. Of her soft, tiny breasts; her smooth rear with the fluffy white tail; the silky, moist feeling of her ... her ...

I shuddered, thrusting my hips forward, letting a moan escape from my lips.

The lips that Nefarious' lips had touched.

No, no. Think more about Widget. Think about the first time we made love inside my battleship. We were both virgins, and when we reached the sweet, sweet climax, it was like an explosion that no rocket I had crafted could ever rival.

No one had known about that. The others teased me because of how hard it was for me to get a date, but I wasn't about to go around boasting that I had given myself to a bandicoot -- in front of anti-bandicoot scientists, no less.

But she was more than just that. Not some animal, but a lovely person. My pretty, pretty Widget.

Tropy was always the pretty one, too. And ... and ... Nefarious looks so much like him. Possibly is him. He had a cruel moment, much like the original N. Tropy always did ... but he also nursed me with such gentleness..

He touched me.

Would Dr. N. Tropy ever touch me ... ?

I shook my head, not believing the untamed thoughts forming in my head. Nevertheless, the mere thought of Tropy touching my butt sent a jolt of pleasure through my body.

Perhaps he would. If only from a spanking.

"Ohhhhh," I moaned, feeling a shiver travel down my spine.

I loved being Widget's man. Nothing made me happier, or more proud. But there was something about the power of someone taller and more sadistic than I that made me want to submit to that foce.

Even if it did frighten me a little.

No more! My mind yelled. Quit fantasizing about these false feelings ... these illusions! Back to Widget, you weak-minded fool! Now, get over your silly schoolboy "crush"! You are supposed to be the only man in your life!

As I came closer to release, the images in my mind grew more explicit and intense. I tried so hard to focus on Widget, but she had to compete with fresh memories of Nefarious.

The authoritative way he pulled my underwear down ... how helpless I felt as he looked at and felt my naked skin ... the ice cube melting and dripping between my buttocks ...

The way he p-pinched and squeezed m-my ... aaaahhh ....

I moved my right hand down behind me and started fondling my bottom. I stroked and squeezed my buttocks.

My heart was thumping hard against my ribcage.

And he licked it, too. So warm and wet. He tasted me. And he liked it a lot.

I traced my finger over the spot that had bled earlier. Then I rubbed gently at my opening with a fingertip.

What if ... Oh, no, I mustn't think of this ... but what if he had licked me here?

"Oh ... Nefarious ..." I whispered aloud, prodding myself, "Yes ... right there."

I stripped off my jacket so that the only clothing I had on was my black tank top. Sweat poured down my thighs. Prepared to finish the job, I faced the alcove. Knees bent, I thrust myself into my palms repeatedly. Unaware of the amount of noise I was making, I recalled flashbacks of being loved by Widget. And of loving her.

"Oh, Widget ... love me ... love me ... oh, yes ... ist ser gut!" I purred, fresh tears rising in my eyes.

"What's that noise? Are you okay, N. Gin?"

I heard Nefarious' voice coming down the hall, but at that moment everything around me became one big insignificant blur.

"Widget, darling! I'm coming!" I whispered, releasing my seed into my hands.

"Gin? What are you doing?"

Even through my loud moaning and panting I could hear him in the doorway. I gasped, and my blood turned to ice.

"Nefarious, now is not a good time," I panted, quickly turning my back to him, pulling my pants back up.

"What are you doing out of bed? I thought you were tired. You look terribly feverish. You're so sweaty, and you sound very ill."

I had nothing to say at that moment.

I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"Are you too hot for your clothes? Maybe you should take a cool bath."

I hid my hands between my legs.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain? Why are your hands over your abdomen? Does your belly hurt, Gin?" He put his arms around me and stroked my trembling hands.

"No, don't look!" I pleaded in a hoarse whisper, but he shushed me and pried my hands away. I bent over, trying to hide the lump.

"Stand up straight, Gin. I'm not trying to tickle you."

I shook my head.

"Are you hiding something from me, love? Let Dr. Nefarious see." He hoisted me up in his arms and set me down in the pile of hay. I kept my knees drawn up to my chest. Nefarious clucked.

"Now, you'll either have to put your legs down, or spread them. Now, be a good lad and do as I say."

He look me straight in the eyes, but I averted his gaze. I gulped again. There was no where left to hide.

"So be it, then, my dear. I'll spread you myself."

Why must everything he says have to sound so ... erotic? I wondered.

I held my breath and closed my eyes. He looked at me.

"Eh? ... I say, why so secretive?" he put his hands on his hips and peered down at me.

"Oh, Gin. You had an accident, didn't you?"

"I guess you could say that," I replied, blushing.

"Take your hands out of your trousers, silly," he patted my elbow, "Come, come, no reason to be ashamed."

Reluctantly, I lifted my hands out of my warm, wet underpants. My fingers glistened with slick, whitish cream.

Nefarious raised an eyebrow. "Hmmmm?"

I looked down at my toes. Nefarious nudged my foot with his own.

"N. Gin, look at me. I'm up here."

But I couldn't meet his gaze. So he knelt down in front of me.

"Were you tickling your fancy?" he asked.

"T-tickle my ... huh?" I was confused.

"Did you touch yourself?" he reiterated.

"Yes," I replied quietly, wiping my hands with a handkerchief I kept in my pocket. I cleared my throat. "I couldn't help it."

Taking a seat, Nefarious told me that in the world of dragons, feelings of copulation only occured between a couple who intended to breed during their mating season. Deliberate self-stimulation was generally considered selfish and wasteful, and therefore it was a sin.

I didn't want to dishearten him with any other disappointing facts about how nothing was sacred to humans, so I told him only a particle of the whole truth.

"It was because of the way you ... handled me," I explained.

"How do you mean?" he puzzled.

"Um ... well ... you were being a little too ... touchy-feely."

"Oh ... Do you not enjoy it when I touch you?"

"No. I mean ... well ... I do like it. It's just that ... when you touch me in a particular area or in a certain way, I get ... a little uncomfortable."

"Did you get excited when I spanked you?" he asked me. I emitted a short, high-pitched nervous giggle.

"Mmm?" he peered at me.

"No, no!" I waved my hands. "I don't get my jollies from pain, if that's what you ... (well, just a little bit)" I trailed off.

"I didn't think so, because you were crying so much," Nefarious recalled. "But what else did I do to make you feel so uncomfortable?"

"Well, for one thing, it's very humiliating for someone to be pantsed like that." I hinted.

"Ah ... I think I understand. You're talking about your ... tail end, I assume?"

I nodded in confirmation.

"I slapped your ... er ... bottom because it seemed like the least fragile place to strike. It just seemed to make sense to me, but ... am I to now believe that that part is, in fact, very sensitive?"

Despite Nefarious' naivete, I found it strange that he knew about spanking so well.

Oh, really? Think again, Gin. Perhaps it's because of what we used to do in junior high ...

I took a deep breath and let the shameful, suppressed memories overtake me.

Being raised in the Academy of Evil, naturally we were all encouraged to torment one another in cruel games of survival. Some of us tripped each other, put explosives in our lockers our under our desks ... even I myself used to throw paper airplanes at people.

But Tropy's method was a little more subtle -- at least it seemed so. He would chase you around until he caught you. Then he'd pin you down -- either against a wall or the ground -- and he'd tickle you: on your belly, under your arms, and wherever else he could reach. He promised that if you didn't laugh he'd let you go. But if you laughed, then he'd pull down your trousers (or, rarely, if you were a girl, lift up your skirt) and spank you until you cried. All the while, the whole school would crowd around to bear witness to this humiliating incident.

Nefarious was kind enough to spare me of this treatment. That is, unless I wouldn't let him copy my physics homework. And, unfortunately for me, I couldn't run very fast and I was very ticklish.

"N. Gin? What's the matter?" Nefarious' words sliced right through my thoughts, "Has something I said upset you?"

And so, although I did not want to venture into that painful area of my mind, I had known all along that no matter how innocently he utilized them, this Nefarious had in fact retained N. Tropy's devious torture tactics.

"I'm fine," I responded, frowning.

"My dear boy, you're not a very good liar," Nefarious smiled kindly. He had reached out put his hand on my cheek, but, frowning, drew it away. For a few moments, we were both silent and unmoving.

Then, acting on an impulse that surprised even me, I threw myself in his arms and hugged him tightly.

"I just wanted you to love me!" I said, my words muffled in his clothing as I buried my face in his chest.

It was actually Dr. N. Tropy that I was confessing this to, but Nefarious was part of him, too. So it couldn't be a totally deceptive statement, right?

Well ... almost.

Nefarious remained immobile, stiffly frozen in either surprise or hesitation. Then his arms wrapped around me warmly, stroking my back.

"I will always love you, dearest Gin," he whispered lovingly, planting a kiss on my crown.

He leaned forward, setting me back down in the haypile. His voice sounded different. And his face. His eyes were ... softer, somehow. And there was a slight flush in his cheeks.

"Ohh ... no ... " I murmured.

Curiously -- and very sweetly -- he stroked my chest. He slipped his thumbs beneath my shirt to lift it up just enough to expose my nipples. He bent down and rested his head on my breast.

He was listening to my heart.

"Your heart is beating fast, like a ticking stopwatch. Are you frightened?"

"Mm-hmm." I uttered.

"Don't be scared," he soothed, nuzzling my chest with his cheek, "I'm right here, protecting you."

I lifted my arm -- hesitated -- and then rested it on Nefarious' head. I lightly stroked his hair. He sighed comfortably.

Moving down to his chin, I stroked the black catfish-like whiskers that grew there.

Nefarious took my hand gingerly, and brought it down to his bare chest, over his heart. I could feel the strong pulse underneath his warm skin.

As I lay there -- in essence, holding a mighty dragon against my small frame -- I felt an uneasy mix of comfortable and guilty emotions.

Was I truly frightened? Of Nefarious, not so much.

But of my own desires? Definitely. Especially the motives behind them. Was I being selfish?

Do I love for the sake of being loved ... or for the sake of love itself?

+End of Chapter VII+