(Chapter 4)

Tired

Over time, Damien and I began to see each other a bit more in class and outside of work. We weren't exactly becoming friends or anything, but I don't think it's an exaggeration to say I enjoyed his company a little. I'm not sure he enjoyed mine, but he never did try to shy away when he saw me somewhere. I did wonder if he was doing it to be nice. He was very difficult to read, but he seemed easy to talk to.

Having someone who knew the one thing about you no one else did, and kept their word about not telling anyone made it really easy to open up to him. He was different from the normal people I "worked" with. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I became a leaky faucet about myself, but when he asked me things like how my day was, or what I thought of my friends and others around me, I felt a little relief knowing I could be honest about it, because he either didn't care in the slightest, or agreed. If he disagreed he sure as hell didn't show it.

I've never felt wrong when it came to my opinions on someone. I don't mean that in an arrogant way, just that I've learned to trust my own judgment over that of others. I'd rather find something out myself than let what other people tell me dictate what I think about someone.

People in my school tend to gossip a lot, as per usual, and occasionally I heard some talk about Damien before I met him. I didn't know who he was at the time, and didn't care. I heard girls more often than not say that he was silently creepy. Some thought he was cool, others thought he should be avoided completely. But to me he seemed kind of harmless. And I was sort of right.

There was also a time where I contemplated confiding in Alyssa about my situation, but decided against it. I learned Alyssa is the type to be overly helpful and supportive and her friends are the exact same way. I had no doubt in my mind she would've told me to go to the authorities, or got the school involved somehow, and that's the last thing I wanted. I don't want to be pitied or to have people go out of their way to help me, not that anyone could. I'd rather take care of my problems myself and let them enjoy their lives without being too wrapped up in mine. If she had done something like that, Avery definitely would have ended her and her friends in less than a day.

Speaking of Alyssa, she did ask me who Damien was when she noticed we seemed to interact just a teensy bit more. I told her he was someone I knew from work, and that we occasionally saw each other because his house was close to where I lived. Which wasn't a total lie, I did know him from "work" obviously, but I had no idea where he lived. I just assumed that based on the fact that he regularly made deliveries to and from the pharmacy near my place a few times, on foot, and still made it to school on time.

She seemed a bit worried because, according to her and a few others in the group, he carried a "menacing" look. They were put off by the seemingly permanent glare he carried, which is understandable. I'm glad she didn't push any further than that. I wouldn't have told her anything, but her persistence when it came to trying to help, even if said help was clearly unwanted, is annoying yet respectable.

I've known Alyssa since I started going to school here. She sat next to me all year, and would occasionally talk to me in class, and then eventually she started to talk to me out of class. This was before I started working, so I had more free time, so I could spend some time doing things I really wanted. Well… things she wanted at least. She'd find me outside of school, and ask me to go places with her and her friends, and I didn't bother refusing, only sometimes having something better to do, or again, if they were hanging out in the suburban outskirts. Over time, she began calling me her best friend. I didn't feel the same but I didn't object, I'm not one to hurt someone's feelings over something harmless like that. I don't dislike her, but I'd rather not let her get too close. Being her self proposed "best friend" is enough.

I was once again at work, which you probably guessed after that super long rant. Better get used to this setting, if it's not school it's work, and if it's not work it's some random place in the city.

I was slowly being pulled out of my thoughts and into my work, by a Lucario who was enjoying this too much.

For those that don't know, I'm supposed to spend five to ten minutes doing a "stale" job, because I have to ensure they don't go soft before the scene begins. Sometimes it takes a couple minutes, sometimes it takes the full ten. And they never finish, because they're used to going 20 to 40 normally, depending on what they're doing. So five to ten minutes of a half assed job is nothing.

Today it was taking a bit because his partner had gone on break before filming, hadn't come back yet, and someone went to find him.

So I had to keep him going so I wouldn't have to start over and waste any more time. And when I said that he was pulling me into my work because he was enjoying it too much, I didn't mean it like that. I meant that he was starting to piss me off.

He was taking my job too seriously. Which isn't rare. I've had people I "worked" with tell me they'd hope I'd be their partner one day, that if it were real they'd make it fun for me too and shit like that. It's nothing new, I'm an Umbreon, a mysterious and petite little fox, I've seen what people have us doing on the Internet.

But this Lucario? Absolutely milking it. He had his legs spread, arms behind his head and was leaning back in his chair, a few moans here and there, hell if I knew why, and again, not uncommon. It was what he was saying that was pissing me off.

"Mmm...fuck yeah...fucking slut...work it just like that...yeah you like that don't you whore~..."

See? Fucking weirdo. And this was getting degrading. I get some people are into that, and I didn't mind it when Avery and I- ahem, in the past, but this isn't the same. It's bad enough I didn't want to be here doing this shit, and now some Lucario is here calling me a slut and whore during my work time?

I had to calm down.

I know that he's only saying these things because he's enjoying himself, and that people are into this kind of stuff. I should know, I am too if only a little. But this was my job, I wasn't doing this for fun, nor was I enjoying myself. So having him basically take advantage of this situation to get from free stimulation? I felt myself start to growl a little, and took a deep breath from my nose.

Just relax, and retreat back into your-

"Now I understand what Jace meant when he said you were perfect for this job~"

Excuse me?

My eyes widened, my left eye twitching, before I felt my fur start to glow with rage. I met his smirk with my furious glare, before biting down as hard as I could.

"AAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

(A few minutes later)

I was sitting in Avery's office, arms crossed, face showing my clear displeasure, and rings still glowing to amplify said displeasure. Avery knew that my rings only glowed when I was angry. I knew Moonlight, and I had a habit of releasing some light under extreme stress and anger. Mostly anger.

I sat in the chair in front of his desk, and waited for him to come back. I had been brought here by Morty and Goro, and was told to wait while Avery went to do damage control. By that, I mean the Lucario on the floor writhing in excruciating agony whilst grabbing his crotch. Don't worry, it was still attached.

I heard the door behind me open, and Avery walked in wearing his usual white suit with a purple tie. He walked around to his desk, before smiling at me as he sat down and poured himself a glass of liquor. My glare remained stagnant, and I didn't take my eyes off of him.

"Ah. Kyle-"

"Gray."

"Kyle. It's been quite some time since I've had you in my personal office."

He took a sip of his drink, and I huffed, glare unwavering.

"I try to avoid it as much as possible."

He chuckled.

"I can't imagine why. It's a nice space. And I told you, you'll always be welcome to come in here and take a break...with me."

My face scrunched up in disgust.

"Right. Let's just get to the point."

He swirled his glass around.

"I like it when you're angry. You're so direct. It's attractive."

I rolled my eyes at the pointless flirting and watched as he got up, taking small sips of his drink.

"But you're right. We might as well get to the point. Go over exactly what it is you've done."

He paced back and forth behind his desk, occasionally taking sips from his drink.

"You injured a coworker. You caused a delay in the scene. You cost me an actor. Made a joke of this place. Oh, and the most important thing. You bit someone's dick."

He leaned over his desk, and matched my glare with his. It was rare for me to see him this angry, and even rarer for it to be directed at me.

"Are you…fucking insane?"

He reeled back and laughed, spewing out a bit of fire. I'd seen it all before.

"I'm sorry it's just, I don't understand how someone in your situation can be so fucking stupid. You probably don't even realize how much money you just lost me."

I gave him a look of mild confusion, but kept my guard up. He finally sat back down and put his feet on his desk.

"Let me explain. Lucario are amongst the most searched and sought after in this business. Getting one as an actor takes a lot of string pulling. And this one was new. It took a bit of incentive to get him here, but that's usually how it goes. Are we on the same page?"

He raised a brow at me, and the pieces practically put themselves together. I stood up and slammed my paws on the desk, rings glowing once more.

"You mean me right?! You've been telling people I give good head to get them to work here? Are you fucking kidding me?"

He smirked at me condescendingly, he knew I would be angry but not be able to do anything about it.

"Calm down Kyle. And please turn that off. It's mildly irritating."

He made his way around his desk, adjusting his tie, before standing behind me. He grabbed my shoulders, sat me back down slowly, and proceeded to massage them softly.

"You know what I miss most about you Kyle?"

"Gray."

He gripped my shoulders firmly, before going back to kneading them with his paws.

"Shut up. I miss that adorable smile, yes, and your laugh is something I'll never forget. But what I miss most is that talent of yours. A talent that brought me a lot of pleasure, and the talent that gave me the idea to let you into this business in the first place."

His massaging got a little rough, and as he spoke, he brought one paw up, rubbing two digits softly against my neck, my jawline, and eventually placing them on my lips, before tapping them softly. I started to lose my composure a bit, growing more and more nervous by the second. Whenever he touched me, it never ended well.

"I use that to bring in business. These dirty fuckers love the idea of a petite boy submitting to them before they get busy. And from what I've heard you do a phenomenal job."

He clasped his paw over my mouth and held my head back against the chair. He leaned down, placing his snout close to my ear.

"But if you fuck with my business again. You'll be fucked. Figuratively and literally. You owe me. You put yourself in this situation, and if you want to get out, you'll keep your bullshit in line. Have I made myself clear?"

I nodded softly, trying to hold in the tears from the harsh reminder, and flinched as he kissed my cheek.

"Good boy."

He let me go, and caressed one of my ears before walking away. He took a look at my face, taking in the fear displayed on it. His expression was pained slightly and he looked away quickly with a sigh.

"You know I don't like it when you look at me like that Kyle. It breaks my heart seeing you on the verge of tears, really it does."

He sat in his chair, and turned it around, placing one of his legs on his knee.

"Now you've gone and made me feel bad. You can stay in here until you regain that stale composure you adopted recently. Afterwards you can go home. But don't stay too long. I might do something you'll regret. Oh and, be grateful. That Lucario was justifiably angry with you. But because of me, he won't be able to do anything about it. You're welcome."

I immediately got up, wiping away the tears, but that didn't stop them from falling. I reached the door and opened it slightly. Before I left, I said in a low voice:

"Fuck you Avery."

He chuckled and turned around, smiling at me as I exited the room, leaving even faster seeing his tongue glide along his lips.

"Don't tempt me~"

I hurriedly left the building, crying hysterically as I tried to get his sick face out of my head. I practically ran to the pier, hoping that I could forget the first half of the night. I laid on the iron bars, hopelessly staring at the water below me, letting my tears fall and create ripples as they hit the surface.

Eventually I stopped, and sniffled a few times, calming down slowly. I wiped my face, wetting the fur on my arms instead. Once my eyes were free of tears, I got a good look at my tired face.

And I was. I was tired. Tired of letting Avery scare me. Tired of this cycle, which I've been repeating for almost a year and a half. Tired of feeling like I was about to collapse from the weight on my shoulders.

I sighed, and stood back, and turned when I noticed Damien walking over to me. He carried his usual stoic look that left me wondering what was on his mind. As he walked over, he reached in his pocket, and pulled out a blue cloth. He held it in front of me, while looking down at me seriously. I looked at it curiously, and stared in confusion as I took it.

"What's this supposed to be?"

He kept his eyes fixated on the water, and put his paws in his pockets.

"Wipe your face. It still looks like you've been crying."

I looked down at the cloth, and wiped my face with it. As I did, I heard him shuffle a bit, before he spoke up.

"I don't know what happened, but I saw you leaving. Goro asked me to check on you. Do..you want to talk about it?"

The tone in that sentence almost sounded like he'd never uttered those words a day in his life. It was honestly a little funny. I looked at him in confusion before snickering, and sniffling a little, making him flinch.

"Why'd you sound so unsure? You nervous or something?"

He gave a halfhearted glare, and turned up his nose.

"No. Typically I don't care enough to ask people that. That's all."

I folded up the cloth and put it in my back pocket, still chuckling a bit.

"And what? You decided you care enough to ask me?"

He gave a serious look and nodded.

"Yea."

That caught me completely off guard. It's not that I wasn't expecting it, I just didn't think he was one to be open about that kind of stuff. I stopped laughing and looked back down at the water.

"Oh. Well, I appreciate it, but it's a lot to get into. I just don't feel comfortable talking about it yet. Sorry."

He looked down and mimicked me leaning on the railing.

"I see."

He said that in a way that almost sounded… disappointed? I knew where this was going. I didn't wanna get him too involved with me, and have to deal with Avery. I couldn't go through that again.

"Look, Damien. I appreciate the concern, but you don't have to force yourself to be nice to me. I don't know if it's guilt, or you're just being nice for the sake of it, but it'll be better for both of us if we were honest with ourselves."

My eyes squinted and I gripped the bars. He huffed and started to walk away.

So I was right.

"I'm not forcing myself to do anything, but I'll give you some space if you'd like. I hope you feel better soon, and enjoy the rest of your night, Gray."

As I watched him walk back into the building, leaving me alone in the cold, I realized that what I said might have been a bit hurtful. I felt a little bad, but it was okay, since it would put some distance between us.

I didn't think he really wanted to be friends in the first place, and I'd be better off without any friends from work altogether. Avery being my boss and my ex made it near impossible.

When I first started, there was someone who had been sort of a role model. He was an Ampharos nicknamed Voltaire. He was super energetic, optimistic, and could Mega Evolve. He was funny, and kind, and I looked up to him because despite being in the situation he was in, he was always positive.

He was well liked apparently, Mega Evolutions in adult films were always popular because it wasn't something a lot of Pokemon could do. He was a favored actor because he could stay Mega Evolved throughout the entire filming process, instead of having to take a break in between shootings.

Anyway, I had just started working at the warehouse, and I was super down since I was still coming to terms with the fact that this was my life now.

He was there, making me laugh, helping me feel better, and gave me the strength to keep moving forward for my future. We would spend time outside of work hanging out every once in a while, and I would talk to him on my breaks. He was someone I actually called a friend.

Avery didn't like that. If it wasn't obvious, Avery still has very strong feelings for me, romantic, and sexual, while lingering on borderline obsessiveness. It took him a while to get adjusted to our break up. He didn't respect my boundaries at all, and would have me watched constantly to make sure I didn't leave the city. Seeing me getting closer to another guy made him extremely jealous and angry.

We got into an argument about it, and he told me to stay away, or something bad would happen, and I of course, reminded him that we weren't together anymore, and that I was allowed to be friends with whoever I wanted. I didn't have feelings for Voltaire or anything like that, I genuinely just wanted a friend. I went into work the next day, like it was a normal day, thinking nothing of the argument from before. We hung out on my break, and said goodbye after work like usual.

And after that, I never saw him again. To this day, I don't know what happened. He never called, he never showed up to work, and I didn't see him anywhere around the city. It tore me apart inside.

What made it worse, was when the police showed up to Avery's house for me. They told me he had been reported missing, and that witness reports stated that he was occasionally seen with me around the area.

Obviously I had nothing to do with it, but I remembered the conversation I had with Avery, and felt responsible. I don't know if he did anything, or rather what he did, but from that day forward, it was hard for me to be close to anyone. It didn't take much, but I lost a really good friend because of him. If anything it motivated me to want to leave sooner.

I was heartbroken, and I'd do anything to avoid having someone else I care about disappear. Did I care about Damien? I don't know. He was pretty cool usually, didn't say much, and has kept what we do a secret, which I was grateful for.

If anything, I didn't want him to get hurt. I didn't want anyone to get hurt because of me ever again.