Burdens [Furry BxB]

Chapter 131 - Best Case Scenario

Roger browsed through a few pages idly on his phone, not really paying attention to what was really on there, but just to do something with his paws. He had been thinking about his previous run-in with a certain beaver, which still made him a bit upset.

He wanted to ask Mr Levy about what he should do about it, or perhaps if he could somehow put in a good word for him to be with a different teacher next year. Anything was better than having to deal with her if she was going to act like how she already did.

The skunk looked like he was fairly busy with his computer. Roger wondered why he was not in his office, but he guessed that it was so that students could return to their classrooms and rest after their tests were done, much like he was doing now. They had plenty of options to choose from since they had different classrooms they could return to, but he preferred this one.

He broke the silence clearing his throat, and then asking, "Mr Levy?"

The skunk paused his typing and looked at him. "Yes, Mr Colton?"

"Hey, so... I would have been here earlier, but I ran into this teacher... some old beaver. I don't know her name. Do you know of her?" Roger asked without providing too many details.

"Ah, yes. I know of her. She... uh, makes her appearance in the faculty lounge on occasion. Never have really... hm, spoken to her." The skunk looked at the fox curiously. "Did she, uh, have something to speak to you about?"

Roger felt a twinge of anger. "You could say that. It wasn't really speaking with me as it was speaking at me, telling me I was just ditching the test and trying to escape. She caught me, is what she believed. Not really a very pleasant interaction."

A flash of emotion was briefly on the skunk's face, but it faded quickly. He instead sighed and said, "That sounds unfortunate, Mr Colton. Not everyone is quite... amenable when it comes to certain things, like listening, or common sense. Granted, she does not, uh... know you, or that you are, how do I put it... adept in cognitive functions. Shall I, uh... have a chat with her?"

Roger shook his head. "No, I don't want any more interactions with her. Just that once was enough." He picked up his phone once more and looked at the blank screen in an attempt to make it seem like a smaller issue than it was. He looked away and then looked back at the skunk. "So... I was wondering if you could maybe... help me get a different teacher next year?"

The skunk turned from his computer and sat with his arms on the table, paws together. "I understand. I'll help you, but I want you to, uh... understand something first. Throughout life, you can never really truly, hm, pick who you get to interact with. Does that make sense? Now, do you know what class she teaches?"

The fox said, "Literature, from what I've heard before."

"You're quite fortunate, then. I'm very good friends with Mr Anderson. I would, hm... argue that his literature class is among the best this school has to offer, though my opinion might be a tiny bit... biased. I'll see if I can pull some strings, Mr Colton. I cannot guarantee anything, though," the skunk replied, taking out a piece of paper and scribbling something down.

While it was not a sure chance, it was better than nothing. Roger felt a little bit relieved. He then asked, "Do you think, maybe, if possible, that you can... perhaps also try to get Hunter into his class?"

The skunk scribbled something else on the piece of paper. "I will try, Mr Colton. I also cannot guarantee that even if it succeeds, you will be in the same class. Most likely the class arrangement will move around based on the other classes he ends up taking. I understand that you wish to be in a class with your friends, but sometimes that doesn't... happen."

Roger nodded. "I know. At least he won't have to deal with that beaver."

With a sigh, the skunk stood up and went to the trash, throwing away a gum wrapper. He said on his way back, "I'm sure she has her reasons. No one and nothing is ever so... uh, simple to see their essence at a glance, Mr Colton. At the same time, I... hm, don't really know that she isn't just, how do you say... impudent. Please go into this with an open mind."

Roger thought back to how he acted with Hunter when they first met, and it was true: first glances were never really enough. Still, she had acted rashly and her pride got in the way of admitting she was wrong. He did not find that trait very copacetic.

"I'll try," he responded.

-

It took another couple of hours for the wolf to finally appear. The teacher had stepped out only a few minutes prior to his arrival.

Roger smiled at him warmly, and when the wolf noticed him, his tail began to wave behind him. It seemed he had finished early as well since the rest of the day was designated for testing.

"How was it?" Roger asked him.

Hunter smiled and sat down. "I thought I was going to fail like I usually do before I went in, but it all made sense this time. I think I did okay, at least passing."

The fox patted him on the shoulder. "You'll be fine. I'm sure you did really well. You had me for a tutor, after all."

Hunter just looked at him, continuing to smile idly.

Roger got out of his seat and stood next to the wolf, rubbing his shoulder lightly. He looked around, making sure there were no prying eyes, and then bent down, giving the wolf a kiss.

Hunter returned it, putting an arm around the fox, and what was just a small kiss turned into a deep one.

The fox could feel his heart rate increase, and suddenly he felt very warm. It was not that he felt hot, but just comfortably warm. He could feel the arm around him, pulling him in as he had fallen into a trap, and yet there was no danger in it.

Roger broke away and nuzzled him softly, rubbing his nose against the wolf's nose. He said in a whisper, "I love you, Hunter."

Hunter rubbed his nose back, licked his lips, and responded, "I love you, too, Roger."

The words were like warm honey, and he drank them in slowly. He could feel his own tail waving behind him, hitting his desk. He gave a smile and said, "We'll celebrate after class, okay?"

The wolf nodded. "Looking forward to it."

Roger stood back up and said, "And then we can really celebrate this weekend after our results come back."

The wolf folded his ears. "I don't know if I'll have too much to celebrate about. Never have."

The fox patted the wolf on his head, and then stroked his fur. "You'll be fine. And you know what? If you do mediocre, at least you passed. That's something to celebrate."

The wolf nodded, but he did not seem too convinced.

"Worst case scenario," the fox said, "everyone dies. If it's anything better than that, then at least we can be glad that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. And then... I guess I'll have to do something to cheer you up."

The wolf gave a soft smile. "Like an ice cream party?"

Roger coughed. "Well, I guess we could, though I was thinking of something else."

Hunter was wagging, though, so the fox figured he had accidentally planted a seed in his head that he would not be able to remove. It was fine, though.

"So what's the best-case scenario?" the wolf asked.

Roger thought for a moment, and then responded, "End all hunger and fighting in the world, resources become infinite, the planet stabilizes, and everyone gets superpowers."

"I don't think that's the best-case scenario," the wolf said.

"Oh? What do you think it is, then?" Roger asked.

"Having you here," Hunter responded.