Of Mice and Men Ch. 06

"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 kinda 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.

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

The End