Without Reservations

my friend and I’m going to explain this to you, this once.” Chay let go of Keaton’s hand and sat on the couch, turning slightly toward Remi.
    Pita pounced over and started pulling on Chay’s pant leg, growling.
    Keaton grinned, picked the pup up and sat in the chair catty-corner to the couch.
    Remi ran his hands down his face. The man really was handsome, too bad he was such an ass. He sat forward and rested his hands on his knees. “Why, Chay? Is this some sort of rebellion or something to piss your mother off? It wasn’t bad enough that you brought home a half-white friend, now you have to bring home a white lover? A guy, for crying out loud. You aren’t even gay.”
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    Chay sighed. “It has nothing to do with my mother. And can we stop with the whole gay, not-gay thing? It’s irrelevant. Keaton is my lover, and I’m keeping him, that’s that.”
    “What, did you all of a sudden decide you didn’t like women anymore?”
    “I like women. I just like Bi—Keaton more.”
    Remi glared at Keaton then turned back to Chay. “This is un-fucking-believable. What does he have on you? Is he blackmailing you or something?”
    Chay closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Keaton had the sudden urge to take him in his arms and tell him it would be all right, but he knew it wouldn’t. Remi was only the first. Lena Winston was going to react ten times as bad.
    Chay dropped his hand and looked at his friend. “Remi—”
    “Well, hell, Chay, what am I supposed to think? You never liked men that way before.”
    “I’m going to say this once. You can deal with it, or you can go, it’s up to you. I love Keaton and he’s staying…”
    Keaton gasped, his eyes going wide as he glanced over at Chay. Poor Remi looked like someone had sucker punched him. Wait, no. Not “poor Remi”, the man was an asshole.
    Chay kept talking, oblivious to their reactions. “…here. This is his home now. He isn’t going anywhere…ever. If you can’t be nice to him then you’re no longer welcome here.”
    “So it’s me or him?”
    “Not if you can behave and stop insulting him. We’ve been friends for a long time, but I’m not going to allow you to badmouth and torment Keaton.”
    Remi stood up, outraged. “You would throw our friendship away for…for”—he pointed at Keaton—“that…that little faggot.”
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    Without Reservations
    Chay jumped up, anger radiating off him. “That’s it! Get out. Get the fuck out and don’t come back until you can behave.”
    Remi glared at Keaton one last time and stormed out, slamming the front door behind him.
    Keaton closed his eyes and dropped his head back on the chair. Fuck.
    This sucked.
    Pita raised up, putting his front paws on his chest, and started licking his chin.
    Keaton put him on the floor and looked around for Chay. He stood at the back window, peering out. Keaton didn’t know what to say. Should he go and try to comfort Chay? The strangest thing was he had this urge to actually defend Remi. The man had to be in shock.
    “Sorry about that, Bit. I know it doesn’t excuse his behavior, but his dad is a real asshole. He didn’t have the easiest time growing up.” Chay turned slowly from the window.
    “You don’t have to apologize to me. You know this is only the beginning, right? It’s going to get worse.”
    Chay nodded.
    “Do you really want to be an outcast? Shunned by your friends, your family?”
    Chay cocked his head. “Is that what happened to you, Bit? Did your friends all abandon you when you told them you were gay?”
    “No. I didn’t have any friends.”
    “Everyone has friends.”
    Keaton shook his head. “I don’t.”
    “Why?”
    “First, I was too rich, my family too snobby. Then I was too smart, I made people uncomfortable. After that, I was way too powerful of a werewolf and made everyone uneasy. Next there was my sexuality.” He shrugged. “I’m just not a person who inspires close relationships, I guess.”
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    “What about boyfriends?”
    “There was just the one. And we were never that close.”
    Chay raised a brow. “Because he wasn’t out?”
    “Yeah, he insisted he wasn’t gay. Pretty much everyone I’ve ever cared about has distanced themselves from me, in one form or another.”
    Chay walked over to him and reached out a hand.
    Keaton looked at it, and his eyes followed it up to Chay’s