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Chapter 41: Family Intervention

Hunter waited patiently for almost a week, today was the day and so much had bottled up in his mind on what to say to his brother Rylan. Sally told him by the late afternoon that Catherine was finally coming over to visit soon and she was eager to fix the mess she accidentally left over a year ago. Keanu was at home across the street as Hunter told him to as this was a family matter, and he would fill in the details in the aftermath later.

Rylan was hanging out with his friends who were intentionally told to keep him busy, so the chances of bumping with Catherine in the apartment were slimed.

The living room was quiet, Hunter, Sally, River, Dylan, and Mary sat in every available seat and still had some sparing spots. It was the first week of January and a new semester was coming soon, so the wolf siblings hoped that this year could end the dreaded environment they put up with for a year now. Catherine arrived by the door and let her in, the female gray wolf smiled a little awkwardly as she had not seen the Montanas since dating Rylan in their freshman year, it was still fresh in her mind.

Hunter could understand the appeal of how Rylan fell in love with her, she was beautiful with shoulder-length dark gray hair and blue eyes, and a peaceful personality that reminded him of Keanu's soft-spoken tone.

"Hello, guys, is Rylan coming?" said Catherine.

Sally said, "No, you're right on time, Catherine." She gestured to a seating spot. "Have a seat."

"Thanks." She sat comfortingly on the couch next to Hunter. "Hunter, right?"

"Yeah, nice to see you again, Catherine."

The wolf-girl frowned lamentably. "I'm really sorry that this happened to you, Hunter. I didn't know how he felt about me after I came out to him."

"It's okay, no one is at fault."

"I should have known something wasn't right with Rylan after I came out, I could have..."

Dylan said, "It's alright, Catherine, Rylan never told us, you somehow just... disappeared. Rylan never talked about you after that, he just told us you broke up with him and nothing else." A short pause later, Dylan continued, "Could you... could you tell us more about you and Rylan when you both were dating?"

"I guess I can do that..." she sighed. She was thinking thoughtfully as she recollected her memories of her time dating Rylan. "Okay, Rylan and I were freshmen when we started high school, he asked me out, like, in November. I knew he was into me, and even his friends encouraged him, too, so... he worked up the courage to go out to the movies. I don't know if you guys remembered."

Sally remembered. "We were young back then, but I remembered. He tried to keep it quiet from us as he was too embarrassed and shy that he was dating. He expected that Hunter and River would tease him."

River chuckled. "I would have teased him."

Catherine continued, "Well, at the time, we were having a good time together, but I was doubting my sexual orientation, so I kind of took this as an opportunity to meet and see other people and see where this was going. So, throughout the months as we dated... we had our..." she looked away embarrassed. "We had our first intimate time together, but... I felt so unsatisfied that left me wondering further about my true orientation and found myself almost living on a big lie I never intended to do.

"Look, Rylan is a good guy, he was being genuine and caring as we dated, and I really value that very much, but I struggled to return his feelings romantically. When I confirmed myself as a lesbian, I had to do something, or things would turn out bad. So, I talked with Rylan in private and came out to him.

"I profusely apologized to him; I was so sure that I eased his wounds because much later I saw him all like himself. He did tell me was heartbroken, but he said he got through with it in a week...

"But after that, we slowly parted ways, we never, and then stopped chatting on the phone and he just hung out with his friends, and I assumed he wanted to move on, so I left him be and do the same. I thought I'd managed to handle it well, but... four years later, this happens. I just don't understand how?"

"I came out last year," Hunter said, "I met new friends in college and one of them was gay and encouraged me to come out, so I did."

River said in a historical way like a tour guide, "It happened right here where we're sitting."

Catherine looked at the rest and said awkwardly, "Okay... so, obviously, he didn't take it very well afterward and has been like this for a year?"

Sally said, "You didn't know, of course, since you both broke up in freshman, it was so long ago that we just forgot about you by default. We pretty much overlooked you until now."

"How did you guys find out again?"

"You know Crystal, right?" Hunter said. "She's my boyfriend's cousin."

"Oh... small world, eh?"

"Yeah, I hear that she rejected you, right?"

Catherine's ears flopped. "Yeah, she took it well and politely declined my feelings, but we're still friends, and I'm okay with it. Maybe next time in the future."

"Did you wear a pair of red underwear on New Year's Eve for--Mmff!!!" Hunter grabbed River's muzzle shut.

"River, not now." Hunter hushed.

Catherine let it slide and said, "Okay, so, when you guys think Rylan will come?"

Sally said, "Soon, his friends should have let him go for an hour, he should be coming back home at any moment."

"I'm nervous," Catherine said, "I wonder how is he?"

"Five out of ten for me," River said, "and still falling."

Hunter said to Catherine, "He shares a room with Rylan together and he is now sleeping in my room."

"Bummer."

"It's not so bad at this point."

The door was unlocking as Rylan had a key copy if he were the first one to come home before anyone else. The pale-furred young wolf opened like a normal resident and routinely said, "Mom, Dad, I'm home..." He looked at everyone gathered in the living room. "What's this?" He looked at the extra guest. "Catherine? What are you doing here?"

Catherine stood up from the couch and smiled. "Hi, Rylan, it's been a while. How are you?"

Rylan was in disbelief and looked at his parents. "What's going on?"

His father said, "Son, this is an intervention and we're all here for you to talk."

"Wh-what?"

"We now know the reason why you're distancing from Hunter is because of her, right?"

"N-no, this is..."

His mother gently ordered him. "Rylan, please, sit down with us."

Rylan was vulnerable as he speechlessly sat down between his parents. His mother laid a hand behind his shoulders for comfort.

Catherine moved to another chair to seat across and met her former boyfriend. "How are you, Rylan? Are you doing good?"

It was the most awkward thing he ever felt in his life, meeting his ex-girlfriend was the last thing he would ever want. He was afraid of where this was going. He said, looking left and right uncomfortably, "I'm... I'm fine?"

"I thought that you were fine throughout high school, but I was wrong today."

"Well, I am," Ryland assured.

"No, the moment when I came out to you, you're not fine. I cannot believe you're being horrible to your brother."

"But--"

"No, you don't have excuses, you lied to me, Rylan, you told me you were okay after the breakup, and look what are you doing to yourself and your family."

"You don't understand!"

"Then what is it? Why are you so mean to your brother for being gay?"

There was silence in the living room, especially Rylan.

Catherine continued, "I know the breakup was hard for you, but I could not just pretend I like boys so you can be happy and be happy for you, and I didn't want to hurt you when I discovered my orientation, so I came clean to you. I was so sure you would understand how I feel."

"Well... well, I did!" Rylan cried. "But..."

"But what?" Hunter, irritated, said, "It came back haunting you after I came out?"

"No, that's not it."

"Then what is it?"

"Everyone in school was making fun of me because of you coming out and Sally and River spreading it like a virus."

"We know that, Rylan," Sally said. "It's not that of a big deal when Hunter started college."

"Well, it did matter because they called me that I was a fag too and that I dated a lesbian without knowing it."

"I never heard about the last one, Rylan, you made it up. I would have known sooner."

"You never spoke anything about it for four years," Hunter said.

"Son," his father said sternly to Rylan, "no more excuses, you're making this whole thing worse for you and--"

"It's just this whole thing bothers me more than you guys know."

"And letting out all your frustrations on Hunter because he only likes boys?"

"Hunter slept with one of my friends, Dad!"

It all went quiet again. Hunter somehow knew Rylan would strike back with the November incident from last year. They never told them anything about it his parents and siblings.

Before Dylan would have asked, Hunter spoke exasperated with fingers on his snout, "Ugh, I had a one-time thing with Perry the other November. I know it was stupid of me and so as Perry, but Rylan ended up making a scene."

"He was seventeen when you laid a finger on him!" he barked.

Hunter was flushing but he defended, "He was consent about it and he won't put charges on me. He was the one who asked first. And since when do you even care about Perry? You kicked him out of the house!"

"Yeah, because he was a fag, too!"

"Rylan, stop it!" his mother scolded. She turned to Hunter seriously, "We'll discuss this matter later, Hunter. And Rylan, this is about you, it has gone too far and it's time to let it go. It's hurt us more than you think it does."

"Well, I'm hurt, I have mixed feelings because you brought Catherine here and I'm more conflicted than ever." He stood up hastily. "I'm not having this intervention anymore; ground me all you want; I'm going to my room!"

Dylan grabbed his wrist. "Sit. Down." He ordered with a growl and glared at him. He honestly had lost patience. "I've had it, Rylan, you're not getting away this time. So sit down!"

Rylan let out a small whimper and obediently sat down between them. Rylan had nothing to defend himself and had fallen into a dark pit he realized he had been for in the past years.

Dylan's voice softened up and said, "Rylan, we love you, we know how it must feel when something comes back haunting you that reminds you of the past. Hunter coming out reminded you of her outing, and you turned your hurt feelings into anger and hate, right?"

Rylan was silent with arms crossed and looking down at them. His eyes were welling up. "Yes..." he sniffled.

"It did, didn't it?"

His lips quivered. "Yes..."

Hunter couldn't find a way to say something as he saw Rylan's wound reopened, everything he had bottled up was rather negative, and spitting it on him was too dangerous. His father had already given him a warning and he couldn't find a way to say something soothing to ease his distraught brother.

But then River stood up from his seat, holding a few papers in his hands. "Can I say something? I wrote this for Rylan."

Dylan looked at his youngest, genuinely surprised that he wrote something that surpassed his struggling essays in school studies. His little pup was growing up. "Sure, River, you can."

River cleared his throat and read out loud the first pages. "Rylan, I love you and all as your little brother, but I also going to speak out for everybody in the family who could not stand up to you. I'm afraid that for the past year since Hunter came out as gay, you aren't the brother I remember sharing a bedroom with. You have been cold, distant, and a homophone..."

Sally muttered, "I should have beta-read that."

"...I learned people don't choose to be gay, lesbian, bi, trans, and many, many other orientations in the spectrum that keeps growing. It's how they feel and express themselves inside and out. I learned that being a homophony is a choice based on hate and fear." He checked Rylan's ears; he was listening while looking down at his crossed arms. He continued, "Rylan, I never understood why you felt angry at Hunter for being gay, and when I asked, you said that they're disgusting people that will fuck anything that moves, but I know Hunter isn't like that. He doesn't do it twenty-four seven."

River meant well, but Hunter could not help but blush and rubbed the back of his head as he had a small history with other people in bed. But River's point still stood. Even if they just recently heard about Hunter's little scandal but that was for another story and matter for later.

River changed the next page and read, "So far, for a year, you haven't changed your views and every time when I come over to our bedroom, it cost me to find a nice conversation we could bond over as brothers. You're so dense and stubborn. I had enough and decided to sleep with Hunter where I found the comfort and familiarity that we used to have. No, playing video games to bond isn't the same, as you barely make up a longer sentence or two. That's not who you are."

He changed the last page as the previous page had paragraphs scratched over by the pencil. He read, "You're not the brother I used to fondly play with when we were kids, I know you're growing up and having a hard time accepting homosexuals and Hunter, but you can make that one step to heal yourself and to cure your hatedom on gays.

"Rylan," he sniffled, "I miss you; I miss the times we could laugh and bond over things we like and don't like, but I won't accept to hate Hunter for being different because you say so. Mom, Dad, and Sally don't hate him and why should you? Stop isolating and hurting yourself from the past and move on. You'll feel better when you come clean and open your arms for a hug and say to Hunter that you're sorry and shouldn't have said those things and makeup as brothers.

"We miss you, Rylan." River was shivering but remained strong as his voice had gotten weaker. He took a deep breath. "We all care about you. We love you."

River knew this wasn't the best thing he could have ever written but he felt all his emotions coming out when he laid the pencil's tip on the paper for his intervention speech. Not only his mother was in tears about how River felt about everything, but he heard Rylan slowly sobbing under his breath.

Hunter was touched and said the following, "I miss the old Rylan, too. And I wish we could start all over again."

Rylan was too ashamed and sobbed his emotions out. He couldn't look at anyone, not even his parents. His mother rubbed his heaving back. Hunter made to face him and kneeled to meet him up closer. Rylan was having his moment, taking his time to think. Hunter placed a hand on his crossed arms. It was then Rylan gazed at him, face to face. His face was covered in tear tracks on his fur, more leaked out and slid down his cheeks.

The wolves looked at each other, Hunter saw a rare sight of his brother when he was vulnerable to his feelings. It was the first time he saw him looking sorry and angry at himself for what he had done for a year.

Rylan sniffled and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm s-sorry..."

"It's okay, Rylan," Hunter said in a soothing voice, "I'll forgive you. We can start all over now."

His voice rose higher, and he cried, "I'm sorry!" he leaned forward and hugged his older brother for the first time, wrapping his arms around his neck. Hunter was thankful and happily hugged back his brother. Rylan gasped, "I'm sorry! I didn't know how I felt about you when you came out. I'm sorry I called you things, especially the f-word! I'm sorry for hurting you emotionally! I'm sorry I kicked Perry out! And-and I'm sorry I been so hard on you for so long! I love you, Hunter!"

Hunter couldn't say anything, he let a tear leak out of his eye as he smiled with joy as he held his young brother close. He couldn't stop crying. Hunter only said, "I love you, too."

Everyone in the room was happily quiet, watching Hunter and Rylan reconcile together as brothers.

Not too long Rylan hugged every family member and finally gave Catherine an apologetic hug for all the trouble he caused.

"I'm happy for you," said Catherine with a smile, "It might take a while to recover but you'll get through it, and you'll leave the past behind you and for us."

"Thank you," Rylan said calmly as he parted from the hug. He was standing a little awkwardly in the middle of the living room. "Dad, can I go to my room and rest?"

His father nodded, gladded that he had matured this far. "Sure, take some rest, I'll let you know when dinner's ready."

Rylan walked slowly and trembled a little after making up with his family and Hunter. He wiped his eyes and sniffled before disappearing into the corridor to his bedroom.

Mary spoke to his youngest, "You wrote that, River?"

River nodded. "Uh-huh, I have seen some interventions where they write speeches to their affected loved ones who need help in being convinced."

"Can I have it?"

"Sure, I guess." River shrugged and gave his written papers to his mother.

"Stuff like these are very memorable as a remembrance, I'm gonna treasure it."

"Sure, Mom." River turned to Hunter. "So, Hunter, guess I can move back with Rylan now. It was nice sharing a room with you."

"Yeah, me too. You can still do that if you want."

"That inflatable bed is so comfortable than my bed." He scratched his chin. "Maybe I should change it with my old mattress."

His mother said, "But you told me your bed is fine."

"Well..." he guiltily shrugged. "I felt and found a spring poking my butt."

"I'll get you a new mattress then." Mary sighed.

It all ended well, and a wonderful way to start the new year. However, Hunter later talked privately about his fling with Perry Brighton with his parents. No doubt it was a concerning topic, but Hunter assured them that Perry would be happy to talk about it in person with them and how it was all handled in a civil manner. Even if the giraffe was very keen to get his hands on Hunter for some thrilling action. Hunter recalled how Perry wanted to do it behind Rylan's back for the thrill and excitement of being caught, but the November incident was, well, a frightening experience that Perry would never cross a line on a former homophobe again. In his own words, "That shit was scary."

Dylan sighed in relief, but he wasn't done and spoke about another small topic to his son. He and his mother looked sorry.

"Hunter, I'm very glad this whole thing is now behind us. We..." his ears lowered, "...your mother and I were all worried about you and Rylan very much, but I... we wished we could have been a little stronger in standing up for you and be more strict on Rylan's behavior... we felt helpless as nothing changed between both of you... and... we're sorry we couldn't help you much when you needed it the most, Hunter... I..."

"Dad, it's alright, we have solved it in the end," Hunter assured them. "A part of it was my fault to keep a distance from Rylan after the incident with Perry. I was afraid of losing him."

"I see..." Dylan smiled wearily and hugged his elder son.

"On the bright side, everything had turned out well. And of course, I forgive you both for your struggles between us."

"Thank you." The older wolf patted his son on the back and smiled.

The next day, Hunter visited Keanu's apartment before the new semester started. He happily wanted to tell him how everything all turned out. They were reconciled at last. Keanu and Kendall were glad and happy to hear the good news.

Keanu gave Hunter a hug. "I'm happy for you."

Hunter ruffled Keanu's head fur. "I'm honestly glad that I met you, and your cousins that solved this ordeal."

They parted their hug and Keanu said, "Well, there could be different ways if we never met, but I'm okay with this timeline."

"Me too. I wouldn't exchange it for anything else."

"So, this means we can go for a visit to meet your full family?" said Kendall.

"Yeah, Rylan is homophobe-free."

They laughed, but they were glad to meet Hunter's family on New Year's Eve. Hopefully next time they would gather for a nice dinner in the future. This time a healthy well-morale family without drama and angst.

The second week of January started a new semester at Rexville University. A new year, a new semester, and a new path of many learning opportunities, adventures, journeys, explorations, and discoveries.

Keanu and Hunter went to the offices to receive their new class schedules. When they left the building, the wolves checked on each other's schedules and Keanu frowned a little in disappointment.

"We don't have a class to attend together," Keanu said.

"Well, I'm in the second year and you're in first," Hunter remarked. "Last semester was just a fluke."

"Yeah, you're right, but we will still see each other, right?"

"Sure, we can still catch on at lunch break with our friends. You know, even if I'm not around, you can still hang out with your friends you made too."

"Yes, I know, Robin, Oliver, Frankie, Joseph, Irvin, and Yestin. I see them more frequently than you guys."

"But that doesn't mean you can still hang out with us, especially me."

"I know, and I value you all in my heart."

"Hehe, you really are an angel."

"Oh, speaking of angels and heart, you know what I'm looking forward to this year?"

"What?"

Keanu smiled widely. "Valentine's Day."

"Oh-ho! I'll buy you the biggest chocolate gift you'll ever love."

"I never looked forward to a different holiday than Halloween and Christmas before. Uh, I can still give you a Valentine's gift, right?"

"Sure, no pressure."

"And also, your birthday is in March, right?"

Hunter cocked his head and smirked at him. "Oh, I see where this is going~."

"Of course, it is, there's so much to do this year." Keanu smiled enthusiastically.

"Heh, looking forward to it too, buddy." Hunter ruffled his lover's head fur.

The wolves walked together on the campus on a sunny day, holding hands. This was their year as freed boyfriends. They had come through some hardships but together they could work it out well.

"Oh, uh, I've been thinking..." Keanu started.

"What is it?"

"I thought about buying better clothes for working out, you know?"

"Oh, I can help you with that. I was planning on buying some for myself."

"Don't you have plenty?"

"Yeah, but I found a large tear on one of my shirts... right here." Hunter lifted his right arm and gestured with his left index finger to point where the tear was. From the armpit to the middle on the right side of his torso.

"Maybe you should stop flexing on the mirror, like that video you made," Keanu suggested.

Hunter laughed at his snarky comment. "It was an old shirt, so of course, it will wear off its elasticity. And not to mention I have grown throughout the years since I started working out."

"Oh, okay. At least I know what not to wear."

"You don't like tight-fitting shirts? Aw~."

"They won't last long if I grow, and I prefer loose-fit."

"Aw, come on, don't be afraid to show off a little." Hunter was joking but Keanu was not fazed. It was because he was being honest in his thoughts.

Keanu rolled his eyes. "My fur needs some breathing to cool in, I can't wear what you prefer, Hunter."

"Right, alright, you win, I was joking." Hunter raised his hands.

"I know, but I have my reasons why."

Hunter chuckled. "Well, if you like to spend time with me working out, I can help you look for some workout clothes. There's a clothing shop for sports down south on our boulevard."

"Really? Cool." The wolves marched on the campus, checking out where their assigned classes for this semester were.