GIVING NOTICE - Chapter Six (preview!)

Before reading this preview, please be aware that this is a HEAVY chapter.

Content/Trigger warnings include: homophobic language, bullying, physical assault, kink shaming, harsh language, blackmail, religion issues...

My feelings won't be hurt if you need to avoid such content, I promise! But I also promise that, as heavy as the chapter is, a happy ending is on the horizon for all your fave characters.

This chapter has been very, very difficult to write. I was a target of a lot of bullying as a kid, and this scene came from that place. Even though my characters are fictional creations that live in my head, I love them and I hate putting them through bad things, so this one was an emotional roller coaster that opened up some old scars. However, it's crucial for the plot that it happens this way, so I genuinely apologize if this makes you uncomfortable, and I DO want your feedback (no matter if you love the chapter or hate it). With that out of the way...

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CHAPTER SIX

Time flies when you’re having fun, Max thought to himself. It scarcely felt like it had been a full month since his life had been completely turned upside down by his new job. And yet, shortly after waking up in his Daddy’s bed on that sleepy Sunday morning, Stephen had excitedly announced that Max’s one-month probationary review had been scheduled for the following morning.

Stephen immediately reassured the suddenly anxious Max that the review was just a formality. The wolf would be there to support Max, and Mr. Warren and the rest of the senior management would be in attendance as well. The decision was ultimately Mr. Warren’s to make since he was Max’s direct supervisor, and the hawk had already assured Stephen that he would give his enthusiastic approval for Max to be hired by StartAgain on a permanent, full-time basis.

After a quick breakfast, Stephen politely excused himself. Though it was the weekend, he’d made an appointment to meet with a potential new hire to accommodate the man’s schedule. It wasn’t at all unusual for Stephen to have to travel out of the mansion on the weekends, thought Max was a bit disappointed that he wouldn’t get to spend the day with his Daddy. He gave the wolf an enormous hug and a kiss, then scurried off back to his nursery.

Once there, Max quickly changed out of his pajamas and into a cute powder-blue set of t-shirt and snap-crotch shorts. He clipped one of his favorite pacifiers to his shirt, then took his phone off the charger and opened his messaging app. He scrolled through his contact list until he found Corey’s entry. Max began typing out a message.

Up for some fun today? Stephen had to leave for an appointment and I don’t want to spend the day by myself. I’ve got my probationary review in the morning and tons of pup energy to burn off. LMK!

Almost immediately, his phone chirped with Corey’s reply:

DUDE YES!! ALL OF THE YES! Lemme finish wrapping up this project for school and then I’ll meet you in like… 30 min?

Max tapped out a response:

Cool, ok! I’ll run down to the library and pick out something to read, meet me there whenever you’re ready!

He turned his phone’s screen off and stuffed it in his pocket, smiling. He hadn’t really had a chance to explore the immense collection of StartAgain Manor’s library in a non-work capacity, and with everything that had been happening over the last month he hadn’t had much chance to sink into a book. This would be the perfect way to kill a few minutes until Corey was finished with his schoolwork.

Max hummed as he walked through the halls, grinning and nodding happily at everyone he passed. After his emotional talk with Stephen after the pool the previous weekend, the anxious feelings Max had been experiencing had dissipated with swiftness and finality, as if they’d never been there at all. And without that strange weight on his mind, Max had been practically glowing all week long.

He arrived at the library and slipped his staff key into the lock. He left the door unlocked for Corey and entered the enormous library chamber. It felt strange being here alone, but Mr. Warren had assured Max that he was welcome to borrow books from the library any time he wanted, as long as he signed them out to himself and returned them when he was done with them. The library was temporarily closed to the rest of the mansion’s residents while the renovation project was underway so, despite Mr. Warren’s reassurances, Max couldn’t help but thrill at the feeling that he was sneaking into a forbidden place.

Max took a deep, contented breath. He loved libraries and especially loved the smell of old books. There was something incredibly comforting about being surrounded by so much knowledge, so many different worlds to explore and new things to learn. Having the chance to help restore StartAgain Manor’s incredible library to its former glory, to in some small way become a custodian of this vast sea of wisdom, felt like a deep honor and a powerful responsibility.

Max walked softly on the marble floors; even though the library was empty, it felt like a transgression to disturb the quiet of the space. Max made his way to the science fiction and fantasy shelves and began browsing, letting the tip of his index finger gently trace across the books’ spines as he browsed. Asimov, Bradley, Bradbury, Dick, Ellison, Heinlein, L’Engle, Le Guin; even the great authors’ names were enough to quicken Max’s heartbeat with excitement.

Max jerked, his finger halting on the spine of a well-loved paperback copy of Andre Norton’s Witch World. He’d heard a noise from the floor above him, some sort of grunting gasp that had startled him out of his reverie. Nobody is supposed to be in here except Mr. Warren’s team, Max wondered. Perhaps the hardworking hawk had decided to put in some overtime?

Max quietly made his way to the stairs and began to ascend to the second floor. If Mr. Warren was here and working today, Max wanted to make himself available in case his boss needed any help. Given the extremely generous salary Max was being paid, he was more than happy to chip in, even in his off time. Max followed the sounds of shuffling and breathing and rounded a corner.

He came face to face with the source of the noises he’d been hearing, and his eyes grew wide. Zane was stark naked and bent over a reading table. Marcus was behind the zebra, his jeans around his ankles. The donkey was slamming into Zane from behind, the pair grunting with each thrust. Max gasped despite himself.

Marcus’s head snapped around. “What the fuck?” he shouted as he quickly extracted his cock from the zebra and yanked his jeans up. For his part, Zane swiftly grabbed his discarded boxers from the table in front of him and began shuffling into them, stammering.

“Sorry!” Max squeaked, averting his eyes with some difficulty. “I-I heard something and I thought maybe it was Mr. Warren, didn’t m-mean to intrude!” Max stumbled backward a few steps, stammering. He turned to retreat.

“You little diaper-wearing freak,” Marcus seethed. “Who the fuck do you think you are, spying on us?” He closed the distance between himself and Max almost instantly. His meaty hand grabbed Max’s shoulder and slammed the golden retriever backwards into a bookshelf, pinning him and sending several books falling to the floor in a cloud of dust. “I swear to fucking god, if you say anything about this to anyone, I will turn your weird little faggot ass into a red smear on the wall, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?” the furious donkey’s voice rose until he was nearly shouting.

Max gulped. “I-I won’t, Marcus! It’s none of my business! I just came to find a book—” Max winced as the donkey pressed even harder into his shoulder.

“I don’t give a fuck what you were doing here, you little pervert,” Marcus said, bending down a little until his nose was an inch from Max’s own, his foul breath hot on Max’s face. The donkey looked Max up and down, shaking his head. “I swear to fucking god, you disgust me. I didn’t take this job to be surrounded by fucked-up little diaper faggots like you. What the fuck is wrong with you, anyway? You get molested as a baby or something?”

“Marcus, don’t,” Zane hissed through closed teeth. “They told you they would fire you if you get in any more trouble! Just leave him alone, please,” the zebra implored. Zane put his hand on Marcus’s shoulder and tried to pull him away from Max.

The donkey glared at Zane. “What, you gonna take this little weirdo’s side, Zane? Get the fuck off me,” he sneered. Marcus turned his attention back to Max. “Seriously, how fucked up does your head gotta be to get off on wearing baby shit? That’s real sick. You know that, right?” As he spoke, Marcus kept Max’s shoulder pinned painfully against the bookshelf. With his free hand, Marcus reached down and yanked the panicked, struggling canine’s shorts down to reveal his diaper.

“Little piss baby likes shitting on himself and cumming in his diapers, huh? That what you like, freak?” Marcus taunted. The donkey reached into the pocket of his still unzipped jeans and pulled out his phone. “That’s goddamn sick, you pervert. I’ve seen some weird kinks around here, but you take the whole fucking cake. Everything you are is filthy.” Marcus squeezed even harder and Max yelped as a hot, sharp streak of pain shot down his arm from his shoulder.

“Just lemme go, Marcus,” Max said, tears streaming down his face. “I won’t tell anyone! I swear, I don’t care what you guys are doing, I just wanted a book...”

“Let him go,” Zane pleaded. “Dude, don’t do anything to the kid, just let him go. Please, Marcus! You’re gonna get us both fired!” The zebra’s eyes flicked back and forth between Marcus and Max.

“No, I’m not,” Marcus said as a malicious grin slowly spread across his face. “But that’s a hell of a good idea you just gave me, Zane.” Marcus stepped back and released his grip on Max’s shoulder. The canine slumped down against the bookshelf and onto the floor with a grunt. His entire shoulder felt like it was on fire.

“Smile, diaper fucker,” Marcus sneered. He held up his phone, and Max heard rapid clicks coming from Marcus’s camera app. “Now, just so you understand what’s happening, let me explain something. I know they turn the cameras on our phones off when we first start here, privacy blah blah blah.” Marcus said as he continued to take pictures of the crumpled Max. “But do you have any idea how easy it is to smuggle something into StartAgain? Like this here phone. It looks just like the one I brought with me, and they’re all so dumb they can’t tell the difference. But the camera on this one works just fine.” Click, click, more and more pictures. Marcus tapped a few buttons on his phone’s screen. “There we are, all safe behind a password in the cloud.”

The donkey knelt down until he was eye-level with Max. “Now, I’m guessing you don’t want ol’ Ma and Pa Covington seeing what their precious little baby has been up to in his spare time. Oh, yeah, I know who your parents are, Max. Didn’t take much to search them up on the web. Did you know you’re one of the only Maxwell Covingtons in the world? Not surprised though, it’s a prissy fucking name for a prissy little fucker like you. Let your mom know I thought her Gardening Eden blog is real cute, by the way. Ruby, wasn’t that her name?”

Max gasped, and his eyes grew wide. Marcus grinned. “Yeah, bud, I did my research. I know all about your mom and dad. How’s your dad’s pest control business doing these days? Kinda silly of him to put his cell number right there on the company website like that, where just anybody could find it, don’t you think? I’m guessing those Bible-humping parents of yours probably wouldn’t approve of the lifestyle you’ve been living lately. Be a real shame if pictures of their son wearing a diaper and blubbering like a baby showed up in your dad’s text messages.”

Marcus’s voice lowered to a raspy whisper. Max was trembling and staring directly into the donkey’s eyes. Tears were still streaming down his face. “So here’s what’s gonna happen now,” Marcus said coolly. “You’re going to tell management that you don’t wanna work here anymore. Tell ‘em some lie about how you’re homesick for suckling on your mom’s titties or something, I don’t care. Make up a reason. But you’re going to quit your job and fuck off home so I don’t have to see this creepy pedo bullshit anymore,” Marcus said, gesturing to Max’s diaper. “And in return, I’ll be real nice and won’t show anybody those pictures so the whole world knows what a freak you are. You got me? But, and I swear to fucking god this is true, if you breathe one word about this to anyone, or you try to run and tattle to that crossdressing bitch Warren, or that wolf that diddles you at night or anyone else, I will ruin your entire fucking life. Your choice, faggot.”

Marcus slammed his fist into Max’s shoulder with enough force to make Max howl in pain. The donkey stood. “Put the rest of your fucking clothes on and let’s get out of here. I’m sick to death of the smell of loser piss,” he said, turning to Zane. The zebra nodded, his mouth agape, and he quickly began dressing. With one final, hateful sneer from Marcus and an almost pitying look from Zane, the pair disappeared. In a moment, the sound of the library’s door swinging closed echoed throughout the empty room.

Max pulled his knees close to his chest, curled into the tightest ball he could, and wept his heart out. Pain, humiliation and anger fueled his tears. He frantically considered his options, but he didn’t see a way out of the trap Marcus had set for him. He was so lost in his torrent of thoughts that he never heard Corey arrive.

“Max!” the cheetah cried. He was shocked at the condition he found his friend in: Max was slumped against a bookshelf, his knees pressed to his chest, his shorts down around his ankles and his eyes red with tears. He ran to Max’s side, shock and worry on his face. “What happened?” He reached out and put his hand on Max’s shoulder, but the golden retriever winced and Corey immediately pulled his arm back. “Max, talk to me, what happened here? Are you okay?”

“S’my shoulder,” Max groaned, his voice rasping and heavy. Corey held his arm out for Max to brace against, and the canine gently and painfully got to his feet.

“Max, you hafta tell me what happened!” Corey said. “Who did this to you?”

Max trembled and held Corey close with his uninjured arm, steadying himself. “I… I can’t, Corey.”

Corey shook his head. “Max, you have to tell me. I won’t say anything to anyone, I promise, but I have to make sure you’re okay.”

Max looked around nervously. “Okay, but you can’t say anything to anyone or I’m totally screwed. I… I don’t know what to do, Corey!”

“Shhh,” the cheetah cooed. “Let’s get you in a chair and get you calmed down, and you tell me everything.” Corey helped Max get his shorts pulled back up and the two slowly and unsteadily made their way to the nearby reading table. Max sank into one of the chairs, defeated.

“I’m not kidding, Corey, you can’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you,” Max said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I won’t, dude, won’t breathe a word,” Corey said as he sat in the chair across from Max.

Max closed his eyes and wiped his face with a paw. “It was Marcus,” he said slowly. “I walked in on him and Zane screwing. I didn’t know anyone else was here, but I heard a noise. And there they were. I tried to get away, but Marcus got me by the shoulder.”

“You need to tell management,” Corey said, trembling with anger.

“I can’t!” Max cried. “He told me I’m a freak and a pedo, and he took a bunch of pictures of me on his phone and uploaded them to the cloud. He said if I don’t quit my job and leave he’s going to send the pics to my mom and dad! They’ll disown me, Corey!”

“They wouldn’t really, would they?” the cheetah asked, uncertain. His own parents knew about his various kinks and quirks and had been eerily supportive. The idea that a parent would abandon their kid over something like this was completely foreign to Corey.

“They would! They don’t even know I’m gay! If they found out about the baby stuff they’d try to have me committed, or they’d never speak to me again, or they’d send me to some Pray Away camp or something. What am I going to do, Corey? If I tell anyone, he’s going to send the pictures and ruin me! But the only other option is to give up all of this, to give up Stephen and you and all my friends, my life here…. I… I can’t…” Max began crying again.