Hope in Coincidence, CH 10 (Patreon)

Olavo muttered in Spanish as he leaned against the now closed door to the study. Gagan’s complaints about cleaning up someone’s mess cut off partway under the sound insulation that permeated the frat. He reached into his pants, gave himself a stroke, then used traced a design on the door with his finger.

Niel shrugged when Stewart looked at him with a stunned expression. He didn’t feel like the man could ask for answers, the way he’d kept secrets.

Olavo turned to face them. “Why didn’t you mention you were part of the Survivors?”

“They have a name?” Niel asked, realizing he meant the group he was now part of, then… “wait, how do you know about that?” and then. “That’s to keep the others from listening in, right? Why don’t you want them to know about this?”

Olavo raised a hand to silence him. “I need to know a few things before I go into anything else. First. Why didn’t tell us?”

“I didn’t know.”

The capybara looked at Stewart incredulously. “You didn’t tell him?”

The older raccoon opened his mouth, looking annoyed, then closed his as his ears folded back and he looked away. “I don’t really know anything, either.”

“How can you not? You’re his father. You know—”

“He’s not,” Niel stated and ignored the hurt look from Stewart.

Olavo stared. He pulled a chair and dropped into it. “Okay. I need more than a few things, then. Do you know who your biological father is?”

Niel waited, but Stewart remained silent. “My great-grandfather.”

“I wanted to make sure he was genetically from my family,” the older raccoon said defensively at the look Olavo gave him. And Added, “Niel is my son.”

“And no one educated you on how any of this works?”

Stewart shook his head. “The only thing Jarod told me was that if Niel had sex with his father, his condition would become active.”

“That’s why I need the list of who was at the party,” Niel said. “I don’t remember having sex with a raccoon, but there were a lot of guys, and a lot of the nights’ a blur.”

“He told you this would only happen if Niel has sex with his father?” Olavo asked, looking uncomfortable.

Steward nodded. “Before you ask, Jarod disappeared right after. All he left me is a number, and I’ve called it a few times already. It’s some sort of answering service. Not digital, so they can only tell him I called if he contacts them.” He shrugged at the disbelieving look the capybara gave him. “He isn’t big on technology.”

It took a few seconds for that to sink it. “First off,” Olavo finally said, “that isn’t how someone within the Survivors gets initiated. All it takes is sex with a man from one of the five bloodlines who is initiated.”

“So, it didn’t have to be a raccoon?”

Olavo sighed and shook his head.

Niel studied him. “Do you know who it was?”

Olavo opened his mouth, then closed it. “I think it’s best if I give you some background information before we get into that. First,” he motioned to the door. “That’s because they don’t advertise. Most of the Society isn’t aware of them, and they prefer it that way. The compact they made with Him is completely different from ours.”

“Society?” Stewart asked. “Him? You?”

Olavo closed his eyes and let out a breath. “We don’t have time for that side of things right now. Niel, you know the basics. You can fill him in later.”

“Niel?” Stewart asked.

He shrugged. He didn’t feel like telling him about it, but Olavo was helping, so he owed him that.

“Mister Leslie. Have you been told about Antarctica?”

“I’ve heard stories,” the older raccoon replied, focusing on the capybara. “Jarod’s supposed to have been there, but no one agrees on the why, much less what happened there.”

“It was an archaeological expedition; two, technically. I’m more focussed on the present and future, so I’ve never bothered learning the details of what I was told. The Allies were pursuing an Axis expedition there. A storm forced them to work together to reach safety. Only a few made it to an undiscovered Hearth.”

“Is that some kind of ruin?” Stewart asked.

Olavo considered it. “Ruins are made by people. The Hearth was made by Him.”

“And this him…?”

“Him.” Olavo said, emphasizing the capital. “Niel will explain it.”

“Thanks,” Niel grumbled.

“There weren’t any hallways or some labyrinth protecting it. Just stone and ice ending at a cavern with six pillars. As far as they were concerned, it was just a place out of the storm where they’d end up starving to death, but… He had other plans. He made them an offer, and they accepted. With the abilities they gained that way, and a lot of luck, they made it off that continent and ended up in Argentina.” He paused. “Then, with what had to be Him subtly manipulating things, they encountered my family. It’s how I know about them. My family set them up to go one where they wanted to go, except for one of them, also a capybara, who became close to my family.”

“You guys had sex,” Niel said. “Come on, no need to pussy-foot around. I know how that works.”

Olavo chuckled. “And children. I have no idea if that’s why He arranged things that way, but the Cuevet and Medeiros bloodlines have become heavily mixed. My mother is a Cuevet.”

“Wait.” Niel frowned. “How can your mother be one of them? Don’t you only have boys?”

“That’s one of the difference in their compact.” Olavo became thoughtful, glancing at Stewart before looking at Niel. “You need to remember that the Society predates what is considered societal structures now. We made our pact with Him in times so ancient I’m not even sure writing existed. Back then, boys were men as soon as they could help ensure the tribe’s survival, and yes, that included fathering children of their own, or just sex. That is when our ceremonies and rituals came into being, and they stayed with us without changing.”

“Are you saying that you—”

“Yes Dad,” Niel said, “they do.”

Niel had wrestled with three thoughts on the subject since becoming aware of the Society, two years before. In one, the one where he lived before encountering the bat and his mind screwing ways, he’d accepted that grown men who had sex with underage boys were perverts, manipulating them and defiling them and needed to be punished in the extreme.

In the other, which he also lived, but was put in his mind by the bat with the mind screwing ways, for a sun to have sex with his father was a great honor and integral to the worship of their god.

Having to resolve the two mindset, once his memories were restored, had forced him to conclude of the third. One where, after two years, he was only comfortable with in the abstract because he hadn’t been confronted with, he didn’t want to.

Yes, the men with in the Society were grooming their sons, but they were doing so to be part of a religion that revolved around a god and granted them powers that could be demonstrated as real. They’d grown paranoid about how the rest of the world saw those actions, because to keep their sons from experiencing those ceremonies would sever their connection to Him, and prevent them from gaining their power through that connection.

The final detail that made it more acceptable to Niel than it would be otherwise was that none of the men in those families, at least as far as he knew, would think to touch a boy that wasn’t related to them. Kuno had assured him they considered it just as bad to force a boy from outside to have sex with a grown man as the rest of the world did.

And yes, Thomas had proved that the Society didn’t have to follow those old ways, but when the first ceremony granted the boys immunity from all sickness, it was a strong argument to keep going the way they always had, even in these times of vaccines.

“The Survivors were born in the mid to late nineteenth century,” Olavo continued. “For them, the idea of sex with a child was repugnant. They would have rather died than agreed to it. And for whatever reason, He was okay with not making that part of the compact.”

Niel smiled. Even Olavo was so used to the old ways that, knowing Thomas personally, and all he represented, he still believe the early initiations were enforced by his god.

“So they are able to sire girls and boys, just like everyone else. People within my family have been debating why He’d agree to that when He wasn’t starving since the Cuevet joined our bloodline. As far as I’m concerned, He’s a god, and His reasons will forever be mysteries to us.”

Stewart chuckled. “I guess it isn’t just God who works in mysterious ways.” Olavo didn’t share it, and while Niel could see the humor, he didn’t feel like indulging the man.

“That is why,” Olavo said with a sigh, “if I’d known you were part of the Survivors, you I wouldn’t have had sex once you turned eighteen.”

“So before that, it was fine?” Niel asked.

“Clearly.”

“And it’s because we had sex at the party?” Niel remembered that quite well, and did not regret it.

Olavo nodded. “This frat has to be cursed.”

“Not something you need to know about,” Niel told Stewart before he could ask.

The capybara took out his phone and stared at it. He let out a breath. “I have to call my father.”

“Aren’t you worried he’s going to kill you?”

Olavo let out a mirthless laugh. “There’s no doubt he will. But if he finds out what I did from talking with one of my frat brother’s fathers, he won’t just kill me. He’ll make sure I have a few years before that living on being fucked every three days. Then he’d going to let me starve.” He scrolled through names. “While I’m signing my death, you need to talk with Kuno. This is his family’s city. They need to make sure there’s nothing dangling about that will raise questions.”

“Things like blood work showing my body isn’t absorbing nutrients?”

The capybara sighed. “Exactly. Don’t worry about the details. He’s going to find out about them no matter what.”

Niel opened the door as Olavo spoke Spanish.

The group of men assembled before him seemed to include everyone in the frat, except the one he needed to talk with. Niel pushed through them.

“So,” Limbani said, all smiles, “are you feeling peckish? Maybe I can interest you in some South African sausage?” He reached back for the tail strap and Stewart cleared his throat. The monkey looked the older raccoon up and down and licked his lips. “Are you hungry too? It runs in the family, right?”

“Don’t hit on my dad in front of me, Lim,” Niel sighed. “And keeps your pants on. I don’t care what you saw. I have more important things to deal with now than sex.”

“I thought you need it to live.” Limbani pouted.

Niel glared at the elephant.

“What?” Gagan demanded. “You announced it in the hall. That isn’t the actions of someone who wants the revelation kept secret.”

Niel sighed. “Look. I have things to deal with. Once I’m done, you guys can form a line to fuck me.”

“Niel,” Stewart warned.

“You never had a problem with my sex life before I needed it to live. You don’t get to object now.” He pushed his way through the guys and headed up the stairs. He knocked on the door and didn’t wait for a response.

The margay looked up at him from the end of the bed, legs over a horse’s shoulders and a blissed expression on his face. It vanished as soon as he met Niel’s eyes.

“Bert,” Kuno said somberly, “we’re going to have to finish this later.”

“I’m almost…” the horse panted.

“Later.” Kuno locked eyes with Bert. “Don’t make me freeze it off.”

“If it helps,” Niel said. “There’s half a dozen guys down the stairs who’ll be happy to let you finish with them. And I’m sorry for getting in the way.”

“You wouldn’t look like that if it wasn’t serious. I will make it up to you, Bert.”

The horse gathered his clothes and exited, nearly bowling Stewart over. Niel was tempted to slam the door in the man’s face. Instead, he motioned him inside, then closed the door.

“What’s wrong?” Kuno asked.

“You need to check your message center more often. I’ve been dying in the hospital for a few days while they ran tests no mundane scientist will ever understand. Olavo said your family should make sure nothing comes of that.”

“You were dying? How is the world did that happen, and how is it I’m only hearing about this now?”

Niel glared at the margay. “Check. Your message center. More often.” He shrugged. “I thought it was just the flu, or a stomach bug. It turns out that my great-grandfather, slash actual biological father, made a contract with Him that includes living off sex.”

Kuno stared. “You’re one of us? Please tell me we didn’t cause this.”

“Not as a whole. If one of you can be held responsible, it’s Olavo, and he’s already negotiating with his father to avoid being executing for releasing a major Medeiros secret into the open ocean.”

The margay rubbed his temple. “Okay, so that’s the byline. Is there any chance I can get something more in depth? I’m going to have to answer questions before anyone will agree to act.”

Niel dropped on the bed and ignored Stewart uncomfortably looking away from the two of them. He kept the recounting to the salient details, but made sure there were enough Kuno would be able to answer any of his family’s questions relating to covering up the medical stuff.

The few times Jarod came up, Niel made a point of glaring at Stewart.

It only took a few seconds, once he was done, for Kuno to grab the phone off the bedside table and place the call. Niel figured now was the time to go cash that IOU with the guys, but found Olavo reaching for the handle when he opened the door.

“I’m not going to die,” the capybara said, “but only if you’re willing to fly to Argentina with me tomorrow after class.”