A CAT IN THE WOLF'S DEN

CHAPTER ONE

The bar was crowded tonight. I didn't usually do work for places like this, my music was more fitting for the clubs and dance halls around town. But tonight was a special circumstance. My best friend, David, was having his 21st birthday party here and had asked if i'd DJ for him, even paying off the bar owners to let me bring my own gear here. This place was special to him. It was where he found his first real love, before they had left him and moved off to god knows where. I couldn't really fault David for wanting his birthday party here, and who am I to turn down a request as simple as this for a friend?

My name's Ryder. Ryder Trayson. I'm 22 years old, and I've been a DJ ever since I was 14. I've known David since I was 3, and we've never been any less than best friends. There's not a lot to say about me. I like music, I work out now and then, not that I need to. Being a Great Grey Wolf has its perks, including a healthy dose of muscles that most would kill for. Of course, it also comes with a massive appetite. I can eat just about as much as the hungriest hog and still want more. But hey, you're not here to listen to me go on about myself forever. Let's get back to the story, yeah? One more thing about me is that I don't care much for talking about me.

The music blared throughout the building, and I could see some of the patrons getting irritated and complaining to workers. Probably regulars that weren't used to people having fun. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and, after setting up the next couple songs to play on their own, I checked it. David had texted me saying he wanted me to play Digging Alone, a pretty upbeat song that I had promised to play before the night was up. I cancelled the other two songs in the queue and, as the current song finished, I gave my best wolfish grin, turned off the music, and grabbed my mic. "Alright everyone, we got a request from the big man himself! So you can thank him for the next beat!" I let out a howl of excitement as I turned on the song, and heard a chorus of cheers from the crowd below as the music began.

A second later, David texted me again, this time to thank me and show me a picture of the guy he was dancing with. Not a bad looker, but I didn't exactly trust the look in his eye. Not that it was any of my business, David was a smart cat. I trusted his judgement. I kept the music going, turning it up a bit at the popular parts, and back to normal for the rest. Looking out, I eventually saw David, dancing like his life depended on it. It brought a smile to my face, knowing he was having fun. He rarely got to just get out and cut loose anymore, with his job being so time-consuming. Finally, after a few more songs played, I finished my set with David's favorite tune, a remix of "Everybody Wants to be a Cat" he'd found ages ago. I'd gotten the okay from the remixer to play it for him, and hadn't told David beforehand. I couldn't help but smile when I saw his eyes light up, and I shifted all the lights on my rig to aim at him, following him with it as the music played, making sure all eyes were on him. He adored it, dancing to his hearts content and cutting loose like it was his last dance ever.

After the set finished, I got all my stuff packed away and was in the middle of carrying it out to my truck when David ran up and hugged me. I nearly dropped the box I was carrying, and hollered out.

"Hey! Watch it Davey, I'm carrying some
expensive shit here!" He giggled and let go, smiling at me.

"Sorry Rye, just wanted to thank you for making this such a great party. You really made my night with that last song." I couldn't stay mad at him, he was just trying to be nice and thank me.

"You're fine, man. Wanna ride home? I'm heading past your place anyways to grab some food before I head back to mine."
He nodded, and made his way to the passenger side. I put my gear in the back and covered it up with a tarp before hopping into the drivers side, heading out of the parking lot.

"Y'know, I hate places like that. It was fun to see all those stuffy suits getting mad over the music and dancing." I smiled, my eyes never leaving the road.

"Yeah, that was pretty fun. But don't make fun of suits, people look good in them. At least, Jonas did." I rolled my eyes. I had no clue who Jonas was, but I could only assume it was the guy he took a selfie with.

"Hit it off with that guy? Gonna invite him over some time? Better get my blessing before you do." I chuckled, and he punched my shoulder.

"Come on Rye, you know I wouldn't invite a guy over without asking you over too." He smirked, and I saw a glint of light from a streetlamp shining on one of his fangs. This was an old routine of ours. A back-and-forth we had started in high school and hadn't stopped since.

"Long as I get first go, we're good." Looking ahead, I allowed myself a glance over to him, flashing him a grin before returning my attention to the road.

It wasn't long before I got to his place, a big apartment complex that David lived on the fifth floor of. He was hesitant to get out.

"What's up man? We're here." He gave me a bit of a look. I couldn't quite place the emotion in it.

"Mind if I actually stay at your place tonight?"
I nodded, giving him and understanding look. David was a social guy. More so than most, and he was at my place more often than his when he was off work. I joked about how his apartment is basically a super expensive storage unit for his stuff once. He didn't like the joke, but he didn't disagree. I started driving again, heading to the pizza place a few blocks away. He was quiet most the way there, and didn't speak again until we sat down to eat.

"Hey Ryder? Can we share the bed tonight?" I blushed a bit, thankful my fur hid the fact. He didn't ask that often. It wasn't so much the thought of sharing the bed as it was what it entailed. David was a sleep-cuddler, and while it wouldn't be the first time we'd shared a bed, it was odd to me that he'd ask. He usually only asked on a particularly bad day.

"Something wrong? I thought you enjoyed today." He shifted a bit.

"I did, but...it's my birthday and all and...I...Really...Really...Like to...Cuddle you..." I cocked my head to the side, an ears perking up.

"You what?"

He sighed. "I really like to cuddle you. I don't usually ask unless it's been a rough day cause that's usually the only times I feel like you will." This wasn't much of a shock to me, it just caught me off guard. He was always open and never really hid what he wanted or thought, so to know he was hiding something as simple as that from me was strange.

"I mean, if you want to then yeah, we can. I wanna make your birthday good, dude. If that means cuddling, then let's go for it." I smiled reassuringly. I would rarely deny a request from David. I knew him all my life, and he'd always been there for me. Only fair I be there for him.

He smiled, perking up and nodding. I'd paid for buffet, and we spent a good chunk of the night there eating, me more than him. By the end of it, David was full and complaining about being too stuffed. I was content and ready to head home. Getting into the truck, I headed home with David in the passenger seat whining about a stomach ache. As we got to my house, I opened the door for David and let him in first, watching as he let himself flop onto the couch.

"Hey, if you sleep there you're not getting cuddled. There's not enough room for us both to lay down on that thing."
He laughed at me, smiling.

"Maybe not like this, but if you lay down first I could lay on you." I could tell he was tired. He sounded exhausted.

"True but I don't feel like getting crushed by all 90 pounds of you."

He giggled. "You could hold 90 pounds up with your pinky, I'm sure your whole body can handle it." He clearly wasn't going to get up on his own, so I decided to do it for him. I reached down and picked him up. Heading to the bedroom, I dropped him on the bed and lay next to him, holding an arm out for him to get close. Our friendship was a little different, I knew that much. But I liked the warmth and it felt good to have someone else so close. David liked the affection and felt safe this way, so why would I deny either of us of the comfort?

What did shock me, and what threw me for a loop for the rest of the night, was when he looked up at me.

"Thanks for a great birthday party, Rye." David leaned up and kissed me, and I could feel myself lose the ability to speak. He'd kissed me before, but never like this. It was always a peck on the cheek to tease, a kiss on the hand as a joke, or blowing kisses to be playful. He'd never kissed me on the lips, and hadn't ever shown a desire to do so. By the time I realized fully what had happened, he was snoozing quietly against my chest. I lay there, looking at him, unsure of what to make of the situation. Eventually, I decided it must have just been the exhaustion, coupled with him being grateful, making him go a little further than he actually meant to. For all I knew, he had meant to kiss my cheek and just missed. Surely that was it...

As I would come to find out the next morning, that most certainly was not it.

CHAPTER TWO

I woke up to the sound of light snoring, and a comfortable warmth against my chest.

Oh right, David wanted to stay over last night..

I looked down at the grey cat cuddled up against my chest. I sighed and closed my eyes again. "Rye? You up?"

I gave out a low groan, and a nod. I wasn't the best with mornings. He was. I could hear him giggle a bit, and felt him shifting upwards. Opening my eyes a little, I saw him face-to-face with me, a soft and genuine smile directed at me. "Thanks for letting me stay over last night, Ryder."

If I'd been fully awake, I'd have known something was up when he used my full first name. As it was, I could only muster "No prob..." before he leaned in, closing the distance between us, and giving me a kiss on the lips. The memory of the kiss from last night flooded back to me, and I was alert in an instant, rolling off the side of the bed in confusion and hitting my head on the ground as a result.

"Fuck! Ow..." I rubbed my head and heard David shuffle over to the side of the bed.

"Oh my god! Ryder, are you okay?" I shook my head, as if to clear my thoughts like clearing an etch-a-sketch.

"No, no I'm not." I raised up, looking at him with uncertainty. "You kissed me." I don't know what reaction I expected from David at that point, but it certainly wasn't the one I got.

"Yeah...I did last night too but..you didn't freak out then. I thought it was okay?" I stared at him, not quite sure what to say.

Is it really that big of a deal? It was just a little peck. But he's never done that before... I furrowed my brow and looked him in the eyes, more confusion than any form of anger. "Why do it though?" He cocked his head to the side and smiled, his eyes closing in a happy expression.

"Because I like ya!"

Because he likes me? There has to be more to it than that.

"Because you like me? David, I don't think people typically kiss each other just because they like each other." Now he looked confused.

"But...I like you, and I wanted to do it, so I did. Rye, I know kissing's not just something you do with anyone, but you're not just anyone. You're my best friend." He gave me a smile, and it was hard to argue with his logic.

It...didn't hurt anything, right? It was just a way for him to show his thanks.

"And besides, I can't help it if you're just so darn kissable!" My face went red, and I was certain he could see it under my fur. He giggled, looking at me.
"What, didn't know? You have a super kissable face." I couldn't believe this. David was...teasing me?

"David, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that stuff." His eyes seemed to sadden a little.

"What do you mean? Rye, I know I'm not the first guy you've kissed, you've been with men before, so...what's bugging you about it?" How did he not understand?

"Yeah, and I was dating them! You...You're not my boyfriend, my husband, not even my friend-with-benefits! You're my best friend, yeah, but best friends don't kiss! Most don't, at least..." I could see that I'd struck a chord in him, his expression softening and his eyes shifting to look at the floor.

"Well...I could be if you wanted..I just thought that it was okay..even though I'm not."

My eyes went wide. Did he just...say he'd be my boyfriend? If I wanted? Okay, no. No, no, no, no, NO.

"David, listen to me. I'm not entirely sure what's going on with you, but at the very least, I need time to process this. You can't just...say this shit and expect me to be perfectly okay with it all. I don't play that game." I kept my eyes focused on his, and when he refused to face me, I put a hand under his chin, lifting up to make him look me in the eyes.

"David. I'm not saying no. I'm not saying never. But you can't spring this on someone and expect them to be perfectly fine with it right then and there. Last night I thought you were just exhausted and not thinking. Now I know the truth, and I need time to understand it and think on this. Until then, why don't you go home? You can take my truck. I don't have any work today anyways."

I could see the pain in his eyes, and watched as he stood, making his way out of the bedroom. I hated to see him this way, but all these years he'd never once broken into my personal space like that without knowing if it was okay, nor had he ever gone that far before. I couldn't quite think about how he was feeling at the moment. I lay back on the bed, hearing my door shut as I closed my eyes.

That really just happened. So...David's had a crush on me all this time? Or is it recent? Or did he just...decide he wanted to be more? Gah! When did this happen??

I tossed and turned, thinking over what was said and what had happened, unable to make sense of it.

Why would he just...say something like that? David's never been shy or anything, why hide that from me?

I decided laying in bed was no use, so I got up and made my way to the kitchen, walking up to the fridge. I was greeted by a familiar sight, a photo from school picture day in fifth grade. David was only in fourth grade at the time, and back then he was one of the most shy kids in school. So shy, in fact, he refused to get his picture taken unless he could take it with his mom. Who wasn't there. Or available.

She'd had to work that day, and I'd finally given in and taken the photo with him in her stead. It was annoying at the time, but looking back it was one of the first times he and I really noticed how close we were. I opened the fridge, looking through and deciding on one of the cheap steaks I'd set in there to thaw. While I cooked, I kept my mind focused on David, and what had gone on. I wanted to sort through this as soon as I could, and find out how I really felt on the matter.

I didn't want to like it. I didn't want to be happy. I'd read so many sappy love stories, and seen so many crummy romcoms that I knew how stupid it was to act all giddy right away. I wanted to be sure it wasn't just the lack of romantic attention I'd had recently.

I thought about it the rest of the day, and the next when David brought my truck back, taking a cab home. I thought about it the next day as well. A week went by, then another, all without hide nor hair of David. Having him be gone so long was...uncomfortable. I knew he was okay, I'd seen him working at the cafe the day before, but it felt wrong to not be around him. That feeling only got stronger the more we were apart. I'd decided I wasn't going to contact him until I sorted this out. If he called, or came by, I'd welcome his company, but I wasn't going to make the first move until I knew I wanted to. Finally, after three weeks of being away from him, I caved.

Dialing his number, I realized just how eager I was to hear his voice. How excited I was at the idea of seeing him again.

Riiiing....Riiiiiing.....Riiiiiiiing

My heart sped up, the room getting warmer.

Riiiing....Riiiiiing.....Riiiiiiiing

It seemed like it was taking forever for him to answer. Did he not want to talk to me? Was he ignoring me?

Riiiing....Riiiiiing.....Riii-

"Rye? What's up?"

CHAPTER THREE

We talked for hours, as if nothing had ever happened. Finally, I swallowed my fear and let out the words I had been avoiding.

"David, I want to talk about what happened a few weeks ago. When you stayed over, the last time." I was met with silence, and worried I'd made him hang up.

"Okay Rye...What about it?" His tone was nervous, worried. As if he wanted to be talking to anyone else now.

"I thought about it. I still don't really know how I feel about it but I couldn't come up with any reasons against what you said. I couldn't find any reason to turn you down. But more than that, I didn't want to find any. I realized it this morning. I woke up and...well I wanted to see you this morning. But I wasn't about to call you while you were working. I kept thinking about it and it hit me that I don't want to send you away like that ever again."

I heard his breath catch, and what sounded like a quiet sniffle.

"So...What are you trying to say, Rye..?" I sighed, covering the phone. The last thing I wanted was to make it seem like this was out of pity. It wasn't.

"I'm saying I'll give it a shot. I've known you my whole life, you've always been there for me and I've always been there for you. I don't really know why it never occurred to me to ask you out before. I guess...I just never saw you that way until recently. Call it a trial period. I...still don't know for sure what I think of it, but this will help me figure it out." I smiled, even though he couldn't see me.

"Rye, are you sure about that? I don't want you to do this just because you want me to feel better." He didn't get it, did he?

"David, I'm doing this because I want to. You're sweet, you're caring, every guy I've seen you with has done nothing but give me examples of what a great boyfriend you are, and I know you have a thing for me. If I were doing this for just your sake, I'd tell you. This is for both of us. Now...Come on over. I wanna hang out." I heard a happy gasp, and after we said goodbye he hung up. He'd be here soon...

I waited for what felt like hours, and when I finally heard a knock at my door, I glanced to the clock. It'd only been eight minutes. Getting up, I answered the door and smiled as I saw David standing there.

"Hey Davey. Come on in." I stepped aside, letting him in and sighing in relief. He hadn't looked upset, which was a relief.

"So, what do you wanna-" I was cut off by a sudden, resounding clap sound, and a sudden stinging sensation all across my cheek. He had just slapped me.

"That, Rye, is for dodging me for three weeks and leaving me in the dark. I thought you hated me." I looked at him, eyes wide, and rubbed my cheek.

"Davey, I-" Cut off again, this time with a warm pressure on my lips, his meeting mine and his arms wrapping around me. I could tell he was on his tip-toes, he couldn't reach my lips otherwise. Kissing him, once again, felt strange but far from wrong. As he pulled away, I sucked in a breath, not realizing I'd been holding mine since the slap.

"And that...That's for everything you said on the phone today." He smiled, rubbing my cheek on the side he'd slapped, the pain quickly fading. There hadn't been much to begin with, David wasn't very strong and I had a high pain tolerance.

We decided to watch a movie, and I drove us to the theater. David never once took his hand off mine, as if he were afraid that I'd fly out the window if he ever did. We got to the theater and settled on a movie, making our way to our seats. Throughout the movie, David rested his head on my shoulder. It felt good, having someone giving signals like that to others. The kind of signals that said I was his, that said flirting with me was a bad idea. It was cute, if not a little jealous. Once the movie was over, I started to get up. David stood with me and we left the viewing room, only to have a couple of girls stop us outside. I knew them, they were regulars at one of the clubs I tended to freelance for.

"Hey guys! Enjoy the movie? Jessica and I did. Say, Ryder, I haven't seen you at the club in a few weeks, what happened?" I smiled, instantly getting into work mode.

"Well, they offered me a gig there last week for a couple hundred bucks but I got a better offer from the place across town. Other than that, they just haven't been calling me up."

She giggled.

"Well, I'm sure I could get them to. I've got my ways. Care to know what they are~?" Now I was getting uncomfortable. David must have known, because he wrapped his arms around one of mine, looking up at me.

"Rye, we're gonna be late for the reservation. Paveaus won't give us our seats if we're late hon." Internally, I was thanking him again and again.

"Yeah, sorry but I've gotta get to Paveaus. C'mon Davey." I smiled, walking away and, to my surprise, I found myself leaning down to kiss David. Maybe it was the territorial side of me, but I wanted those girls to know he was mine. I was the one they were flirting with, but something in me said I needed to show Davey was mine, and I was his.

So far, this felt good. Not quite right, but good. It felt like an adjustment period, like I was still trying to get used to it. We drove back to my house in silence, but he never stopped smiling. I decided to just dive into this, with a question I knew was a safe enough one to ask.

"So, want to cuddle again this time or did I put you off them for life?" I gave him a grin. He punched my shoulder lightly, and giggled.

"I'm always up for cuddles. Especially yours." As we arrived at my house, I helped him out of the truck, bowing as I opened his door to drive the joke home. He curtsied and giggled, walking up to my door with a bounce in his step. We went in and I flopped onto the couch. It wasn't long before David flopped on top of me, holding a couple bottles of soda and handing one to me. I coughed a bit, the sudden addition of his weight knocking the wind out of me for half a second.

"Hey now, careful. You're light but everything's heavier when it's falling." I smirked, wrapping my arms around him. All he did was giggle, and nestle in against me. It was peaceful, and calm, and felt comforting. Right, almost.

Almost.

I don't know when I fell asleep, but I awoke to the smell of bacon and the sound of sizzling meat. Rolling out of what I thought was my bed, I didn't realize there was nothing but air beside me and landed muzzle-first on the floor, groaning as pain flooded my senses.

"Ow..." The sound of a gasp and hurried steps came from the kitchen, and David was with me an instant later.

"Ryder, are you okay? What happened?" I groaned, raising up and rubbing my nose.

"I thought I was in bed...When did I fall asleep?" He giggled, a fact I didn't quite appreciate at the moment.

"You conked out about twenty minutes in to our little cuddle sesh, hon."

Cuddle sesh? Oh..Right, we were laying on the couch together last night...

I took a second, one hand on the couch cushion to steady myself as I got my bearings. Standing up, I sighed, rubbing my head once more.

"I only made it twenty minutes before biting the dust, huh? I'll have to do better next time." I saw him grin, and his tail swayed behind him in an alluring way.

"Next time, huh? How much better you gonna do?" I smirked at him and, without giving him any warning, scooped him up in my arms, one hand purposefully grabbing at his butt.

"Hm, dunno. Depends on how good this breakfast you're cooking turns out to be." I growled at him playfully.

I'm settling into this awfully fast. First, kissing him in front of those girls at the movies...Now I'm grabbing him and feeling him up like it's a totally normal thing...Should I slow down? Or does this just mean it's good to keep going? Why are these emotions so confusing?

"Well big guy, if you'll set me down I'll finish it up and bring you your plate."I set him down and he bounded off to the kitchen again, smiling all the while. I sat on the couch and lay back a bit. I would normally be the one doing breakfast, but with him waking up sooner I wasn't about to complain. A minute later he returned with breakfast as promised. Taking a bite of my food, I let out a groan of satisfaction.

"Did I over-pepper it, Rye?" Shaking my head, I swallowed my food and smiled at him.

"You perfect-peppered it." I grinned, beginning to dig into the rest of my food, eating with sheer glee. I was a good cook, but this was better than anything I'd ever made. Not for lack of trying, of course. I just wasn't much of a cook. As I ate, I felt eyes on me and, looking up, saw David staring at me with a soft smile.

"Hm? Shup?" I swallowed the bacon that I'd been chewing. "Something in my fur?" He shook his head.

"Just admiring ya." I felt a little uncomfortable at that. He'd never just sat and stared at me before. I wasn't used to being watched like that.

"That's new. You never used to do that. That a dating thing?" I'd expected a bit of an explanation, but instead he simply shook his head and went back to eating his own food. I'd have to get used to that if we were going to stay together. Everything else had been fine so far, and this wasn't a deal-breaker. If anything, it was more embarrassing than uncomfortable, and I knew that would pass.

"So...Got any plans for today?" I looked at him between bites of food, enjoying the taste of his cooking. He nodded as he swallowed and smiled.

"Trace and I are going to the mall. He's supposed to meet his sister there since she's coming to visit for the week."

Trace? The gas station guy?

"Trace Parker?" He nodded again. "Huh. His sister lives way east, right? On the coast?" Another nod. "Why isn't he just meeting her at the airport?" He giggled this time, before smiling at me.

"Why you wondering? Jealous? Worried~?" He stuck his tongue out at me. "Relax, he's as straight as a brand new nail." I hadn't realized it until he said that, but I had been a little tense. My fur had bristled a bit, my tail noticeably so, and I felt a wave of relief at his words. He was right. I was worried.

Am I the jealous type? I've never had that issue before. Is it a new thing with me, or is it just because it's him? Why is it that every time I learn a new aspect of this, it opens up twice as many questions as it answers?

I nodded, my face burning with blush as I went back to eating quietly. David giggled at me, making me blush harder, and he stood up. A second later, he was behind me. His arms wrapped around me and he leaned over my shoulder to kiss my cheek.

"I wouldn't let him get away with anything anyways, Rye." He grinned and walked off to the kitchen with his plate. As I finished my own food, I did the same, helping him wash the dishes he'd used. Afterwards, we sat around watching tv. As an episode was ending, I paused it on the credits.

"Hey Davey?" He looked up at me, and cocked his head to the side.

"Yeah?" I shifted to get comfortable and looked away nervously.

"How long you wanted this, man? I never noticed, so I thought it was a recent thing but...you settled so quickly into it, and looking back, you've done a lot of this stuff anyways even before...So I guess I'm just confused. I dunno how you could hide something like this so long." He raised an eyebrow at me and gave me a stern look, which felt all the more intimidating from him since he never did that to me.

"How long I've hidden it?" He shifted to face me easier. "Rye, I've never hidden this. I've wanted this ever since middle school. It's not my fault you're just oblivious." I looked away again, unable to meet his focused stare.

"Sorry...I just never thought of y-" He cut me off, and smiled. "You never thought of me as a potential partner. You always saw me as the cute little cat you had to protect, keep watch over, and care for in the most platonic sense." He giggled. "Never thought that maybe you were the big strong wolf I wanted to be protected by, watched over by, and cared for by, in the least platonic sense." I nodded, and felt my blush returning.

He shifted back to watch tv, but I couldn't start the next episode yet, I wasn't done talking.

"Davey?" He looked at me again.

"Yeah?" I swallowed hard.

"David, I think you just taught me something." He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. "You're...really hot when you're being serious." I blushed harder. This stuff wasn't easy for me to admit. I was used to being told I'm hot. Plenty of the girls at the clubs I did work for would say that sort of thing to me all the time. Usually just to get me to order them drinks so they wouldn't have to pay, but still. I was used to hearing it, not to saying it. Now it was his turn to blush. His fur wasn't as thick as mine, and I could see the lightest hint of red beneath it.

"R-Really?" I nodded and gave him a grin.

"Very~" I growled the sound of each letter, drawing out the word for the sake of teasing him a bit more. He mewled, turning away and grabbing the remote, starting the next episode. He tried to hide his enjoyment, but I felt his tail moving around between my legs, likely something he didn't mean to happen. It sent a slight rush through me, knowing how easy it was to set him off. I simply looked to the tv and allowed myself to let my emotions shine for once, my grin refusing to leave my face anyways. I wrapped my arms around him, tenderly rubbing his stomach as we watched our show.

As we finished the season, it was time to take him to the mall. Getting ready, I'd gone to my room to change. I tugged my shirt off from the previous day, slipping into a clean one before starting to take off my jeans. It was, of course, right around that time that David walked in. I thought nothing of it and kept going, turning away from him to look for another pair. He'd seen me naked before in the gym showers, seeing me in my boxers wasn't going to be an issue. I was the only one who felt that way, however, as David cleared his throat and I heard the sound of him stepping out and closing the door.

"S-so, Rye, sorry to barge in. Um...I was j-just gonna let you know I'm ready." I picked out a pair of pants and, figuring he wasn't in here anyway, decided I'd do something a little special that I hadn't done in a while. I slipped out of my boxers, putting my pants on without them and grinning. It'd be a hell of a surprise for him tonight, if things went that way. I doubted they would, but I decided to go commando from now on anyways. Then, when the day did come, it'd be easier, and I'd get to see the look on his face at the lack of extra cover. Stepping out, I smiled and wrapped an arm around him.

"Alright. Let's head out." He nodded, and we set out. As we drove, I glanced over at him now and then. He was smiling, and he looked content, looking out the window. His tail wrapped around my leg idly. Returning my focus to the road, I saw the mall in the distance.

"Alright, we're almost there. When should I pick you up?" He looked ahead.

"Hm...How about at 3? That's a few hours from now and should give us time to look around the mall, meet his sister, and hang around for a while." I nodded, and pulled into the parking lot.

"I'll be here at 3 then. I'm just gonna drive up by the doors so be ready to go, okay?" I leaned over and kissed him, the corners of my mouth lifting into a smile as I did. He kissed back and giggled.

"See you at 3 then." He hopped out of the truck and ran inside, and I couldn't help but watch as he did. He was cute, what else could I say? I wondered if I should take him to eat anywhere when I came back by to pick him up?

I suppose I'll find out.

I drove out of the parking lot, a smile on my face as I began to think about all that had happened in the last few days alone, and what could happen in the next few...

CHAPTER FOUR

I had been driving around for a few hours and had just left Sandwich King as my phone went off. Picking up, I smiled. It was a phone call from David.

"Hey Davey, what's up?" As his voice came through the line, I could feel my heart speed up a small bit.

"Hi, Ryder! We're finishing up at the mall so if you're not busy, mind coming to pick me up?" I gave the affirmative and sighed after hanging up.

Guess my burger will have to wait...

I drove a couple of blocks over to the mall and parked out front. Opening up the wrapper of my burger, I began to chow down, quickly scarfing it down. By the time I finished my food, David was just walking up. I tossed the bag into the wrapper and set it in the backseat to toss into the dumpster on the way into my apartment. David climbed in and leaned over, kissing me on the cheek and warming my face a good deal.

"Hey Rye, thanks for picking me up." I smiled at him, nodding.

"No problem. You know I'm always happy to help you. Say, hungry?" I grinned. He looked at me intently, a smirk on his face.

"What?" David leaned forward and sniffed the air a little.

"Don't 'what?' me, mister. I know a burger when I smell one. Something tells me..." He grinned, reaching around in the back seat and looking behind my chair and his. It didn't take him long to find the bag.

"You've already eaten." I blushed a bit, embarrassed.

"What, I got hungry waiting around so I figured I'd get a snack." He giggled, setting the bag back down in the back seat.

"Well, lucky for you, I haven't eaten. So you get to stuff your gullet a little more." I smiled, starting up the car.

"Cool. I know just the place."

It was only a couple of minutes away, and when I pulled into the parking lot, David giggled at me.

"Really, Rye?" I smiled, stepping out of the truck and making my way around, getting there just as he shut the door, already having gotten out.

"What can I say, it brings back memories." I held his hand and led him into the restaurant I'd chosen. It was nothing special. Not to anyone but us, at least. It was a little mom-and-pop restaurant that a family friend of David's was the owner of, and it was where he and I met for the first time, when my parents and his had happened to come here on the same night, and were put at tables right by each other. He and I had hit it off immediately, and we'd been allowed to play. It wasn't long before we met up there again, and more after that until finally David was old enough for school and ended up in the same school as me. It had gone from there, and we hadn't come back here in years. It seemed fitting that, on our first real date as a couple, I bring us here again.

The minute we walked in, we were greeted by a somewhat older otter that I recognized as Garrick, who was both a family friend of David's and the owner. He gave us a look as he saw us.

"Well what do you know, you two skip out on my cooking for over a decade, and then you come crawling back, begging to be seated in MY establishment?" He glared at us for a minute, and for that minute I truly believed he was angry at us. We'd come here all the time as kids, and then one day we'd just stopped. I didn't even realize I was holding my breath until David walked up and hugged Garrick, breaking the otter's false anger. He hugged David back and shook my hand.

"I had you going, right? Welcome back, boys. Gods, you two grew up. Well, not so much you, David." He tussled David's hair and grinned. "Still not much taller than the last time I saw you." David gave him a quick gut-punch. Not many things fazed him, and while he was no stranger to remarks about his size, he didn't take kindly to being, for lack of a better word, belittled. Garrick hunched over a bit and chuckled.

"Not much stronger either. How about you, Ryder?" He smiled as he led us to a table.

"You look like you gained a few hundred pounds! Pure muscle, of course." I smiled at him. He was only playing around in his way.

"I've been working out. Davey here won't let me rest until I can bench press at least a truck." The otter laughed, and David giggled, hugging my arm.

"Hey, I did say you could start with a car. Baby steps." He smiled at me. Garrick looked at us oddly.

"What's with the act? You two an item or something?" He let out a hearty laugh, clearly enjoying his joke.

"Yeah. We've been dating for a few days now." I smiled as I spoke, putting an arm around David.

"Oh! Oh wow, I never would have thought you two would be...Huh. Well hey, that's cause for celebration! Today's meal is on the house." David gripped my arm suddenly and spoke.

"That's super nice of you Garrick. Are you sure it's okay though? I'd hate to have you give us free meals just for this.." Garrick nodded.

"I'll pay for it myself, David. Don't worry, just order what you want." I smiled and David nodded, and we took our seats.

After a few minutes of looking over the menu, we ordered our food. The date went fairly smoothly, and we talked about our days and waxed nostalgic about the days when we would eat here as kids. I hadn't had a day like this in a long time, and as we spoke, I forgot the tensions of the day and time seemed to fade. It felt like we'd only been there a few moments when Garrick came up to tell us it was nearly closing time. We finished eating as quickly as we could, and made our way out.

I added up the cost of what we'd eaten, and on the way out, I left the money on the counter when Garrick wasn't looking, as well as a tip. I wasn't the type to accept a free meal. I wasn't raised that way. Getting into the truck, I started it as David climbed in.

"Did you enjoy yourself, Davey?" I gave him a soft smile. He simply nodded in reply, yawning afterward.

"Yeah, but...I think today took a lot out of me." I nodded, pulling out of the parking lot and heading home.

"Do you want to stay the night with me again?" No response.

"David?" I glanced over and realized that he'd fallen asleep. With a sigh, I returned my focus to the road. When we got to my apartment, I got out before waking him, walking around to his door and opening it. Gently shaking him awake, I helped him out and picked him up.

"Go ahead and sleep, Davey. I'll get you to bed." Once we were in my apartment, I laid him down in my bed and lay next to him, arm over him as I pulled the blankets up over us.

"Gnight, hon. Sweet dreams." I kissed him on the cheek before laying back again and letting myself drift off. It wasn't quick. It took me a while, but when I finally slept, I slept too deeply to even dream.

I woke up to a strange motion, and as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, it stopped. Looking over to David, I saw that he was curled up a little, and panting. It didn't take me long to realize what he'd been doing, and I felt my face heat up. I hadn't moved yet. Maybe he didn't know I was awake? I thought it over for a moment, and I decided the best course of action was to let him finish. I simply turned over onto my other side and started trying to get back to sleep. I'd talk to him about it when I woke up again. Before long, however, I felt the bed start to move quite a bit just from his movements.

Wow, he's going at it hard...Does he need it that badly..?

I mulled it over for a minute and sighed internally. Rolling back over, I wrapped an arm around him and, with ease, found his hand around his length. I nibbled at his neck and blushed harder as I heard him let out a gasp.

"R-Ryder, how long have you been awake?" I didn't answer, instead choosing to push his hand away from between his legs and taking hold with my own, stroking up and down the length of it. He wasn't very big from the feel of it, and I could hear him breathing harder. I nipped at his ear, using my free arm to pull him closer. I wasn't ready to go all the way with him, but as hard as he was trying a minute ago, it seemed like he needed this. The least I could do was help him.

I reached down with my free hand, using it to tease at his sack and massaging it gently. Stroking faster, I nibbled his ear and hummed against it, listening to his pants and moans. Before long, I could feel him tensing up, and I knew he was close. I pulled the blanket around so that when he came, it would be on them instead of the bed itself, and I began to pump him faster. Less than a minute later, he was unloading onto my bedspread, whimpering.

"R-Ryder...Oh gods, Ryder!" I bit his ear lightly, smiling as I let go of his length.

"Yes, David?" I raised a bit to look him over. He was panting and smiling, and his tail was wrapped around one of my legs.

"Gods you're cute when you cum." He turned around, nuzzling into me. It was only then that I realized what time it was. Seeing the clock across the room shocked me somewhat. It was only midnight. I'd only been asleep for a couple of hours.

"Why don't we get some actual sleep now, hm?" I kissed his forehead, laying back down and wrapping my arms around him. Holding him close, I shut my eyes. Before long, he was asleep. Not long after that, I drifted off as well, once more into a dreamless sleep.

CHAPTER FIVE

I woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs, and an empty space beside me in the bed. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I raised up and turned so I was sitting on the side of the bed. With a yawn, I stood up and smiled, scratching my chest a bit. As I made my way to the closet, slipping out of my clothes and into a new outfit, I remembered the events of the night. My face felt warm as the memory filled my mind. His moans, his size and the stain that I knew would be where he finished. It wasn't until I turned around that I realized I had woken up without a blanket, and only then did I notice the faint hum of the washer. Stepping out of the bedroom, I made my way to the kitchen. David was in there cooking breakfast. He'd even made a pot of coffee.

"This for me..?" I gestured to a mug sitting next to the coffee machine. He jumped a bit at my voice and giggled.

"M-Morning Ryder. Yeah, it's for you." I smiled, pouring some coffee into the mug and taking a swift, long drink. I always got a taste of the coffee before sugar, milk, or cream could be added. It woke me up faster that way. Pouring it full again afterward, I put some sugar and cream into it, and sipped it slowly.

"How long you been up?" He seemed to sag a bit, almost like he was nervous.

"Um...I haven't slept.." I cocked my head to the side.

"Why not?" Turning the face me, he kept looking down.

"W-well...Do you remember last night?" I nodded, a bit of blush on my face.

"Yeah, I do. Why?" He shifted uneasily and finally looked at me.

"I...May have pretended to fall asleep after that. I was nervous, and embarrassed, and...I..." His voice trailed off, and he seemed to shrink. "I...I wanted more...But you didn't make a move, so I figured...you didn't, so...I tried to go to sleep. I couldn't but I didn't want to wake you up, so I pretended to be asleep until you were, and...then I came in here and...I've been in here since." I felt bad, knowing all I'd done was make him want more. I thought I'd been helping.

"I didn't realize I made it worse, hon...I thought it would help." He smiled a bit, then went back to frowning a little.

"I know you were trying to help, but Ryder, I'm...S-sex is...a big deal to me. Well, a little thing to me...but...Agh, I can't explain it!" I stepped back a bit. He didn't raise his voice often, and it put me off a little.

"I don't see it as some...miraculous ceremony or any huge and important thing, but I do see it as something I can use to show just how much I trust someone. How much I care about them. It's...affection. The strongest kind. And...When you did that last night...I thought that maybe we'd go further...That you'd let me show you how much I care. How much I trust you. That you'd show me..." He went quiet again and sighed, turning around and working on breakfast again.

"But you didn't. You just...went back to sleep." I started to speak, to reassure him, but he cut me off just as I began.

"And I know it's nothing you meant. I know that you were trying to help and that for you, doing that was probably a big step. But to me it was just...teasing." He turned off the burner, and stepped away.

"Breakfast is ready, by the way. Bacon and scrambled eggs, and there's toast in the toaster."

I felt like I'd been punched in the throat. My voice wouldn't come out, and all I could do as he walked to the dining table was get to work filling my plate. I felt horrible.

I'd only teased him..? I made things worse. I should have done more. But..I'm not ready for that...But he needed it, and I want to be there for him..

I couldn't settle my thoughts. I felt like my mind had been sent into overdrive as I sat down, eating my food but never tasting a bite.

Why is this such a big deal to me? I can always help him more later...No, I'm not ready. He even said he understood. He knows I was trying to help. But I didn't help. I made it worse. And now he's probably frustrated and just feeling more pent up than he-

"You don't have to feel bad, Rye." I was jolted from my thoughts by his voice, and I looked up at him.

"I get it. You were trying to help. Please don't feel bad about it?" I shook my head.

"David, you needed it last night. You needed me. Wanted me. I shouldn't have let you down..But...I don't know if I'm ready for such a big step..." He looked at me with an odd intensity before standing up and making his way to me. Pushing the table away from me, he straddled me, sitting in my lap facing me. He looped his arms around me, and I could feel my blood burning my cheeks and the tips of my ears. He rested his chin on my shoulder, and nuzzled against me.

"Ryder, you don't have to make any move you don't want to, but...Do you like this?" Just as I was about to ask what, he began to rock his hips back and forth, stirring up a certain warmth in me, and exciting my senses.

"I..I do..." He purred a little, sending a jolt through me and down to my sheath.

"D-David...I don't want to feel pressured into it.." He nodded, stopping his movements.

"I don't want you to either. I do want to know what's on your mind about it though." I looked into his eyes and closed my own after a moment.

"I've never done it. I've never actually gone that far with anyone. You'd be my first. And while I do want to have my first time with you...I'm scared too. I'm scared of what will happen if it causes a problem. What if I'm not good enough for you? What if I hurt you? What if I am good enough, but then something happens and we break-" He cut me off with a kiss, deep and passionate. And as quickly as he kissed me, he stopped.

"Rye, you'll definitely be good enough for me. It doesn't take much to please me, because to me it's not the act itself. It's the effort. The meaning behind it. Why you do it, not how." He smiled, and I couldn't help but smile back a little. He didn't get serious or deep often. It was refreshing to see this side of him.

"If you want to wait a few hours, days, months, years...I don't mind. I just want to share it with you when I can." I nodded and sighed, the last of my resolve crumbling.

"David, do you really think I'd be good enough? I just want to help you...To make you happy." He gave me a quick lick on the nose, and smiled.

"That alone will make you perfect for me." I blushed, leaning to nuzzle against him.

"Then...If you really believe that...If you want it...I'm willing to try.." He pulled back, looking at me with a mix of surprise and curiosity.

"Try...doing it?" I nodded. "Right now..?" I nodded again, smiling a bit. I was nervous of course, but I didn't want to let on just how nervous. "Ryder, are you sure? You're not just saying that because you think I'm horny from last night, are you?" I shook my head.

"No, I'm doing this because...You're important to me. You're more important to me than anything else. And I want to share this with you. I want to share myself with you. And I want to show you how much I care about you. How much I trust you." I held him tightly before quickly sliding my hands to his bottom and standing up, his hold on me suddenly tightening.

"W-woah! Warn me next-" I kissed him deeply, turning towards the bedroom and making my way toward it as I ended the kiss.

No sooner than he hit the bed were we interrupted by a knock at the door. I could almost feel his disappointment as I stopped, turning to face the door. I couldn't let a knock go unanswered, and made my way to the door. Opening it, I smiled as I was greeted by my brother's face. Nathan. He was sixteen, and dropped by now and then to get my help with schoolwork. I gave him a hug and welcomed him in, and David smiled at him.

"Haiya, Nate! How's it going?" Nate didn't pay much mind to David, and sat his schoolbag down on the kitchen table. I was about to get onto him, but then he smiled up at David.

"It's going fine, just a little overloaded. Mrs. Haymaker has us working on two projects now instead of one, since half the class had theirs done two weeks early." I remembered her. Mrs. Haymayer, but everyone called her Mrs. Haymaker because of her habit of coming up with massive right-hooks of homework and projects on the spot if she wasn't satisfied with how the students were acting. Punishing an entire class for the success of a few wasn't outside the bounds of what I recall her doing to my own class a few times, and I couldn't help but feel a little angry for my brother having to put up with it as well. But we can only do what we can do, and what I could do was help him with his project.

"So Nate, what's your project?" He sighed, opening his bag up.

"I'm supposed to write down the psychological ramifications of an interspecies relationship and its consequences, and as the new second project she has us working on, I need to also establish and monitor a new relationship of some kind with another species, and write down the results, consequences, and benefits of that relationship. Her words." That was a tall order...

"So she wants you to basically write up a report on the pros and cons of an interspecies relationship, and she wants you to be friends with someone from another species and write down your experience with it?" He nodded.

"Well, I can help you with the first one, and David can help you with the second one." Nathan smiled, and nodded.

"Alright. So who's your girlfriend? I'll need to meet her if we're gonna have you two be the first project." I chuckled.

"About that..." I stood, walking to David and wrapping an arm around him. "This is my girlfriend. She should be familiar, you two have met before after all." My joke earned me a swift elbow to the ribs, and I doubled over a bit. That one actually hurt a bit..."She's...a bit feisty." I chuckled before dodging the next swing. "All seriousness, David really is my partner. We've been dating for a bit now."

Nathan seemed a little surprised, but took it fairly well. It was almost anti-climactic, honestly.

"Well, if you two are an item then that's perfect. Makes it that much easier." He smiled at us, pulling out some paper and pencils before getting to work on his project. I sat with him, and David sat by me, and the three of us worked together to make sure his papers were well-written and well-structured. As he asked his questions, we provided him with our answers from both our past experiences and our current one.

By the time he left, he had a ten-page report full of information to sort through on the first project, and another seven pages for the second. I'd offered to drive him home, but he'd insisted on taking a taxi. I guess he wanted to slip off to a friends house or something unnoticed and say he was with us the entire time. I didn't pry much. He was smart, and cautious. I knew he wouldn't do anything risky or dangerous. As the door closed, I watched until he got into the cab and continued watching until that cab was out of sight. Turning back to David, he wasted no time in taking advantage of our newfound lack of guests.

Personally, in hindsight, I wish I'd have at least had the foresight to put a pillow by the door.

He jumped at me, wrapping his legs around my waist and his arms looped over my shoulders with his hands meeting behind my neck. I stumbled from the sudden force, and fell down onto my back with him on top of me. With the wind knocked out of me, all I could muster was a gasp as David began to relentlessly pepper my face and neck with kisses. He was merciless in his assault, planting kisses all over me as quickly as he could. My face began to burn from how hard I was blushing, making me near-certain that my fur wasn't covering it all. Finally, after what seemed like ages, he stopped. Sitting on me, straddling my hips, he began to rock back and forth a little, grinding against me.

"So, Ryder, we're alone now..." He leaned down again, resting against my chest as he rocked his hips. I could feel his excitement pressing against me. He really did want this...Just how eager was he? How eager or angry would he be next time if I denied his advances this time?

"Davey...Are you sure about this right now? It's pretty late, and you have work tomorrow..." He grinned, leaning down and nipping my neck.

"I'm sure, Rye. I'm so sure of it. I'm very sure that I want that big, throbbing wolf cock. I want it now, big guy~" I felt my resistance shatter, and any hope of turning him down went with it. He knew exactly how to amp me up, and he wasn't wasting that knowledge a bit. He licked my neck before tracing a line of kisses from my collarbone up my neck and across my jaw until he reached my chin, then up from there to my lips, locking me into a deep and passionate kiss. His tongue danced in my mouth, and my own gave way for him, giving him the control he wanted.

Am I a bottom? No, I know I'm not. I've never been one before. Is it just...Maybe it's just because he's trying so hard. But...I like this.

I smiled against his lips, finally deciding to take control. My tongue lashed out, attacking his own and forcing it into submission, pushing it back before my own tongue invaded his mouth. Our tongues battled for control, with his barely putting up a fight as I explored him, my hands wandering along his hips. I growled against him, my hips instinctively bucking up, searching for an access point that simply wasn't exposed yet. I myself wasn't exposed yet either, despite feeling incredibly vulnerable at the moment. I typically didn't like that feeling, but in this case it was something I sort of enjoyed. It was...thrilling.

I broke from the kiss, panting lightly and looking him in the eyes, a primal craving in my voice, dropping it low and growling nearly every word. It was as if my instincts were on overdrive, and my reason had called shotgun. "Bedroom. Strip. In that order." With almost no hesitation, he nodded and got off me. As I stood, I watched as he quickly made his way to my bedroom, eagerly pulling his shirt off before even getting in there and already being halfway out of his pants before I could even get to the doorway.

This is going to be very, very fun.

CHAPTER SIX

WARNING: MOSTLY NSFW CONTENT

KINK WARNING: BITING, INCISOR PLAY, MILD BLOOD PLAY, ANAL, AND DIRTY TALK

I walked into the bedroom, instincts screaming at me to take him then and there, no more stalling. I fought back, and did my best to keep my head. He was already completely naked and sitting on the bed.

"Well, someone's eager aren't they?" I gave him a hungry grin, sitting next to him and leaning down to kiss him, one hand moving to rest on the small of his back and the other resting on his hip. I felt him tense a little, and I traced slow circles on his back with one claw. His fur bristled under my palm, and his kiss became shy and reserved. I pulled back, looking at him. I could tell something was up.

"What's wrong, Davey? Second thoughts?" I realized it came out more teasing than intended, and shifted my expression to one of concern. He shook his head and nuzzled against my chest.

"I'm just nervous. You're a lot bigger than me, and this is the first time I've been naked around you, and I want this so, so badly.." I couldn't help but grin at his words.

That's all? I can fix that, no problem.

I pushed him away, having him fall onto his back on the bed. He moved his legs together and covered himself with his hands as I shifted position. I got on my knees at the edge of the bed, easily prying his legs apart. I had the barest glimpse of him before his hands moved a little to cover what had become exposed. I chuckled, pulling them away as well. He let out a nervous mewling sound, one that sent a rush through me.

Was that...Are my instincts that powerful? He's so small...So weak...Like prey. Is he really even a predator species? He doesn't act like it at all...And I think my body loves it!

I let myself have a long, appreciative look at him. His balls, his sheath, his cock, and that tight little hole beneath them. He was solid grey, everywhere, except for the increasingly hard erection he'd begun to sport. Barbed, as expected of a housecat. I smiled, satisfied with what I was seeing, I leaned forward, letting my long tongue out and giving him a broad, healthy lick all the way from his hole to the tip of his length, the barbs of his penis pushing into my tongue ever so slightly as I lightly dragged it along the length of his shaft. He sucked in a breath, and his exhalations were excited and ragged already.

Was he so pent up that this was enough to bring him close?

I gave him another long lick, just like the first time. Then another, and another. Again and again I dragged my tongue up him, slowing at his balls to tease them with the tip of my tongue and again at the tip of his length to swirl my tongue around the thin head of his cock. He let out a moan, and I wrapped my lips around the very tip. Suckling lightly against him, I let my tongue tease the tip. He bucked his hips up, forcing his entire length into my mouth. I choked a bit at that, despite his small size. He wasn't too big, about half my size which would put him around four inches or so. I was used to swallowing sub sandwiches bigger than he was. What choked me was the suddenness of his actions. The buck of his hips had surprised me, but I quickly adjusted and began to suck him off in earnest. I bobbed my head, sucking in deeply each time I pulled up while breathing out each time I went back down. I let my tongue drag along his shaft, roughly on the way down and gently on the way up. His barbs made it somewhat hard on me, with them poking at my lips and tongue almost constantly, but I didn't let it bother me. I could handle a little bit of pain for him to experience a lot of pleasure.

"R-Ryder, I...I'm gonn-ahhhh, I'm gonna cum so-ohhh-oon..." His words were shaky and his breathing hitched at times. He really was pent up a lot, it seems. I pulled off of him, looking at him from between his legs. He raised his head a bit, and I could see his blush through his fur. His hair was messy as well.

He must have been running his hands through it...

I gave him a hungry grin and quickly took him back into my mouth, taking all of him. Now that I was expecting it, it didn't choke me at all. I growled deeply around his shaft to send pleasant vibrations through him as my tongue set to work. Bobbing my head, I wondered how long it'd be before he finished. The second I reached up to tease his sack, I got my answer as he unloaded into my mouth just before I made contact. He cried out, reaching down and grabbing at my ears, holding onto them tightly. It sent a shiver down my spine. My ears had always been sensitive, though I'd never told anyone. That chill ran down my spine and straight to my own length, now painfully restrained by my pants.

It did make me gag a little, the taste of his load. It was a lot saltier than I expected, and the consistency reminded me of mucus which didn't help. But I was a grown wolf, and I knew how I'd feel if someone spat mine out. I swallowed as quickly as I could, avoiding a good deal of the taste and powering through the consistency. As the spurts slowly turned to a light dribble, I took every inch of him and, sucking in as much as I could, I slowly moved up, sucking him clean as I licked at every inch of his shaft along the way. Reaching the tip, I swallowed one last time and flicked my tongue against him before standing up and leaning down over him, eye-to-eye with him now.

His eyes were closed and he was panting, hands curled into fists with an iron grip on my sheets. I grinned, dragging my tongue up his cheek. In an instant, our lips were locked. He wrapped his arms around my neck and did the same with his legs around my waist, pulling me closer until the bulge of my pants pressed against his own now-softening length. His tongue danced in my mouth, exploring hungrily for a moment before he suddenly pulled back.

"Ow!" He looked down, as if he were trying to look at his own mouth, while reaching up. Sticking his tongue out, he touched the tip of it. That's when I realized what happened. He'd flicked against one of my incisors, and it'd drawn a small amount of blood. Only a drop, but I had no doubt it hurt a bit. I looked at him with some worry, and then had an idea.

Closing the gap, I wrapped my lips around his tongue, sucking gently without pulling it further in. I let my own tongue flick gently across the wound, tasting the slight coppery taste of his blood. My instincts went wild, and within seconds I was kissing him as deeply and passionately. I decided to help him get a little payback and, after a moment, lashed my tongue against one of his own incisors, poking it and drawing a drop of my own blood from it. He was quick to notice, and his tongue danced against mine as we lapped at each others wounds. He wasn't finished, however, and he slipped his tongue towards the sharp tooth he'd cut it on earlier. I was worried he would do it again, until I realized he was licking it carefully, intentionally brushing against it and feeling its point without pushing against it.

Is...Is he playing with my teeth?

I pulled back carefully, and smiled down at him. He smiled back, a dazed look on his face.

"Rye...I love those fangs of yours...Nice and long...Nice and sharp. It's so hot~"

I felt my face warm up.

Hot? My fangs? Is he really into that? Well...No sense in disappointing him.

I growled into his ear. "You like'em huh? Let's find out how much~" I lowered myself down his body a bit, licking his neck lightly before kissing it. Without warning, I bit down. He tensed hard, and I heard a sudden, sharp intake of breath. I grinned, rocking my hips back and forth against his crotch. I hadn't bitten down very hard. Just enough for him to feel, and enough to leave a mark beneath his fur. He moaned my name, whimpering beneath me. I'd had enough. I reached down between us and undid my zipper and the button of my pants, quickly shuffling out of them.

The feeling of all eight inches of my length pressing against him was incredible. His soft fur, the feeling of my balls resting against his and his sheath pressed to my knot...It was amazing. I rocked my hips back and forth, and he mewled, pawing at my chest. I raised up, and he opened his eyes at last. Pulling my shirt off, he watched me. His eyes were full of lust, desire, and love. I started to lean back down, until he put a hand on my chest. Even that little touch was exhilarating to me. He looked up at me, breath slightly ragged. His hair was a mess, and I'd be lying if I said he wasn't extremely sexy at the moment.

"I wanna be able to see this beautiful fur of yours while you fuck me. Your chest...Your arms, hips...Those delicious abs...I wanna watch you screw me tonight, Ryder, so I don't ever forget your first time~"

My mind blanked, and I nodded, unable to find any words. He grinned up at me.

"Go get my lube. Left back pocket in my pants."

Either because of my inexperience and wanting to let him guide me, or through sheer inability to form any proper thought at the time, I simply nodded again and followed his instruction. I moved away, finding his pants and getting the lube out of the back pocket. I applied a heavy coating of it to my length eagerly, all dominance having left me. I felt like I was the one about to get fucked, though it couldn't have been further from the truth.

"Good boy~ Now put some on me. You don't wanna hurt me with that big thing, do ya?"

I shook my head, pouring some lube onto my hand and rubbing it against his hole, slipping my index and middle fingers into him, careful of my claws as I slid them in and out of him. His own dominant look faded quickly, replaced by closed eyes and a pleasured expression as he moaned softly under my ministrations. Once I'd finished, I pulled my hand away. I noticed he'd gotten hard again, and I wrapped my fingers around his shaft only to have him stop me again.

"Oh no you don't. You're not cheating me out of a single second of pleasure. I want to wait as long as possible before I cum, so I can feel every inch of you the entire time~"

I loved when he talked like this. I think he knew, judging by the way he kept up the act.

Is it even an act? Is this...just how he is, in bed?

I looked down between us. My shaft was against his entrance, the tip prodding it ever so gently. I swallowed hard, and felt his legs wrap around me again. Looking at him, I realized how nervous I must have looked.

"Rye, don't worry. You're not gonna break me. Go at your own pace, baby. If you wanna be rough, let your instincts take over and give me all you've got. I can handle it." His hand moved up to rest on my cheek and I nuzzled against it, deciding to take his advice. My instincts had led me this far, and I had no regrets yet.

"O-Okay, Davey..." I smiled, positioning myself and guiding it in as I pushed my hips forward. He dug his claws into the sheets and let out a moan as I slid into him. Inch by inch, centimetre by centimetre, I felt like I was pushing forward for hours before I finally hilted inside him. All that remained outside him was my knot. He was panting hard, and I was worried I'd hurt him after all.

"D-David? Oh gods, that's tight...Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"

He shook his head. "I'm just adjusting...You're really, really big." He smiled up at me for a second before his dominance returned.

"Don't worry big guy, I can take you. I just need a second to get used to it first. I'm still gonna be your little fucktoy tonight. I want you to use me, Rye. I want you to make me yours. Bite me, stuff me, make me a quivering mess...Do what makes you happy, and enjoy yourself stud. Let me feel that nice, big cock of yours everywhere~"

And like that, my reason was gone. My thoughts were clear, and simple. Primal. I needed to breed my bitch, and right now, my bitch was lying beneath me and begging me to do exactly that. Why should I hold back?

I let out a low growl, pulling my hips back a little and pushing back in, going a little further out each time, and going all the way back in each time. After a few minutes, I heard David moan again, biting his lip. I closed my eyes and leaned down, biting into his neck once more. He fell limp, stroking my back as I nipped and licked at his neck. I began to speed up, going faster and pushing in harder. It wasn't long before the bed shook and creaked from the force of my movements, and David whined and whimpered with each thrust. Any thought of hurting him was gone. Any thought outside of how he felt around my cock faded away. I grabbed his hips roughly, my claws digging in slightly as I began to pound him eagerly.

I thrust hard against him, my knot slamming against his hole each time. I was losing control, and I loved it. I felt strong, predatory. Like I could lift the world with one hand. And through it all, I kept being pulled back to one thought.

I love him. I love him. I love him.

His breath hitched, his fur bristled, and I felt him clench lightly around me.

I love him. I love him. I love him.

He reached up, pulling me down and kissing me, a deep passion to the act that sent a powerful feeling coursing through me.

I love him. I love him. I love him.

He broke the kiss, looking into my eyes. His mouth was barely open, breathing ragged.

I love him. I love him. I love him.

He rest his palm on my cheek, and whispered something that flooded me with warmth.

I love him. I love him. I love him.

I pounded into him harder, and his hands went to my back again.

I love him. I love him. I love him.

A slick, warm feeling ran down my back. His claws were digging in deep.

I love him. I love him. I love him.

And that's all it took to send me over the edge.

I love him. I love him. I love him.

In an instant, my mind went white. All thought but one was purged, and all feeling but one was eradicated.

He loves me, too.

I felt a familiar warmth in my core, and a tightness I knew well, followed by the feeling of pumping load after load into him. The feeling of cumming inside him was more than I could take after exhausting myself the way I did. I pulled out slowly, and collapsed beside him. My chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, and he cuddled up to me, legs tangling with mine and an arm resting on my chest.

I smiled, and my instincts faded away, my reason returning. I could remember every second in complete detail. Everything. every touch, every sound, every scent. I held him close, noticing his own load across his stomach and chest.

So he did finish again...Good.

I turned to face him, wrapping my arms around him and closing my eyes. It wasn't long before I was drifting off. The last thing I heard was confirmation of the last thing I'd thought before I finished.

"I love you, Ryder."

At that, I felt my smile grow, and I held him closer.

"I love you too, David."

Those were my last words before I fell asleep. And that sleep was the best I'd had in years, full of dreams that left me with a feeling of complete belonging. That night was when I decided David really was the one for me. My love. My mate. My only. And I felt happy knowing the truth.

Knowing that he felt the same.

CHAPTER SEVEN

WARNING: SOME NSFW CONTENT

KINKS: SOMNOPHILIA, ORAL

I woke up the next morning to a comfortable warmth, and an unfamiliar feeling between my legs. Opening my eyes and glancing downward, I saw David with half my length in his mouth. He must have been at it for a while, because by the time I had woken up from his actions, I was right on the edge. My first real feeling of the morning was that of unloading into his mouth, my shaft throbbing with each spurt of my seed. I groaned, hands on his head as I pumped shot after shot of cum down his throat. As I came down from my orgasm, he pulled off me, licking me clean and purring before moving up over me and flopping down beside me.

"Morning, stud." He gave me a kiss on the cheek before cuddling up to me, his hand on my chest. I turned to him and kissed him on the lips.

"Mor'in.....how long you been'athat?" I struggled to form my words, a fact which caused him to giggle.

"Only about....ten minutes. I went nice and slow and easy. Didn't want to wake you up until the very end." He smiled, nuzzling my cheek lightly. I turned to face him and wrapped my arms around him, holding him close as I shut my eyes again, relaxing in our embrace and the warmth of the...sun...

My eyes shot open and I looked straight ahead at the window across from the bed. The sunlight was pouring directly into it.

It only does that in the afternoon, usually right before...Dark...

I looked to the clock. 7:22 PM.

"David, it's already seven-thirty, have we been asleep all day??" He shook his head.

"No, I woke up around ten this morning. You did too, but...Well, you, mister, were absolutely wild this morning. I think I might actually have bruises from it." As he finished speaking, he giggled.

Did I lose myself? Did I black out? What happened to me..?

"David, how long did we...go at it?" He shrugged a bit, smiling and nestling in against me.

"Most of the day, big guy. Why do you think I'm not making supper right now? I can barely stand thanks to that monster between your legs." He wiggled his hips a bit, pressing against me so our sheaths rubbed together. I pushed him back a bit, keeping some distance between our bodies.

"David, I don't remember any of today at all. If you're messing with me, you NEED to tell me now. It's not funny." He seemed almost hurt, and cocked his head to the side before sitting up and getting out of bed. He took my hand and led me to the living room. The sight before me made my fur bristle, and made me wonder just what in the hell happened to me.

The couch was shredded, with deep claw marks in both arms, the back, and one of the cushions. The kitchen counter had scratches all over it, as well as more than a few unsightly stains. The rug was completely disheveled, and a couple of my shelves had been broken. It looked like someone had gotten in and destroyed the place while we were asleep.

"Ryder, you woke up needy today. Most of this is just from you and me having fun, and the rest is from us trying to get to new positions." I couldn't believe it. I'd blacked out for an entire day and all I'd wanted...was sex?

"David, are you okay? This looks...horrible." He nodded, hugging me close.

"I'm fine, Ryder. You didn't hurt me at all, except for the obvious soreness, but...It was fun. It felt amazing. You were amazing. I just feel bad that we basically ruined your apartment..."

I sighed. I could replace everything in here. I could handle paying the repair costs for what could be fixed, and even though I knew I'd lose my deposit over this, I didn't care as much as I should have. I was thankful I hadn't hurt David. That I hadn't forced it on him. That he'd evidently enjoyed it. But I'd need to get that under control, if it turned out to be a regular thing. For now, I chose to focus on what I knew was okay, and that was David. I held him close, closing my eyes and enjoying the closeness. I wasn't going to let on just how afraid I was. Not when he was this happy.

"Wait, didn't you have work today?" He nodded at me with a bit of embarrassment.

"I um...I did try to call in today...You took the phone, growled 'He's busy today.', and hung up...I didn't exactly have a chance to call them back after." At that, I lost my cool.

"I did WHAT with your phone??" I let go of him. My heart was racing. It was one thing to destroy my apartment, another to take over his calls like that. And for something so important? I couldn't believe it. I moved back a bit and began to head for my room, quickly finding my own phone and calling my doctor. David walked in and was about to say something. His face was somewhat distressed, and the fur of his tail was slightly bristled, but the instant he saw me on the phone, he shrank back.

"Hey, Doctor Fehl? This is Ryder Trayson. I need an appointment as soon as possible, there's something I need to talk to you about." I needed to get there as soon as possible, but I wasn't about to deal with the co-pay of a walk-in visit on top of all the money I was going to need to spend to fix my apartment. He talked with me a little, asking me the general questions. What was wrong, how long it's been happening, and the like. "I'll explain everything in detail there. It's a bit much to do over-the-phone. When can you see me?"

As I hung up, I set an alarm for 10am tomorrow.

"Fehl wants to see me at 10:30 tomorrow. I want you to come with me. You know more about how I was acting than I do." David looked worried, and yet contemplative. Like he was trying to think of how to respond, or how to react to me.

"Ryder, it's not a huge deal. You didn't hurt me, and-"

"But I could have! I could have hurt you, I could have KILLED you!! David, I blacked out! Complete and total darkness. I have NO memory of today. I don't remember waking up this morning. I don't remember any of what we did, and I don't remember hijacking your call to work." He shrank back, his eyes wide and nervous. I couldn't tell if he was afraid of me right now, or if he was just finally realizing how dangerous the situation was.

"David, I could have seriously hurt you. We're lucky all I wanted was sex. What if I'd gone too hard? What if I'd HURT you? Do you realize how easy it would have been for me to BREAK something, or worse? These aren't just surface muscles, David, I'm not some dehydrated bodybuilder going for looks, these are solid. Solid enough to seriously injure you, if I lose control. And you say it's FINE that I blacked out for an entire day?"

He started to tremble, and he backed up against the wall. I could see tears forming, and he began to cry as he slid down the wall.

"I just...You d-didn't hurt me...You didn't break m...me..." He looked up at me, his breath catching at times, causing a sound almost like a hiccup each time it did. His eyes were red and his nose was wetter than usual, the fur under his eyes already matted as tears ran down his face. "You d-..didn't h-hur-hurt me....You did-d-....didn't do anyth-..an-...anythin- wr-wrong..." He started to shake, and I knelt down, wrapping my arms around him so I could hold him.

"David, please don't cry. I'm sorry I yelled. You didn't deserve that. I only want you to understand how dangerous me blacking out is. Why it scares me so much. I would never be angry at you because of me being afraid of something. I'd never want to make you cry over anything." I sat with him, holding him while he cried for the better part of an hour, neither of us saying a word. His heavy crying matted the fur of my chest as he pressed his face against me, and eventually the sound of his crying became the sound of sobbing. Even that died down eventually, and he pulled back to wipe his eyes. He nuzzled in against me afterward.

"R-Ryder...I know you didn't mean to scare me but...please don't yell at me like that again, I was j-just trying to calm you d-down.." I nodded, pulling him closer.

"I know. I know. I'm so sorry, hon. I should have tried to stay calm. You deserve more patience than that." I stood, helping him to his feet as well before kissing him softly. "I swear, I will never talk to you that way again." I felt cheesy, talking like a guy in a rom-com who's just learned the big lesson of the film. But I meant every word. And it dawned on me how those guys could suddenly turn a new leaf after one incident. Seeing David like that...crying, shaking like a leaf in the autumn on a windy day...I couldn't take it. It broke my heart to know he was like that because of me. Knowing I did that to him only made things worse, and I never wanted to experience that again, nor did I ever want him to go through it again. I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath.

"David, I'm...I'm dangerous. You know that, I know that, everyone knows that. It's nothing to do with instincts, or personality, or history. It's biology that makes me dangerous. All wolves are powerful, and Great Grays are right at the top. Blacking out, losing an entire day to a side of me I didn't even know existed...Evidently going absolutely wild for that entire period of time...It's not safe for anyone, least of all you with you being as close to me as you are.."

He trembled as he nodded, and I could tell he was fighting off another wave of tears.

"I'm sorry, Ryder...I..I didn't think about it, and I didn't think about what could have happened. I just thought about what did happen...What you did do, not what you could have done.." He pressed close to me, arms around my waist. I heard him sniff a few times, and he reached up to rub at his eyes a little.

"You said...tomorrow at 10? In the morning?" I nodded, and he simply made his way to my bed, laying down and looking at me.

"We should probably sleep now, then...I don't want to sleep in.."

I looked at the clock. It was almost 9pm now. 8:45. I nodded at him, and moved toward the bed. I lay down beside him, and he snuggled up against me tightly as if he were scared I'd leave if he were even a little further from me. I wrapped my arms around him carefully, closing my eyes. I wanted to comfort him. To remind him I wasn't angry, in any way I could no matter how small. I settled on holding him close and nibbling along his ear until he fell asleep. By the time I fell asleep as well, it was nearly 10pm.

When I did finally fall asleep, however, it was full of nightmares and horrors. No rest came to me that night, and I awoke the next day feeling worse than I had when I'd gone to sleep.

I also awoke alone, in a bed too large for one person. Even one of my size.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Looking around, I noticed two things right away. The first thing was a distinct scent, powerful and clear. Potent and overwhelming, I could smell very little besides the smell of oranges. It was the sort of overpowering that makes it difficult to breathe, and left a scratchy feeling in my throat. A scented spray, without a doubt. Likely the one I kept under the kitchen sink. I only had two scented sprays, though I didn't know their scents. I never used them and hadn't checked before buying, as I didn't really care what the scent was to begin with. The second thing I noticed was the complete lack of clothes lying around the room, which I only realized after getting out of bed. I listened carefully, expecting to hear the hum of the washer, but didn't.

Deciding it'd be best to simply leave the bedroom and check what was happening for myself, I opened the bedroom door and was met with a completely breathtaking smell, in the worst way. What had been a strong orange scent in my bedroom became an extremely powerful smell that literally took the air from my lungs, making it nigh-impossible to breathe at all. I took in a deep gasp of air through my mouth, holding that breath as long as I could and ignoring the intense scratching at the back of my throat as a result of inhaling what seemed to be pure aerosol. In addition to the sensory overload, I was also greeted by the sight of David, completely nude, washing all of our clothes by hand. He had a large plastic tote sitting on the floor full of water and soap, and was scrubbing each article individually and setting them in a separate tote just a bit to the left of the first. It was almost entertaining to watch, if not for the fact he was genuinely struggling with the effort of it. I could see why, with the second tote being half full already. I don't know how long he was at this, but it was clear it was taking its toll on him.

As he saw me walk in, he gave me a tired smile, holding up the shirt he was currently scrubbing for a moment as a greeting. I smiled at him, thankful that my initial thought at waking up alone was wrong. I looked at the clock on the wall of the living room, sighing in relief. It was only 7:22 in the morning. I had plenty of time. Looking at the second tote, I waited for him to finish the shirt he was on before picking up the tote, letting him toss the shirt in before I took it to the dryer, emptying its contents into it and starting up a cycle. I walked back over, sitting next to him and setting the tote down.

"Want me to take over? I'm not sure why you didn't just use the washer, but I can help if you're getting tired." He nodded, smiling as he got up and sat on the couch to relax for a while.

"I'd love some help. I would have used the washer, but a certain blue fluffybutt had to go and cum on just about every square inch of this place, instead of just inside me every time." I blushed profusely at that, my tail bristling at the casual mentioning of what happened yesterday. He grinned at me.

"Well, I guess I can't blame you for not wanting to unload in me all the time. Gotta let it all outside now and then, huh? Just feels better, doesn't it Rye~?" I quickly set to work, scooting a little closer to the water tote and picking up a pair of pants, only to drop them immediately. They were sticky, and fairly gross to touch. I silently screamed at myself for having made such a mess on so many surfaces, only now realizing what the orange scent was really hiding. I shoved the pants into the tote, grabbing the sponge and setting to work scrubbing as David laughed. It wasn't an unpleasant or malicious laugh, more a genuine and joyful laugh. It was honestly adorable, and made me completely forget my embarrassment. Just hearing him laugh was like being given all the gold on earth.

As I worked, we talked about the previous day, with me curious as to what all truly happened, and with him using the opportunity to tease me more. It wasn't long before the dryer buzzed, and David got up to get the clothes out, heading to the bedroom with the now-clean clothes and bedspread. By the time he came out, the second tote was nearly half full again, and I was on the last bit of clothing, his favorite hoodie. He never went anywhere without it, and it shocked me he'd let me get it messy. What shocked me more was HOW messy he had let me get it. the sleeves were nearly white, and the hood itself must have been used as a makeshift bowl at some point by the looks of it. I soaked it a while before scrubbing it vigorously. It took me nearly an hour, and that was on top of the hour I'd already spent on this. By the time it was done and the second load was in the dryer, it was 9:36.

I went to the bedroom and got dressed, not having done so since yesterday. I chose a simple outfit. A baggy brown t-shirt and a pair of black cargo pants. Looking to the door, about to walk out into the living room, I saw David with a loving smile on his face.

"You know, that looks really, really good on you Ryder." He walked up to me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head against me.

"You look good in anything though, stud, so don't let it go to your head." He giggled, kissing my chest before stepping back and grabbing some clothes of his own from the bed. He intentionally made a show of bending over to pick his outfit, and even more of one just to get dressed. I did my best to ignore it, focusing instead on my phone as I looked through my apps to find something to play while I waiting at the doctor's office. When he was ready, I took a look at him. He was in a fishnet crop-top and a burgundy jacket, with a pair of dark blue denim jeans on. All in all, he looked very feminine in the outfit, a fact which I knew he liked. As we left the apartment, he stayed close to me, arms around my left arm almost the entire time. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, in fact I sort of liked the extra attention we were getting for it.

But all good things come to an end, and so it was when we got to my truck. He got in and we buckled up before making our way to the clinic. It was all the way across town, and by the time we got there it was 9:57. I signed in at the counter, and took a seat with David sitting next to me.

"So...Rye...What do you think she's gonna say?" I shrugged, genuinely unsure.

Is she going to medicate me for it? Is there even medication for this? If there is, will it actually fix the problem? I'm sure there's stuff for it, but...I can't help but worry..

David nudged me, and when I snapped back to reality, I noticed he was standing. I stood and realized they had called my name. Walking back with them, David in tow, I followed the nurse to the room we'd be waiting in. Sitting on the medical bed, I pulled out my phone only to be immediately stopped by the voice of Dr. Fehl talking to me. Looking up, I saw her. She was a leopard, lithe and agile-looking, with a lean figure despite the obvious musculature beneath her lab coat and scrubs. She spoke with a somewhat scratchy voice for a woman, like her very speech had thorns in it.

"Ryder Trayson, 22, great gray wolf, 7'4", 265 pounds. You called saying you had an urgent issue, but you seem to be okay right now. What was going on?" She was always somewhat rude, but I'd gotten used to it.

"I can't remember anything at all from yesterday up until about 7 or so at night. According to David, I woke up, was...incorrigible for around eight hours, then passed out. I don't remember any of our activity, or any of what happened, but there was undeniable proof that I'd been awake most of the day. I blacked out for pretty much an entire day." She wrote down a few things, nodding, before looking up to me.

"And has this happened before? Blackouts?" I shook my head.

"No, this is the first time."

"Has anything changed, recently, that may cause stress or other major psychological reactions?"

"Well, David and I-" I gestured to David. "Recently became a couple, after nearly two decades of being friends. We've been dating for a little while now, and I had my very first time with him two days ago, and then yesterday was the blackout."

She wrote some more details down, and looked back to me. "Was your first time with him intense? Did you experience any severe mental discomfort during, or maybe guilt or fear?" I nodded, my face warming up slightly. I'd never just openly talked to another person about my sex life. Of course, until recently, I didn't have one. But she was my doctor, and if she didn't have all of the details, how could she treat me properly?

"I was very afraid I would hurt him. There's...a fairly obvious size difference between us, and I was honestly terrified of what that could result in. After, I felt extremely relieved that I hadn't hurt him, and during I didn't really have much thought going through my head at all. I didn't feel guilt until he told me what I'd done while blacked out though."

She cleared her throat a bit. "And what exactly is that?" I simply looked to David, hoping he could answer. I certainly didn't want to, and with me not remembering everything in detail, if she asked for more information, he would be the only one who could give it. He took the cue and, with some hesitation, gave the answer.

"He was...almost feral. I woke up to him picking me up and...well...using me. It wasn't...bad. I liked it, but he kept going, and going, and going. Like it's all he could think about. We had a ton of two or three minute breaks, but those were usually just to move from one room to the other, or from one part of the room to another, or swap positions...But...He was like that for eight hours. Just...Nonstop sex. I really, really liked it, but...I know if he hadn't been so single-minded, I could have gotten seriously hurt. So...Now I'm a little scared about it happening again, and so is he.."

Dr. Fehl looked at David with wide eyes, almost as if she didn't expect an answer like that. Especially not with him hammering home how much he enjoyed my wild side twice throughout the description. She shook her head clear of thoughts and wrote some more on her paper. Looking back to me, she smiled.

"Well, it sounds like it's a typical case of you entering the HFS. You'll need a little medicine, but it's nothing major."

"What's the HFS? What do you mean I entered it? I've never heard of it." I couldn't help but wonder. I'd never heard or seen the name before, and the way she phrased it had me very confused. David seemed confused as well, and cocked his head to the side.

"Well, Mr. Trayson, it means the 'Hyper Feral State'. It's a state of mind where you are essentially pure instinct. No reasoning, barely any sentience, and other behaviors exhibited by our feral ancestors. It's easily managed with an instinct suppression pill. It can be severely dangerous to enter the HFS, but it's quite easy to prevent that from happening." She scribbled some notes onto a paper, and smiled at me. "I'm prescribing you a suppression medication. Taking one each time you have sex should prevent you from going feral the next day. If you're particularly worried, you're free to take two, and I'd actually encourage it with your BMI." She turned away and began to walk to the door before turning around.

"Just don't take more than three within 24 hours okay? Suppressing your instincts is a fine line, and if you OD on this drug, you could potentially suffocate yourself. Breathing is an instinct too, after all." And with that, she left. Now free to go, I made my way back to the front with David following behind. We waited at the counter to be given my prescription, and when we had it, we left. As soon as we were in the car, David spoke up.

"Instinct suppression? Rye, that's dangerous stuff...My uncle used that stuff in a recreational way and when he OD'd it was...horrifying. Please promise you won't use it too much...?" I smiled at him before driving out of the parking lot.

"I'll only use it if I have to. Which is to say if you decide to screw me wild again." I chuckled, heading toward the pharmacy.

I do need to be careful with this stuff...I'm pretty sure I won't actually suffocate to death from OD'ing, but...I don't want to find out. Whether she was exaggerating or not, I'd rather play it safe...Only when necessary, and only one at a time. Unless it turns out two is needed...

Pulling into the pharmacy, I headed in and got my medicine, thankful my insurance paid for it entirely. It wasn't often my insurance paid for anything even halfway, so this was a nice surprise. Back in the truck, I started home.

"Rye, do you think we could...Test how effective those are when we get home~?" I scoffed, smiling.

"Davey, we just left the doctor because the last time we did it, it sent me into a near-24-hour frenzy where all I wanted was you full of me. I'm pretty sure if my junk gets any more attention, it's going to break. Why don't we take it easy for a while, and give my bits time to recover. Just because you have an unbreakable butt doesn't mean I have a titanium dick."

He giggled, and I couldn't help but smile. The sound was so pure, so happy. It made me happy to hear it.

"Alright, alright. But you owe me a load for every day I go without." He smirked at me, hand moving to rest on my leg before leaning back in his chair and watching the road with me.

The rest of the drive was quiet, and peaceful. Back at my apartment, David took the time to call his boss and explain a small amount of the situation to him, and managed to get off with nothing more than a warning. Perfect attendance for five years earned benefits like that, I supposed. He had to come in the next day, on his day off no less, but that was a fair enough trade in his eyes. Once we were settled, we simply snuggled up on the couch and watched movies a while. After the third film, David stretched, relaxing on top of me as we searched through the options to find a fourth.

"Hey, mind if I take a nap, Rye? I've been up a while, and working on scrubbing our laundry clean really tired me out..." I nodded, stroking his hair gently.

"Go ahead. Get some rest, babe. I'm gonna watch another movie. Might join you after." He nodded, nuzzling close and kissing me softly on the lips before getting up, stretching again, and making his way to my bedroom. I heard him drop onto the bed and could only assume he jumped onto it. It was just childish enough that he'd do it, of course. I smiled to myself, enjoying the situation. The peace and comfort of it, the knowledge that someone was a single wall away from me that cared as deeply and purely as David did.

Of course I was still worried about my blackout, and the possibility of future blackouts, but for the time being, I could barely remember what was so scary about them. I had David, and he would always be there for me as he always had.

And in that moment, for the first time in a very long time, I felt it.

I felt like I was home.

CHAPTER NINE

TRIGGER WARNING: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF NON-CON

WARNING: NSFW. NON-CONSENSUAL SEX, CONSENSUAL SEX, BRIEF ORAL SEX, HANDJOB

I ended up going to sleep a couple of hours later. I'd gone to my room and found David sprawled out across the bed, and I had to move him to one side. It wasn't long before I was out too, and dreaming peacefully. Of course, it also wasn't long before I woke up. Sleep never seemed to last long enough. But I woke up with a cute little cat nestled in against me, so I suppose it wasn't all that bad. I gave his arm a gentle squeeze and he giggled, shifting closer. Guess he was awake too. He looked up at me as I looked down at him, and we both smiled at each other. It felt natural. It felt right.

It wasn't long before he was kissing me, and I was holding him. But it was too soon when he started to pull from me, my kiss turning rough and forceful, before he finally pulled back with a fearful look. He tried to run, but I chased after, and held him down as I forced myself on him. I could hear him crying, begging me to stop. I could feel him resist. I growled at him to be quiet, and just before my palm struck his face, I jolted awake.

I sat up straight, panting hard and trying to gather my bearings. I looked beside me. He was laying there, sleeping soundly with a rather peaceful look on his face. His breathing was slow, and calm. Relaxed. There was no mark on his face. No tears in his eyes. It had just been a nightmare. But was it? It felt so real...Like a memory, clear and recent. Was that how I had started out that day? Was that what I'd done at the beginning? He said I hadn't hurt him, and I was inclined to believe him, but with a nightmare so vivid...I couldn't help but wonder what if I had?

I shook the thoughts from my head and lay back down, trying to sleep. But it wouldn't come. Not that I truly wanted it to. I was afraid to return to whatever place my mind had gone to to provide such a bad dream. I would never do that to him, in a thousand years, nor in a million. So is that exactly why I dreamed it? Because it's so out of character? Because it's so unlike me?

I tried to clear my thoughts by quietly humming some of my favorite songs, singing them in my head, listening to the sounds of the outside world and relaxing with it. But nothing worked. I got out of bed, defeated, and went to the living room. I didn't bother checking the time. I knew it wasn't dawn yet, so it must be before six, and that's all that really mattered. I went to the living room and sat on the couch, turning on the TV and switching to my HuFlix, browsing for a movie to watch.

Nothing really caught my interest, so I tried playing some games. My favorite shooter, maybe an rpg, or even Beat Raver...Maybe they could help. But no matter what I played, no matter what I did, nothing helped. Nothing took my mind off it. I couldn't shake the feeling of my palm colliding with the side of his face, or the sound of his crying. And then, before I knew it, it was noon. David was walking out of the bedroom, in nothing but his socks. Those tacky red and yellow thigh highs of his. It didn't take him long to realize something was wrong. Normally if he'd walked out in nothing but those socks, I'd have likely taken the hint right away and we'd be at it, now that I know I'm not too big for him. Now that I know I have the self control to do it. But today all I saw was the cat I'd hurt in my nightmare, and I couldn't meet his eyes. He sat next to me, clearly worried, and put a hand on my back.

"Ryder? What's wrong?" He sat so close to me...I could feel his fur against me, the heat of his body spreading to mine, the comfort of that single palm on my back. I pulled away, sitting further from him.

"I had a nightmare. I...we were in bed, you started getting frisky with me...I took it too far. I took it way, way too far. I hurt you. I slapped you. I forced you. You were crying, begging me to stop, and I hit you for it." He looked at me with mixed emotions in his eyes before one settled in. Compassion.

"Ryder, it was just a bad dream. You didn't hurt me. You never have. You've always taken so much care to be gentle with me. We haven't even done it again since those first couple days...When could you have hurt me?" He smiled, scooting closer again and laying against me, his head on my chest. I instinctively began to stroke his hair, holding him close.

"I just...I still don't remember anything about that day. I don't remember any of what happened, and that's terrifying. How do I know that nightmare wasn't a memory? How do I know you're not just telling me it was good so that I don't freak out?" He looked up at me, a stern expression on his face. It was honestly adorable, seeing him get strict in his current state.

"Ryder, you woke up and fucked me awake. I enjoyed it. A lot. The entire day was just...like that. You having your fun with my body, and me enjoying every second of it. I was actually hoping to have another day like that today.." He gestured to his body, giggling.

"But I'd rather make sure you're okay. So forget about your nightmare. It was just your brain telling you to be scared of yourself instead of just relaxing and being happy. So if it does that again I'm gonna beat it up and tell it to quit bullying you." He gave me a mock-angry look, breaking out into a giggling fit afterward. It was enough to make me laugh right along with him. Maybe another day like that would be good for me? Maybe it'd help me relax, get over some of my fears. I was unconscious for the first round, maybe I should have one I can remember.But not today. Maybe tomorrow, or the next day. Today, I wanted to simply enjoy being with my Davey. I pulled him close and kissed him, loving the feeling of his muzzle against mine as he kissed back. I sighed with pleasure as he pulled back and grinned.

"So...How about it big guy?" He looked at me, his hand reaching for my briefs.

"I don't think I'm good for a full day....but I wouldn't mind a little relief." He nodded, moving lower until he was on his knees in front of the couch, and I closed my eyes, ready to relax while he took care of me. Afterward, I was clear of mind and panting in pleasure, and he got back on the couch to cuddle up to me, a mischievous grin on his face.

"I guess I did good?" He giggled, nuzzling my chest.

"You...Did great." I smiled wide, breathing heavily.

"That def....definitely did...the trick." I held him close, kissing him deeply. He kissed right back, smiling against my lips. As we pulled apart, he looked to the TV.

"Were you going to play something? Mind if I watch?" I smiled, nodding as I gathered my bearings again. Grabbing the controller, I turned on a shooter and set to work. I was never the greatest at these games, but I wasn't half bad either. I could keep up enough to play with the best, even if I'd never actually beat them. At the very least, we never lost because of me. Never won because of me either, though. I played a few rounds, with David rewarding me with kisses for every kill and every win, consoling me with his cuddling and his nuzzling whenever I'd die or lose. I loved it. I'd never really had anybody watch me, and always thought it'd be no different. Maybe more pressure, but no. This was relaxing. Much better than when I'd been playing alone earlier. After a few more rounds, he surprised me. I'd done particularly well, ending the match with a 2.3 K/D. It still wasn't much compared to the others on my team, with the top spot rocking a solid 4.2, but apparently David had thought I'd done well enough to earn a little more 'relaxation'. His hand had gone to my briefs again, rubbing me through them and grinning as he did. It didn't last long though, and he stopped just as my excitement became apparent.

"Keep up scores like that and I'll keep going~" I couldn't help but blush. I nodded, and as the next game started I doubled my resolve. I ended it with another K/D over 2, and he rewarded me with some more rubbing, this time gripping me through the briefs. Each game that I got over 2, he'd do it longer and longer, and eventually he was doing it mid-game as well. By that time, I'd stopped getting so many kills and he'd kept it up anyways. I suppose it was to challenge me. Or maybe he was only teasing? Satisfying a fantasy? In any case, I didn't mind at all. I was having two kinds of fun at once. I had no reason to complain. Until he took it a step further, and leaned down. My briefs were pulled aside and he took me into his mouth, and my skill was launched out the window like a rocket. It went on like that for a couple of matches, with David doing his best to pleasure me as I played. I finished just as the third match ended, with a pathetic 0.2 K/D. He swallowed every drop, giggling.

"Sorry, I thought you could use a little cheering up since your score got so low~" I chuckled, breathless.

Naughty little cat...He knew what he was gonna do right from the get-go.

I pulled my briefs back into place, turning the game off and checking the time. It was half past two. I stood, stretching, and turned to the kitchen, heading that way. David followed close behind, and I could hear the sound of his paws hitting the floor with every step, as if he were bouncing after me or something. I stopped at the fridge and opened it, grabbing a can of soda for each of us just as he wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging me tightly.

"I love you, Rye~" I smiled, setting the cans down on the counter, ignoring him. I would be lying if I said my heart hadn't skipped a beat, of course, but I wanted to tease him a bit. I opened the freezer next, and he let out a noise of indignation.

"Hmph. Hey you, I said I love you." I smirked. It was working. I grabbed a couple packs of hot pockets and started opening them up for us, prepping them in the microwave. As we waited, he started poking my back.

"Hey. I said-" I whirled around, picking him up and pulling him so he was face to face with me, my grin never leaving as I stared into his eyes confidently.

"I..." His voice shrank as he looked at me shyly, his blush just barely showing through his fur.

"I love you too, Davey." I laughed a little, kissing him lovingly before setting him back down. After our hot pockets finished, we sat down again and ate in peaceful silence. I wasn't sure what tomorrow held, be it sex-induced exhaustion or another relaxing day like today, but I was looking forward to it either way. I was looking forward to another day with David. Whatever we did, I knew I'd enjoy it. So long as he was there. I wrapped an arm around him and held him close to me. It was odd...I was the one holding him, but I never felt safer than when he was in my arms. I felt secure. Like the world could crumble away, and I still wouldn't fall.

"You really are my rock, Davey. You know that, right?" He looked up at me, smiling softly.

"Yeah. I know, big guy."

CHAPTER 10

WARNING: SOME NSFW INCLUDING HEAVY PETTING.

[[AUTHORS NOTE: So idk if this will have any bearing on the story for you guys, but one of my friends recently asked me what Ryder sounds like, and I hadn't considered it until now. But I decided he's got a light southern drawl, and his voice sounds similar to Jensen Ackles' voice. Just think Dean Winchester but a tad deeper and more southern. Again, idk if any of you guys care, but I wanted to throw this in here. David, on the other hand, sounds extremely similar to Bad Luck Jack (look up Bad Luck Jack by vivziepop). So now you know how the two MCs sound! Do with that what you will, haha.]]

I awoke the next day with David snuggled up against me, his arm resting on my chest and his head resting on my arm. Using my free hand, I pulled the blanket off and tried to carefully slip away. I should have known being as big as I was, he'd notice.

"Mm, nope. C'mere you." His voice was soft and tired, and as he reached for me, grabbing at my fur weakly and pulling towards him, I couldn't help but chuckle at the cuteness of it all. I scooted in close to him again, letting him nuzzle against me once more.

"Morning, Davey." I smiled, kissing the tip of one of his ears, causing it to twitch a little. He let out a soft hum as a smile formed on his face.

"Morning, Rye." He kissed my chest, and nestled in as close as he could. He breathed in deeply through his nose, and I both heard and felt him start to purr.

"You smell so good, Ryder.." I chuckled at his words of praise, and couldn't help but smile softly. I should be used to his morning mannerisms by now but...I don't think I'd ever get use to it. He was too sweet. I stroked his hair softly, and jumped a bit when I felt where his hand had gone.

Of course, he's awake so obviously he's horny.

I reached down, pulling his hand out of my briefs and sighing with fake frustration.

"Y'know, Davey, what if one of these days I just decide I don't like morning sex? Ever think about that?"

He barely responded, simply reaching for my length again and rubbing it through my briefs.

"Mm...Blowjobs...'Nuff said.." He started to scoot lower, his intentions clear, though I stopped him and pulled him up to be face-to-face with me.

"Nope. I'm not in the mood, bud. Whatcha gonna do now?" He giggled, kissing me on the nose and trying in vain to reach between my legs. If he were any taller, he could have done it. I smirked, gently tossing him to the other side of the bed and watching him roll around like a kitten in a pile of yarn before I got up and stretched. It was only a moment, and he was on me again, tugging my briefs down and exposing me. I sighed, looking behind me at him as he looked up at me with mischievous eyes. He licked his lips, and I chuckled, simply walking to the closet.

I had to fight him the entire time I was getting dressed, with the lusty cat constantly trying to undo any dressing I had managed to do. After what seemed like an hour and a half of me pushing him onto the bed and him half-heartedly trying to take my pants off again, we finally left the bedroom. He still wouldn't get dressed, though that was expected with what he was trying to achieve. I simply fixed my coffee and started breakfast, the little cat still trying to make me lose my composure. Teasing and teasing, I finally decided I'd had enough. I picked him up, carried him to the bedroom, threw him on the bed...

And wrapped him up in the blanket, binding him inside it with one of his hoodies, using the sleeves to tie it in place. The fact he kept making adorable protesting mewls the entire time only made me chuckle, and the playful grin on his face told me he didn't really mind it all that much. I picked up my bundle of cat and carried it back to the living room, setting him on the couch and turning on the TV for him, setting it to a military sitcom I knew he liked. His giggling rarely stopped the entire time I was cooking breakfast, and when he finally got quiet, I was just finishing the food, preparing our plates. Carrying both plates and setting them on the coffee table, I smiled at him.

"Comfy there, Davey?" He giggled and nodded, wriggling playfully in his blanket prison.

"Well, you can't eat if you're in there, and I'm not gonna sit next to a naked cat the entire time I'm trying to eat my food. Go on, get dressed." I smiled at him as I untied his binds, setting him free. He simply crawled out and gave me a kiss before heading into the bedroom. I couldn't help but sneak a few glances at his body along the way, seeing his half-formed erection during the kiss and that cute ass of his as he left. It wasn't until he actually closed the bedroom door and I went to pick up the blanket that I saw why he'd been giggling. My hand landed firmly on a thick, sticky glob of his....mischief. He'd cum on the blanket. He must have been playing with himself somehow while I was cooking. Only David could cum hands-free while watching war doctors.

"Well...I guess that's what I get for tying him up in my blanket...I'll have to wash it now." I sighed, carrying it to the washer and tossing it in, starting it up before washing my hands thoroughly. When satisfied with how clean my hands were, I sat back on the couch. David came back in right about that time and sat beside me, leaning against me.

"Hey Ryder~" He giggled, pawing at my chest.

"Hm?" I looked at him, feeling like I knew what he was about to say...

"I messed up your blanket~"

I sighed, feigning irritation. "I know. I put it in the washer."

He giggled, cuddling closer to me and watching the show with me. He calmed down soon enough, more relaxed than playful after an episode or two, and neither of us were happy when his phone rang. He answered the call, and I could hear the other end of the conversation fairly clearly. He was being called in to work, to pick up a shift.

"Yep, I can cover it~! I could use the hours with all the time I've been missing, too." The voice on the other end thanked him and hung up, leaving us to sit in silence for a moment before he spoke up.

"Well, it's a night shift they need covered. So at least we still have a few hours to go before I have to head to work." He looked almost sad.

"You wanted to spend the whole day and night together, didn't you?" He simply nodded, and I smiled.

"Well, why don't we, then? When you go into work, I'll head in with you, and I'll just eat light and drink light, stick around the whole shift. Can't kick me out if I'm a customer."

He smiled at that, blushing a bit.

"Only if you promise me something." He spoke, worrying me a little. A promise? What kind? Is he gonna ask me to screw him at work? I can't do that...

"That depends entirely on what you want promised." He giggled as I spoke, nuzzling my chest.

"I want you to promise to take me bowling after work. A new bowling alley just set up shop a couple days ago across from us, and tonight is their grand opening, and to celebrate they're running a promotion. A quarter a game and free admission."

That...wasn't what I expected.

"Can do. Been forever since I've been bowling, hope I haven't lost my edge." David was laughing a bit now, not just giggling.

"Like you ever had an edge to begin with, Mister Two-Pin Terror."

"Hey, I knocked down three once!"

"Nope. You knocked down two, and then the collector messed up and knocked one over by mistake."

"It still counts." I pouted, breaking into a smile after a moment.

I held him close, kissing him as he purred and laughed. We continued to watch the show as we passed the time, but soon enough, he needed to go. He changed into his work uniform, and I drove us to the cafe, heading inside with him. When we walked in, a meerkat greeted us somewhat rudely, hurriedly telling David he was going to work the kitchen for the night. I took my seat at a table and pulled out my phone. No sense ordering anything until they told me I had to, after all.

An hour went by, and they finally asked me to buy something. I got a drink and a six inch sub, and went back to playing on my phone. For hours, I would eat a little, wait for them to complain, buy a snack, repeat. When David finally came out for his break, it was 8pm. We had gotten here around 4pm.

"Hey Davey, how's it going?" He sat across from me, and I noticed he looked pretty tired.

"It's fine, Rye...Just tiring. Jonas is back there covering a shift too, and apparently he missed a date for this so he's treating everyone like crap, and Kaleb is, as always, being Kaleb."

I hadn't heard much about the stores owner, Kaleb, but knew he was a hard man to get along with. He was pretty talkative, but only about your shortcomings. Any other time, he was damn near totally taciturn. He was also pretty well-known for overworking his employees.

"What's he doing this time?"

"He's got me on the fryer AND the grill, with Jonas working dishes and oven. It's not easy.."

"It doesn't sound easy. Still want to go bowling after this? I don't mind taking us tomorrow, hon, you look beat as is."

He shook his head and smiled at me.

"Hell no. We're going bowling tonight, and that's that. It's gonna be super cheap to play, so I wanna take advantage of that!"

I chuckled, reaching across to hold his hand. I sat with him as he ate in silence, with me nibbling on my sub every now and then to look like I was still doing something. After about twenty minutes, I heard someone call for David. They sounded mad. He quickly stuffed the last of his food in his mouth and got up, smiling apologetically at me before heading back into the kitchen. I sat there, wondering what was happening, hoping he wasn't in trouble.

Either way though, I was gonna make sure he got a damn good date at that bowling alley tonight. He deserves it. Especially with being called in to work for this kind of treatment.

CHAPTER 11

As the clock ticked down to David's shift ending, I finished off one last sub before getting a refill on my drink. Sitting in had given me a new appreciation for his work, seeing the kinds of people he had to deal with whenever he came here. It wasn't much longer before he came out to the lobby, tired and a little sweaty. He looked to be in rough shape.

"Hey hon, you okay?"

He shook his head and walked past me, quietly heading to the door and leaving the building. I followed after, now very worried.

"Davey, what's going on? Talk to me."

"I couldn't in there...cameras..."

I turned him to face me, and saw that he was crying. David...David didn't cry. He never cried. Not until the day I'd hurt him, ages ago, just before we got together. And he hadn't cried since.

"What happened?" I realized a little too late how much growl I had put into my voice.

He stepped closer and clung to me, and for the first time since he came out, I realized how much he was trembling.

"J-Jonas was getting pissy about the dishes coming in too quick, so Kaleb switched him to fry products and me to dishes, but then Jonas was getting mad that I wasn't doing dishes fast enough, so he started yelling at me. H-He said if I...I-If I 'Worked d-dishes half as well as I worked d-dick, then maybe we w-wouldn't be so f-far behind' and that apparently th-the only thing I'm g-good for is...a f...f-f...fu-" I kissed him deeply, hugging him tight. I only then realized the twitching in my fingers, the low rumble in my throat. I was going to do something about this.

"David. Go to the truck. Try to calm yourself down."

He looked at me in confusion, a mix of fear and worry on his face.

"Do it. I'm gonna go talk to Jonas."

He could clearly tell I had more in mind, but I guess he was either too tired, or too upset to try to stop me. He nodded, walking to the truck and getting into the passenger side. I turned around, heading inside once more. I approached the counter, knocking on it a couple times. A couple of minutes later, a fairly attractive snake approached.

"Hm?"

"I need to see Jonas. Got a question for him."

He nodded, quietly turning away and going back into the kitchen. I could only guess that was Kaleb. He certainly fit the taciturn description...

A minute later, the meerkat from earlier came out, clearly angry and already sick of me.

"What is it?" He snapped at me, baring his teeth. Big mistake.

I reached cross and grabbed him by the shirt, jerking him across the bar and onto the floor. I pinned him there, growling in his face and baring my own mouth full of carnivorous teeth.

"You mouth off to David again, we're gonna have problems. You hurt David again, we're gonna have problems."

I stood up, pulling him with me and lifting him up. As short as he was, it wasn't hard to lift him off the ground a few feet. I held him up by the shirt, listening to the fabric strain.

"You do anything at all to upset him again, and I'm going to become a very big problem for you."

I dropped him, leaning down to be in his face again.

"Am. I. Clear?"

He nooded, and I could see the fear in his eyes. I wasn't usually like this, and the anger was quickly fading, seeing him this afraid of me. This is why I didn't go around acting like this all the time. I picked him up again, this time stopping once he was standing upright, and gave him a calm, but stern glare.

"I know you're smarter than that, Jonas. You wouldn't have been made a manager if you weren't. Have a little respect for others."

He nodded, and I walked away without glancing back. I heard Kaleb laughing as I left. Evidently his sadistic streak went beyond overworking his employees. I made it to the truck and was able to completely calm down by the time I got there. David was sitting in the passenger seat, the fur around his eyes matted a bit, but drying. He looked to me, nervous.

"I didn't hit him, don't worry. I just said my piece."

"And he listened?"

"He didn't have much choice, being three feet off the ground."

He giggled a bit at that, a half-empty laugh, and I decided it was time to cheer him up. I buckled in, he did the same, and we drove across the street to the new bowling alley. I held his hand as we walked in, and the two of us were surprised to see that it was mostly empty. There was a clerk, an elk, sitting behind the counter, and one or two people bowling.

"Excuse me, we'd like to bowl for a while."

He looked up at us and smiled.

"Really now? Well, you're in luck, that's exactly what we do here!"

He reached behind the counter, looking at both my paws and David's for a moment before pulling out a couple pairs of shoes. I took mine, and David took his, and we were surprised to see that they both fit us well.

"How did you know our sizes?"

"Well, I have an eye for measurements." He laughed a full, hearty laugh, and turned to the register.

"Now...Two pairs of shoes, and...how many games you thinking?"

I smiled.

"Gonna play it safe and say twenty games."

"Shoot, you're gonna be here a while!"

"Yup."

"Well, twenty games at a quarter a game, that'll run you five bucks!" I dug through my wallet and pulled out a five dollar bill, handing it to him as he smiled at us. After paying, we were led to our lane, and we both chose our bowling balls.

Things went about as expected at first. David wasn't having much fun, still hurting over work, and neither of us were doing well with it having been so long since we last bowled, but soon enough, we began to cheer up, and David started beating me. He had worked off the rust much faster than I had, and his victories were helping him cheer up. Even once I'd finished warming up, I kept letting him stay just ahead of me, wanting to keep him feeling well. I made sure to win a few, to avoid making it obvious I was throwing the games, but I never outclassed him.

About nine games in, we stopped for a bit to eat, getting a large meat lover pizza for me, and a medium anchovy pizza for David. As we ate, we started seeing more and more people coming in, and eventually every lane in the building was full. We returned to ours, and continued our games, until we only had four left. Right around that time, we had a surprise visitor. Kaleb had come to the bowling alley to find us, and casually approached us.

"I dislike talking, but this matter is...important."

I wasn't happy about this at all, and David clearly wasn't, with the cat hiding behind me and trembling.

"What do you need?"

I tried to maintain my cheerful mood, not having any problems with Kaleb worth making a scene over.

"You assaulted one of my workers, only to abscond here, across the street, as if I wouldn't find you."

"I didn't assault him. And we're not hiding. We're trying to have a good time, so if that's all you have to say, let us get back to it, kay?"

"Oh but that isn't all I have to say. You see, I was watching the...entertaining...event the entire time, and witnessed something extraordinary."

"Hm?"

"Your strength. Obviously, you're going to be strong at your size and with your species, but your emotional strength was something to behold. I saw quite the fire in your eyes, but you held back much of it, yes?"

I shrugged.

"If I did, I did. Whatever. Can David and I get back to our game now?"

"One moment. Listen to what I have to say. I don't do this often, so I would appreciate if you would let me speak freely."

"Fine."

"I want to hire you."

I quite literally took a step back in shock, unsure of how to process this. I looked at Kaleb, who was nearly as tall as I was, but incredibly slender, in confusion.

"You...want to hire me? To work at the cafe?"

"Oh no, no, no. Nothing so plain as that. I own several establishments in the city, one of which is in dire need of a bouncer. I understand your name is quite well known in the dance scene, and would allow you to play at my venue once in a while of course, but in the meantime, I would like you to work security at the establishment. I would also be open to pursuing an exclusive contract with you as a DJ, if you would be so inclined."

My eyes were wide, and I could feel David tugging at my shirt, but the world seemed far too slow to me. A job as a bouncer? Dangerous. An exclusive contract? Risky. Kaleb...? On my bad side. All of these thoughts, and many more, flashed through my mind in an instant, before I looked at Kaleb, regaining my composure.

"I'll think on it. For now, let David and I get back to our game. I have your number, so don't bother giving me a card."

He seemed taken aback by that, which gave me a little pride knowing I'd bothered him a little, and he nodded before taking his leave. David and I sat down for a few minutes, calming down and talking to each other about Kaleb before we got back to the game, and by the time we got through two more games, we were back to cheering and laughing. Once our last game was finished, we walked to the exit, put our shoes in the return bin, and made our way to my truck. On the way home, David caught my attention. He was looking out the window, and a small amount of blood trailed from his lip.

"David, what happened to your lip??"

"O-Oh...I was chewing it...I forgot about my teeth.."

"Why were you chewing your lip?"

"I was thinking about Kaleb's offer to you.."

I nodded, pulling into my driveway.

"I have been too. Do you think I should take it? It'd probably be better pay than I get taking these freelance jobs..."

He unbuckled, and sat back.

"Well, he's...a hardass. But he does right by his workers, usually. If you're hurt or sick, he doesn't have you written up for missing, and if you need time off he's usually good about it...He's just really hard on you when you're actually there, you know?"

I nodded, hands on the wheel as I gripped it, mulling over what he'd said.

"And that contract, a contracted job would mean more consistent pay but...It could still turn out less than what I get now.."

"I say take it."

I looked to him, a little surprised.

"What? It'd be consistent pay, and super easy for you. Security work? All you have to do is look big and scary and tough. You're good at that! And if someone does start trouble, you just have to make them stop or throw them out. It'd be really easy for you."

I couldn't deny his words. He was right. It wouldn't be hard, and security is always good money. I sighed.

"I'll sleep on it. I'll mull it over a little tomorrow and give him a call if I decide to go through with it."

He smiled, opening his door and hopping out of the car. I followed suit, and we walked inside together. Once inside, David wasted no time in stripping down, leaving nothing on as he sat on the couch. I chuckled to myself and decided to do the same. We were home, may as well be comfortable. I stripped off my clothes, tossing them into the washer before grabbing a blanket out of the dryer and sitting with David. He cuddled up to me, nuzzling my chest and resting against me as I covered us with the blanket and turned on the TV.

We sat there, cuddling under the warmth of the blanket as we watched a few movies, and the peace of the night began to lull us to sleep. It wasn't long before David fell asleep against me. I stroked his hair gently, smiling at him. Leaning down carefully, I kissed the top of his head and whispered gently to him.

"I love you, David. Sweet dreams, hon."

I smiled, laying back against the couch with David against me. Closing my eyes, I sighed, content, as sleep took me as well.

CHAPTER 12

WARNING: BRIEF NSFW ELEMENTS

I woke up to a soft rustling, as if something were rubbing against me in slow, careful strokes. Opening one eye, I saw David nuzzling my chest. His movements were careful, like he wasn't trying to wake me up. I simply smiled and pulled him closer, hugging him.

"Morning, Davey."

He smiled, his eyes closing as he rested his head against me.

"Morning, Rye. How'd you sleep?"

"I slept okay. Had this super soft thing right up against me all night, kept purring and mewling and just being generally adorable. Dunno where it went though." I grinned at him. He giggled and began to purr, pressing in close to me.

"Was it anything like this?" He smiled, purring louder and letting out soft mewls of contentment, one of his hands kneading the fur of my chest.

"Nah, not nearly cute enough. I think it had grey fur, green eyes....black hair, maybe?" He pouted at me, his eyes betraying his playful attitude.

"Well, maybe you should go off and find it then. Have it move in with you, and maybe it'll treat you half as well as I do!" He seemed serious, if only for a second. He quickly turned sultry.

"But I doubt it'll do this for you, even when it's angry with you~"

With that, he ducked his head under the blanket and I was given a morning greeting that only David could give. I had to admit, the guy knew how to please. Once I'd finished, and he'd had his 'breakfast', I got up, deciding to fix us both something to eat. David simply turned on the TV, setting it up to stream a movie. I barely heard the details, working on cooking our breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon, and toast, with plenty of the eggs for him and bacon for myself. It wasn't too long before the food was done, and I dished up a couple of plates for us and made my way back to the couch, handing him our plates as I got back under the blanket with him, the two of us cuddling up and watching the movie. He'd turned it to some action film, but it was pretty obvious it was a parody action film. We ate in comfortable silence for a while, but a little more than three quarters through the film, his phone went off.

Pausing the movie, he answered. I heard Kaleb's voice on the other end of the line, asking him to come in for work. David wasn't one to turn down the hours, and agreed, under the condition he get to watch the last twenty minutes of the film. I heard Kaleb agree, and they hung up. I was about to speak, but David smiled at me softly, putting a finger to my lips.

"I only have 20 minutes before I need to go, the movie is 15 of that, getting ready is the other 5. Let's just enjoy the movie, Rye."

I simply nodded, resigned to comfort as he started up the film again. We watched the last bit of the film before he began getting ready, and I couldn't help but pace around as he did, no longer content to sit idly on the couch. He obviously noticed, and walked up to me once he was dressed, casually grabbing me by my balls, holding on firmly but carefully, shocking me out of my hyperfocused state.

"U-Uh...don't you need to go..?"

"What's bugging you?" He let go of me, wrapping his arms around me.

"I was thinking about heading up there to talk to Kaleb, actually. I was just...second guessing."

"Well, go get dressed then! You can give me a ride. If you don't want to go in when we get there, you don't have to. I'll be waiting in the truck~" He had a point...A drive there would give me more time to think, and time to talk it over with David.

"Okay. I'll be out there in a minute." I smiled, heading to the bedroom and quickly throwing on a somewhat formal black button-up shirt and a pair of black khaki pants. Running to meet David in the truck, I got in and started it up.

The drive to the cafe was quiet. We didn't talk, like I'd intended to. I spent most of it thinking to myself. By the time we got there, I'd decided. I would take him up on his offer. We got out together, and walked in together. David went to the back, and a few minutes later Kaleb came to the front. His purple scales shone in the lights shining down, and his eyes gave off a rather hungry look.

"I thought about your offer. Figured the check couldn't hurt, and the work wouldn't be too hard for someone like me. Even if it is, I've heard you're a pretty good boss when it comes to needing time off for emergencies, health, and all that. So...Yeah. I'll take your offer."

He looked me up and down, his pupils narrowing for a moment before widening again. It was incredibly uncomfortable, as if he were looking through me.

"Alright. Come with me." With that, he walked out the front door. I couldn't help but follow, the suddenness leaving me little choice if I wanted to actually get the job. He walked to a sleek-looking blue car. I got in my own truck, and he began to lead me away from the cafe. We drove for barely two minutes before pulling up to a fairly large building, with a large marquee reading 'Hell's Handbasket' along the front of the building.

"This is where you'll be working. You start immediately. I'll set to work training you now, and you'll work tonight. You won't be on the payroll yet, so tonight's pay will be cash at the end of your shift. Understood?"

I nodded. "I have some questions though. I don't intend to temper myself just because you're my boss. So is that going to be a problem?"

"As long as you aren't an ass, it shouldn't be. Speaking your mind and being bold is what got you this job, I see no reason to fire you over those same qualities."

"Good. Second, what's the pay?"

"Twenty dollars per hour. I run rather high end establishments and do not hire slouches. As such, I pay for the work I expect. Should you ever provide work less valuable than your pay, you will be replaced."

"Understood. Third, you mentioned letting me play the club sometimes. How often?"

"Twice per month. You may choose the nights, but you must give one weeks notice."

"Got it. Okay...You also mentioned a possible contract. Details on that?"

"You will be paid a fair price for your random gigs here, however you will also be allowed to perform elsewhere provided your other work does not interfere with your work here. Under the contract, however, you will only be allowed to perform here. Your payment, however, will also increase substantially to make up for the lack of other work. However.." He began to cough a bit, his voice having gotten much drier and scratchier over the course of his explanation. He simply held up a finger, walked to the bar, and as I approached, he was downing cup-full after cup-full of water.

"Excuse me. Forgive my limitations." He drank a few more cups, before straightening his suit and looking to me again.

"However, you will have to prove to me that you are worth contracting. Work for me for a few months, give me a chance to see how the crowds react to your presence and your work, and if it is the type of reaction I wish to see in my establishment, I will provide you with a contract."

"Sounds good. Alright, that's all I had to ask. I'm willing to give this my best. It sounds like it'll be better than what I've been living on." He simply nodded again, and with that began our tour of the building. It was...huge. So many side rooms, back rooms, employee rooms, private rooms, and so much more. We had gotten there around three in the afternoon, and by the time the tour was done, it was nearly four thirty. With the tour concluded, he led me to what was meant to be my post. I was to stand near the bar, between it and the dance floor, with line of sight to both places. It was right by the bathrooms.

"You may lean against the wall, sit at one of the nearby stools, chairs, or benches, or simply stand in place. Regardless, you are to maintain an appearance of rough, and apathetic, brawn. Strength. Brutishness, if you will. You may respond to conversation, but you are not to engage it yourself unless to prevent or de-escalate a problem between guests." He headed back to the bar, downing several more cups of water. He had already been to the bathroom four times since we started the tour, though with as much water as he drank, I suppose it wasn't surprising. It wasn't long before he came back, though.

"As I was saying, feel free to respond when spoken to, you do not have to be rude or gruff or taciturn. Simply give off an air of power. Should a problem arise, deal with it. I will leave the method to your judgement, as each problem is different, and what is a simple disagreement between some guests could be a complete brawl for others, but know this...Should you harm a guest that does not deserve it, reprimand a guest that has not earned it, or remove a guest without proper justification...You will lose this job for the rest of your life, and I'm sure there are other places that would prefer to avoid your 'methods' should that happen. Am I clear?"

I could only nod, as he watched me carefully. His voice had gotten incredibly raspy. It was hoarse, weak, and scratchy, and it wasn't long before he returned to the bar. I followed suit.

"So when does my shift start? And do I need a special uniform of any kind?"

"Yes, come to think of it. Your shift starts in one hour. I believe we have several uniforms in the storeroom, though none would fit you. For now, your chosen attire is quite fortunate. It isn't that different from the uniform you are expected to wear, though it is of a far inferior quality. Now...I need to check my cafe, and a few other businesses. I will be back at the beginning of your shift to provide you with your name tag. Until then, explore. Meet your coworkers. Get a good feel for the building. But do not forget your post. Should the club open before I return, you are to attend to it immediately." He began drinking again, refreshing himself with water once more.

"Understood."

And with that, I began to explore my new workplace, ensuring I knew every entrance, every exit. I did meet a few other coworkers, such as the bartender and one of the other bouncers. The bartender, for one, was a rather energetic chimp with a mastery over his station. The other bouncer, however, was far less social. He was a rather large elk, clearly good at his job if his constantly angered appearance was anything to go by.

"Hey guys. I'm Ryder, I just started. Tonight will be my first shift. Anything I ought to know beforehand?"

The chimp started to speak, but was cut off by the elk.

"Do your job right, or get lost. Don't waste our time."

He looked down at me, a feeling I wasn't used to in the slightest, huffed, and stormed off. I simply stood there, a dumb look on my face. The chimp simply chuckled, looking from the elk to me.

"Rough, ah? Jus' an act! He got less bite than a croc with their mouth taped! Don' worry abou' him. He jus' tryna scare ya, run ya off. Lose the competition."

The fairly strong cajun accent threw me off pretty heavily. It wasn't quite as strong as that of the folks on TV that lived in the swamps and bayous and such, but it was thick enough to be obvious.

"Oh...Well, if he keeps it up, it may work. What's your name?" I held my hand out for him, and he took it gratefully, shaking rather hard.

"Name's Jean! J-e-a-n!"

[[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Jean's name is pronounced like jawn, where the j makes the same sound as the j in taj mahal. Can also be phonetically written as Zhawn]]

"Ah, well, nice to meet you Jean. What about the big guy? He got a name?"

"Yeah, he do. His name's Jackson, bu' ev'ry body round here calls him Big Jack. You best be doin' ya job right, or he call the boss man and tell him what ya doin' wrong. Big Jack's head o' security. Don't wan' disappoint him, no way, no sir!"

I nodded, making a mental note of that.

"Ah...Alright then..."

"Ey, wanna drink? I can mix it up niiiice and strong fo' ya!"

"I don't think it'd be a good idea to drink right before my first shift, Jean."

"Ahhh, passin' tests a'ready! You gon' fit in jus' fine here friend."

I chuckled, the cajun's energy growing on me already. I looked to the clock. After wandering around a while and talking to my coworkers, there were only a few minutes left before the club opened. True to his word, however, Kaleb came back with a minute and a half to spare. Luckily I had already decided to get into position, preparing myself for the crowd, when he walked in. He came straight to me, handed me my name tag, and left without a word. I looked at the tag, thankful he got my name right. Most places spelled it with an 'I' instead of a 'Y' like it was supposed to be. Putting on the nametag, a few other workers came into the main room from side rooms, and began to man their stations as Jean ran to the door, flipping a switch and illuminating not just the room, but the outside as well. I looked around. Many lights had come on, and I could see the DJ setting up his first set of music, putting the finishing touches on his station as well.

Before long, customers began to flow in, each one stopping at Jackson to pay the entry fee. Those that couldn't pay were kept out, and I watched him turn away more than a few folks.

So that's his job...man the front door, collect entry fees...and make sure new guys like me do our jobs...okay. This'll be easy.

As predicted, the job was easy. It was mostly uneventful. A few times, I had to step in to prevent a fight, but most of the guests were a good two or three feet shorter than I was, and even fewer had my kind of muscle, so it wasn't hard to de-escalate the problems. What I hadn't asked, and wished I had, was how long my shift was, or when it ended. I learned eventually, however, when the club closed the next morning and Kaleb was there to greet us all at the entrance to the employee break room. I had gotten more and more tired over the course of the night. Were it not for the blood-pumping music, I wouldn't have been able to keep up appearances as well as I had. But now that the night was over, the place was closed, and it was just us, I felt no shame in how I trudged to the break room.

"Ryder, come with me." Kaleb led me to the bar, the barest hint of a smile on his face.

"I can only assume you did well tonight, judging by the pride I saw in Jackson's eyes."

"Pride? He spent all night giving me evil side-eyes..."

"He was watching your work. Paying attention to your actions and efforts. And according to him, you did well for your first night." I was a little taken aback. Jackson had praised me? Hard to believe, but I was too tired to question it.

"So...payment? I need to get home before I crash out..."

"Ah, yes. Here you go. Two hundred and forty dollars."

I felt like I'd had a full nights sleep the instant I heard that.

"That...That's a lot..." I said, taking the envelope from his hand.

"I told you, twenty dollars an hour. You've been here twelve hours, and you didn't even take your break. If anything, I should be paying you more, but I didn't expect you to skip breaktime, so I'll simply add it to your next payment."

I nodded, and he made a gesture as if to wave me away. I simply turned and left, going outside to my truck and tiredly driving home.

Once I got to my bedroom, I noticed David sleeping soundly, sprawled across it. I carefully moved him, accidentally rousing him in the process. As I lay down, already having stripped down on the way to the bedroom, I felt him cuddle up to me.

"Mm...welcome home baby..." I smiled at his voice, tired and soft.

"Hey Davey...Morning.." He cuddled closer, arms around me.

"Was the work okay..?"

"I think it's gonna be a good job for me. Just tiring."

"Mm....Long as you still have time for me, it's fine~"

I smiled a little wider, turning to face him, wrapping my arms around him now.

"I always have time for you. But right now, I need time for sleep too."

"Then sleep, fluffy-butt. I'll make breakfast for you when I get up."

I nodded, closing my eyes, and allowing myself to drift off with my beloved in my arms. My sleep that night was dreamless, but deep and comforting nonetheless, and I knew as I fell asleep that I would be able to enjoy the next night with David far more than the last one.