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***
"Oh come on!" Helga's fingers tighten around the neck of her beer bottle, eyes dead focused on the TV on the other side of the bar. "Where's their linemen? Darrishaw pretty much walked through that!"
Tabitha grinned that same shit eating grin she wore back when they used to hussle strangers for change at Pool. "Don't know why you keep betting on the lions, Hels." The wolverine tapped the countertop, right above the pile of fives and tens they'd been laying out each quarter. The bobcat across from them sighed and slammed another Hamilton into the pile.
"You know why," Jo muttered, " 'Cept they were actually doing well this year. Until today. Just your luck."
The wolverine laughed, "What? You think I rigged it? Oh sure, I went all the way down to Detroit and deflated some balls. Hell, Brady learned that trick from me."
"Mmm...Brady." Dawn shuddered in delight, almost melting into her pool cue. "Now that's a man I wouldn't mind ordering me around." Helga rolled her eyes and put down another ten dollars. Bad enough she was losing the bet, but to hear Dawn go all goo-goo for Brady made her want to hurl.
"How would your mate feel about that, dearie?" Allison perked up, earning a sudden yelp from the sheep as she swatted her cue across Dawn's backside. "Don't tell me you and Harper have one of those 'celebrity excuses' lists."
"So what if we do?" Dawn growled, rubbing her buttocks, "It's perfectly healthy, and it's not Scarlet Johansson is going to drop by and give Harper a blowjob. You can't tell me you and your husband never joke about excuse partners."
"Course we do," the rabbit snickered, "We just know that if anyone's interested in either of us, they get the other."
Helga tuned out the rest of that conversation and focused on the game. How much was in the pot now? Sixty? Seventy-five? Christ, she let herself go with this one. "Pass the fucking ball you piece of shit," She muttered with cold rage, staring beams into the TV as if she'd make them score through sheer force of will. Her team was down three touchdowns, but they had half a game to pull it back.
Her phone beeped. Swiping it open, Helga sighed and took one final heavy swig of her beer. "I'm out."
"You're out?" Tabitha asked, bewildered.
"I'm out." Helga nodded, pushing herself off the stool. "Amy needs me to get some ingredients at the market and she's stuck prepping."
Jo tilted her head, "She can't stop to get them herself? Ain't she got a car?" Amethyst had plenty of ways to get what she needed. But Helga already promised to go shopping earlier, and she plumb forgot after all the drywall she installed today.
"Yeah, just tell her to go get it." Tabitha reached over to grab another beer for Helga. "Come on, let me take more of your cash."
"Then I won't have anything to shop with."
Tabitha sighed, "Jesus, this girl has got you whipped."
She stopped. With a slow crick in her neck, Helga turned and looked down to her best friend with a chilling gaze and a forced smile. "What was that?" She asked.
Tabitha leaned back into the countertop, smugness emanating from her being, "You heard me. That girl's got you whipped." She flicked her wrist for emphasis, sounding out a small cracking sound.
If it were anyone else and she were twenty years younger, she might have taken a more physical reaction to it all. But if age taught her anything, it was that plenty of fights weren't worth the stitches. "Right. I'm whipped. Like you've been in a relationship long enough to see it."
"She's not wrong, not entirely." Dawn took the stool next to Helga, "I mean, I first learned about your little honey when you were shopping for her. You never did that for me when we dated."
"That's because we didn't date, Dawn." She wasn't sure how many times she had to reiterate this to the sheep. "We fucked. You weren't interested in being anything more than my bitch."
"Oh like that ever stopped you from trying." Dawn pursed her lips, "It was so cute when you spooned me. But if I ever wanted a drink, you had me get it myself. Or worse yet, get you one."
"And?" Helga wouldn't deny she wasn't the best person to date in her younger days. "What of it?"
"Well, now you're heading home early cause your little slave needs ya." Tabitha chuckled.
"Exactly. Isn't she half your age too? We'd be teasing Alison the same way if her daughter kept calling the shots." Dawn trailed her fingers right above the pig's breasts, "Harper knows not to interrupt my 'me time' with you all. Doesn't your girlfriend have the same respect?"
"Now hold on just a minute," Alison said, stepping in before Helga took Dawn's fingers and bent them backwards. "While I'm not one to judge relationships, we shouldn't be teasing Helga for wanting to make her girl happy. After all, I give my hubby a backrub almost every day after work."
"A back rub," Jo muttered sarcastically, pouring herself a shot, "How red do these backrubs make him?"
"Can we drop it?" Helga snarled, trying to hide the pink across her cheeks from her friends. "I like helping my girlfriend. That doesn't mean I'm whipped. Since when did we even complain about this shit?"
"Since I found your reaction funny." Tabitha cackled. "Tell Amy we said hi." She didn't respond. Helga just took her keys and helmet, headed outside, and plopped onto her bike. Of all the things she'd be embarrassed about, this stuck in her head longer than she'd anticipated. But it did come with an idea that swelled thicker and thicker in her mind until she was back home and smelling the chopped garlic from the kitchen.
Amethyst wore little beyond her belt, collar, and a blank old apron Helga never used. The room was comfortable enough that the vole rarely changed back after stripping off her uniform, only needing to relock her collar since it didn't fit the coffeeshop dress code. Maybe she just needed to try a different coffee shop. Or maybe her pet liked being an exhibitionist indoors?
Helga snuck up behind her, looping a finger around the back of the collar and pulling her in for a heavy sniff of her green-dyed headfur. "Smells good. As does the garlic."
The vole chuckled at her stupid joke. "How was your night with the gals?" She asked, leaning into Helga's chest.
"It was good. You cut it a bit short in their eyes." She twisted her girlfriend around and planted a soft kiss against those precious lips. There was a temptation to push her tongue inside, fondle her vole's piercing, but that would have been too distracting. "Their complaints gave me an idea though." She teased, placing the groceries on the counter beside.
"Oh?" Amethyst mused, "And what would that be?"
"I'll tell you at dinner. Rebecca might be interested in watching." She looked around, finding no sign of pitbull. "Actually, where is Rebecca?"
"She's with Jewel and Alex." Amethyst started peeling the onion skin away as she talked. "Rebecca found a horror anime and Jewel being Jewel, invited her over to watch a bunch of modern anime. There was one she liked a lot about some demon lord trapped in our world and losing power."
"Uh huh." Helga didn't get it, but she didn't care for the reason. So long that Rebecca was safe and having fun. "So what you're saying is, it's just the two of us tonight."
"Just the two of us," Amethyst repeated, then stopped and smiled ear to ear as the revelation hit her. "So...what was your idea?"
She smiled back, "I'll tell you after dinner."