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Heya furballs, and welcome back to Fae's Christmas Music-Themed Special! The shutdown of Yiffstar and the boot-up of SoFurry has prevented me from uploading these stories as I planned on the week leading up to Christmas Day, but that doesn't mean anything! All that's happened is that these stories have been delayed, and that delay is now over! The special is up, and this year's batch of stories based on music I particularly enjoy is go!

Today, on December 31th 2009, the main event arrives. It was meant for Christmas Day, but what can you do? It'll continue Cameron and Ryan's story from last year's 25th upload (The Sound Of White [Part One](%5C) and [Part Two](%5C)), and I hope you find it enjoyable! It's not as long as The Sound of White was, due to the difficulties I had in uploading it last year, and the ratio of smut/story has begun to slide on over considerably towards the story side. There should be still, I hope, enough tail in this tale to keep you interested in this chapter of Cameron and Ryan's story. But I've waffled on quite enough, I think. These stories have been delayed enough; it's time to read! Read on, celebratory furs, and enjoy!

• Ol' Saint Fae

Steer

The trip back from Pine Valley took Cameron a little longer than the trip in had. In between organizing his way to the airport in a larger town nearby and helping Ryan to gather together everything he needed, the tiger was surprised on some levels that he even managed to get on the plane in time. For as eager as Ryan had been to join him on his way back home, the wolf hadn't left Pine Valley in years. Cameron travelled often, and he took for granted how quickly he was able to prepare for a flight. It didn't hurt that the lupine's nervousness made him seem all the cuter.

Despite a very pointed suggestion by Ryan, the two got up to no mischief on the flight out to the city. Instead, Cameron spent the time explaining things that Ryan wouldn't know about the city, how it differed from the last time he'd been there, and what to expect when they touched down. The wolf had listened intently to every single word, attentive until the moment the plane started to descend. Then, as it broke down through the clouds, he grinned wide and watched the city below race closer.

From then on, and on the train ride from the airport, it was Cameron who did the listening. Ryan talked about how things were when he went to university, about the different things he'd gotten up to. He spoke less about Samantha than Cameron had expected he would, and a lot more about his then-boyfriend Tim. It became very obvious to the tiger that Ryan appreciated leaving Pine Valley for a lot more than just the chance to market his art. It brought a smile to Cameron's face, even as he doggedly clung to his noble intentions. He forced himself to remember over and over again that Ryan was simply taking a break with Samantha, that the trip from the small alpine town to the big coastal city was about the art and the company and the experience.

That didn't keep the less-noble thoughts from Cameron's head, though. The tiger still vividly remembered the time he and Ryan had spent in his cabin up at the ski resort Ryan worked at, stickiness and all. The wolf was attractive, definitely, and he knew Ryan thought the same of him. He knew that they had something, even if it was little more than a spark. He suspected that during their little outing, something was going to happen. Ryan had already spoken vividly about his intentions, and about the possibility of being with a guy again properly, without having to worry about what Samantha thought. That the wolf and his vixen had discussed the issue and agreed to mutual freedom while apart certainly set the tiger's sheath tingling.

And yet, Cameron kept himself under control. After being left by his boyfriend before the trip that introduced him to Ryan, he had no intention of breaking up another relationship. He liked Ryan, rather deeply for having met him so recently. He wanted only to help the wolf find a way to fulfill that dream of his, where his art could be recognized outside a small town. Both his heart and loins had other ideas that went beyond that, but Cameron was determined not to let them rule Ryan's time with him. Whatever comes will be by his choice, he kept thinking to himself. The tiger hoped that if he repeated the mental mantra long enough, he might believe it.

The train took the pair right into the middle of the city, and it was at Ryan's insistence that they headed off to find some food even before they dropped their suitcases off at the apartment. When they finally found a place that sold burgers that were less than seventy percent grease, the wolf declared their lunch found and settled them down with their suitcases resting on the floor beside them. "I don't expect anything to be quite as good as the burgers I'm used to from the Malherbe," he told Cameron as he sat at a table with his tray. He grinned up at the tiger and shrugged. "Course, I suppose fast food has its appeal. It could be a lot worse, at least!"

Cameron chuckled quietly to himself as he delicately plucked a couple of fries from his half of the tray and nodded. "I actually come here a lot, if you believe it. I walk to and from work every day. It's a good hour's exercise a day, so I don't feel too bad about it." He leaned back over his chair and looked around the place. "I gotta say though, after Pine Valley and the Malherbe... this place's looking pretty bad."

When Ryan lifted his eyebrows questioningly and chewed on a big bite of his burger, Cameron laughed and shook his head "The city, compared to the town. The air was so much cleaner out there, the people were nicer. It was quieter. I dunno... guess I'm starting to wonder exactly why you'd wanna leave a place like that. It's peaceful, isn't it? Wouldn't you go back, if we could get your art put up at a gallery here, or something?"

The wolf just shook his head as he gulped down his bite. "You kidding? Sammy's the only reason I'm still in Pine Valley, and you know that. Sure it's messier here, dirtier and louder and the food's half-terrible, but... peace gets boring after a while." His eyes glittered as he talked, a grin spread across his muzzle as his tail began to thump against a leg of his chair. "You live a thirty minute walk from your work. You live in the heart of all this, Cam. You could step out of your building and be a dozen steps from something. You could live in the middle of this place for five years and not go down every street. Pine Valley I knew like the back of my paw after a handful of months." He smirked as he leaned across the table to offer the tiger a wink and a whisper, "And of course, you know I don't mind messy, dirty and noisy."

A blush bloomed on Cameron's cheeks as he looked down and away from Ryan. Just those words were enough to conjure the memories of their time in the cabin, and the tiger's ears twitched as he fought his stirring sheath from responding to the wolf's words. "Yeah, well it's something you might have to get used to here," he said, before his gaze darted quickly back up to Ryan's face. The wolf's expression instantly became amused, and Cameron's eyes widened. "No, no... I didn't mean with me..."

"And just why not?" Ryan asked. His lips were still curled into a smile, and one of his ears perked forward while the other twitched to the side. "You know, we did some pretty fun stuff back up on the mountain, and you told me how you'd thought of me since you saw me. You used to be the one making all the innuendo and having all the fun. Now we've left, and we're here, and the whole time you've been so serious and focused just on what I need to do here." Some of the fun and happiness slipped from the wolf's face. "You don't regret what we did, do you?"

Immediately, Cameron shook his head and reached out across the table to take one of Ryan's paws in his own. "No! No, of course not!" he replied, as Ryan breathed a visible sigh of relief. Great going, Cam. Let's get him completely freaked the fuck out. "There's no way in hell I could regret what we did. Hell, I'd love to go for round two." He winced and bit his lower lip as soon as he said it.

Ryan just lifted one eyebrow as both his ears tipped forward, and he gave Cameron's paw a tight squeeze. "Oh, I bet you would. And I'm sure that I've pointed out I'm interested in the same." Slowly his expression sobered, and with another gentle squeeze he released the tiger's paw and returned to his burger. "But, I think you're about to bring up a 'but.'"

With a soft sigh and a shake of his head, the feline reached up to rub over his eyes. He kept his silence for a moment before he dropped his arm to rest on the table as he looked over at Ryan. "But I gave it some more thought on the way here. But I considered what's still waiting for you back in Pine Valley... who, rather. But I remembered what kind of shit could still be waiting for me back at my apartment." He shook his head again as he quickly chewed and swallowed another couple of fries.

The wolf watched him for a moment, and finally nodded as he set down his burger. "I think I understand. And if it was just Samantha who's bothering you, then I think I could pull you into the bathrooms in this place and prove to you right away that she's not an issue while I'm here. My choices are my own." He smiled softly and warmly at the tiger. "But you're right. You are going through your own stuff at the moment, and until you've cleared that up, I probably shouldn't be pushing you towards fooling around with me again. No matter how great you were... heh heh."

As the blush returned to Cameron's cheeks, he laughed quietly and shook his head. He brought his own burger up to take a bite from it, and he'd barely begun to chew when he heard someone walk up behind him. "Cam, I'm impressed. You come back from your trip, and you're already taking a new piece of meat out on a date."

Instantly, the tiger was able to recognize the owner of the male voice. He sighed as he closed his eyes, and for a moment Cameron wondered if he should even bother to turn around and deal with the owner of the voice. A quick glance up at Ryan showed the wolf confused as he glanced up behind Cameron, and a little growl from him was all Cameron needed to hear to know he had to step in. "He's not a new piece of meat, Steven," he ground out as he turned slowly in his chair. "He's a client. An artist." After a moment he leaned over the table towards Ryan. "This is Steven, my ex."

"Since when do your clients meet you fresh out of an airport, at a burger place?" retorted the lynx with a frown. He was dressed in a black, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of almost-tight jeans. His yellow eyes were bright and narrowed as they fixed on Cameron's face, and his shoulder-length black hair was tied off in a ponytail. His muzzle was tilted up, and it lent the feline an air of arrogance as he flicked his gaze to Ryan. "Or have such terrible taste in clothing, for that matter? Where'd you find this one, that hick town near your ski resort?"

"Well, doesn't take a genius to see why Cam left you," Ryan muttered as he turned his attention back towards his burger.

The lynx just laughed quietly to himself at the words as he looked back down at Cameron. "Oh, and you've been talking about me. Cute. The wolf's definitely not a client then, is he?" He turned to Ryan and smiled broadly as he dipped his head down in a slight bow. "Sorry for my display. I don't appreciate being given just two weeks to move out of somewhere I've lived for five years for something that's not my own fault." He extended a paw out across the table, right over Cameron's head. "Steven Harding. Pleased to meet you."

Before Ryan could move, Cameron batted the paw away with his arm and growled wordlessly up at the lynx. "We have nothing to say to you," he said, his tone low and cold. "I take it you got all your things out of my apartment?"

His eyes still in Ryan, Steven just smiled wider. "Oh, all my stuff's gone. Been gone for a week, in fact. And don't worry about the place; it's all clean, and all of your stuff's still there. I didn't steal or destroy anything." He tilted his head up a little as he looked over Ryan. "Did the kitty here tell you what happened between us?"

Ryan held his tongue, and remained focused purely on the burger in his paws. When the wolf failed to respond, the lynx shrugged and turned his attention back to Cameron. "Well, he's a quiet one. Maybe he won't complain about you. Well, I must be off; was just heading into town to meet a friend of mine for an outing, and happened to see you." He bowed his head to Ryan again as he winked. "Still a pleasure to have met you, wolfie. Careful around the kitty." With that, he turned and slipped off towards the exit.

Cameron's eyes followed him until he'd left not only the restaurant but also the street. He let out a long, deep sigh when the lynx was out of view, and slumped forward over the table as he shook his head. "I'm sorry you had to see that," he muttered quietly. "It's weird. He's always been able to find me, wherever I am. Used to be a cute trait... feels a bit unfair now."

"That's what happens when relationships end," Ryan responded quietly from around a mouthful of burger. He chewed vigorously for a moment before he swallowed and added, "So if I can ask... what actually happened between you two? Why'd he suggest I be careful around you? Or say that it wasn't his fault?"

The tiger just shook his head slowly as he pushed his burger a little further back on the tray. Seeing Steven had certainly soured his mood and stolen most of his appetite. "He blames me for what happened," he replied after a moment, once he'd steeled himself against the bitterness that rose up through him. "I told you that I came home from work one day to find him on top of another guy, right? Well, in the arguments that followed, he insisted that I told him that he could. Each and every time." The tiger's eyes narrowed to azure slits. "He used the fact that I told him once, 'I love you and want you happy, whatever it takes,' to mean that he could sleep around when I wasn't putting out."

Ryan winced as he leaned back in his chair, the wolf's own burger and fries completely forgotten. "The whole thing was about sex?" he asked.

All Cameron could do was shrug. "Don't be so surprised. That's the core problem with a lot of relationships... or it causes. those problems." He waved a paw lightly at the wolf and shrugged again. "You hid your attraction to guys from Samantha for how many years? That must have had some effect on your sex lives. In Steven's case, he hid his attraction to a few other people to me. He just happened to fuck them on the side." As he spoke, the growl in the tiger's voice began to grow stronger.

After a moment though, he shook his head, sighed and pulled his burger closer again. "It doesn't help his twisted perception of the whole thing that I dumped him and that I threw him out. Only affirms in his mind that I'm the bad guy, that I lied to him, and that he was doing the right thing. I fully expect him to have gone around to our mutual friends in my absence and spun his version of events. Going to have to do some serious damage control once we've got you sorted out." He sighed quietly. "I'm sorry, Ry. I didn't want you to have to deal with my crap."

With a soft smile, Ryan shook his head slowly. "Don't be sorry, Cam. Really. Hell, look at what you're doing for me. You brought me out here so that I'd have a chance to sell my art, you brought me to have new experiences and stuff... and you want to apologize because your ex came to start something?" He reached over the table and battled lightly at one of Cameron's paws. "Don't be ridiculous! Now, c'mon. Grab that burger. We're going." Even as he spoke, the wolf began to grab his food and stood up.

Cameron frowned but followed suit, looking down over the table as he stuffed his burger's remains into a large jacket pocket and grabbed at his suitcase. "Uh, okay. Where are we going?" he asked. His confusion found its way into his tone, as he followed Ryan out towards the exit.

"Where do you think we're going? We're going home." The wolf smiled and folded his arms, cradling his tightly wrapped food against his chest with one arm while his free paw tugged at his own suitcase. "Well, we will be, just as soon as you give me a direction to start marching. That place turned bad all of a sudden, after Steven came in. You went bad all of a sudden. So we're going to go home, get me unpacked, and we're going to go get everything sorted to make you feel better."

Again a soft blush tinged the tiger's cheeks, and he smiled softly as he leaned over to wrap one arm gently around Ryan's middle. "You know, it really wasn't a mistake to bring you out here. Thanks, Ry. You're right, and we should get home." He smiled and winked. "The sooner we get you settled in, the sooner it'll seem like our home." With a chuckle of his own, Ryan nodded and swept one paw out before him. Cameron laughed as he headed off, and the wolf fell into step behind him as they headed towards the apartment.

Ryan was utterly awestruck by the time they managed to drag their suitcases up to the apartment. In the middle of a tall building that overlooked most of the city, the wolf had barely made it in the door before he'd rushed over to a window. His jaw dropped as he looked down over the streets below, and his tail wagged uncontrollably as he turned back to grin at Cameron. "This is amazing!"

It was all Cameron could do to not burst out laughing. "It's not bad," he replied, as he glanced around the apartment. A small but well-equipped kitchen sat behind a partition right in front of the entrance, and the entrance itself led right into a neat - if somewhat spartan - living room. Two doorways rested almost side by side opposite the kitchen, one for the bathroom and one for the tiger's bedroom. "Trust me, you want some of the other places out west. They're the really amazing ones. You can see out over the ocean at sunset... it's absolutely brilliant."

"And you better know you're taking me out to the beach sometime while I'm here," Ryan added with a nod as he walked back over and set his food lightly down on the tiger's table. "Something nice for the both of us to do for a day. I don't care if it's winter. We'll stay out of the water if it's too cold, and just walk in the sand. I want to do that at least!" The excitement in Ryan's voice grew and grew almost with every word he said.

That time, Cameron chuckled quietly as he nodded. "I think we can manage that," he said, before he tore his eyes from Ryan to look around the room. Steven had told the truth; all of his belongings seemed to be gone from the main room, though the bedroom was the real test. Despite the absence of the lynx and the lack of his stuff, the tiger felt his mood dip slightly. Even with all those things missing, there was a certain air about the apartment that just felt off. It took him a moment before he realized that it was the scent. It was that unique scent that a home took on when it was lived in by the same people for long enough, that scent that felt right for those who lived there. For Cameron, that mixture of his scent, Steven's, the coffee the lynx drank and a million other things just reminded him of what was gone.

It didn't take Ryan long to notice that something was wrong. His ears flattened down slightly as he strode over to the tiger and reached up to place one paw on his shoulder. "Cam? What's wrong? What is it?"

The tiger just shook his head and took a step back and away from Ryan. "It's nothing, don't worry," he replied, as he pulled up his suitcase and lifted it onto the arm of a soft, tan couch. He looked up at the unconvinced expression on the wolf's face as he began to open up the suitcase and fish out the cleanest of his clothes. "Just too many things here reminding me of Steven, really. Look, I don't know if I can handle dealing with that, while I need a shower. Do you mind if I head into the bathroom for a little bit? I promise I won't be too long."

With a shake of his head, Ryan smiled. "Not at all," he answered as his ears perked up again. "Actually, I think showering's a great idea. I might join you." He stepped forward quickly and pulled Cameron up from the couch by his paws, and quickly reached up to squeeze the tiger's muzzle shut. "No argument. I know what you're thinking, Cam. It doesn't need to be sexual. We don't have to go at it in the shower. I just know what works for me, and I think the combination of scented shampoo, hot water and a hug from someone who cares is a winning formula." He slowly let go of Cameron's muzzle and smirked. "So no arguments from you. We're doing this."

"And I won't be able to talk you out of this?" Cameron asked. He sighed and hung his head as the wolf shook his head vigorously and grinned. He's either going to kill me with stress or get me off harder than ever by the time he has to go back home, the tiger thought as he headed off towards the nearest of the two doors with his cleaner clothes in his arms. A quick push on the door revealed the white-tiled bathroom, and he set them down on the counter as he gave the bathroom a quick glance around. It seemed to be mostly as clean as how he'd left it, though the small towel rack set into the wall lack Steven's blue towel. Cameron's orange one sat alone. Even the sliding glass door that separated the shower from the rest of the bathroom looked like it'd been scrubbed. "Come on in, then, and we'll get going."

It took a few moments for the tiger to twist the knobs just right to adjust the temperature of the water, but when finally he had it set he straightened up and turned around. He'd intended to announce to Ryan that the temperature was good, hot but not too hot, when his eyes came to rest on the wolf. Save for the white towel wrapped around his neck like a scarf, the lupine's body was exposed completely. Despite the almost-instinctual desire to look down, Cameron kept his eyes fixed firmly on Ryan's face. "I... uh, it's ready. If you wanna get in before me-"

Ryan's laugh cut the tiger off, and he nodded as he grinned. "If I don't, you might not be able to stop staring," he replied, as he tossed his towel atop Cameron's and slipped carefully past the feline. "Oohh, warm... C'mon, Cam. Hurry up and get in here!"

Cheeks brightly flushed, Cameron quickly stripped himself down to bare fur. He took care to give his thickened sheath as wide a berth as he possibly could; the tiger knew well that his malehood wasn't going to sit still for long, but he wanted to give it as long as he possibly could before he started poking at Ryan. "I'm coming, don't worry," he called back over the sound of the cascading water, and finally he drew the glass door a little wider to the side. "I think you're going to be the death of me, you know."

"I'll only kill you with kindness, I promise," replied the wolf with a smile, as he came into Cameron's view. His brown fur was soaked, and it hung from his body as he leaned back from under the flow of the shower head to give Cameron access to it. "Now come over here. You need to get a bit wet too, and I think the best way to lure you into the water is with the promise of hugs."

As Ryan spread his arms out, all Cameron could do was chuckle and step carefully over to him. He slipped his arms around the wolf's waist even as Ryan squeezed him tightly back, and a soft purr escaped from Cameron's muzzle as he leaned into the warmth of the lupine and the heat of the water. Almost immediately, Steven and everything about him faded away from Cameron's mind. Replacing it was thoughts simply of Ryan, the wolf's company enough to drive away the tiger's concerns. "I think you were right," he said, carefully angling his muzzle down to avoid getting it filled with water.

"Hmmr?" came the quiet, contented reply. Ryan's head nuzzled in gently under the taller tiger's chin as it rested up against Cameron's chest.

Cameron chuckled quietly as he gave Ryan a little squeeze. "Hot water and hugs. I think you were right about how much better it could make me feel." Blush still on his cheeks, he shook his head slowly. "If we stay like this much longer though, I'm going to start poking at your waist. You may wanna pass me the shampoo before things get to that point."

With a lazy chuckle, Ryan nodded and looked back behind himself. Set in a small indent in the wall was the bottle Cameron spoke of, and he pulled it out with a broad smile as he glanced back up at the tiger. "Good point. There's much better places to start poking me, but we're not going there, are we?" He popped open the top of the bottle and began to empty a good amount of the slick shampoo within into his free paw. "Now turn around so I can get you all soapy."

At the wolf's insistence, Cameron closed his eyes and turned his back to Ryan. A few moments later he felt those lupine paws start at his shoulders, firmly rubbing the shampoo into his fur. Cameron's purr deepened as he felt himself instantly relax further, and one of his paws came up to lightly press into the wall to steady himself. Steven briefly entered into the tiger's thoughts again - the lynx had never been fond of shared showers, despite Cameron's insistence that their shower was more than big enough for two - but those thoughts of his ex didn't leave him feeling bitter. Instead, the feline smiled softly and leaned back into the vigorous stroking and rubbing and scrubbing of Ryan's paws. The wolf had been right; it didn't need to be anything sexual. Just that warm, caring touch was more than enough to set Cameron's legs weak. The heat of the water and the thick steam in the air didn't help matters much, either.

His eyes flashed open quickly though when he felt Ryan's paws smoothly dip down below his waist. One began to slowly and methodically scrub over his backside, while the other slipped around the front to rub intently over his still-plumped sheath. Despite the resistance in his mind that he forced himself to hold onto, a shiver wound through Cameron's body and he couldn't help but moan quietly to himself. "Mmrrf... thought we weren't going there," he managed after a moment, as the tip of his shaft started to peek up and out of his sheath.

"We're not," came the quiet, amused reply from behind the tiger. His paws refused to let up, however. Fingers trailed lightly down the cleft of Cameron's rump and back up to the base of his tail, as the wolf's other paw squeezed and massaged over his sheath and fuzzy orbs. Cameron continued to squirm in his grasp for a few moments, before Ryan smiled and mercifully dropped his attention from such pointed locations. He started to work his way down along the tiger's legs, and Cameron breathed a deep sigh of relief. The damage had already been done, though; his length was fully hard and had slipped completely free of his sheath. It pulsed softly in the steamy air, and the tiger released a quiet groan of frustration.

It was with a smile that Ryan looked up slowly at the tiger's backside and chuckled quietly, before the water in his eyes caused him to close them. "Is something wrong up there?" he asked, as he continued to lather up the tiger's footpaws. "Everything seems just fine down this end. Something bothering you?" He was of course fully aware of what his 'cleaning' had done to Cameron; his own sheath was full and the tapered tip of his own length had begun to slide out in the hot, humid air.

Cameron quickly shook his head as he wrapped his free arm tightly around his middle in an attempt to tie up his paw. "No, quite the opposite," he replied, even as he squeezed his eyes tightly closed and fought the urge to wince. "Just... well, you got me a little excited with all that. I think I'll need a moment before I return the fav- ohh!"

The tiger's words were cut off by his sudden groan, as a new sensation hit him. With his attention so tightly focused on keeping himself from turning around and molesting the wolf beneath him, he'd not noticed Ryan's slow rise. The lupine's muzzle had pressed up quickly against Cameron's backside, and his paws gripped tightly at the feline's cheeks and pulled them lightly apart as his tongue pressed warmly and wetly up against Cameron's entrance. Ryan's tongue worked back and forth in broad, slow laps against that tight ring of muscle, his eyes still closed as he tightly gripped at the tiger's backside.

Instantly, Cameron's claws extended. One paw gripped tighter at his side and left lines in his fur as the other paw scratched lightly down along the tiled wall of the shower. His whole body tensed as he moaned out deeply, all his resistance gone in that moment as he felt Ryan press up harder under his tail. The licks to his tailhole grew more vigorous as his legs slid further apart across the slick floor, and his tail curled up high as his back arched. His malehood throbbed as his ring flexed against that tongue, and a quick spurt of pre splattered to the ground. "R-ryan..." he managed, before the wolf pressed his tongue in harder and Cameron's words of protest melted away into a moan of pleasure.

Slowly, consistently and gently Ryan kept up his attentions, his fingers squeezing from time to time against the matted fur of the tiger's backside. His nose bumped up against the base of Cameron's tail as he continued to work his tongue up and down, feeling every twitch of the feline's muscles as he worked away. After a few moments he slipped both of his paws down from Cameron's backside and slipped them up and around his thighs instead. Ryan pushed the tiger's legs as far apart as he could before his paws moved up his front, one moving to stroke over Cameron's orbs while the other travelled up higher to squeeze lightly at his sheath. Another small shot of pre raced up the feline's shaft at that squeeze, milked out by Ryan's eager fingers.

Those fingers slipped slowly up along the feline's malehood, tracing over Cameron's barbed length. They rubbed up and over them as they curled around the tiger's shaft, and Cameron's moans became deeper as the wolf started to pump his paw up and down slowly. Each one of those barbs caught lightly on Ryan's fingers, and the lupine tugged up and down over them firmly but gently as he worked his tongue around and over Cameron's tailhole. His licks grew firmer, every sweep of his tongue over that tight little ring loosening it and relaxing it.

As the tiger's heartbeat quickened, so too did his breaths. He began to pant in the hot, steamy air of the shower as he alternated between grinds back against Ryan's muzzle and humps forward into his grasp. Out of the water's flow, his shaft leaked a constant little flow of his pre down and over the wolf's paw, matting the fur as it pumped up and down along the tiger's sensitive flesh. His body trembled as memories of his shower back at the ski resort's cabin, at how vigorously he'd pawed under the hot spray to thoughts of the wolf that was at that very moment lapping eagerly at his backside. Cameron knew exactly what he needed as soon as the memories entered his head, and he groaned out breathlessly as he tried to find the words. "Please," he moaned, the sound coming amidst a shudder that rocked his whole body. "Please... fuck, Ryan... just fuck me. D-don't tease..."

No sooner than he'd begun to beg than the wolf pulled back from Cameron's backside. Ryan stood quickly and carefully, his arm still wrapped around the tiger's middle as he squeezed and rubbed over the feline's shaft. "Are you sure?" he asked, even as his tip rubbed up and along the inside of Cameron's thigh. "I thought you didn't want to-"

That was as far as the wolf's questioning went. That was how long it took for Cameron to reach back with one paw and tightly grasp a hold of the lupine's malehood by the swollen knot, and tug it lightly up under his tail. As Ryan gasped and groaned in pleasure, Cameron quickly guided the wolf's own leaking tip right up against his well-tended tailhole. "I'm certain," he hissed, as his fingers squeezed tighter around that knot. Without waiting for another word out of Ryan, the feline leaned back and rolled his hips down against the lupine.

While not the best lubricant in the world, the hot water eased Ryan's filling of the tiger's backside well enough after the efforts of his tongue. The hot, tight muscles squeezed down tightly around his malehood, and he moaned in concert with Cameron as inch after inch was slowly forced up into the feline's body. Their shafts both pulsed heavily, pre trickling from both their tips as each inch was swallowed up by Cameron's eager motions. Every drop of Ryan's slick fluids only added speed to the tiger's gradual push back and down, until finally his tailring pressed tightly up against Ryan's knot. "This... mrrrf... this's whatcha get for getting well-behaved tigers all worked up," he panted back at the wolf, a smile on his lips despite his words.

Ryan just grinned right back as he took a tight hold of one of Cameron's hips with his free paws and pulled him firmly back into a hard, tight grind. His grin broadened further as the feline moaned softly, and Ryan pulled back far enough to give Cameron's backside a light swat as he murred quietly over the spray of the water. "We were always going to go for it again, Cam," he said, as he leaned up towards the tiger's ear. "I promise, I didn't plan on this, but... I saw you, and I wanted to touch you, and taste you, and feel you..." The grinding of his shaft against Cameron's inner walls grew firmer, as the wolf's words faded into wordless groans of pleasure.

Cameron didn't just sit still; he couldn't keep himself from squirming firmly back into the wolf's grasp. The stretch of his muscles around Ryan's malehood was familiar and maddening at the same time. It felt as good to be filled by him as it had the first time on the cabin's couch, there was no doubt there. He could feel every pulse, every twitch of that canine shaft as it shifted inside him with the motion of either of their hips. And at the same time, there was the pressure of the wolf's knot against his tailring. That thick girth strained against his entrance, but even as he remembered how good it had felt to be tied with the wolf back at the cabin, Cameron knew that it wouldn't happen on that occasion. The water couldn't do enough to slick it for his tight muscles to allow it in.

However he ceased to care too much once Ryan began to thrust. The wolf started off slow, moving in shallow motions back and forth as he squeezed tightly over Cameron's length. His fingers traced over those barbs and rubbed over them as he pressed his muzzle into the back of the tiger's neck, panting heavily through the steam and into his fur as he kept the jerks of his hips quick, shallow and even. The tug of the feline's inner walls was too tight for him to move too far in or out, but he didn't need longer thrusts. The tightness with which Cameron's body wrapped around his malehood had him leaking a steadily increasing amount of pre, which helped him shift in and out of the tiger just that much faster and smoother.

It didn't take long before Cameron's hips began to roll with greater eagerness. Unable to hold himself back and needing more of the wolf's shaft, the tiger pushed back just that much harder as he braced himself as best he could against the shower's wall. He squeezed down on Ryan's length as he felt the wolf push up and inside him, and his muscles relaxed again around it as it was drawn back out again. Every stroke and squeeze of Ryan's paw around his own malehood only set his inner muscles twitching, and he shuddered as he moaned and ground back harder into the wolf's body. Again and again he pushed back into that knot, grinding it firmly against his tailring.

Every one of those grinds sent a shiver of pleasure through Ryan's body, and each push only enticed him to thrust up harder and faster into Cameron. The tiger's body egged him on, teased him with its tightness and a heat that even the water that soaked them both couldn't compare to. Every time Cameron moaned, his body shook and he pushed back with just a little more force. Ryan could feel the way the tiger's shaft flared in his paw, pulsing with every surge of pleasure he felt. The way the barbs of his malehood twitched and jerked along with it teased his fingers as they pumped up and down every inch of that length. Cameron's slick pre eased the motion of the wolf's paw as it worked back and forth, moving in time with the bucks of his hips.

Those bucks grew sharper, harder and longer as Cameron began to move with greater eagerness against them. Pressure built up inside him, fed by every thrust Ryan made. It grew, added to by every pump of the wolf's paw and grind of his hips. The hot water that ran down his back and between their bodies kept him far warmer than he'd otherwise be, and the tiger couldn't help but shake the walls with his moans as he pushed back harder still. The wolf's knot mashed against his tailhole over and over again, forced to stretch that still-too-tight ring of muscle with every push the feline made. Even if he couldn't manage to make it pop in, it added to the force with which Ryan took him. It caused the lupine's thrusts to become erratic, and it only fed the pressure inside Cameron even more.

It was all Ryan could do to stem the roiling tide of his own pleasure. Up and up he rose as his wet hips slapped against Cameron's backside, and the tiger's tail swept back and forth across his chest as he found himself rapidly approaching the edge of his control. He couldn't slow himself down, he couldn't stall himself out, and he couldn't bring himself to warn Cameron. All he could do was pump away with paw and with hip, driving his malehood as deep into the feline's body as he could, over and over and over again as the waves began to crest. For a brief moment Ryan teetered on the edge, and he dug his fingertips tightly into Cameron's hip as he leaned up and over the tiger. Then the wave broke, his shaft surged, and he bit down hard on Cameron's neck to silence himself as the first thick spurt of his seed shot out and marked the innermost depths of the feline's body.

It was that final hard thrust into his body that brought Cameron right to his own edge. The feel of Ryan's malehood pulse and twitch inside him only added to the pleasure he felt as he pushed back hard against that knot. Despite his best efforts, Cameron wasn't quite able to push it in. The exertion was more than enough for him though, and as he felt the wolf's teeth take the back of his neck in an animalistic mating bite he felt the pressure inside his body finally release. His shaft jerked in Ryan's tightly squeezing paw, and even as Ryan's seed poured out into Cameron's body, the wolf's paw began to drain the tiger of his own load.

Their bodies trembled against each other as Ryan held tightly to Cameron's body. For every shot of his seed that soaked the tiger's inner walls, he milked another from that barbed, feline shaft. They pulsed together, waves of pleasure that travelled through them both and met where they connected, adding to the powerful sensations and magnifying them. For a precious few moments, both tiger and wolf felt their perceptions narrow down to focus solely on one another.

Then the waves of pleasure faded away, leaving the two to lean against each other and the shower's wall as the still-hot water continued to pour down over them both. Cameron was the first to break the silence, as a long, deep moan crept out of his muzzle. He lay his head against the tiled wall as almost every muscle in his body relaxed. "So much for... for nothing sexual," he said, a smile on his face as a warmth that had nothing to do with the water began to creep through his body.

"Bah, you wanted to," Ryan said, as he slowly and carefully released Cameron's shaft. That arm instead wrapped around the tiger's middle, hugging him tightly against the wolf's body as he murred quietly. "I could see it in your eyes, Cam. It was in the way you tried so hard not to look at me." He giggled as the tiger glanced back at him, and reached up to bat lightly at Cameron's cheek. "It's funny, now that I think about it. You looked at me a lot like that while we were up on the slopes."

With a roll of his eyes, Cameron squeezed back tightly on the wolf's spent malehood. He smirked at the groan and shudder that it elicited, and nodded once. "I'm trying to be a good kitten for you, and look how you repay me," he replied as Ryan chuckled. "Now come on," he added, as he began to carefully and reluctantly slide up and off the wolf's length. "The hot water won't last forever, and you still need to get clean..."

The rest of the first day passed without Ryan managing to get Cameron into any more trouble with himself. The tiger thanked whatever deities were watching over him that the little bit of playtime that they'd had in the shower was the only playtime they managed to get. He'd really been surprised with Ryan when the wolf had insisted that they sleep in the same bed, and nothing happened. Cameron had been concerned that Ryan was going to make another move on him, and despite the way his malehood responded to the closeness between them he'd managed to eventually get to sleep.

The night came and went, and Cameron had insisted that Ryan stay in bed while he fixed them some breakfast. Over pancakes eaten in bed, the tiger had explained how the day would go. "We'll take those pieces you brought with you over to a friend of mine," he'd said, as Ryan listened intently. "She should be able to tell you if anyone in town would be interested in any of them, and how best you could market your work. She owes me a favour or two, anyway. If that fails, then we can see if my work needs any more artists. It's not exactly painting for a living, but your art would be what you live on."

Ryan had been utterly excited the whole morning when Cameron had finished talking, and had wound up almost crushing the tiger in a massive hug. It'd taken Cameron a minute to pry the wolf off him, and finally the suggestion that he should select a couple of paintings from the pawful that he'd brought made him move. It had almost surprised Cameron with just how quickly the wolf could move if he applied his energy to getting ready.

Only an hour later, the two had headed out of the apartment again and boarded another train. Ryan held two of his smaller paintings close to his chest, almost overly protective as they headed north and out of the city. When Ryan had asked, Cameron had told him that the friend in question lived in a little just a short ways out of the city, and was going to be home for the next couple days. The wolf had questioned Cameron further, but the feline simply laughed, shook his head and told him to wait until they got there for anything else.

A quick phone call once they arrived at the station and a ten minute wait later, and a little red four-door car pulled up in a nearby carpark. "That would be her," Cameron announced as a tall rat straightened up and shut the door. Even as she walked over towards them, Cameron moved to meet her halfway and wrapped her up in a tight hug. The short-sleeved purple shirt and snug black jeans she wore belied the coolness of the winter air, and she chuckled quietly as Cameron began to purr into their hug. "Oh, it's good to see you again, Sarah," he said, grinning wide.

As she shook her head and chuckled quietly, the rat squeezed Cameron gently back. "Easy, kitty. It's like you haven't seen me in years. It's only been about a month." As she eased back from the embrace, the rat glanced around Cameron and fixed her gaze on Ryan. "And I suppose this must be the young artist you mentioned on the phone." She extended the wolf one of her paws as she smiled softly. "Sarah Milligan. A pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine, Miss Milligan," Ryan replied as he gently took a hold of her paw. "Or do you prefer Sarah? Sorry... I don't really know how formal I'm meant to be right now, with someone who might be interested in my art!"

Again the rat chuckled as she folded her arms across her chest. "Sarah, by all means. Do I look like I'm dressed for formalities right now?" Sarah stroked her paws gently down the sides of her shirt as she laughed quietly to herself. "Trust me, if I was heading out to work at the gallery, I'd be much more inclined to be in a suit right now. Thankfully, that isn't going to happen." She drew back and nodded towards the car with a smile. "Now, come on. It's chilly out here, and I want to get back home where I can see these apparently magnificent paintings. Get in."

It was almost impossible for Cameron to stop Ryan from bouncing over to the car, but he managed to rein him in with a quick tug of the wolf's tail. Thereafter Ryan calmed down considerably, though he still twitched with barely contained excitement for the entirety of the short trip to Sarah's home. The smile stuck to his face the whole way, right up until they entered the front door.

The smile slipped into a slightly more slack-jawed expression of surprise, and Ryan's ears tipped back as he entered the hallway that the front door of Sarah's house led into. Across both walls were various paintings of fantastic scenes, some completely alien to him and some that looked much like Pine Valley itself. "I take it you're a bit of a collector, yourself?" he asked, as Sarah and Cameron stepped out of the hall and into the living room.

"Can't work in a gallery without an appreciation for fine art, hon," Sarah replied with a chuckle, as Ryan followed them out. She turned to Cameron for a moment as she waved down at a soft couch. "Make yourself at home, Cam. Relax for a bit while the wolfie and I go have a chat about his paintings. Don't worry; we shouldn't be too long." She smiled as she turned back to Ryan, and with a wave the two vanished down the hall.

Cameron fell silent as he leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. Almost immediately he felt a smile creep across his face. As an artist herself, Sarah knew more than enough about the craft to offer Ryan any advice he could ever need. Her contacts and knowledge extended beyond just painting though, and the tiger knew well that if there was anyone who would know how best to help the wolf, it would be her. A little pride bloomed in the feline's chest as he folded his paws in his lap. He knew he couldn't promise Ryan anything. He knew it was up to the wolf's own skills and his ability to find a market for his paintings that would allow him to reach his dreams. All that aside though, Cameron couldn't help but feel just a little bit better for knowing that he was able to do something to help.

Even as his pride puffed up, the tiger couldn't help but feel a little concern. The whole reason he'd brought Ryan out from the little town he'd lived in was for his art, or so he'd claimed. He knew well that it had become a little more than that, despite his best efforts. Twice had they shared intimate moments since the plan to have the wolf visit the city had been hatched, once back in Pine Valley and once the previous night in the shower. Both times, Cameron had tried to remind Ryan of his girlfriend Samantha, and both times he'd ended up instead being reminded that the choices to act based solely on what Ryan wanted. That Ryan and Samantha had agreed that they would be open to seeing other people while the trip lasted meant little in the face of what Cameron had so recently gone through. Seeing other people didn't mean sleeping with them.

And yet, despite that, the tiger couldn't help the ease with which he'd been made to give in to Ryan's desires. It had been obvious to Cameron as he'd gotten to know Ryan better that the wolf pined at least in part for how he was before Samantha, when he'd been able to embrace a part of himself that he'd suppressed while he'd been with her. However much Ryan and Samantha shared, Cameron was all but certain that the wolf and vixen didn't talk about Ryan's attraction to males. Based on the conversation that they'd had back up at the cabin, Cameron wasn't entirely sure that Samantha knew about it at all, or even suspected. That certainly put a heavy weight on Cameron's shoulders, with Steven still fresh in his mind.

Ryan had been so excited to get out of Pine Valley for a while, and to see the chance to market his art. But more lay under that, and it became more and more clear to Cameron as time had gone on. It represented, as the wolf had said at the cabin, a chance for him to explore the fork in the road again and go down another path. Despite the fact that Cameron had told him several times that he wasn't taking him away from Pine Valley so he could reconnect with his bisexuality, it occurred to the tiger that he was doing just that. The two had been intimate, both times at Ryan's discretion, and neither time had Cameron's attraction to the wolf abated enough for him to stop it from happening.

He sighed quietly to himself as he hunched forward and rubbed both paws vigorously over his face. "I'm being an idiot," he muttered to himself. For all his talk about not wanting to get between Ryan and Samantha, it felt to Cameron like he was doing it anyway. He'd made the offer to take the wolf away, and had been more generous with him than he had with other talented strangers he'd met in the past. The thought had entered his head several times that he had perhaps chosen to lavish his ability to help on Ryan simply because of how attracted to the lupine he was, but Cameron had pushed those thoughts away. He'd consoled himself by thinking over and over that it was because of his art, and because he wanted to help that good artist have a chance to make it.

But those thoughts weren't enough. Images of Steven filled his head again as he sighed anew, and Cameron shook his head as he leaned back against the couch. Any further thought processes were stalled out as Ryan came bouncing back into the room, with a much calmer Sarah smiling as she followed after. "Hey, how'd it go?" he asked, as he lifted his paws from his face.

Ryan's tail wagged heavily back and forth as he glanced over at Sarah with an excited grin, and it was the rat who responded. "Well, he's definitely got talent. There's a real eye for natural details on this one. I don't know exactly what I can do to help him get into any galleries right now, but I know that in a couple months' time that my gallery is hosting a landscape collection." She glanced over at the excited wolf as his tail continued to wag vigorously. "I promised him nothing; the final decision doesn't rest with me. However, I'm going to take those pieces of his into work with me when I head back, and we'll discuss whether or not we can show them. This is kinda short notice, after all, and I warned him he shouldn't get too excited." One of her eyebrows lifted as she glanced over at the lupine. "You can see how well that turned out."

"And it's more than just the gallery!" Ryan added as he turned his grin on Cameron. "She gave me the phone number of a friend of hers who'd be able to set up a website for my art. If the gallery pans out and people start hearing my name, the gallery'll tell them about my website, and I'll be able to start selling my works from there." His grin grew wider, as impossible as it seemed to Cameron. "I'm on my way! I've got a chance!"

Even as the tiger stood, Ryan bounded over and wrapped Cameron up in a tight hug that almost knocked the wind out of him. As he gasped for breath and patted Ryan's back lightly, he turned to Sarah and smiled. "Thanks for helping him out," he managed, once he'd pried the wolf's arms off him slightly. "I really think he's got a hell of a lot of skill with his brush, and he was so sad that he couldn't market his passion back home."

The rat just smiled warmly back as she waved a paw. "Don't thank me; this is good for me and my gallery, as well," she replied. "And like I tried to tell him, don't get too excited just yet. This has a lot of people to go through, and we may not have enough notice to sort everything out for the opening of that collection. There's a million and one things that could go wrong for it. The website suggestion should keep him busy for a little while though, and it'll help him at least get a little further along with his dream than he otherwise would."

As he shook his head, Cameron was finally able to pull Ryan back off him again. "You've still done a lot, and will do a lot. Just wanted to let you know we appreciate it." He glanced down at Ryan as he chuckled; the wolf's tail still hadn't stopped for even a moment. "One of us a lot more than the other, mind."

"Well, with a good opportunity and a little luck, he's more than capable of being a hot little commodity," Sarah said as she smirked over at Ryan. "And ordinarily I'd ask you to stay for coffee and lunch, but I'm going to be late to get my hair done if I dawdle too much longer. You don't mind me running you guys out of here, dropping you off at the station, and heading away?"

Ryan vigorously shook his head as Cameron smiled back. "No, I think we can handle that just fine. Actually, don't mind us; I know where we're going from here, and we can walk. You've done enough for us today. Go get to your appointment, and we'll take care of the trip back to the station." He chuckled quietly and hooked a thumb towards Ryan as the three of them headed for the door. "I take it I can call you about this sometime soon? Otherwise I'll never hear the end of it from him."

Sarah rolled her eyes and smirked. "Sure, you've got my number. Give me a week at least to get some basic groundwork in place, and we'll have a better idea of how to proceed from there. If I've not called you by this time next week, feel free to gimme a buzz. Just give me a little leeway, okay?" She glanced at Ryan as she opened the door and ushered the two out. "And you, try not to get any more excited than you already have. This is a big step for you, I know, but this isn't a sure step. Like I said, things could go wrong. Don't bank on this working first-time; it so rarely does. Alright?"

The wolf smiled, and the wagging of his tail even slowed down for a moment as he nodded. "I'll do my best, Sarah," he promised, "but it'll be hard. This is just... huge. I don't want this chance to pass me by!"

"Then I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't," the rat replied, as she locked her door. "Now scoot, the both of you. If you don't want a lift, then you'll need to clear off the driveway before I can get out of here!"

It was with quiet chuckles that the tiger and the wolf headed off down the driveway and across the street. It was Ryan who spoke first, as his tail resumed its mad wagging. "I can't believe things are going this well, this fast... thank you." He turned immediately to the side and wrapped his arms around Cameron tightly. "You've already done so much for me! I don't know what to give you back for this! This is... this is more than I could have ever expected!"

Cameron just smiled as he wrapped one of his own arms back around the wolf, as he continued to try to walk along. "I told you I wanted to help you, and you're most welcome," he replied as he leaned lightly into Ryan's side. "But you'd probably do yourself a favour to listen to Sarah's advice. She told you not to get excited for good reason, and you really shouldn't. You don't know what's going to happen, she warned you that things aren't perfectly certain just yet. I hope things'll work out, and I know we'll both try as hard as we can to make sure that they do, but..." He shrugged.

Finally, Ryan pulled himself back from Cameron's side. He kept one arm tightly wrapped around the tiger's waist as he smiled wide, tail slowing down over a few moments until finally it fell still. "You're right; I'm sorry. It's just so much moving so fast. It's hard to keep myself from getting so excited, you know? How can you be so calm right now?" His tail began to twitch again.

With a quiet chuckle, the feline shook his head. "I guess I've just got other things on my mind," replied Cameron. It was true, more or less. A lot of his focus was set on Ryan and the chances that could lie ahead for the wolf, but still more of his thoughts were set on the wolf himself. All that had gone through his mind inside the house was still present in the tiger's awareness, and sharpened by the prospect of Ryan spending still more time with him.

"Oh?" Ryan asked as he pressed in a little tighter against Cameron's side. "And what, exactly, are you thinking about? Wouldn't happen to be what we did in the shower yesterday, would it?"

Cameron rolled his eyes as he smirked over at Ryan. "No, it wouldn't."

"Well that's a shame. That's what I'm thinking about." The wolf grinned as he slipped his paw down along Cameron's side, and he brought it around slowly to give the tiger's backside a tight squeeze.

Immediately the feline jumped back, as he yipped out loudly. His eyes went wide as he turned his gaze on Ryan, who simply grinned wide. "Not in the middle of the street!" he replied quietly, as he looked up and around. There didn't seem to be anyone else around on the quiet road, but that didn't mean much. "Not in plain sight of everyone, at least! We could get in some serious trouble for that!" As Ryan continued to grin, Cameron sighed and shook his head. "I'm not even completely sure we should do anything more together, anyway."

That certainly gave the wolf pause, and he frowned as all the mirth drained away from his face in the space of a second. "What are you talking about?" he asked, his head cocked slightly to the side as he began to walk at the tiger's side again. "Why would you want to stop? Did I do something wrong?"

Great, now he feels bad about it all, thought Cameron as he shook his head. "No, it's... it isn't like that. Not at all." Again he sighed, and he glanced up briefly to throw a wave at Sarah's car as it sped off down the road from behind them. "It's just complicated, you know? After Steven, things are all messed up with me. And you still have Samantha waiting for you back at home, too. Remember when I said I didn't bring you here for your repressed gay side?"

Ryan nodded slowly. "But you know that's not why I'm here... right?" he asked. "You'd have to know by now. You saw me in there, right?" He hooked his thumb back to indicate the house they'd left behind them. "You saw how excited I was? That's not because of the chance to sleep with you, you know. That's because of the art. That was purely because of the art."

As they rounded the corner near the end of the street, Cameron shook his head. "No, I know you came with me because of the art. That's the reason I wanted to bring you with me, too." He shook his head slowly, and his tail lashed back and forth behind him with his unease. "But... gah. I'm attracted to you. You know I am." He glanced over at the wolf briefly before he turned his eyes back to the ground again. "And you've got someone waiting for you back home. You've got someone who's going to be there when you go back, and you are going to be going back. I just got cheated on, Ryan. I don't need you cheating on Samantha with me." The depth of the feline's concern began to show through his tone.

The wolf easily heard it, and his ears drooped slowly as he slid a little further away from Cameron. "Is that how you view things between us, then?" asked Ryan, as his eyes flicked back and forth over the tiger's face.

"It's hard not to, isn't it?" Cameron quietly replied. "I really don't want things to be bad between us because of the way I'm feeling. But think about it for a moment, alright?" Ryan nodded, and the tiger took a slow breath. "You've been with Samantha for how long? Years, right? Ever since university? That's not the kinda thing you walk away from because you're on a trip out of town. That's that kinda relationship you discuss with the important person in your life, to try to find a solution to the problems you're facing." He winced as he shrugged. "What are you going to tell her when you get back home? You are going to tell her that you were sleeping with others, right?"

At that point, Ryan's eyes dipped down and away from Cameron's gaze. "Well... that depends, doesn't it?" he replied. There was a hint of pleading in his voice, as if he wanted Cameron to validate his feelings. "I mean, if I end up coming out here to stay, won't she and I be breaking up anyway? She won't come out here, and I won't stay out there. She wouldn't need to be upset about it, then. I wouldn't need to tell her."

Still Cameron wasn't convinced, as the train station came into view around another corner. "And what if this doesn't work out? What do you do then? What happens if Sarah can't get you into the gallery? If you're going to do your transactions through a website, then you don't need to be here. You can do it from Pine Valley. You could do it from anywhere."

With every word, the wolf's expression became more and more concerned. "What if I don't want to be there anymore?" he suggested after a moment of silence. He glanced up at Cameron before his eyes fell again. "What if - completely hypothetically speaking, of course - I did something with someone that... I want more of? Maybe... maybe more than what I have back with Samantha?"

Cameron blinked with surprise. He turned back to face Ryan immediately, and his eyes flicked back and forth over the bowed head of the wolf. Ryan's ears were laid back, and a quick glance down showed his tail tucked up between his legs. "You'd be willing to throw away what you have with Samantha because of a couple times you've had me?" he asked. The pure disbelief Cameron felt shone through in his tone, as he fought to keep his voice quiet. "Are you mad?"

When Ryan recoiled away, Cameron shook his head and turned away. "Dammit, this isn't what I wanted when I brought you here! Or... maybe it was... fuck!" Both of his paws raced up to his head to squeeze tightly at his hair. "Dammit, dammit! Ryan, you don't just pound a guy's backside and instantly want to jump to his side! Not when you've got someone back home waiting for you! Especially not when you've got someone back home!"

"That's not what I meant!" the wolf replied, the sentence punctuated with a short whimper. "I told you, I knew I was bi for years before I met Sammy. Hell, it'd been a couple years since I'd even been with a female when she and I hooked up." He shook his head and rubbed over his face vigorously. "Ugh... I don't know. Maybe I just go through phases, when the chance comes up?"

The tiger folded his arms as he lifted one eyebrow. "How in the hell would that be any better, Ryan?" he asked. "What would happen in the future, then? Would you be loyal to me, until a nice girl comes along? Does the whole thing start up over again?"

Again came the wolf's whimper. "You can't believe I'd want something like that, Cameron," he replied, as his voice began to tremble. "Please, don't tell me you think I want that. How can you-"

As Cameron held up a single finger, Ryan fell silent. "Firstly, because you're restless. When you felt like you couldn't get what you wanted by being where you'd been for so long, you stagnated. Then I came along, gave you a chance to get out, and you leaped at it." He lifted a second digit. "And secondly, because of what you've just now told me. We've fooled around twice. Twice, Ryan. Just twice."

"I can count," Ryan snapped, a momentary flash of anger surfacing as his hackles bristled.

Cameron just fixed him with a hard stare until the lupine calmed down again. "Twice. And now you're so convinced that the right thing to do is leave Samantha over it? Because you want a guy instead of her, a guy you barely know? Someone you've only just me? We haven't even gone out on a date, Ryan. And we can't, because I won't let you cheat on your girlfriend with me." His expression hardened. "Not anymore than you already have, anyway. Sex is one thing, but starting a relationship behind her back is crossing a line. That's a terrible thing to do."

Silence fell over the pair for a long few moments. Ryan's expression was one of fear and desperation, his ears tipped back and his eyes wide. There were cracks on Cameron's harsh exterior, too; the tiger didn't want to see the wolf hurt, and it showed. "So what about back at the cabin, then?" Ryan asked after a moment. His voice trembled as he spoke. "What was that? Just a fling? A quick fuck to make you feel better about what happened to you?"

The pulse of anger that ran through Cameron's body was quickly squashed down, and he took a long, deep breath. "I did it... because you were pushing for it. Because you wanted it," he finally replied.

"Bullshit," Ryan snapped back. "Bull-fucking-shit. I don't buy that for a second. If you really wanted to stop me, either time, you could have. You wanted it too, Cam. Why? Huh?" He poked the tiger in the chest as he leaned up in his face. "Why did you let it happen? Why'd you not show me you really didn't want it? Why didn't you-"

"Because I did want it!" the tiger replied, his voice raised to drown out Ryan's questions. Almost immediately the wolf stepped back again, and Cameron slumped forward with a sigh. "Because I did want it," he repeated, quieter and more slowly. "Because I wanted you. Because you're cute, because you're nice, because you're unlike anyone I've met before." He lifted his head slowly, and Ryan could see that tears began to shimmer in the feline's eyes. "But I don't love you. Not yet. And you can't possibly love me, either. It's barely been two weeks, hasn't it? How the fuck do we start a relationship that deep in that kinda time?"

When Ryan didn't reply, Cameron continued. "It's what Steven does. He jumped into his relationship with me. Made me think he loved me, and made me think I loved him. It's what he does to all his guys." The tiger's cheeks became matted by his tears as he tilted his head up and pursed his lips. "I am not falling into that trap again, Ryan. It's not because I think you're just like Steven - I think you're a hundred times better than him, at least - but because I'm just not ready to even... to..." His words failed, and Cameron just raised his arms helplessly.

It took a moment for Ryan to find the words to respond, and when he spoke again his tone was absent of any anger or sadness it had contained before. "I think I know where you're coming from now," he said slowly. "I think I understand enough, at least, and I'm sorry that I've come on so strong. I'm... not usually like that." He sighed quietly. "I can't help it. I told you I couldn't approach any of the few gay or bi guys that live in Pine Valley. It's not just that it's a small town, but they're a bit like what you've described Steven as. They're... not good." The wolf's gaze dropped for a moment.

When he looked up again, it was more to scan Cameron's face. The tiger still looked concerned, and his cheekfur was still damp, but there was a sparkle of hope in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "So... I know what you're getting at now. I know that you do want me, but... that you're right. That we need to stop for now, and sort me out first." He chewed on his lower lip for a moment as he closed his eyes. "I don't want to hurt Sammy though, you know? And the house is mine, so she'd have to find somewhere else, unless I stay here... and even that has so many problems right now." He looked up and met Cameron's eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry I've pushed so hard. You've been so good to me, and in so many ways... I guess I've just gone a bit nuts. That's not good for me, and it's not fair on you."

With a shake of his head, Cameron slipped forward and pulled the wolf into a gentle hug. "It's okay," he said with a sigh, as Ryan squeezed him softly back. "I'm sorry, too. I should have been a bit firmer with you about it, and told you right from the start exactly why I felt the way I did. Just absolutely insane, you know?" He chuckled quietly. "It's hard to resist you."

"I guess I have that effect on some people," Ryan replied, his voice muffled by the tiger's chest. As they drew back, a tentative smile began to tug at the corner of the wolf's lips. "So... are we good? Are we okay now?"

One of Cameron's paws lingered for a moment on the wolf's shoulder, and he nodded as he swiped quickly at his eyes. "Yeah, I think we're okay now," he replied as he glanced quickly around. "I just wish we'd been able to do this sooner, and somewhere not quite so public."

Ryan winked as he folded his arms. "Well, there are some things we could do in public that could get us in a lot more trouble," he suggested. A moment was all it took for a fresh scowl to spread across Cameron's face, and a second later Ryan burst out laughing. "Oh, c'mon! It's funny!"

The tiger forced a chuckle and a smile, but even as his sheath stirred at the thought a peculiar little ache took hold of his heart. Control was something that both he and Ryan needed right then, and certainly they needed it a lot more than allowing their loins to dictate their thoughts and actions. Cameron knew that fact perfectly well, and it was the very reason why he'd argued down Ryan's very pointed - and very dangerous - advances. It was little solace to the tiger, though; he did still want Ryan. Badly.

The screech of the train pulling up wasn't even enough to snap Cameron out of his thoughts. His body and muzzle moved on autopilot, discussing the wolf's planned website even as his mind focused on that painful little ache. Firmly he tried to shove it away with logic, with the knowledge that he and Ryan needed to be friends, first and foremost. He tried with the thought that the wolf couldn't be allowed to cheat on Samantha with him. He tried with the thought that they didn't know each other nearly well enough to start a proper relationship. And yet, despite all those thoughts, the ache persisted.

Cameron knew what it was, of course. He knew why there was that strange tightness in his heart, and he knew why it had chosen then to strike at him. The tiger knew how he felt about Ryan and, while he'd spoken truth when he'd told the wolf that he didn't love him, Cameron was equally sure that he was well on his way. The wolf's boyish charms only amplified his friendly nature, and he'd shown himself to be good company. They were similar in several ways, but different enough that Cameron couldn't find him boring. The wolf's fresh outlook on the city had already killed the tiger's own sense of stagnation.

As he closed his eyes and leaned back against the train's cushioned seat, Cameron let his thoughts drift. He told himself that Ryan was only going to be there for a little while longer. He told himself that the wolf would go back to Samantha afterwards, and that it would be the best thing for Ryan. He told himself he wouldn't be broken up about it.

And even as he told himself that, Ryan leaned in against his side and snuggled in close. The ache strengthened, and Cameron felt his conviction begin to slip away.

[Listen to Steer (Missy Higgins) with this Grooveshark link!](%5C)

Steer lyrics

Feel it falling off like clothing

Taste it rolling on your tongue

See the lights above you glowing

Oh, and breathe them deep into your lungs

It was always simple, not hidden hard

You've been pulling on the strings

Playing puppeteer for kings

And you've had enough

But the search ends here

Where the night is totally clear

And your heart is fierce

So now you finally know

That you control where you go

You can steer

So hold this feeling like a newborn

All the freedom surging through your veins

You have opened up a new door

So bring on the wind, fire and rain

It was always simple, not hidden hard

You've been played at a game

Called remembering your name

And you stuffed it up

But the search ends here

Where the night is totally clear

And your heart is fierce

So now you finally know

That you control where you go

You can steer

And now you finally know

That you control where you go

You can steer

'Cause you've been listening for answers

Oh, but the city screams

And all your dreams go unheard

But the search ends here

Where the night is totally clear

And your heart is fierce

So now you finally know

That you control where you go

You can steer

Yeah, get out of the box

And step into the clear

Cause now you finally know

That you can steer

And there it is! The final story of Fae's Christmas Music-Themed Special 2009 is done! Comments are greatly appreciated, as are scores and favs and the like! Did you enjoy? I hope so! It might be done for this year, but give me some feedback and I'll see what I can improve on for next year. You can look forward to at least one more of Fae's Christmas Music-Themed Special, so mark it on your 2010 calendars! And well before then, you should be seeing some more interesting, new stuff from me!

Stay tuned, furballs, and take care!