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3.

"No clubs?" I asked for the hundredth time. Mick was either a prude or a recovering alcoholic. It wasn't a big deal. I was a bad enough influence to overcome either of those obstacles. I already made some progress to where he stopped blushing like a schoolgirl at the mere mention of our impending date.

"No," he leaned over from behind his monitor. "Dinner and something."

"If you take me to the movies, I am definitely giving you head. So bring a light jacket if you feel the need for privacy."

My threat sank in and Mick began to frown. "You would, too. I should make sure you wear a muzzle when we go out."

"Oh, God! You are such a tease." He probably didn't even own a muzzle.

It was literally impossible for me to get any work done. And Mick didn't help the situation either. I was actually chasing after him, and still had zero idea why. I liked him. That was all I had to go on. I spent another hour watching him work, just to confirm my infatuation.

I needed to talk to someone and sort this out. Given that my friends were even sluttier than I was, my options were forcibly limited until I got home.

***

I located Ol' Nana out on the veranda. She was as old as sin and just as sharp. You may ask yourself, why is this stunningly handsome, cosmopolitan, trendsetter of a wolf seeking out the opinions of a toothless centenarian. Well, Nana, my great grandmother, is one of those rare furs these days, where her age really is a reflection of her wisdom.

I guess you could say she first earned my respect by being the only family member to not freak out when I came out... Maybe 'came out' is the wrong choice of words. See, when Dad was having a bit of a party out on the spacious lawn to celebrate the opening of his third grocery store when I was inadvertently outed. Some dumbass thought it would be a good idea to pick that moment to open the garden shed door that I was pressed up against with one of the caterers, a hyena named Felix, balls-deep in my hole.

The door opened, we spilled out naked, my dad freaks and starts chasing Felix with a rake, my mom starts weeping, my asshole uncle starts shouting for me to get thrown out of the party, the house, and the family. The poor pups never did get to play bocce ball that day.

Nana was the only wolf not to lose her shit. Ironic, because of the rumored incontinence, but I digress.

She created a distraction by doing that trick where you pull the tablecloth off a fully set table without even spilling a drink. Except in her version of the trick, everything, including the elaborate cake, shaped like a grocery store, ended up on the lawn. That took the focus off me. She threw me the tablecloth so I wasn't naked anymore, and ushered me into the house while the rest of the family drifted between stunned silence, moral outrage and unwarranted calls for my head.

It was a lot to take, and I was fucking shaking, trying to hold back my tears. Ol' Nana, on the other hand, was trying to hold back laughter. We ended up in the kitchen where she passed me a flask of homebrewed gin that she always seemed to have hidden on her. I still remember the burn as it went down. It was my first drink of hard liquor. It was my first time having sex. It was my first incident involving public nudity.

It was a busy day for me.

She didn't say a lot, and for that I was grateful. The situation was awkward enough without a safe-sex talk. But what she did have to say gave me a new perspective on life. Apparently my family had a long history of making spectacles of themselves, and she told me stories about damn near all them. Even my asshole uncle, who she confided was her least favorite grandchild. Always had been.

When I reluctantly brought up the whole being gay thing, she brushed it off. None of that moralizing one way or the other. It was just a non issue with her. And I loved that. Growing up with all those after-school-specials, it was always my biggest fear that when I did come out, I'd have to go through all this transcendental, cathartic bullshit. Like I'd have to become this whole other fur, all mature and crap. Nana proved that was not the case.

Needless to say, she's my favorite relative.

***

Being my favorite relative also meant I was more concerned about looking like an ass in front of her than anyone else. I walked past the veranda doors at least six times before I stopped being a pussy and stepped outside with a purpose. Right for the pots on the low brick wall that comprised my herb garden, with a bottle of water to give my plants a drink.

The herb garden was something I picked up on in the city. Of course it all started innocently enough with me trying to grow some weed in my closet, but it turns out that I have the opposite of a green thumb, and zero talent when it came to understanding hydroponics. But I still had all this gear and fertilizer, so I said what the fuck and bought some legal plant seeds with the advice of the bull working at the garden store. The same bull that may have gotten a quickie in exchange for an employee discount I didn't really need.

I gave my parsley a swig then made a show of turning around. "Oh! Nana. I didn't know you were out here." The ancient wolf was having a cup of tea, her fur was white as snow and had always been, as far as any fur could remember. "Can I offer you a fresh mint leaf for your tea?"

She nodded with a smile and I plucked her a leaf. "You know, dear, I'm not a licensed psychiatrist. You really don't need to bribe me to get my ear."

"Heh," I chuckled nervously. "Who says I have anything to say?"

She just smiled and sipped her tea while I sat at the small tale with her.

"Alright. I met someone. He's a scaly, he's a nerd, he's nothing like what I normally go for."

"Yet...?" she prompted.

"Yet I think I like him. A lot. And, it's just that I don't know why and... It doesn't make sense. Is that weird? I'm kinda afraid I'm leading him into a relationship that can't last. I feel like I'm being greedy."

Ol' Nana mulled over it for a bit. "If you like him, it's not greedy to pursue him."

"But, he's so... Annoyingly different. He's not like me, and I don't want to hurt him if things don't work out. But, I really like him. I just don't understand. I-" I shut up. My rambling was getting close to whining, something Nana didn't deserve to be put through.

"Let me tell you about something we used to believe back in the Old Country." She leaned closer across the small table, putting her hand over mine. "They used to call it Fated Mates. If you needed it, God would show you your true love. Not the fur you always wanted, but the fur you needed. The fur that would complete you. Sometimes it didn't make a lick of sense, like one of your great-uncles who found his mate in a feral donkey. Frankly, I always assumed alcohol was involved, but it didn't matter what I or anyone thought, because it was Fate. And that's something all the differences, objections, common sense and idiosyncrasies in the world can't fight." She patted my hands and leaned back.

I'd never heard that one before. I never even thought about getting mated. Was that what drew me to the dragon? "Do you believe in that? That maybe he's the mate that Fate picked for me?"

"Of course not, dear. It's the twenty-first century. We've landed on the moon for goodness' sake. Superstitious mumbo jumbo. But that wasn't the point. I just wanted to see if your eyes lit up at the prospect. That should tell you if what you're feeling is real, not just a passing bout of lust."

I was a little offended that she manipulated me like that. Impressed and offended. She must share the same gene that gives me my own cunning. "I see," I grumbled. "Well? Did they light up?"

"I do not know. I seem to have misplaced my glasses and can't see a damn thing."

Ah. And that would be a fine display of the shared poorly-prepared-for-things gene.

"But I think you already know," Nana said with a sage nod aimed at the statuary just to my left, but probably meant for me.

"Ah, shit." I liked Mick. Like-liked, as the pups would say. Maybe even more than that, but there was no way in hell I was about to consider that yet.

***

After another sleepless night I somehow dragged myself to work. I slept through the bus ride downtown, a dream I couldn't recall jolted me awake. And I scared the shit out of my fellow morning commuters with the burst of obscenities I unleashed when I saw I'd missed my stop. The summer heat left me drenched by the time I actually got to the office.

What was happening to me, I wondered. My attendance here had been perfect since I started. If that got out, it would tarnish my cool reputation. Thank God I was still managing to avoid showing up early.

"You're late," Mick observed.

The reason for my sudden reliability. "You pick where we're going Friday?" What the hell, Trent! Way to play it cool.

"Um... I'm still thinking."

I heard him go back to his typing. I needed to up my game if I wanted his attention. I went to work fucking up my computer. Most of the files I tried couldn't be deleted with a low level account like mine. It's like they didn't trust me... which was a wise move on their part. I couldn't delete anything, but I was able to move shit around until things stopped working.

Deep breath. "Hey, Mick?"

"No, Trent. We can discuss our personal affairs over lunch."

"This is work related!" I said a little too happily. "My computer's not working. Could you take a look at it?"

"Turn it off and on again."

I resisted the urge to snarl. If this had been a porno flick, he'd have already gone so off script. "I, uh, I tried that and it didn't help."

Mick sighed and I could hear his chair creak as he got up and walked around the desks. He leaned over me, pushing my hand off the mouse. His chest brushed against my shoulder. I could not fucking resist it. I turned my head until my muzzle made contact with his neck, sucking in a deep breath of Mick musk.

"Hey!" he bolted upright. "What was that?"

Well, I suppose he'd have to have been an idiot not to have noticed that. "What was what?" I gave him my most disarming smile. The one that said, me, perving on you? Surely you're mistaken.

"You know what you just did. That is seriously inappropriate."

"You wanna see inappropriate? Let me stand up." Mick's eyes widened and I came to the sudden realization that I'd just said that out loud. "Sorry. That was-"

"Naughty."

I'm sure that with as wide as our eyes went, and the severity of Mick's subsequent blushing, he may not have intended to say that out loud either. "Your scent is intoxicating. So I was drunk. What's your excuse," I teased.

Mick slowly backed away. I thought I may have fucked up.

As Mick began running out the office and down the hall I knew I'd fucked up.

***

For a big guy, Mick could move pretty fast, apparently. By the time I finished slamming my head against the desk, the hallway was clear. For many furs, this would be a problem. But I was a wolf with wolfy senses, and with the advantage that so few other furs worked in the sub-basement Mick's delicious dragon scent was easy to track. I followed it up and down a few corridors, finally reaching its end in front of a door labeled Sanitation and Maintenance Storage Room.

I knocked.

No answer.

"Mick? It's Trent." Still no answer. "I'm really sorry. Even though I'm not really. I mean, we're going on our second fucking date this Friday. Am I allowed no display of affection?"

"You said the movie wasn't a date," Mick called from the other side of the door.

"Yeah. But if you got freaked out by a simple, kinda weird, show of affection... maybe you might feel more at ease if we already had the first date?"

"I appreciate the sentiment, but this clearly is not going to work. I have way too many issues and you are way too out of my league."

I'm a lover, not a fighter. So it took me by surprise when I felt the uncontrollable urge to find anyone and everyone that had hand in fucking up this dragon's self confidence and kill them. Slowly. Using something gas powered. "Mick. Don't do this to me. Open the door and we can talk."

"Um... No. I think I am better off with the door between us."

I rolled my eyes. "Mick, you are being ridiculous."

"I'm aware of that."

Progress. "There's a janitor out here that needs to get in," I lied.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I think they prefer to be called custodial engineers." The lock clicked and the door inched open.

"Watch your head, Mick," I announced with a forceful shove. The door knocked him back a little, but I was in. As I fumbled with the lock behind my back I took in the little room. Shelves lined the walls, displaying a wide array of toxic chemicals that made the air sting my nose. A lone mop stood in the corner. "Cozy place you found," I said.

"You are such a liar. This is another reason why-"

"Shhh!" I hissed. Mick looked a cross between annoyed and worried. The wrinkles between his furrowed eyebrows, the tight lips, the furtive glances like there might be another fur hiding in here. So cute. I had to have him. Mick motioned for me to move. I shook my head and stayed fixed to the door. No escape, dragon.

"I have no idea why you're fighting this, and if I knew why, I could talk my way through it. But since you insist on being the strong silent type, I'm going to have to wing this." His eyes were wide, and I hated causing him any distress. I wanted to grab him and tell him everything would be ok. I wanted to be his safe place. But to do that, I had to get him past having a fucking panic attack whenever we make physical contact.

I took a deep breath. If what I was about to try failed, it would be the end of things. "Mick." I looked deep into his pale blue eyes, even in the dim light they could draw me in. "Touch me."

"What?"

Yes, what? I asked myself. I don't think being this forward was part of my plan. "I... I never want you to be intimidated by me. Ever. You think I'm hot, and I totally get that, but I want you to get that I'm not some ethereal thing. I'm going to stand right here until you feel me, any and every place you want. Until you know I'm just as real as you and I'm not going to turn into a monster when we touch."

Mick didn't move.

"Please," my voice cracked. Holy fuck, I was getting emotional. "I've never felt like this before, and I really don't want to fuck things up. But... I'm scared." My eyes stung. I lowered my head, visions of the two of us being anything began to fade.

Mick shook his head, taking a hesitant step towards me. "No, Trent. You don't get to be scared. At least one of us needs to be emotionally stable, and that is not going to be me. You have to be the one that knows what he's doing. I'll be the one that runs and hides in a closet from time to time."

I gave a wet, kinda gross snort. "You have a great sense of humor. Will I get to see more of it?" Mick was within arms reach and I fought every fiber of my being that wanted to touch. He had to make the first move this time.

I watch his hand raise. It trembled, hovering just off my arm. "Touch?"

I nodded. "All that you want." The warmth from his hand radiated through the thin fabric of my shirt. I know it was my imagination, but I swear I could feel the exact moment his hand touched my shirt, the exact second the microscopic increases in pressure put his hand in full contact with my arm. It wasn't the first time we touched, but it felt like it. Maybe it was a new Mick's first time touching me?

"Huh," he muttered.

"What?"

"This is the part where I usually wake up."

My lips curled in a smirk. "You dream about me?"

Mick blushed. "Not you, or anyone specific, just..."

My smile widened at his awkwardness. "I can pinch you to make sure you're not dreaming," I offered. "But if you want to show me where you think your dream would lead..."

"Could we not talk about that?"

"Only if you put your other hand on me."

Mick held up his other hand, hesitating. "Where," he whispered.

"Wherever you need to. We're not leaving until you're fully convinced that I'm real."

Mick looked up from his hand to my eyes. "We're at work. I don't think this is the best time to do this."

"I stand by what I said. I'm not moving until this stops being weird for you."

Mick cocked his head. "Yeah, being held hostage in a janitor's closet by the hottest fur in the office, who is forcing me to molest him. That will never not be weird."

I slid my hand up my chest, expertly undoing the buttons as I went. "Oh darn," I threw as much sarcasm as I could at him. "Then I guess I'm stuck with the hottest scaly in the office, feeling me up for the rest of my life. Woe is me."

Mick snorted again, about to utter some self deprecating bullshit that I swore to myself I'd get out of his system. Then I tugged my shirt open. His jaw hung open, and I was satisfied with the reaction. "I thought you said they liked to be called custodial engineers."

Mick blinked. "What?"

"You said I was holding you hostage in a janitor's closet," I reminded the distracted dragon. With just a thumb and finger, I took hold of his wrist, pulling his hand into my soft chest fur. I took my hand away and Mick didn't move away.

"Hostage?" His fingers shifted, slowly feeling out my contours.

He had to notice my heart rate increasing. His touch moved left, tracing under my left pec. I sucked in a sharp breath as his finger grazed my nipple.

His hand jerked away. "Sorry. I-"

"Oh for fucks sake, Mick. That was called pleasure. I'm really going to have to show you what it is some time."

His hand came back, flicking my nipple again. "Don't mock me. I'm innocent."

Yeah. That wicked smile said otherwise. "Innocent. Repressed. It's all the same, right?"

He was quiet for a time. "A-are we really going to do this?"

I nearly choked. "Well, yeah! I mean, I don't have any lube on me, but if you take it slow, I should be able to fit you-"

"Not that!" Of course not that. That would be too good to be true. "I am talking about a relationship. I don't want to just be a fling."

"Mick. I swear to you, I'm in this for as long as you're willing. I will never do anything to hurt you." I meant it. "Hold me." I didn't give him a chance to use that damn brain of his. I wrapped my arms around him, holding firm until he stopped fidgeting and I felt his arms, one at a time, make their way around me.

Well. That was that. I considered myself officially in the most serious relationship of my life. Maybe it was the fumes from the open bottles of cleaners, but I felt happier than I'd ever been. "Can we go back to your place?" I asked, my muzzle nestled into his neck.

"Yes."

Praise the lord! There was no hesitation. "Right now?"

And there was the hesitation. "...Right now? I-if you really want to. I kind of need this job, but if it means that much-"

"Mick. I think I can make it until five." He was so warm, and so much softer than I would have thought. I did not want to let go. "We're a couple now, right?"

"Yes. We are."

"Then I can wait as long as you need."

The dragon's arms squeezed tighter. Who knew I could feel so good without the use of drugs, booze, or sex. "Let's get back to work."

Reluctantly, I let him open the door. "Oh, Mick?" I said as we walked out. "I think I really did break my computer. On purpose."

"I assumed that. I can fix it."

***

An hour later and I was struggling to contain my laughter. Mick was sitting in my chair, furiously clicking things to fix my computer. I was clinging to him like a feral lab monkey to one of those wireframe surrogate parents.

"It was cute at first, but now I think you can let go. And what the heck did you do to this computer?" Mick sighed and restarted the machine again.

I cursed under my breath when it worked this time. I resisted the urge to pull his tail as he got up and walked back to his desk, my eyes watching every sway of his hips. He had no idea how wild he was driving me.

Incredibly, I managed to focus on my work for the rest of the day. I kind of had to if I wanted to avoid jizzing my pants just thinking of all the stuff we could be doing if only he'd lose that damn work ethic of his.

The clock hit five and I was dragging him from his chair. The second ride in his car was a lot less scary than the first one. That first ride, I kept wondering if the rusted holes in the floor would expand enough for seats to fall through, or if that grinding rumble was a prelude to the engine exploding. Now all I worried about was carbon monoxide poisoning. But the plastic bags and duct tape that comprised my window didn't look airtight enough for that to be all that likely.

I guess I shouldn't complain, being without a car myself. I don't know how many times I've kicked myself for not getting one back before my parents went on this responsibility kick. I mean, I never imagined living anywhere besides downtown so I figured a bike was all I needed. I have this awesome fixie that I used for short trips, and a cab was always a phone call away. Now my credit cards have been snipped and my bike is stowed in the estate's six car garage.

I phoned in an order for some eastern cuisine from Olyrea's then spent the elevator ride to his apartment arguing with him about why I was going to pay again. Mick was stubborn, but no match for how stubborn I could be.

The elevator doors dinged and we exited. "I could have just cooked us something," Mick grumbled.

"Our second date deserves something a little better than ramen noodles and ketchup."

"This isn't a date! We won't be having a first date until Friday," he protested while fumbling for his keys. "And I heard you order noodles."

"Yeah, but these are artisan noodles, made with bamboo flour and topped with a proprietary sauce passed down generations of the Olyrea family. And shrimp." Some scalies just couldn't appreciate fine dining.

Mick jiggled his key in the lock. "Artisan noodles that come in a bucket," he mumbled.

"I heard that."

His apartment was just as spotless as it was the last time. He'd have a heart attack if he saw my room.

"So..." said Mick.

"So." I replied adding a flirty flutter of my eyelashes.

The dragon blushed. "C-can we wait? Just until Friday? I, I'm still processing this. B-but if we have to, I can-"

I pressed my finger to his lips. "I said I can wait as long as you need. I am committed to us." I'm sure my cock and I were no longer on speaking terms.

Mick breathed a sigh of relief, washing my finger in his hot breath. That warm sensation spread over me. I took my hand away. "Can I kiss you?"

"Kiss?" It was like I was speaking a foreign language most of the time. "Yes," he said. "Yes, but, do you think I should put on some music, or pour us a drink? It will be our first kiss after all. I want to make it memorable."

My heart fucking ached at that! The most romantic thing a lover ever did for me was offer me a stick of nicotine gum after I gave them head. This was almost too much. Now it was my turn to get flustered. "Uhm... I don't think I could ever forget it if we just did it right now."

"Right now?"

I nodded. "All spontaneous like."

Mick nodded slowly.

I put my arms around his neck, slowly so he wouldn't spook. My eyes locked on his until they stopped flitting wildly looking for somewhere else to focus. I couldn't see his hands with our faces so close, but I heard the ruffling of his shirt, the jangle of loose change in his pocket. He had no idea what to do with them. I could wait, the faint smile never leaving my face.

Finally I felt his forearms come to rest on my hips. I could picture his hands hovering just off my back, afraid of making any more contact.

It was up to me to move this forward from the very intimate staring contest it was in danger of becoming. I pulled him forward, his eyes closed as our lips met. Soft, moist. I kept mine slightly parted, inviting his tongue, but his kiss was so chaste all he did was moan softly into me, breaking contact as soon as he made his affections known. And they were quite known to me now.

Wow. "And there you have it."

Mick gave a nervous look. "Have what?"

For the second time that day, my mouth spouted off before I could decide if I really meant to vocalize those thoughts yet. Fuck it, can't stop now. "That was the exact moment I became sure I'm falling for you."

Mick turned bright red. He turned away, his pointy reptilian teeth on full grinning display. He started to giggle, then tried covering it up with a cough that turned the whole thing into a sound that was a cross between a hiccup and a belch. Then nearly choked as he opened the nearest cabinet to block my view.

If he blushed anymore I would have worried he was going to spontaneously combust. "Trent," he groaned, hiding his face in the open cupboard.

"Yes, Mick."

"Pretend I didn't just make a fool of myself."

"I..." didn't want to. "You are so fucking adorable."

***

Strangely enough, Mick insisted on helping me use his computer to pick a movie for tonight. I must have impressed him with my technical prowess when I broke my work rig.

"How about Discipline for Naughty Foxes 8: Gangbang at 30,000 ft?"

Mick shook his head. "My head is still swimming with ideas the last movie you picked gave me."

"I insist you act on them," I tried to sound authoritative. It did not work.

"Down, boy," he said distractedly whilst scrolling through another list of films.

I folded my arms and pouted. "Guess you just want me to spend the rest of the week aroused."

"I could always put you in a cockcage. You did say I get to discipline you if we dated."

My jaw dropped open. I had to sit down. The things he was putting me through!

I'd finally got my cock, or lil' Trent, as he's known to those closest, to settle down when there was a knocking at the door. I got off the couch to get the food. I ordered the big Bucket o' Noodles which had to be hard to deliver on the back of a moped so I made sure to tip generously. I prided myself on my tipping. Karma, right?

Mick was on the couch when I got back. "What are we watching?" I asked as I scooped out some noodles into one of Mick's bowls.

"I think it's something you will like. The review said it was so bad it's good. And it's from Eurasia. 1979. If you don't like it, we can find something else." He shrugged those broad draconic shoulders of his and tried to play it cool. "Death Stab."

"Death Stab! I fuckin' love that movie. You know it was banned in several countries due to excessive amounts of stabbing?"

"Oh," Mick chuckled. He only started to relax after I assured him a few more times that this was indeed one of those cheesy action flicks I was into. And what's not to love? Plenty of buff, shirtless furs wrestling around with big rubber knifes out on a sunny Illyrian beach, getting all sticky from the too-bright fake blood. It was almost as good as porn.

I kicked my shoes off and curled up against Mick. It was far less of a hassle getting him to put his arm around me this time. I was ready to spend the evening with great food, great entertainment, and the only scaly in the world that I wanted to share it all with.