Unexpected
"Unexpected"
By Calypso
You know, sometimes life can be so tragically predictable. Or so I thought. That was before I found something I never realized I wanted in somewhere I never thought to look.
My parents were quintessentially middle class; my mom, a forty-something high school teacher (thankfully, she taught special education, so I avoided being in her class), and my dad, an accountant who'd been with the same company for twenty years.
My upbringing had consisted of a generally supportive atmosphere lined with a certain level of expectation that was negatively reinforced. If I failed at one of these expectations, I was criticized; if I succeeded, it was something I was supposed to be doing anyway, so I could hardly expect praise. I went about life in suburbia with a general taste for all things rebellious, but with hardly the spine to rebel.
As with the "majority" of American families, we were wolves; in other words, we were a species of North American or European descent. Of course, these lines were very blurred, typically. For instance, nationality played into your race. Generally, if you were like me, in the "majority," you identified as Nord. Whether the word came from North, or from Nordic, or what, I have no idea. If you were American, but from African descent, you were Kahn. I think it was a short version of African, but who knows with these things?
In any event, my school in the 'burbs had only a few Kahns, who seemed like nice people, but who I wasn't friends with. There was a cheetah kid in my English class named David, and he was pretty cool. I don't know, I just never really had a lot of Kahn friends or neighbors growing up. Our school only had a few Latinos as well, and maybe a couple of Asians, out of thousands of kids.
In any event, the first day of my awakening happened on a day like any other. I went to school early, as usual-it was expected of me to never be late. It was my senior year, and it wasn't pleasant. I could virtually taste freedom every day as I came closer to it, and each day dragged longer and longer because of it.
My Government class was a bore, my English class a breeze. Calculus, the most challenging and most hated class, almost made me pass out that day. As I looked out the window at the crisp February weather, I thought to myself, Wow, I could be out there right now.
By the time I made it to my last class, thankfully I had my best friend Tori to keep me occupied. Tori was the spine I didn't have; she was always wanting to go to some party, drive across state lines, get in stranger's cars. In other words, she wanted to do anything she could to piss off her overworked single mother. Horrible, I know, but her mother was no saint, either.
This fine February afternoon, Tori had a familiar gleam in her eye as she approached me at the start of class, ready to take her seat beside me, and my heart fluttered. When she gave me that smile, that nod, that gleam, it meant she had something up her sleeve. Lucky for her, this weekend, I really wanted to finally grow a pair and do something I'd regret later.
"Hey," she said as she sat down, breathless as though she'd run a mile. Her shoulder length blonde hair shone in the pale, overcast light from outside, and her green eyes surveyed me behind their black eyeliner, as if summing me up before telling me her little plot.
"Hey," I said back expectantly, trying to give an eager vibe.
"Okay, so I know you're going to say no, but I just heard like five seconds ago that there's going to be this amazing party tonight, tons of our friends are going...like, major deal." She was grinning, almost as if she knew that I was of course going to agree, not 'say no' as she had clearly been falsely expecting.
"Oh yeah? That sounds fun. Where at?" I asked. I was smiling back at her.
"Um...Westridge..." she said softly and apologetically, as if she'd been trying to find a nice way to criticize me. Her delicate coyote features fell into a pleading look.
"Westridge? What are you, nuts? Do you want to get shot?" I asked under my breath, trying not to freak out and attract the teacher's attention. My smile had dripped like melted candle wax into a grimace, my brow furrowed.
Westridge was an urban neighborhood on the outskirts of the city that was known for being pretty rough. I'd driven through there a few times in broad daylight and been scared. It was the type of neighborhood my parents would flip over if they knew I had gone to in the middle of the night. Perfect.
"Look, Kyle, we're going to a friend of a friend's house. You know David from your English class? His cousin Tyrell is throwing the party," she explained. I loved how she used the words 'we're going,' as though it had already been decided. Which it had, really.
"Dude, I don't even know David that well, Tori," I replied, though my resistance had fallen before it'd had a chance to build. "Besides, do you really think that Westridge is a good place for a gay teenage boy to be hanging out on a Friday night?" I know, I know, do I speak like I'm thirty, or don't I?
"Honey, you know I support you a thousand percent, but it's not a hard thing to hide with you. You're not super obvious about it, and hardly anyone at school knows. Just be chill, it's not going to be a problem." She sounded confident. Good for her.
"Urgh...anything I can say?"
"Nope!"
"Okay," I conceded. This would be interesting.
That night, as I dressed to impress at Tori's house for the party, with the excuse that I was spending the night, I looked at myself in her full-length mirror. I was just under six feet, around 140 pounds, lean and slender. Long legs, softly defined muscles, shaggy dirty-blonde hair, blue eyes, and creamy beige fur, darker on my back than my front. I thought I was pretty nondescript, kind of on the average side. Tori argued with me sometimes that I was totally cute, and that the right guy hadn't come along yet. Whatever.
When I thought I looked decent, I waited for Tori to finish.
"Oh my God, I'm so excited!" she was saying as she was putting more makeup on. The girl loved her makeup. "I guess a lot of people from Westridge High are going to be there, and Tanya was telling me that she's been there a few times, and that the guys are..." she trailed off, beginning to fan herself with her paw and roll her eyes in a heated way.
"Well, you're never going to get to see any of these guys if you don't hurry the hell up!" I replied, eyeing my watch. It was getting close to ten.
As we drove to Westridge, blaring music and singing and laughing, the butterflies I had been experiencing in my stomach for hours transformed into hornets, stabbing me with pangs of nervousness. The closer we got, I could see the houses get smaller and shabbier, the cars older, the lawns less manicured, more apartment buildings every block. Everything was just looking more and more run down, and there seemed to be more people on the street in Westridge than there ever were at this time of night in the suburbs.
Tori finally directed me to turn left, and within a few seconds, we could tell which house it was. It was the only house on the block that had every light on, and the front door was open, blaring music, the bass thumping. After surmounting the formidable challenge of parking, we walked a block back up to the house, Tori receiving a cat call from a couple of guys who were hanging out on the corner.
She ignored them, not wanting to give them any ideas, but laughed a little as we approached the house. Through the open door I could see a couple of friends, which relieved me a little.
"Hey girl! Hey Kyle," Tanya greeted us as we stepped in. She was dancing with a thugged-out zebra guy, who was one of those types that was way too good looking for their own good. And damn, was he doing all sorts of dirty things to our friend with his eyes.
"Heeeeey!" Tori said, kissing her on the cheek. "This shit is crazy!" She was practically shouting over the music.
"I know, right?" Tanya replied, her zebra boy grinding up on her from behind. "I guess they said the cops are really busy with some investigation, so they probably wouldn't come to break it up. They went all out!" Tanya yelled, excited as always. That girl would be thrilled if you gave her a shiny gold star sticker.
"Fuck yeah!" Tori cheered, while my eyes were scanning to find a place to get a drink. I was designated driver, so I had to get my fill now so I'd have time to sober up.
Thankfully, Tori dragged me away; zebra boy had started a little over-the-sweater action with Tanya, which was a little much for me. I was kind of conservative in that way, always one to keep anything remotely sexual behind closed doors.
As we walked toward the kitchen of the tiny house, barely able to breathe with how many kids had crammed in, we waved or said hi to a few people, dancing a little. Tori had been totally right-there were a bunch of people from Westridge High, and many of the boys were damn fine. I tried not to let my eyes linger, especially because I couldn't be sure exactly how obvious I was about my sexuality. I'd only come out about a year before, and only to my really close friends and family, so this was all very new still.
Tori wasn't one for beer. She had someone pour her a couple of shots of tequila, and she was gone. She literally went from zero to wasted in about thirty seconds, which was typical of her, and which I was fine with. I stuck to beer.
We started dancing together, Tori laughing like a maniac and saying hi to every familiar face that passed, and several non-familiar ones. It felt like we couldn't really feel the passage of time, as if every minute lasted an hour, but every hour was gone in a minute. I don't know how long we talked and danced and laughed.
"Hey Kyle! What's goin' on, man?" David greeted me, nodding his head back and holding out his fist. I met it with my own, smiling. He was drunk.
"Great party!" I said-or shouted-to him. He had a do-rag over his short-cropped hair, and his gold necklace sparkled in the dim light.
"Yeah, my cousin Tyrell hooked it up! A friend of his got a bunch of booze for us and everything," he slurred a bit, grinning. I had to admit, he was really cute, especially with that silly smirk on his face. "That's Tyrell right there," he said with a nod, and I looked to see a cheetah of a stockier build, but definitely with a family resemblance, chatting with a curvaceous antelope girl.
"Alright, alright," I said, acknowledging and smiling.
Suddenly, somebody slammed into David from behind, and he accidentally sloshed his beer all over me.
"Aw fuck!" I shouted instinctively, freezing up.
"What the fuck?" David yelled over his shoulder, but the person was gone. It had just been an accident. "I'm really sorry man," he apologized, patting my back.
"It's cool, no worries. I'm just going to go out and get some air," I said, which I really needed anyway. With that many people, even February felt like July in that house.
"I'm sorry," he said again, slurring once more, but I just reassured him again and made my way toward the kitchen again, heading for the back door into the yard.
Just as I opened the door, I heard a female voice shout, "I said NO, Day!" I looked to my right to see Tanya and the zebra boy from earlier looking like they were rounding third base in the shadows, and I froze. They hadn't noticed me.
"C'mon, baby, I'll make you feel good," he said in her ear, his hand moving up her thigh to reach under her skirt.
"No, stop it!" she yelled, pushing his chest. The boy was built, and it hardly budged him. In fact, he pushed closer, harder, crowding her against the house. She looked panicked, scared.
"Bitch, just shut up and fucking enjoy the ride," he commanded, his hand dangerously close to an area she did not seem to want it in.
"Hey," I called feebly, stuttering. "H-hey, I think the lady said no." I had taken a couple steps toward them, and they both looked at me, Tanya with gratitude written all over her face, Day looking furious.
"S'cuse me? What'd you say to me, faggot?" Day asked, pulling away from Tanya to face me. He was looking at me with his head tilted slightly, as if staring at me more so with one eye than the other. It was menacing, and I was frightened and hurt, to say the least. I had never been confrontational, ever.
I tried to stand my tallest and strongest, puffed my chest out a bit, and said, "I said, I think she said 'no.' Where I come from, that means stop."
"Oh, where you come from?" Day said mockingly, looking like he was getting angrier every second, continuing to advance toward me. I started moving back. "What, 'cause I'm from the hood, I don't know? Just a stupid Khazie, huh, motherfucker?" He pushed me, and I stumbled, losing my footing. 'Khazie' was a slur against Khans, one that I would never use in my life.
"No, that's not what I meant..." I tried to backpedal, my heart racing. I could sense my muscles tensing, fight or flight. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to fly.
"That's not what you meant?" He pushed me again, and I almost fell. "What you mean then, huh faggot?" Subconsciously, I could hear people shouting, "FIGHT!" in the house, I could sense them coming out the door and looking out the window at us on the back porch, me cowering, Day advancing on me.
"I'm sorry, I was just-" I tried, my voice catching in my throat.
"You was just what, huh? Bitch, I will fuckin' stomp your little rich boy ass," he threatened, looming. Finally, I stumbled over my own feet, falling down on my ass, the zebra looking even more frightening from the floor. I could feel myself beginning to panic, my breath catching in my throat, quick and painful with anticipation of a fight I would not win.
I didn't say anything. I wouldn't beg him to stop. I wouldn't humiliate myself further. I'd just take whatever he had, and hope that he wouldn't kill me.
"Stop it, Day, he was just looking out for me!" I heard Tanya yell from behind him, but he didn't even turn around.
"Shut up, bitch. Apparently, this motherfucker hasn't heard that don't nobody fuck with me and my business," he mumbled. It was as if his brain were switching from speech mode to fight mode, the way his voice got progressively quieter. "Now he gonna pay."
I watched him recoil his fist, ready to crouch and beat me. I closed my eyes, hoping he'd be quick. But the strike never came.
"Damien Briggs, I don't know who let your ghetto ass up in this bitch, but motherfucker if you don't learn yourself some proper respect, I'm gonna have to teach your ass," said a deep voice.
I opened my eyes to see a huge black panther standing behind Day, holding his arm back. With what looked to be zero effort, this newcomer pushed Day back by the arm, the zebra showing mixed anger and fear on his face. Clearly, he wasn't used to being challenged, but he definitely knew this panther, and as much as he seemed to hate it, he knew he'd lose in a fight with him, just as I'd known I'd lose.
"Whatever man, this party's fuckin' wack anyway," Day said nonchalantly, brushing himself off like he'd walked out of a dusty room.
He made his way for the door, and the panther said to him, "Yeah, you tell yourself that, motherfucker. Get up out of here." It was subtle, but there was something to this panther's voice that had authority in it. It was a voice that commanded respect, and was used to being obeyed.
Once the zebra was out of sight, the panther turned back to me, which kind of scared me more in some ways. He had protected me, but he was also twice the size of my former opponent.
Almost as if he'd sensed my trepidation, he crouched down, offering a huge paw to help me up, and as we looked into each other's eyes, we both gasped softly. His eyes were the most stunning shade of gold, set into one of the most handsome faces I'd ever seen. Chiseled jaw, full lips, heavy brows, and perfectly defined cheekbones. But it was the eyes that made me gasp in surprise, only more shocked to hear the same reaction from him. I wondered why he'd done that, and I wished I could hear his thoughts.
I realized just then that we'd been sitting there, me on the floor on my butt, him crouched in front of me, his arm extended, for what felt longer than it normally would have taken. And onlookers were staring.
"Sorry about that guy," the panther said to me after another minute, his eyes not leaving mine. "That bitch knows he ain't invited anywhere I'm at."
"Um, thanks," I responded softly, placing my much smaller paw in his. I felt a little spark of electricity, a shock of warmth and softness jump through my fingers, up my arm, and straight to my heart as we touched, but I controlled my reaction. Low profile, I reminded myself.
He pulled me up as if I were a bag of feathers, barely exerting an ounce of strength, which made me feel many things. Weak was one of them. Excited was another.
Once I was on my feet, the general consensus from the partygoers was to move on. Fight's over, let's drink and dance some more.
"Thanks, Kyle," Tanya said from behind the hulking panther, and he turned to allow me to see her better. He looked sexy in profile. "He seemed really nice, but he ended up being a dick."
"It's cool, Tanya," I said, smiling a little. "Don't worry about it."
She smiled back at me, apologetic and thankful, and let herself back into the house, shivering.
"That was really decent. I respect what you did for her," the panther told me. I realized we were standing a little closer than I normally would to a stranger, but with him, for some reason, it felt comfortable.
"Thanks. Stupid, but noble, right?" I joked, chuckling a little uneasily.
"You don't look like you could take Day in a fight, but you got more balls than that motherfucker's ever gonna," he said with a smile-an amazing, dazzlingly white smile.
"Thanks," I replied, accepting the compliment. I hadn't really met anyone with that kind of honesty before. "I'm Kyle," I introduced myself, offering my paw to him, secretly just wanting to be touched by him again.
"Jerome," he responded, gripping my paw in his warmly. "But you can call me JB."
Our paws stayed interlocked for a minute or two. I was testing the water, not sure when to pull away, because from the second I looked into JB's eyes, I knew I wanted to know more about him. He seemed to feel the same about me, the way he didn't let go of my paw or my gaze.
"Oh my God, what happened Kyle?" Tori exclaimed, stumbling out of the back door and making her clumsy, drunken way toward JB and me. A guy she had been dancing with earlier popped his head around the doorjamb, as if checking to make sure she wasn't going to fall over.
"Don't worry, Tori, nothing happened. Some guy named Day was getting a little...rough...with Tanya, so I told him to stop. He was getting all up in my face, but JB here stopped him." I smiled in JB's direction, who puffed his chest out just a little with pride.
"Oh!" she gasped. She had a flair for the dramatic when she was drunk. "Oh Kyle, don't leave me like that!" Yep, dramatic. "I was so scared and lost!" She stumbled into my arms, looking like she'd pass out any moment.
"Is she your lady?" JB asked me. It sounded like he was trying to play it off, like he wasn't interested, but there was an undertone of something else there.
"No, no, she's just my friend. And..." I looked down at Tori's face, and she was drooling, her eyes rolling a little. I knew that look. Her bottom jaw was trembling. "She's going to puke, so I'd back up."
JB took two large steps back with a scrunched nose, an expression that only made his handsome face look boyish and cuter. I eased Tori down on all fours, pointing her head off the side of the porch into the flowerbed, and in a matter of seconds, she was hurling all her alcohol back up.
"Boy, you called that one," JB said, his lip curling a little.
"I know her really well, we've been best friends forever. After a couple of minutes, she'll be begging me for water, and then she'll want to go home and sleep it off," I said with a shrug, as if this were typical, which it absolutely was. However, this was the first time that I actually wanted to stay longer, that I was hoping she wouldn't ask to leave quite so soon.
"A'i'igt, that's cool. But uh..." the panther mumbled, looking a little confused. It was as though he were fighting with what to say, not sure what words to use. At that moment, as I examined him closely, I could see the moon reflecting off his white wife beater shirt, his boxers sticking a few inches out of his baggy jeans. His arms were massive, his body extremely cut under that thin stretch of cotton. Even his tail was overly thick and long. The whole picture kind of made the air leave my lungs in one slow gust.
I perked my ears, but otherwise remained quiet, waiting for him to continue.
"So uh, me and the fellas were gonna chill at the park and shit tomorrow afternoon. You should come," he said with a nod, again trying for nonchalance and not quite achieving it.
"Oh yeah?" I asked. "What is it you guys are doing? And which park?"
"Oh ya know, play a little b-ball, shoot the shit, whatever. Over at Azalea Street Park, just a few blocks over." He was smiling, which made my heart race.
"Okay. What time?" I was completely going against my better judgment. I barely knew this guy, hanging out in a shady neighborhood with people I didn't know, possibly playing sports (which I wasn't exactly talented at). But something kept driving me to say yes, something kept pushing me to be with him, to know him.
"Like twelve is cool," JB replied, his grin widening. Damn what that boy could do with just a smile.
"I'll be there," I said.
"Cool, cool," he responded.
It felt like one of those moments where if he were anyone else, he'd be like, 'Okay, well I'm going to go enjoy the rest of the party, see you tomorrow.' But he didn't. He just kept standing there, smiling at me.
"Kyle...." Tori moaned. "I need some water..." Right on cue.
"I'll get it for her," JB offered, rushing into the house with a grace that didn't match his size. I could imagine he'd be tough on the basketball court if he could move that stealthily and be that buff.
He was back in what seemed like an instant with a cup of water. Tori had sat upright, and she thanked him feebly, accepting the cup and sipping at it.
"So, you play any ball?" JB asked me casually. He was trying to keep up the conversation with me. For some reason, I clutched at the very slim hope that he held the kind of interest I did.
"Not really," I admitted. "You're gonna laugh, but...actually, I dance. I'm a dancer." I had been doing competitive dance for a few years, and I was part of our school's dance team. I think that sort of encouraged the gay slurs I sometimes got flung at me, but mostly, people didn't really care. I was kind of a speck on the proverbial radar.
"Naw, dancin' is cool! I'd like to see ya moves sometime," he said genuinely, with another breathtaking grin. "Bet I could school you a bit," he added, doing a sly little spin.
"Oh, is that right?" I laughed. Talking with him was as effortless and surreal as dreaming.
"Kyle?" Tori pleaded raspily. "Can we go home? I'm tired..."
"Like I said," I commented with a significant look at JB, who chuckled a little. "C'mon honey, let's get you home."
I was just slipping my arm behind Tori, about to guide her up, but JB swooped down and lifted her before I had the chance. "I got her," he said simply. Those damn eyes were pulling me in, sinking their claws into me and not letting go. "Let's go around the side, easier than trying to get through that mess." Cute and practical-gotta love that!
We walked around the side of the house, chatting a little more, small talk mostly, though each word had the weight of significance. I didn't care if he was speaking Portuguese, it would have meant something to me.
"A'ight, there you go," he said as he lowered Tori into the passenger seat of my car. I couldn't help myself, I had to look, just to see if it was as perfect as everything else. Right as he bent over, I checked his ass out, and of course, it was glorious. I was just in the middle of thinking to myself that there were probably hymns written for this ass when he turned to me.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, JB," I said, sad to be leaving already. "It was really nice to meet you," I added, which felt like gushing, but I didn't care.
"Nice making your acquaintance, Ky," he replied, holding his fist out and smiling. I loved how he nicknamed me without a second thought, without asking or planning or anything. It was just natural, just his name for me.
I met his fist with my own, and I felt myself getting lost in his gaze again, my focus ebbing. The phrase "love at first sight" came to mind, and I bristled a little at the cliché. I didn't really believe in that kind of thing. This was just attraction, right?
"See ya," I said after a minute, with a couple of quick blinks to clear my head.
"Later," said the panther. He continued to watch me as I rounded my car and got in, and he waited in that same spot as I drove away, giving me a little wave as I rounded the corner.
When he was out of sight and Tori was passed out, I felt myself exhale with a lot of force, like I'd been holding my breath for days.
I'd never slept so fitfully, nor woken so nervous. I brushed my teeth, showered, the usual things. Clean change of clothes from my backpack, and I was ready to go. Tori-who had been peacefully blacked out when I entered the bathroom-was sitting up when I came out of it.
"Urgh," she moaned. She was exaggerating; the only hangovers she'd gotten was when she'd gotten plastered and not thrown up.
"Wakey wakey!" I chirped overly gleefully, attempting to grate on her nerves as much as possible.
"Yeah, so um...what the fuck happened to me last night? Seriously, I got drunk so fast I don't even remember drinking." She scratched her head and slowly eased out of bed, standing up.
"You downed shots of tequila like they were Tic-Tacs, remember?" I laughed, finding it a little silly that she didn't find this routine familiar.
"Oh yeah...well, I do remember most things, and I remember a certain black panther carrying me around..." she trailed off dreamily, eyeing me significantly. "I remember him talking to you, laughing with you, staring at you..."
"Oh please, you're reading way too much into it," I countered, already having prepared for her assumptions. I already was reading too much into the previous night as it was, I didn't need help from her.
"Is it me, or did he invite you on a date today?" she asked faux-thoughtfully, wandering to the bathroom and shutting the door.
"He invited me to meet up with his friends! NOT a date!" I argued. Again, being as honest as possible was keeping me from getting my hopes up, thinking he was more into me than just as a buddy. In fact, the longer we were apart, the more the magic seemed to fade, the more last night began to seem like an ordinary exchange between guys who wanted to be more friendly. Just hang out.
"Well, he certainly knows his way around a gym. That boy is stacked! Did you see the muscles?" she commented as she exited the bathroom. She mumbled something about not feeling like showering as she looked around her messy room for something to wear.
"Yes, I saw," I admitted, "and the handsome face, and the eyes. But, when I go to Azalea Street Park today, it'll be just as friends. Besides, do you really think we'd have a lot in common?"
"You never know!" she replied. "Don't get all caught up in appearances."
"Okay, so new topic!" I said with finality, moving the discussion in other directions. It was already about eleven.
After random talks of this and that with Tori, I packed up my stuff and drove it over to my house, just dropping things off. Then, I headed back into Westridge.
The shabbiness of the buildings and the status of the neighborhood as distinctly low-income was all the more apparent when exposed to the light of the sun. It made me discouraged and uncomfortable, out of my element and unsure of my footing in this new world so close to my own.
The park was an easy landmark, but as I parked my car, I noticed it was the newest in the lineup, and probably the most expensive. I felt a little leery, but decided to lock up and wait for JB at one of the park benches.
Azalea Street Park, for being located in one of the more undesirable neighborhoods of the city, was beautiful. It was mainly just a large grassy area, a few trees here, some picnic tables there, with a playground and a couple basketball courts. But something about the smells, the sounds, the colors-everything blended together in harmony to create something peaceful and lasting.
As I approached the bench, however, I looked slightly to the left, and I saw JB. He was playing basketball on one of the courts with three other guys: two hyenas, who looked like they could be brothers, and a lion. I started to walk over, but they didn't really notice me. The guys JB was playing with were nearly as athletic as he was, and the game looked pretty intense for a friendly two-on-two.
Eventually, I made my way to a small bench where they had a couple of water bottles and shirts sitting, and sat down. As I took in the scene before me, I felt like it was in slow motion: JB had the ball. What he didn't have was his shirt.
He dribbled, his perfect pectorals flexing and shaking with each movement of his strong arms. His six-pack flexed in exertion as he ducked and dodged, winding his way down the court. He passed to one of the hyenas, his teammate, who took the ball a bit further, then passed it back to JB for the shot. Each little muscle in JB's legs gleamed with a light sheen of sweat, his damp fur only accentuating his shape, as he crouched and shot a two-pointer with ease. Swish.
With a grin in place, he turned to high-five his teammate, the other two leering in a friendly way, when he spotted me sitting.
His eyes, yellowish-brownish for everyone else, illuminated into the fiercely intense gold that pulled me like a magnet. His grin, which was shining and bright already, pulled tighter at his cheeks, and his lovely dark ears perked, his nose pad wiggling, as if he were smelling for me. It was like his whole body lit up; even his posture went taller, his shoulders back, his legs straighter. I'd never seen anything quite like it, and I instantly knew that the magic I thought had been fading was back with a vengeance, gripping my gut and spinning my head around. I felt hot, like I'd start sweating any minute, too, and my pulse quickened. I wanted him more than I'd wanted anything, and I cursed my hormones.
"Hey Ky," he said casually, with a hint of sex. "You wanna play?" He was standing right in front of me; I'd been so mesmerized that I didn't even notice him walk toward me. His body was even more perfect up close.
"Hey JB," I greeted back, and our fists met again. "Nah, I'm cool sitting out. I may be able to move my feet, but the whole hand-eye coordination thing? Yeah, not really for me." I smiled at him, and he laughed genuinely, a warm expression on his defined features.
"You must be Kyle," said a raspy voice. The lion I'd seen earlier had approached, and he was smiling, holding out his fist. "I'm Chris." Chris's brown eyes were chocolate-colored, and he looked just as sweet.
"Hey Chris," I greeted back, giving his fist a bump.
"'Sup Kyle, JB told us about you. I'm Little Ray, and this here's my brother Charlie," the larger of the two hyenas introduced. He was bigger, but clearly younger, and damn if I'd ever seen two cuter brothers. It was like they'd both won the genetic jackpot in their own way, and it kind of made me feel plain. Were ALL the guys in this neighborhood so fiercely good looking, not to mention athletic, coordinated, and with tons of sex appeal?
"Hey," I said simply.
"These here are my boys!" JB said, slapping Chris on the back.
"Holla," Charlie said with a little laugh. "Speakin' of which, your boys gotta bounce, yo. It's already twelve-fifteen, and you know momma's got us helpin' her fix up the house today."
"Yeah, I better go too, I promised I'd chill with my girl this afternoon," Chris said, and there was something when he looked at me that made me feel odd. Like he was keeping something, like he knew something I didn't.
"A'ight fellas, peace," JB said, "Good game, y'all." And he gave me a look, too, as if he had something up his sleeve.
Suddenly Tori's words came flying back into my brain: Is it me, or did he invite you on a date today?
I quickly said goodbye to the people I'd just met, all the while glancing at JB, who was wiping himself down with a towel, smiling.
"Let's go back to my place, Ky," he said seductively, his eyes boring into me, penetrating me.
"Okay," I said simply, completely his.
He gathered his things, staying shirtless. Watching him play had been hypnotizing, but having him here walking next to me half-naked was torture. My cock, which I'd kept in check since first meeting him, fell out of my control, beginning to harden just from looking at him, throbbing when he said my name. His name for me.
I wasn't surprised that JB lived a block away from the park, so we were able to walk. His small apartment, which he shared with his dad, was unusually clean, especially considering two men lived in it.
"My crib," he said with a gesture, waving around.
"Nice," I replied, which it was.
"Dad works late on Saturdays. Let's go chill in my room," he suggested-or rather, commanded-nodding to the hall on the left. The first door on the left was JB's, and he shut it quietly behind us. His room was covered in posters, none of which I paid much attention to. His bed was large and covered in a black, jersey knit comforter that looked extra soft.
I turned to look at JB, and he was right in front of me, looming and intense, his lids lowered, eyebrows puckered a little. His python-like arms were tense, and I waited.
"Ky," he said, licking his lips lightly, the pink of his tongue making my breathing quicken. He reached toward me and rubbed my arms with his paws, staring into my eyes, a warmth and fire in them that I was positive no one else saw. "You are so fucking God-damn beautiful," he nearly whispered, holding me tight in his paws.
I'd never been called beautiful before. It took me by complete surprise, and I didn't know what to say. I didn't have much time to process, however.
JB bent and pushed his mouth against mine, part roughly, part sweetly, and I received him gratefully, like he was my first breath after having nearly drowned. His massive, dexterous, beautiful paws wrapped around me and pulled me against him, his sculpted muscles melding with my lean, lithe body. The panther's eager mouth eased mine open, his broad tongue entwining with my own in a way that made my entire body turn to jelly, save for my arms, which threw themselves around his neck, as if to save me from sinking through the floor. This was my first kiss, and it was rocking me, my heart pounding out of my chest, my dick at full attention, aching to be let out of my pants.
Part of me was in complete disbelief as JB's thick paws ran up and down my back, clutching me to him so tightly, yet I still couldn't get close enough. His scent was all around me, musky, woodsy, rich and enveloping. His abs contracted, and I could feel him pushing his crotch against me, rubbing my belly with the hard shaft in his shorts, like he was prodding me to touch it, nearly begging with his body.
I started running my paws down over his broad shoulders, his impeccable pecs, his delicious abdominals, each ripple of muscle sending shivers down my spine, each curve and dip making my cock throb deliciously. Just as I latched my fingers into his waistband and began to pull down, his paws reached into my pants and wrapped around the cheeks of my ass, gripping them tightly, his claws pricking them a bit, which only made me moan. I felt his dick spring out as I pulled, and without breaking our kiss, I wrapped both paws around it and began to stroke it, the soft skin blazing hot to the touch, the girth of it beyond impressive, the shape incredible. He groaned into me and lifted me right off my feet, turning and shoving me against a wall. I gasped, breaking our kiss, and looked down at what I was holding, in awe at what I saw. His cock was probably around nine inches long, extremely thick, with the slightest of curves upward, the pinkish skin seeming delicate compared to how hard the thing was beneath it. It made my mouth water. I wanted to feel this thing inside me so badly it was beyond hunger. It was starvation.
He hadn't missed a beat when I'd withdrawn from our kiss; he'd simply moved his anxious mouth to my neck, sucking and biting, kissing and licking, each twinge of pain an even more intense pleasure than I could hope for. One of his paws remained firm on my ass, while the other explored, his finger drawing down the crack and over my hole, rubbing at it with wanton fervor. I made noises I didn't know I was capable of in response, which only encouraged him. He pulled his right paw from my ass cheek and hooked it into my fly, flicking the button open and unzipping my jeans. He forced my underwear and jeans down my body, and took my cock in his paw, stroking earnestly, bucking his hips to thrust his own shaft in and out of my paws. He bit me, and I nearly screamed in pleasure. I didn't care if he'd drawn blood or not; this was ecstasy unlike any other.
In an instant he'd drawn my mouth to his again, and a second time I felt a breath of fresh air fill my lungs as his tongue filled my muzzle, my seven-and-a-half inch shaft pulsing in his big paw, literally every part of me tingling and burning for him. I had never felt such desire and longing, such thirst and hunger. It was devastatingly amazing.
JB wrapped his paws around my wrists gently, encouraging me to release his cock, which I reluctantly did. I felt like if I let it go, it might vanish, along with the rest of him. He had a plan to make me feel even better, by shoving himself against me with an indescribable force, his cock and mine rubbing and dueling between us, his heavy balls bumping mine intermittently.
His arm reached out and away from me toward a desk I'd barely noticed next to us, opening the top drawer and pulling something out. I heard a light click, then parted my mouth from his to see what his paws were doing. He had a small bottle of lube, obviously prepared for this situation, and was pouring some into his right paw with his left. I was panting and nearly out of breath, but I attributed that to my mouth being away from his, and groaned audibly as he coated my cock in slick, clear wetness, stroking it a few times before lubricating his own. He set the bottle down on his desk, and in one graceful, fluid motion, he had my legs draped over his arms, and I was lifted up against the wall, a great, gorgeous, incredible black panther wedged between my invitingly open thighs.
With a motion I didn't comprehend, his paw was at my hole again, though he still held me up. He was rubbing lube all over my tight butthole, and I felt like crying. The pleasure felt torturous, like giving a withdrawing addict the smallest, tiniest of hits. I craved it, I wanted him inside me so much it hurt. His finger began to put pressure against my soft pucker, and I found it relaxed for him without any effort on my part, allowing his thick digit to push inside me slowly, touching parts of me no one ever had. As I moaned and gasped, reveling in every moment, he whimpered lightly, clearly in as much pain as I was at the restraint he was showing, at the way he didn't simply shove all nine inches in me immediately.
He hadn't taken his eyes away from mine since our lips had parted, and as I stared into his golden orbs, lost in their depths, I said, "I want you inside me so fucking bad, JB, please, please fuck me." I didn't even think I was capable of saying something like that, but it was out of my mouth before I even knew what was happening.
JB growled and kissed me again, removing his finger from my hole and gripping my legs tightly, pushing me into place. I felt his hips move forward between my toned legs, and finally, finally, after the gentle way he'd relaxed and loosened me, I was getting what I wanted. Finally, the head of his cock was rubbing against my butthole anxiously, without his paw to guide it. It was as if it were built to find me, to seek me out and enter me.
Slowly, very slowly, JB pushed up against me, and slowly, very slowly, he began to penetrate me. First I felt the thick, hot pressure of the head prying my tight entrance open, then I let out a muffled yelp of pain into his mouth as the full head pushed inside me, stretching me to my limit already.
He pulled his mouth from mine, though not out of concern for my pain. We'd both known that would be part of it. He looked at me and said, "Stroke that dick for me, baby, I want to see you touch yourself."
Again, I was surprised that he and I would even talk to each other like this, it sounded so wrong. But God did it feel fucking right!
I looked down at myself, and with my right paw I reached into my lap and gripped my hard cock, giving it a few long strokes. Instantly my butthole tightened around the head of his cock, and I felt the pain ease a little, giving way for a small fit of pleasure.
"Mmm...yeah, fucking pull on that meat, baby," he crooned in my ear, licking inside it, his tongue and his words making me about lose my mind with the ecstacy. "Now, stop for a second," he whispered, which I did. As I stopped pleasuring myself, my hole began to loosen gently, and he began to enter me again, taking his time with me. As his member filled me inch by inch, the pain became a dull throb compared to the sickeningly sweet pleasure, the knowledge that this god of a man was pushing his way deep within me driving me insane with disbelief and enjoyment. He wasn't forcing his cock forward like I expected, however. He'd push an inch in, then thrust in and out of me with that length a few times, sort of fucking his way into me. I'd never felt anything so incredible, and it took all my strength not to touch myself again while he was working into me.
Finally, after what felt like hours, I felt the soft, slightly wiry fur of his crotch hit my delicate hole, and I knew he was in to the hilt. He held there for a moment, kissing me more gently than he had before. He was communicating with me with this kiss, telling me he wanted to enjoy me, and for me to enjoy him, as long as possible.
I placed my paw on my cock again just as he started drawing out of me, nearly his entire length outside of me, the head of his dick barely held inside. I stroked myself as he pushed back in me, thrusting inside me long and deep, grumbling and groaning into my mouth, then parting lips with me to stare down at what we were doing together.
"God you're so fuckin' tight, you feel so good, baby," he said to me. The way he was calling me 'baby' was driving me wild, making me lose control of everything, not that I hadn't already. "Go on and stroke that, yeah...mmm I love watching you touch yourself while I fuck you..."
All of this dirty talk didn't feel dirty in this moment, it felt so right. It felt intimate, like how lovers might whisper to each other in the dark, how Romeo and Juliet might have poetically serenaded one another. I replied back to him, "God, your fucking cock is so thick, I love how you stretch me...Yeah, put that dick in me, baby, fuck me..."
His pace increased with my words, his mouth on mine again. His dick was prodding a spot inside me that I hadn't known I had, a tender place that made me ache and moan with incredible, delicious lust and ecstasy. He kept pushing harder and faster, penetrating my once innocent hole recklessly now, all caution lost. He wasn't making love to me, he was fucking me with an intensity that I could have only hoped for, but that didn't surprise me. I'd known when I first saw him that this is what I wanted, this is what he was capable of doing to me. His cock pounded and throbbed; I could feel every pulsation as it inched closer and closer to climax, his kisses even more insistent, his claws digging into my skin.
When the pace became frenetic, I yanked my muzzle from his and cried out, "God, Jerome, YES! Fuck me baby, fuck me!" I was dangerously close, pulling my dick so fast and hard I thought I might break it, and I could feel him on the edge of that cliff with me. I hoped we'd jump together.
My words had incensed him like I hadn't known they could. "Yeah, baby, say my name again, tell me how much you want my cock!" he commanded, continuing to pound into me. He was licking and biting my neck again, encouraging me to do exactly as he said.
"I want your cock so bad, fuck me Jerome, cum in me Jerome, I want your cum inside me!" I nearly screamed out.
That was all it took. With a few more heaving thrusts, he opened his mouth wide, clamped his teeth down on my raw neck, and bit me hard, screaming with pleasure into my fur, his huge dick shooting its thick, ropey load deep within me, coating my insides with his cum, just like I asked.
That bite did it for me. The pain added to the pleasure in such an intense way that my cock lept in my paw, spraying my cum all over my chest and belly, his amazing shaft prodding that spot inside me, pumping more and more cum out of me and into me.
We leaned against that wall for a while, panting, kissing, moaning, trying to recover. I could imagine his arms were sore from holding me up so long, but he didn't let me go. He said my name, "Kyle...Kyle...Kyle...." in my ear, licking at me, letting his huge dick soften very slowly inside of me. I whispered "Jerome" at him, and he kissed me again.
You know, sometimes life can be so...unexpected.