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#140 of Backlog

Originally posted on Jul 27th, 2018 07:40 PM

A commission story for fattyatomicmutant of Tumblr, that honestly took me way, way too long to finish.

This story features Lindsay and Kurt, and some of the travails of their relationship. This is not necessarily taking place chronologically in line with other stories I've written, and actually probably takes place before most of them, just after the events of the original novella.

Kurt leaned back against the soft, slightly bouncy back of the booth seat. "Are you sure about this?"

Lindsay looked around the small coffee shop. It was fairly busy, with almost every seat filled with various animals sipping their drinks. The sounds of clinking dishes and polite conversations became a smooth, constant noise that hovered in the background.

"It's a public place," Lindsay said. "Lots of other people around, mostly prey, even a few preds. She won't try anything untoward here."

Kurt smiled. That was his Lindsay, ever the strategist. "That's not what I meant," he said. "I mean, are you sure you're ready to do this? It hasn't been that long since... everything happened."

Lindsay stared down at the table for several seconds, probably replaying the events in her head. Even if it hadn't been longer than a few minutes, Lindsay had paid a visit to her "friend's" stomach, and Kurt couldn't imagine that would be easy to just forget about.

Of course, she had paid for it with a much, much longer visit to a stomach herself.

"Yes," Lindsay finally said. "I do. I don't want to cut her out of my life forever, which means we're going to have to do this eventually. She... she really has been a good friend to me, even if she is a little overprotective. I want you to meet "that" Rox."

Kurt nodded, putting a hand on Lindsay's shoulder and giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm looking forward to meeting her, too."

Lindsay returned his smile. Then her ear twitched as a small bell indicated that someone new had entered the coffee shop.

"There she is," Lindsay said. She raised her voice and waved. "Rox! We're over here!"

Rox turned to look at Lindsay, smiled, and approached the table. "Lindsay! Good to see you." She was trying, but her smile looked just a tiny bit forced.

Rox had dressed casually, or at least casually for her, given what Lindsay had told Kurt. She was wearing a pair of form-fitting jeans that hugged the curves of her hips, and her tank top showed off quite a bit of her frankly rather impressive bust. Though, given the recent heat wave, Kurt couldn't exactly fault her wearing something that could give her a little extra air flow.

Rox slid into the booth across from Lindsay and Kurt. A waitress came to the table and took their orders. Once those pleasantries had been done, Rox turned back to face Lindsay.

"So," Rox said. "You wanted me to come... meet your "boyfriend"."

"Y-yeah," Lindsay said. "I know that you, um, met him before, but the circumstances were a bit... extenuating. So I thought you two should meet 'officially.' So, Rox, this is my boyfriend, Kurt. Kurt, this is Rox. She's been my friend for years."

Rox reached her right hand across the table, and Kurt extended his own, taking hers and giving it a shake. The wolf's large hand dwarfed his, and her handshake was firm. "Nice to meet you," she said.

"Same."

The tension in the air was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Lindsay coughed; Kurt rubbed the back of his head. Rox seemed to be trying to decide if she should maintain eye contact with either of them.

Thankfully, the moment was defused somewhat when the waitress returned a tray full of steaming mugs. The trio exchanged the expected thank yous and took their drinks.

"Okay." Rox took a sip of her coffee -- which must have been scalding hot -- and then set it on the table in front of her. "Enough. Obviously, small talk isn't going to happen, so I'm going to settle for straight talk." Rox looked Kurt in the eyes. "Kurt, I don't like you."

"Rox", Lindsay hissed.

But Kurt found himself smiling. He held up a hand towards Lindsay. "Lindsay, wait. I want to hear her out. Rox, did you have anything more to say?"

Rox nodded. "Kurt, I don't think we'll ever be friends; we don't have anything in common. And I think you're bad for Lindsay. I think you should be her dinner, not her boyfriend. I think you dating her is going to cause nothing but problems." She paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. "But the thing is, every sentence I just said started with '"I think."' And you know what I've realized? What I think doesn't matter. I got so caught up in what "I" think that I almost lost my best friend." She gave Lindsay a meaningful look before turning her gaze back to Kurt. "I'm not the one dating you. It's what "Lindsay" thinks that's important." She leaned forward, resting one arm on the table, nudging her coffee mug slightly. "If Lindsay says you're good enough for her, then damn it, that should be enough for me."

Kurt glanced to his left. Lindsay's eyes were as wide as saucers, but she didn't say anything.

"Alright," Kurt said, his voice steady. "If you're finished, mind if I tell you what I think about you?"

"Please do," Rox said, with a cordiality that was as sharp as the blade of a knife.

"I don't like you either, Rox. I think you're dangerous and sadistic. You're controlling and prone to acting without thinking things through." His tone softened a bit. "But, you also seem to be trying to improve yourself. And from what I understand, you've saved Lindsay's life on at least one occasion, so I've got you to thank for that. Yes, you did try to eat her, but everything I've seen from you says that you regret it. If she can forgive you for it, then so can I." He narrowed his eyes. "But if you ever do anything to hurt Lindsay again, I "will" pay you back in kind. I know I'm smaller than you: I'll find a way."

Rox grinned. "Agreed. And I promise, I'll never do anything to interfere with the relationship you two have. But if you ever do anything to hurt her, you'll be taking a one-way trip down my throat."

Kurt returned her grin. "Deal."

Lindsay looked back and forth between the two of them. "What just happened?"

Kurt smiled at Lindsay. He felt as though a weight had been lifted from his chest. "We just came to an understanding. I think we may have more in common than we thought."

"Yeah. Maybe we can get along, after all," Rox added.

Lindsay's eyes darted back and forth between them again, then she gave up, sinking back into the seat and picking up her coffee. "Alright, fine. I don't understand, but if you two are happy, then I'm happy."

Rox nodded and took another sip from her coffee. "Okay, so now that that's taken care of, I have something I want to say. Are you two really sure about this? I'm not trying to interfere, but have you thought about what people are going to think of the two of you being together?"

Lindsay raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, look, my own personal issues aside, I don't care that you're dating a prey. I think it's kind of weird, but I don't care, and I imagine most preds are going to feel the same." Rox turned to look at Kurt. "But what about you? What do your friends think? Have you even told anyone yet that you're dating a cat?"

Kurt felt his face flush. "N-no, I haven't," he admitted.

"Well, they're going to find out eventually if the two of you plan to stay together. And I imagine that the response might not be very pleasant."

"You don't know that for sure," Kurt said.

"You're right. It's possible your family could be the open-minded type. But not everyone will be. Again, not trying to tell you what to do; I'm just saying that it's something to think about. The majority of the population is prey, and most prey are not very fond of preds."

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Lindsay said.

"I'm sure you will," Rox responded. "It's your boyfriend I'm worried about."

Kurt and Lindsay said their farewells to Rox outside the coffee shop before turning and heading down the sidewalk, walking side-by-side. The rest of the morning had gone fine; even if they never became friends, Kurt felt like he could at least be cordial to Rox in the future.

However, he couldn't stop thinking about his parents. It had been a while since he had seen them, but still, he couldn't even imagine what would happen if they found out he was dating a cat.

"What's up?" Lindsay said.

"Nothing."

"You're thinking about what Rox said, aren't you?"

Kurt sighed. Lindsay was too perceptive. "Yeah. I can't help it. I mean... what do you think your family would think of us dating?"

Lindsay looked away, embarrassed, a response which surprised Kurt. "I... um... I already told them about you," Lindsay said.

Kurt's eyes went wide. "You did!?"

"Yeah. I was already pretty sure that they were going to be okay with it. They were kind of expecting something like this."

"They... they were?"

"Yeah. Long story; I'll tell you later. My sisters want to meet you, by the way."

"O-oh."

They walked in silence for a few seconds before Lindsay said, "I'm sorry. Should I have not said anything?"

Kurt shook his head. "No. I'm glad you did, and I'm glad they're okay with it. I think I should tell my family, too."

"Are you sure? I'm okay if you want to keep it a secret for a while longer. I don't mind."

"No, Rox was right. They're going to find out sooner or later. They should hear it from me instead of through the grapevine."

"Okay, if you're sure. Do you want me to come along?" Lindsay tilted her head to one side in that adorable way she did from time to time.

"No, I don't think that would be a good idea," Kurt said. "Let me go on my own. I'll go visit the family home this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes."

"Alright," Lindsay said. She leaned over and kissed Kurt's cheek. "I'm rooting for you."

Kurt stood outside the door to the study, his back stiff as a board. He was trying to gather up the courage to step through the door.

His parents were waiting for him inside. He had called ahead, told them that he needed to talk to them, and they had scheduled time for him.

The rest of the family home was as hectic as he remembered. There were mice "everywhere" -- his younger brothers and sisters, as well nieces and nephews. He knew very few of their names. Even now, as he stood in the hallway, a pair of children ran past, playing a game of tag, barely noticing that he was there.

He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The study was a large room, with several desks and large, comfy chairs. A large number of books lined the walls. The younger children weren't allowed in here, and right now the room was empty except for two older mice sitting at one of the desks: Kurt's parents.

His father put down the book he was reading as Kurt entered. "Ah, you finally made it, son. I was starting to worry you wouldn't show. Come in."

Kurt walked across the room and sat down at the table across from his parents. The whole thing felt very formal. "Mother, Father, it's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too, Kurt," Kurt's mother said. "I'm glad to see that you've been doing so well for yourself since you left home."

Kurt forced a smile. He knew what she meant: she was glad to see that he had returned "at all." "I know you don't have a lot of time," Kurt said, "So I'll get straight to the point. I'm here because I've been seeing someone."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Kurt's mother smiled.

"Oh. I'm sure she's nice, but that's hardly newsworthy of telling us in person," his father said. "You could have just emailed us and we'd have put it in the family newsletter."

Kurt swallowed hard. His belly felt like it had been tied in a knot. "There's a little more to it. You see, the girl I'm dating is..." He took a deep breath. "She's a cat."

An awkward silence fell upon the room. Both of Kurt's parents stared at him with wide eyes. "A... a what?" His father asked.

"A cat," Kurt repeated. "Her name is Lindsay."

"But... but..." Kurt's father seemed to be at a loss for words. "Are you "serious"!?"

"Very serious."

"But... "Why!?" Is she blackmailing you?"

"No!" Kurt gripped the armrests of his chair. "I'm with her because I want to be!"

"But... what if she's a "pred"?" His mother asked.

"Well, that's not in question."

"Why not? She could be lying to you."

Kurt steeled himself. "It's not in question because I already know that she "is" a pred."

Kurt's mother looked aghast. "But... what if she eats you!?"

"She won't. I'm sure of it."

"Still, I... I can't allow this! I forbid it!"

Kurt clenched his fingers. He hadn't exactly expected a positive reaction, but... this? "I'm not here to ask for your permission. I came here because I wanted you to know the situation."

Another few seconds of silence passed between them, silence so thick you could feel it pressing down on your shoulders.

"Very well, son," his father said. "I imagine we can't stop you. But still, have you really thought about this? I can't imagine a relationship could really last. Even if she doesn't end up getting too hungry and eating you one day, I'm willing to bet that it hasn't "really" sunk in yet what she is. She's our natural enemy, whether she wants to be or not. Sooner or later, you'll realize that you can't stay with her."

Kurt took a deep breath. Both his hands were balled into fists on the desk. "You're underestimating her. This isn't a movie; preds don't just 'lose control' and go around eating people by accident. And I know what she eats. It's as much a part of her nature as it's our nature to have big families."

"That's easy to "say". But what will happen if you actually see her eat? Will you be able to keep up the pretense, then?"

Kurt hesitated. He had already seen Lindsay eat, or at least caught the tail end of it... and it had almost ended their relationship. "I... I'll be fine," Kurt insisted.

"If you say so," his father said. "Still, I have a duty to protect my family. Kurt, for as long as you're dating this feline, you are no longer welcome to come visit this house."

Kurt furrowed his brow. He didn't actually visit the family home often, but... "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious. Even if we can trust this 'Lindsay' -- and I've no evidence we really can -- if you're cavorting around preds, one of them might follow you back here. It could be a disaster."

Kurt sat, taking it in. He was being banished. Finally, he stood up, pushing his chair back. "Fine. If that's how you want it, then fine. I've been fine on my own until now." He turned and started to walk towards the door.

"Kurt..." his mother said.

Kurt looked back at them over his shoulder. "I wasn't expecting you to welcome her with open arms. But... I thought, at least, you might want to meet her." Then he pushed the door open and walked out.

Kurt walked out into the chilly evening air. The family house -- practically a mansion -- loomed behind him.

His head was a jumble of thoughts. His father's words bounced around on the inside of his skull: "it hasn't "really" sunk in yet what she is." He was wrong, of course. He knew that Lindsay was a pred, and he was fine with it. It was part of life, part of their society. Preds had as much a right to exist as anyone else.

He felt a buzz in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He had a text message. He swiped on the phone screen to reveal a picture of Lindsay's face.

"Hi Kurt. I want to hear how it went, but let's wait until tomorrow morning. I caught dinner on the way home, will be eating at my apartment tonight. Love you."

Kurt stared at the message, and all it implied. All the doubts expressed by others -- by Rox, by his parents -- came flooding in.

And he made a decision.

Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he began walking down the sidewalk. Then he broke into a run.

Kurt walked up to the apartment door. He fished his keyring out of his pocket, took out the key that Lindsay had given him, and let himself inside, quietly closing the door behind him.

The apartment was quiet, and mostly dark. But he could hear a muffled commotion coming from the bedroom. He made his away across the living area and eased the bedroom door open.

There she was. Lindsay was on one of the two beds (the other had been empty since Rox moved out). She was on her knees, wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else above the waist. Sitting in her lap was a small, female mouse, her back pressed into Lindsay's front, Lindsay's hand clapped over her mouth. The mouse's clothes were cast about the bed and the floor, leaving her in nothing but her fur.

"Kurt!" Lindsay exclaimed as she saw him enter. "What are you doing here!? Didn't you get my text!"

"I did," Kurt said, walking into the room and shutting the door behind him. "I hurried over because of it. I wanted to get here before you started."

Lindsay's brow furrowed with confusion. "Did you... want me to stop?"

"No, no." Kurt stepped forward and sat down on the edge of the bed, though he left a decent amount of distance between himself and Lindsay. "Lindsay, everyone has been telling me that we aren't going to work out. That I'm not going to be able to handle dating a pred. And you know what? I'm sick of it. I'm sick of everyone telling me what I can and can't do. So I want to find out for myself." He turned to look at her. "I hurried over because I want to watch."

"What?" Lindsay raised and eyebrow. "Seriously?"

The mouse let out a muffled noise and struggled slightly in Lindsay's grip.

"Seriously," Kurt said.

"You don't have to do this," Lindsay said. "It's not like I'm eating prey every day, and I can always let you know ahead of time, like I did today."

Kurt shook his head. "If I can't accept this part of you, then I don't deserve you."

Lindsay thought about it for a moment. "Alright, if this is what you want. I'm gonna start, okay?"

"Go ahead."

The mouse let out another muffled cry. It didn't look like she agreed.

Lindsay ignored it. Still holding the mouse against her own body, she tilted her head down, opened her mouth wide, and started to lower it down over the mouse's head.

Kurt leaned forward. Actually watching closely like this -- not seeing it by surprise, or during a moment he thought his life was in danger -- was really quite fascinating. Lindsay's jaw gaped wider than looked possible, and the flesh and fur of her cheeks stretched easily to allowed the large meal in.

Lindsay had to release her hand from the mouse's mouth for a moment. The mouse had just enough time to get out a "Please, don't...!" before Lindsay's muzzle stretched over hers, muffling her voice again. The mouse's squirming increased, but Lindsay held her fast, using both her hands to hold the mouse's arms at her sides. Since the mouse was facing away from Lindsay, she couldn't effectively kick her.

Lindsay had the whole situation planned out. Kurt realized he shouldn't be surprised -- she had had her whole life to practice, after all.

She continued to swallow the mouse, bit by bit disappearing into her muzzle. Lindsay's throat ballooned out as she began swallowing the mouse's slender chest, and she had to change positions pulling back to let the mouse have a straight path in. With the mouse's arms now pinned by Lindsay's gullet, the feline was free to move her hands to the mouse's thighs, holding them and minimizing her kicking. Before long, she was tilted her head back, letting gravity assist as she gulped down the mouse's legs.

It gave Kurt an odd view -- he could see the clear outline of the mouse's body in Lindsay's throat, right up to where it disappeared into Lindsay's expanded ribcage. Meanwhile, the mouse's lower legs continued to kick and squirm as they hung from Lindsay's mouth.

Lindsay continued swallowing, and soon the mouse's toes were sliding between Lindsay's teeth. Lindsay's lips closed around the end of the mouse's tail, and she slurped that up like a noodle. One more swallow, and the remaining bulge slid down Lindsay's body to settle in her belly.

Lindsay let out a relieved sigh, then looked at Kurt. She was still on her knees, about an arm's length between them. "Well?" She said, almost sheepishly.

Kurt smiled. "Actually, it was kind of hot," he said.

Lindsay smiled. "Be serious."

He scooted closer to her and reached out with one hand. "May I?"

"If... if you'd like."

Kurt reached out and placed a hand on Lindsay's now-bloated stomach. He could feel the mouse still kicking and struggling inside. He thought he could make out muffled shouting.

"So?" Lindsay asked. "Are you really okay with this?"

He could still feel the squirming -- squirming being made by someone of his own species. A mouse, like him. If it had been a different pred, a different circumstance, it could be him in there.

But it wasn't a different pred. It was Lindsay.

"You know what? I am. If you hadn't eaten her, I bet someone else would have. I've lived as long as I have by being smart and careful -- and I've known a lot of prey who aren't. A good percentage of all prey eventually end up in some predator's belly; it just happened to be yours this time. All that means is that you're a good hunter."

Kurt took his eyes off Lindsay's belly and brought them to meet hers. He smiled. "And you know what? You're still beautiful, belly and all."

A blush couldn't really show through fur, but Lindsay sure tried.

Kurt pulled Lindsay close and kissed her, pressing their muzzles together. Then he scooted back, gently pulling her with him, until they could rest against the headboard with her leaning into his side.

"Just warning you," Lindsay said, "You're welcome to spend the night, but I am "way" too full to do anything 'physical.'"

"Duly noted." He could feel Lindsay's belly pressed into his side. The mouse was still squirming. "So, how long does that last?"

Lindsay thought for a moment. "It really varies a lot by the individual. Usually most of the activity dies down within an hour or so."

"Huh. So you really end up spending the night with your prey, huh? I'm hurt. I thought "I" was your boyfriend." Kurt grinned at her.

Lindsay returned his smile with a wry one of her own. "I suppose. It's not quite the same when they're on the wrong side of my fur." She snuggled up close to him. "I wouldn't mind if you wanted to spend the night with me more often, though."

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind that, either," Kurt said. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, an idea forming in his head. Before he could stop himself, the words blurted out. "Lindsay, move in with me."

Lindsay looked up at him. "Huh?"

"Your lease is up on this place at the end of the month, right?"

"Well, yeah. I can't afford to keep this place by myself."

Kurt lowered his gaze to meet Lindsay's. "Then live with me. My apartment is too small, but we could find a new place and go in together on it."

"Are... are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I want to spend more time with you. All the time. I'm in this for the long haul if you are."

Lindsay grinned -- Kurt wasn't sure he had ever seen such a wide grin on her face. "I love it. Let's do it."

They settled back down together, Lindsay snuggling into his side again.

"I love you, Kurt."

Kurt ran his fingers through Lindsay's fur. "I love you too, Lindsay."