FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"How's the hair looking?" Nash asked, peering into the mirror as he tugged on the tie slightly. It felt off. Was blue not the right colour to go with the white suit? Was it too garish?

His roommate shook her head and rolled her eyes, placing her heavy ursine hand paws on his shoulders and forcing him into a rigid position in front of the mirror. She looked over the tiger's shoulder into the mirror. "They're your best friend, you silly cat. How bloody long have you known them for? Seven years? Eight? They even got you your freaking job at the office!"

She undid the tie and threw it aside, fluffing down his front so the jacket was nice and flat against his torso, then she turned him around to face him. "You could show up looking like you just crawled out of a dumpster and the fool would throw their arms around you and kiss you. Just focus on you and them, right?"

Taking a deep breath, Nash nodded and threw a glance at the mirror. He was incredibly nervous. He'd known Aiden for years, and the two of them were the best of friends. And now, he'd been invited on a date by the same deer that served as his superior. Suffice to say, human resources had done some overwork after they'd reported it, but it had been worked out to the benefit of both the company and the pair of friends - or were they partners yet?

Those questions were pointless right now, yet they ricocheted inside the tiger's skull. He hadn't had a partner in years. He'd been too absorbed with his work and hobbies to even consider dating, and yet now he was on his way downtown to meet someone he had once thought of as nothing more than a friend.

Seating himself behind the wheel of his sedan, Nash took a deep breath and turned the keys in the ignition. Pulling out of his driveway, he began the short drive downtown. Because Aiden was working overtime to close a new deal, the two had agreed to meet at a restaurant halfway between Nash's house and the corporation's HQ. It was a little family establishment that belonged to a dynasty of local turtles. They were fantastic cooks and knew how to treat their customers, so the choice had been an easy one to make.

As his old car pulled into the parking lot, his eyes fell on the neon sign above the doorway. The Shellter. It might've as well been a pub with that kind of name, but it helped give the place that certain kind of charm. Looking around the lot, he couldn't see Aiden's car, so the tiger decided to wait a little longer before going inside. He turned the radio on, leaned back and watched the people milling around inside the joint.

"... is finalizing the details of their new acquisition today," the voice on the radio stated firmly. "With the purchase of Monsdell, the Ackerson Corporation has solidified its control over Moshton's utility infrastructure. In a press release earlier today, vice president Aiden Ackerson stated that plans will be undertaken immediately to reinforce and repair the systems across the city, to prevent another disaster like the one a decade ago."

It felt strange to hear such a familiar name on the radio. It also filled him with a strange sense of pride. His date was the vice president of the biggest corporation in the region, and was personally in charge of a project to protect people. For a moment, he was lost in thought and didn't notice his own smile. It was only when a van pulled up next to him that he was thrown out of his state of euphoria.

Peering out the driverside window, he noticed the van's driver pulling a mask down, and the side of the vehicle sliding open. It felt like an anchor was dropping in his gut. Three masked creatures leapt out of the vehicle and took up positions around the parking lot. Somehow, they had missed Nash, and the tiger threw himself down as he frantically searched for his phone.

For some inexplicable reason, his first reaction wasn't to call the emergency services - instead he found himself calling up his date. Once he heard the dial tone interrupted by someone picking up, he whispered. "Don't come here, Aiden. Something's wrong. There's masked peo-"

Before he could finish his sentence, glass shattered over the tiger's back and he felt himself ripped out of the car. A heavy foot paw pressed down on his chest, and he stared up at a handgun pointed at him. Its owner gestured at one of the other masked individuals, who whispered something at him.

Nash was pulled to his feet and thrown against the van. An individual that had the build of a bull - with a pair of horns to confirm it - breathed into his face aggressively. "Who the fuck are you?"

Frozen with fear, the tiger couldn't reply, so the bull repeated his inquiry. This time, Nash managed to stammer out a reply. "I- I am Nash... I'm just meeting someone here..."

"Ah fuck," the bull said, throwing the tiger onto the cold ground as he turned to the individual that seemed to be the leader of the group. "Ya think this is Ackerson's thing?"

The leader cocked his head to the side and leaned down over the tiger. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. I don't think it matters much, either way. You see," the leader flicked Nash's nose. "We need your friend. Ackerson's folks are threatening our business, and we aren't too happy about that, as you may guess. If someone makes business bad for us, we'll make business bad for them. You get that, don't you?"

The Vultures. They were a gang of ex-corporate mercenaries turned gangsters. Nash had heard of them, seen the briefings of the threat they posed to the corporation, but he never thought he'd actually be targeted by them. Although, technically he wasn't their target, but he wasn't about to let Aiden get captured or worse.

Pulling the tiger onto his feet again, the leader eyed him up and down. "You must be their date, then. I suppose we have you to thank for giving us this wonderful opportunity to meet with your vice president."

He cackled menacingly, and Nash took an instinctive step back. The leader crossed his arms and was about to say something when a noise distracted him. "What in the world was that ruckus? Beaver, go check it out." The bull nodded and disappeared around the van, and his boss turned back to Nash. "Now, don't you worry. We won't rough them up too much. Assuming they do as we ask them to. We just need them to sign over a few properties and call off the revitalization project."

"Aiden's never going to do that. They've been working on it for years!" Nash blurted out, snarling at the masked individual. His outburst was met with a slap that sent him flying onto the ground again.

"Quiet, you obnoxious cat. We don't like casualties, but do not think yourself too valuable to toss aside."

By throwing him to the ground, his opponent had given him an advantage. Without hesitation, the tiger spun himself around, throwing his leg at his enemy. It hit him square in the legs, sending the boss stumbling against the van. He responded by trying to backhand the tiger, hitting Nash square in the face as he tried to get up. Straddling him, the mercenary threw another punch, connecting with the tiger again.

Nash felt the sting of the fist as he struck him once, then again. He felt his fur grow damp with blood, and his vision was beginning to fade as he saw his opponent raise his fist again. But right as he saw it fly towards him, it halted. The boss blurted out something that the tiger didn't catch, then pulled away.

Rolling onto his side and wiping blood from his face, Nash couldn't believe what he was seeing. There, surrounded by the unconscious masked gang, stood his friend - Aiden Ackerson - fighting off both the boss and the one called Beaver. He'd never seen anything like it. Aiden moved as if they were a leaf on the wind, effortlessly dodging both of their opponents.

With a lucky dodge, Aiden took out Beaver by throwing him through the windscreen of a parked car. It was just the boss and the black wolf now, but the former seemed to have lost his confidence. With a smirk, Aiden let out a battle cry, and their opponent threw up their arms and ran off, stumbling over his gang members that were strewn about the parking lot.

With the battle over, Aiden rushed to the injured tiger, whose white suit was now a mixture of blood and dirt, half his face swollen from the punches. "Nash, I am so sorry..." Aiden's voice quivered as they wrapped their arms around the tiger, pulling him up and supporting him. "I knew this damn project was going to provoke the Vultures, but I didn't imagine they would be this bold."

"Aiden," the tiger interrupted. "I don't care. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

The black wolf blinked, and for a moment they looked as if they'd just been confronted by the strangest enigma they'd ever seen. And why wouldn't they be baffled? Nash's face was swollen, he was covered in blood, and yet all he asked about was whether the martial artist was hurt.

Shaking their head, Aiden dabbed their partner's face with a damp cloth. "I got the jump on them. They didn't get any good hits in, so I'm fine."

Before Nash could reply, their lips had connected in a mutual kiss. Both the eyes of the pair were closed as the two stood in the parking lot, for a moment in time connected in the aftermath of the chaos. As the kiss ended, Nash turned towards the restaurant. "I think I owe you a dinner for saving my face."

With a chuckle, the black wolf nodded, helping their partner towards the restaurant, where the owners had already prepared first aid to help out the pair. Maybe they would have time for a dinner afterwards...