FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Been awhile, hasn't it? I've been extremely busy (most of you will go 'yeah right' by now) and I've had the stupid computer bitching at my files and deciding there's a fatal error and cannot be opened (again... 'yeah right') But, still that didn't stop me from writing. Took a visit to the doctor lately, and it delayed this part of the story even more. Details about that last piece of info will be in a note shortly... not here.

Also, a fair warning: (R18+) which I forgot to include in part 4... ouch...

Yes, this is an adult story, with male/male action (with mild drama squeezed in between for the sake of the story), bad language and mild violence (in yiff at times), so if you are disturbed by such things, or simply get a turn off by some, do yourself a favor and don't proceed. Consider yourself warned.

Human, Tiger, mm, Pawing, Blow job, Cuddling, Kissing, Bad Language, Mild Drama, Story Progression

_________________________

Yzmar lied on the bed motionless, it's been a good while since Turbo received that call, and for some reason he left to the living room before talking with the caller. The sick corpse soon found himself worried, that gasp Turbo let out at the start of the call was puzzling. It's as if he spoke with a ghost, or someone from long ago...

He sat up, barely able to move right. That soup Turbo made for him should have made him feel better, but this flu is being an asshole all of a sudden. The bed creaked as he slammed back to the pillow, changing his mind to just try his best and listen closely as Turbo continued the call. His mind stopped working as soon as he made out the words 'can we meet later', 'I don't know', 'free by' and 'Friday'. He sat again, planting his feet to the floor and resisting a fall to the ground. He soon heard another shocking line.

"It's really great to hear from you again."

+++

Turbo sat still on the living room's sofa, his gaze frozen on the couch on the opposite side, and the glass table reflected some of the sunset's sunrays on his feral figure. His paw removed the phone from his ear and hit the red button to end the call, but his mind and thoughts were too busy to think about anything else other than...

"T-Turbo?"

The tiger's senses returned at the voice, he turned back to see his mate - through the room's open door - trying his best to walk from the bed while keeping his balance.

"Hey, stay in bed."

Turbo instantly got up, made his way inside the room and held Yzmar's shoulders, preventing him to go any further. He pushed him gently to force him back to bed but Yzmar resisted, looking up at his face.

"Are you alright?"

"... go back to bed, Yzmar."

"Is... is everything's-"

"Stop getting worked up on silly things, you need to rest."

He tried to push him again but the human still didn't want to move. Turbo sighed in defeat; Yzmar's face got even more worried now. He lowered his muzzle a bit and moved one of his paws to the human's chin, looking deeply in his green eyes and smiling kindly, trying to comfort him.

"Everything's fine, mate."

"..."

"Let's get you back in bed, alright?"

"I'm sick of staying in bed, I feel better now."

"No, not yet. Don't push yourself."

"..."

"Just for now, mate. You know you must rest, put up with it for a bit longer, ok?"

Yzmar grumbled, frowning at him, but he soon dropped his head down and sighed helplessly; Turbo was right once more, as much as he hated it his body wasn't ready to get up yet.

"C'mon, I'll be right by your side, don't worry."

"... sorry."

Turbo got down on his knee, and brought his paws to Yzmar's trousers, tugging at them down. Yzmar staggered a bit, but he remained there, quiet. Resisting him now will only make his head spin, and he was kind of bothered with his trousers on; he wanted more air to hit his body.

But it didn't stop at the trousers, those paws were pulling at his underwear as well. It made the human blush a bit, but he still didn't want to hold him from doing it. The tiger slipped down his own boxers too, and then stood up again, looking at him and smiling warmly.

"Don't worry, we'll just resign for the day until you get better."

"... sorry for the trouble."

"Heheh, stop that, alright?"

"..."

"It's not like you... As if it's your fault for falling ill."

_(You idiot of a child, it's all your damn fault!)

(*whimper~* I'm... *sniff~* I'm sorry... I'm sorry...)

(Shut up and take it like a bitch!)

(I'm sorry... *cry~* sorry...)

(I SAID SHUT UP!)_

Yzmar said nothing, feeling the tiger's digits on his shoulders again, trying to push him slowly to bed once more. This time it worked, Yzmar sat back on the bed and lied down on the soft cushions. Turbo placed both his paws on the bed as he shifted his body over his mate, he got to the other side and laid himself to Yzmar, snaking his arm under the human's head and placing his other paw under his own head facing the ceiling, and sighed in awe.

"Turbo?"

"Yes, love?"

"... are you... still angry?"

"... why do you keep asking me that?"

"You look upset."

A smile crawled up his furry face, he shook his head and paused for a bit before replying.

"I was shocked, mate, and it bothered me a lot."

"I didn't want you to-"

"What bothers me the most is you hiding it from me."

"... but I... I was afraid you'd-"

Turbo sighed, despite all the times he told him to open up with him, it always seems the same, Yzmar tends to be on the safe side even with him. He moved his arm, getting Yzmar's head closer to his chest and gave him a tight nudge, and the free paw soon descended on the human's body, rubbing it tenderly. Yzmar dropped silent, feeling a muzzle whispering at his head.

"Just stop it, Yzmar."

"..."

"So what if you can't taste anything? That won't make me love you less, you know..."

"I didn't... know how you'd respond."

"I might not receive it well, but hiding it is even worse. Don't hide anything from me anymore, mates should have no secrets between themselves."

The sulking human said nothing for awhile, feeling the soft gales up his head and hair as Turbo's arm flexed a little, trying to get into more relaxing positions. Yzmar soon looked a bit up, faintly making the muzzle up his head.

"... but... there are things you can't-"

"Not between mates, no."

"Turbo, you too surely have things that you can't tell me about."

"Absolutely not."

"... nothing?"

"I can tell you all about myself if you want."

"... who's... who's Ben?"

Suddenly, the tiger fell in silence, his paw rubbing at Yzmar's chest stopped. The human feared that it might have been a bit bold to ask him directly like this, he shook his head slightly and sighed out.

"I-I'm sorry, forget I asked."

"... Benjamin is no secret."

"... Turbo-"

"He's a friend, I'll tell you all about it."

"Don't, it's ok if-"

"I said mates have no secrets between themselves, Yzmar. Besides, it's not like I was trying to hide it from you."

"... please, don't. I didn't mean-"

"Don't be afraid to know your mate, Yzmar."

"... I'm not afraid-"

"Jealous, then?"

"What!? N-No!"

"Hey, it's cool. He's just a friend, I knew him back at my former job when I was a law-enforcer."

"Law-en... forcer?"

"The blues."

"You? You are a... policeman?!"

"I 'was' a police officer, yes."

"... for real?"

"What, you don't think I would make a good cop?"

Seconds passed by and the human didn't say a word, Turbo looked down at him, and the human was smirking as he looked away. The tiger chuckled and nudged his head once more, smiling in his turn.

"Hey, what's with that smirk?"

"N-nothing, nothing at all..."

"Your smirk is telling me otherwise."

The tiger's head go up more from the pillows as he reached Yzmar's neck with his right paw and playfully held it, shaking his paw as if strangling him. He blasted in laughter when the human played along, sticking his tongue out like a person chocking his life out, they both laughed at one another then laid back again, Turbo went on.

"I was a good officer, and part of an almost-elite group."

"You don't say!"

"Enough already, I'm being honest, Ben was my comrade... along with Marcus."

"Marcus?"

"A furry gray cat."

"Oh... and Ben?"

"More or less a noisy dark-bluish penguin."

"... you felt so shocked when he called."

"Yeah, I lost contact with him since I changed my phone and started working for FEVA's factory."

"But what made you change jobs?"

"I've left the police lifestyle when..."

"... when?"

Turbo gulped quietly, his mind started to show him those visions again, that same moment when they aimed their guns at one another, not knowing what spins in each other's minds...

_(Marcuuuus!)

(TURBO, DUCK!)_

*Gun fire~*

(Ben, no!! NOOO!! AAAARR-FFFUUUUUUCK!)

That shout was still almost alive in his mind, as if it was happening now, the tiger's throat grew dry all of a sudden, and going on felt impossible. Turbo's pause was rather long, Yzmar looked up at his face but he was staring up at the ceiling, it made looking at his eyes out of the question from the human's angle, but that silence was dreadful. Despite his curiosity to know more about the tiger that barged into his life, Yzmar soon felt that bringing this subject up was, after all, a bad idea.

"Turbo."

"Huh?"

"Turbo, I'm sorry, I never meant to open an old wound."

"What's with you? Everything's fine, mate."

"Bu-"

"I don't mind telling you, love. I was wondering if now would be a proper time to tell you; you're ill and tired enough."

"I'm sorry, I'd rather you never t-"

"... would you cut that out? Everything's fine."

Yzmar remained silent, still not sure if it was ok. Turbo looked at his face and found him bothered, he lost courage and was now all gutless again. Turbo hated that about him, but he didn't know if he could blame him for it or not; Yzmar was a special case with this Grim already, getting down would be so easy if you knew your end is just around the corner. But it was time for all that to change, he's not alone now, all he needs is a strong nerve to face his troubles. Turbo smiled, then rubbed his paw's digits on the human's tummy quickly, tickling him.

"Gahh~!"

The scrawny shape shuddered strongly, Yzmar tried blocking his paw but it was quick and didn't give him a chance to catch up, he tried moving away but Turbo's left paw flexed under his left arm from the other side, cornering him and making it impossible to break loose while the other paw loitered at his side ribs, adding to the prickle. Yzmar writhed; the feline was now lying on his side and focusing on getting that skinny sensitive stomach tickled ruthlessly. Yzmar was trying to block his paw with one hand, and pushing at the tiger's chest and face with the other, while fighting against this killing tingling feeling.

"What the f-*grunt~* hey!"

"I don't like uptight faces, so how about a smile instead?"

"T-Tur... ack... s-stop! Knock it o-*gasp~*!"

"Better now?"

"Damit, please stop! I-It tickkkkeh... phh~"

Turbo watched as his face turned gradually, he was now trying desperately not to laugh, he had no hope of fighting him back. The tiger couldn't help putting a devil's smile on his lips, his mate was making a lot of funny faces just to block this laughter inside...

"Now that's a better face."

"P-Please... *chuckles~* Mikkk~M... Mercyyyyyyyy~!"

The paw stopped at that call, and rested calmly on top of his abdomen as Yzmar's hand was over it now, making sure it won't make any sudden jerks. He panted in hysteria, catching a lingering smirk from his mate as his face stole a peek over him, and his other hand sensed the tiger's low chuckle.

"T... *pant~* Turbo, you... oppressive im-*pant~* imbecile."

"Uh-oh! Language!"

"Oh, no-WAIT, NO! PLEASE! *wheeze~*!"

Yzmar's eyes widened, his body arched again and again for the feline's paw started 'round 2' without a single warning. He tensed his muscles again, carrying on his futile attempts to hold the paw still, and his other hand pushed against Turbo's muzzle. The tiger's snout grinned toothily, knowing that his mate isn't strong enough to prevent it. The human was trying his best to withstand this urge, but it was hopeless; his body was just too ticklish against his fur and paw digits.

"Ghaak... phhht... n-no!"

"Plead for mercy again, it was so cute."

"P-Plead?! Ugh-hgggg~! *Hard laughter~*"

"You can't escape me. *Chuckles~* BEG ME FOR MERCY!"

"ARGH, T-TURBO *laughter~* C'MON MAN, Q-QUIT IT!"

Turbo stopped, surprised that he - too - was panting now. They both lied still, finally out of breath. Yzmar was still lying over Turbo's left arm and close to his arm pit, as his face got bathed in exhales from the tiger over his forehead, panting and heaving sturdily after being forced to laugh so much. The human's hands rested over his chest, and the tiger's paw was still on Yzmar's tummy, lifeless this time, except for some slow loving rubs now and then.

Yzmar opened his eyes, looking at the room's roof as an open feline muzzle blocked part of his view, he smiled to himself and extended one hand over his partner's cheek. The rubbing at his fur made Turbo tense a bit, opening his eyes and smiling in satisfaction, purring at his strokes. He rubbed his snout against that hand lovingly, and his paw went a bit lower, lingering at the human's groin and feeling him tighten his legs together.

"H... Hey!"

The paw cupped softly between his legs. Even though he tried so hard to block its access, the furry paw broke through his defenses with ease and remained there.

"Mmmm, you're starting to get hard, mate. I know this smell..."

"I-I can't help it, your *pant~* touch is... demanding..."

"Well, why don't we do something about it, then?"

"... but I'm so beat, you can't possibly-"

"Relax, I know you have the flu, but who said anything about having sex now?"

"Y-Your paw seems suggestive enough..."

Turbo chuckled at his comment, he moved his head and planted a kiss on his forehead, whispering him between his eyebrows, letting him catch his jaw's movement.

"I'll just make you feel better, that's all."

"... w... what?"

"Ever been given a blowjob before?"

Yzmar's face turned red instantly, he moved his hands quickly and held the paw between his legs. Turbo smiled, feeling his legs' heat with his balls and penis, and thought maybe a little encouragement would do the trick. Yzmar trembled once he felt the paw moving, but it wasn't moving 'away', it rubbed itself against his privates, enticing his arousal.

"Tu... *pant~*..."

"I know you can't help it, mate. You've been lying down in bed most of the day, you could use a release. And I can't possibly ignore your alluring and charming existence near me."

Turbo smirked like an evil villain would do in a movie, then whispered slowly straight inside his brain, giving his face a slight slow overbearing lick on his cheek, reminding him of who had the upper paw on 'things'.

"I just have to play with you, my lovely mate."

Those words felt like invisible chains, they were describing his feelings directly from his own heart. Yzmar began to give in to his tiger's needs little by little, his legs were not as protective now and began to part slowly, allowing his paw to reach better positions and examine the human's merchandise more thoroughly. His puffs grew harder, louder, and full of desire. The dull purrs blowing over his face made it all the more itchy, his body couldn't help but bend at times, curving slowly at his aficionado's touch. Yzmar's legs were now parted enough for the paw to do whatever it wanted, it began rubbing up and down, harder and softer, spreading its fingers wide and then cupping again in tight possessions. Yzmar's eyes closed firmly, his eyebrows arched downward in long-awaited affection. His pants and moans only fuelled the tiger further, trouncing at his groin as he studied the developments on his mate's face.

Turbo began feeling excited himself, he drew closer, his whole upper body and abdomen brushed against the human's side, and his head was over Yzmar's face, breathing on one another's pants and purrs. Yzmar, feeling his lover's body shifting more over him, placed his hands on his husky torso, feeling the shapes in his tiger's hefty muscles move with every breath that hits his face. The tiger moaned loudly, never stopping his paw down there. Slowly, his own length couldn't just stay inside, the mere fact of staying sheathed near this action was crazy. Yzmar and Turbo both opened their eyes at one another, as Turbo's feline scurfy dick rubbed itself against the human. Their stare at each others made them both blush in ardor, their arousal was taking all the time in the world to build up. Yzmar, as drunk to his own excitement as Turbo was, gazed long in his mate's features, not wanting to look at anything but these eyes.

"Turbo... this... *pant~* this feels..."

"I'm not half done playing yet."

The feline's paw extended its fingers slowly, then cupped his genitals even slower, twirling and pressing rather tight, making the human yelp and reflexively bring his legs again together.

"It's... *hard grunt~* so hypnotizing."

Turbo remained out of breath over his face, Yzmar's eyes were half closed and the edges of his eyebrows were still arching down in a vulnerable expression. The human was intoxicated by his mate, it made Turbo's heart throb in heat, he looked so damn sexy with every pant he took in response to his paw. He couldn't hold himself as he soon descended his open fangs on the human, locking onto his lips and smooching him loudly. Yzmar closed his eyes, letting himself to be taken once again by this alpha beast, tilting his face as his passionate lover's movement guided him. His balls and penis felt a little wet since his body was sweating from fever, and the mushy feeling and sounds his tiger's paw sent to his ears revived his penis fully. Turbo broke the kiss as soon as he felt it, and smiled warmly at him.

"Ah, there we go."

"Tur... *pant~*... Turbo... ugh..."

Turbo stared long at his face, looking at his huffs and puffs, mesmerized by his rose-red cheeks and feeling those hands pressing against his own bulky torso. His ears woke up straight, catching those lips saying his name in helpless need. His tongue extended out of his jaws and licked at the trail of mixed saliva, still his eyes loved to savor that human face longer.

"You have no idea how you saying my name arouses me, mate."

"... *pants~*"

"You're so fucking adorable, love, you're... Fuck, I could almost eat you."

Turbo returned again inside his mate, tonguing inside him and toying with his wild tongue, while his paw kept fishing in between his legs, wrestling against the lively human rod and heating his ballsack even more. Yzmar's hands stopped moving, and simply remained on his lover's body as his strong chest pressed against them more persistently. Turbo's left arm flexed free from under his lover's head, making it drop back to the bed and breaking their kiss, while his arm swirled all over the pillows, making him feel like he was surrounded although Yzmar wouldn't go anywhere even if he could. The furry lewd tiger went on it again, pressing his body more against his lover's hands and skin, smothering him rapidly with kisses and licks. They kept at it for minutes, but it felt like hours, hours felt like they'd last forever... the soggy sounds of dripping dribble was stimulating as their moans grew louder. But Turbo's paw began to slow down, ravishing at his penis slower than before. The kisses and licks faded too, until everything seized movement, only their heaving chests and pants at one another remained.

"Ready for the blowjob of your life?"

"... *pants~*... *heaves~*..."

"Or would you rather I toy with you some more?"

"N-no... *pants~* please, y-your... *gasp~* your paw..."

"I see... *rawr~* someone's just dying to be free."

"... Turbo... *pants~* it felt..."

"Good, wasn't it?"

The human tiredly shook his head, his eyes still half closed in fever and roses. One of his hands moved from Turbo's chest to the side of his face, rubbing at it again softly and playing a bit with his ear as it flicked once in his tender touch.

"I think your... *pants~* your paw is holding my... core."

"That shows you just how much you mean to me, Yzmar, how much I'll treasure you, how much I long for you."

"It... *pants~* that sensation was... deep... *pants~* I've never felt like this before... I can't contain it."

"Heh... contain it? Oh, you surely won't be able to 'contain' it once this tiger is done playing with you, mate."

Turbo lowered his head, so close to him his muzzle was touching slightly on his lover's lips, then began whispering, sending faint breaths on his lover's mouth with every syllable.

"Tonight, I'm going to give you another lesson."

"... *pants~*"

"It'll be short, considering your need for rest, but it would give you some practice. Call it a heads-up on what I have in mind for you next."

He then closed his fangs with his mouth, kissing him yet again. His body moved more over Yzmar, supporting himself on his knees and paws, while his snout was still in Yzmar's face. It looked like he would lay over him again and fuck his hole like last time, but the tiger broke the kiss and shoveled at his neck with the necklace's stringing chain as his paws and legs moved him backward. The gnaws diverted to the chain and pendant, letting out a low rumble as he chewed and pulled at them softly, then released them as his muzzle was getting away from Yzmar's face slowly, leaving his neck and licking at his small chest. His teeth and lips played a bit on his tiny nipples, sending shivers to the poor human and making him moan in effort. His muzzle kept getting lower and lower, lapping at his stomach again while feeling his sensitive body jiggle in delight. Soon, Turbo's legs reached the end of the bed, resting on the ground with his upper body dropped on the bed under his human, and his head was exactly over his groin. With the helpless human's legs parted, Turbo had such a 'nice' view down there, his hungry lolling mouth was staring fervently at his lover's cock. It was relatively small, that much was to be expected, but it looked so damn hot and cute to Turbo nevertheless.

His tongue moved slowly, rubbing itself around the head first, provoking him with just minor efforts. His tongue reached for the slit in his penis and humped it lazily, filling the tip with drool that began slipping down across his length. Yzmar was thrashing about in his place, the tiger's warm breath was torture enough.

"Tu-*pants~* you big tease... *moan~*"

"Mmmmm, you're gunna LOVE this!"

"*GASP~*!"

Yzmar shivered, a thunder strike just zapped his entire body as his mate descended on his cock. Turbo pressed against the head with his lips hard, as he slowly worked his head down, trying to be as tight and sluggish as he can, not stopping until his snout touched Yzmar's crotch. There it was! A small prize met his attempt, the human just had to sperm out some pre in his mouth. his whole body arched, his knees bent up and his upper body flung as Yzmar sat up. He panted heavily as he reached for the tiger's head and ears between his legs, feeling a little bit paralyzed. Turbo smiled to himself, this reaction from his mate was proof enough that he was doing a great job, Yzmar was feeling jolts of pleasure by now. But Turbo halted, he took his sweet time tasting his mate and sniffing his crotch while Yzmar panted heavily, gripping his hands around his mate's feral head and feeling an unbelievable urge to fap himself, but Turbo was closing all around his penis, there was no way to reach it.

"... *pants~* ... *wheeze~* Turbo..."

"Mmmmmmm~"

"Damit, Turbo... *pant~* stop teasing... *huff~*..."

The untamed animal between his legs began moving again, little by little. He opened his mouth a bit, still having the human's rod in his tongue as his head moved up ever so slow in a slurping motion, getting his tongue all over the down side of his penis with one big hungry lick. His paws moved again, worming themselves under the bent-up knees and resting on his lover's love-handles (if he had any), making sure he wouldn't be moving away from his mouth or jerk forward; the tiger was now in command once again.

Yzmar twitched once more, another tight muzzle dove at a snail's pace, or maybe slower, all the way down to his crotch a second time. This time, though, the tiger didn't open his jaws, instead he pulled back in the same tightness and the same slothful speed. Yzmar was gasping for air by now, it felt like his penis was about to be sucked out of its place, his whole body was trembling as he tried to hump his hips at him, but those strong paws at his sides prevented him from moving, and had no other option but to wait for his lover to finish playing with his meal before he starts eating. The muscled bully didn't seem in a hurry at all, he took his time playing with his new toy, his plaything. He grinded lightly at it, sucked it, licked it like candy, sniffed it, kissed it, purred on it, drooled on it, clammed it between his jaws, felt it under his tongue... and all the while, his poor victim was fading out from the lack of oxygen running through his lungs, the thrill this session brought him was too awful for words.

"... *gasp~* Turbo, you... beastly... *pants~* Ugh!"

Turbo grinned, still working his penis slowly, but he soon felt it. The human's balls suddenly tensed and his lower body twitched, looks like he toyed with him a little too much with his paw; it didn't take long since he began blowing... or so he thought. Although he didn't want it to be over so soon, he started working his penis faster now, building up his speed gradually and making some clammy relishing smacks. Yzmar raised his head up, his mouth parted, almost completely traumatized by the sudden lust of his lover for his fluid. He can feel his boner and balls screaming for entering the moment of no return, it was only a matter of seconds now. His upper body dropped down at the bed again as it coiled, his hands were about to shred at the bed's covers as he gave out loud vulnerable moans, gasping several times just to groan and whimper again. Turbo closed his eyes as he felt his seed finally parting with its owner, he brought his snout to the base of his cock again. His nose rubbed Yzmar's crotch demandingly as his maw pressed all around the human rod, encouraging it to give him the best it could. He felt Yzmar jolting several times, his hips were fighting to jerk upward against him but his paws held him in place, being in charge and forcing him to obey.

Not long did his release last, as the shots were already fading, especially when the receiving party was so eager to welcome it. Turbo started to gulp loudly, intending for his lover to hear those gulps, hear that hungry furry under him as he devoured his feast for the night, relishing on every bit of drop in utmost gluttony. His mouth kept pumping him, firmly, lovingly, aiming to please and only to please, milking him more, wanting more, needing more. All that remained was the sour throbbing penis in his mouth now, Turbo opened his muzzle slowly as he finally released his captive, staring up at his lover heaving with no other movements at all.

He turned his attention to his partner's penis once more, eyeing those marks of cum still stubbornly clinching to their master. His muzzle descended again, licking lazily at him, cleaning his mate. His licks went between his parted legs too, getting more of his skin's unique taste and odors. He looked at his cock again, it was small yet that semen's taste on his tongue and mouth was marvelously addicting. It tasted like... like what? Words failed to describe it fairly; it felt like a bitter-sharp nectar in that ballsack, and those smells... it was hard to believe that he's actually human. Yzmar jolted in surprise as he felt Turbo's cold nose touching his cock and base, the tiger began sniffing him, sniffing around his member and balls and groin, familiarizing himself with his lover's scent, he was starting to love it more than anything. Turbo stared at the cock standing tiredly like that, and his eyes and mouth were already begging.

"... *pant~*... wow..."

"What, 'that all you got? You kidding me?"

"... huh? W-Wait, hey! GE-HAUGH~! T-TURBO, NO!"

As if the after-glow wasn't enough, Yzmar sat up in shock; the tiger released his hips and dove once more against Yzmar's fork, taking the penis in his famished muzzle and prevented it from retreating just yet, suckling at it wildly in need and desire. The weak human tensed, reaching with both hands at Turbo's head and pushing with all his 'remaining' strength, and his legs closed up to stop him, only clapping at Turbo's cheeks and mouth. Unable to push him away, Yzmar raised his head up and shut his eyes tight in a grunt, his face turned so red from exhaustion, his breaths came out heavier as he shuddered against his mate's tongue, almost screaming in agony.

"TURBO!! *pants~* N-NO!"

"Mmmmmm~"

(S... stop! It hurts!)

"FUCK, YOU HORNY MONSTER! BACK OFF, STOP!!"

To his surprise, Turbo eased on his crotch, he raised his head away and stared at his ill soul mate's face in concerned gazes, noticing some tears in his human lover's emerald eyes.

"... Yzmar?"

"*pants~*..."

"... y-you alright there, mate?"

"... *pants~* You... *gasp~* sex-crazed animal."

"I-I'm sorry, I... I just wanted..."

"I'm human, Turbo, not an ejaculation-*pants~* machine."

Yzmar soon caught a hint of a whimper, those yellow eyes diverted away and that feral face looked shameful, his ears almost got flat with his head, disgraced. Looking at him now made Yzmar feel awful; all his mate have been trying to do was loving him as he thought he should. With a small smile finding its way in, Yzmar wrapped his arms around Turbo's neck, and closed his eyes as he kissed the top of the feline's muzzle just between the nose and the tiger's eyes, still huffing tiredly.

"But that felt so-*pant~*... g... great."

"... yeah?"

"Yeah, it really was something else... though I was..."

"Hmm?"

Yzmar flushed in embarrassment, he didn't think this through before opening his mouth, and now it would seem like he's hiding something else if he didn't tell him.

"I was forced to shoot in many other muzzles before, but this one was... special."

Turbo reddened in his hold, and lowered his body with Yzmar back to the bed covers, laying his trunk on his mate's skinny shape and rubbing his feral face on his delicate figure, sighing out in relief, adoring his body's touch against his fur and chin. He knew what Yzmar didn't want to say, but he took out the flow differently, changing the subject.

"Of course it was special; it had love. I'm going to drown you with my love, mate. You better know how to swim."

"... heh, fear not, I can swim."

Turbo raised his face from Yzmar's chest slightly, looking at his eyes with passion, then whispered in low and soft breaths.

"I must warn you, though, my love isn't like anything you swam in before; it's really... you know, 'thick'."

"... *giggle~* I bet it'd be awesome to just drown in your thick love then, sexy tiger."

Turbo broke out a laugh in his mate's face, while Yzmar closed his eyes and grinned at his own comment. The tiger looked at him again for a long minute, just laying there on top of him while their faces were close and their eyes connected. This furry's crystal-clear eyes still made Yzmar blush hard, and his blush made Turbo smile even wider. He held the human's back with one paw as he left him with his body up, crawling to bed and lying there again, close and face to face. Both his paws hugged that body from below, resting softly on his butt, while his lover's hands got caged between their bodies, hugging themselves.

"If you want to sleep, just go ahead and sleep."

"I can't, Turbo. I need to take my medicine at night too."

"I'll stay awake, I'll wake you up for your medicine."

"But you have work tomo-"

"Nope, I'll be taking a week off just for you."

"Eh?!"

Yzmar turned red again, finding a slight tender kiss resting softly between his eyes on his forehead.

"I'll stay here, stay near and close, looking after my mate until he recovers. So go ahead and have some sleep, Yzmar, I'm by your side."

A smile extended across the handsome tiger's muzzle, rubbing his feral chin at his treasure's head and hair as the human's eyes stared at that strong neck kissing his face. He fought against sleep no longer; that loving and protective touch was all his body needed to know it was safe and secure.

"Turbo..."

"Yes, mate?"

"You're... so damn awesome, too."

"... *chuckle~* but of course."

"Thank you, you're really the... very best."

"... *sigh~*"

He embraced his arms between his body and the tiger's, finally giving in and closing his eyes. The furry tiger was brimming with happiness; he just received a complement, it was 'the best' of all other possible ones. With a big smile on his muzzle, Turbo cuddled his lover tenderly, breathing at his hair and head.

(That's it, mate, just rest up, for what better place to rest in other than your lover's embrace?)

Turbo glanced at his own sheath, and his dick was retracting again. He smiled at it, almost apologetic; he didn't want to bother his mate any further, nor did the idea of fapping to the mirror sound better than before in his mind. Right now, his mate needs someone to take care of him, who would that be if it wasn't Turbo? He cradled the small human to his own manly strength and sighed out again, feeling the responsibility to stay true to his heart.

(What do you 'think', Turbo?)

Turbo's smile widened further, he didn't know how to answer that question before, but answers to such terrifying questions always seem to be late. And once you know the answer, you blame yourself for not seeing what was in front of your snout all this time, while taking your sight far off, looking for what you already have within you.

'He... no, WE will manage, we can't afford to lose to some sick illness, not if the cure is 'waiting' to be created and dug out.'

+++

Yzmar re-shifted his head on the tiger's arm for a bit, he faced the other side of the bed, but as soon as he did he opened his eyes on the sunrays beaming at his face through the window. It was morning, and the 'maledicted' twittering birds wouldn't shut the fuck up at the sight of that eye-blinding circle called the sun, even if the end of the world emerged.

'God, it felt like I slept a whole month; I feel so rigid.'

Still lazy by sleep (not necessarily sleepy) but bothered by the sun's light, he raised his body up, sitting up and staring at the window, the chirps threatened to blast his ears if it wasn't for the closed windows. He noticed his clothes and Turbo's hanging on the room's small balcony, did that tiger do some washing?

'Come to think of it, my room has no balcony.'

A snoring sound filled his ears, he turned to the other side to find Turbo still sleeping, his muzzle parted a bit as he snored loudly. A faint sign of wiped-off drool lingered on his muzzle, he was clearly tired. Turbo was facing up, with his left arm still extending freely, and his body stayed still, only his torso moved up-and-down heavily with every snore.

'... wait, I don't remember him waking me up for-'

Turbo snorted loudly as his head dropped to his left, his right paw moved and rested on his belly, scratching a bit then remained motionless. With a quick calculation, Yzmar stared at his face then dropped his head in disappointment.

'Turbo, you idiot, you fell asleep with me, didn't you? *sigh~* But for some reason, I feel much better this morning.'

He looked at him again, and the movement of his toned body heaving with every breath mesmerized him, Yzmar shifted his body around again and gawked at his mate's peaceful slumber. His hand reached to his cheek carefully and stroked him under his muzzle and little to his thick neck, loving the feeling of his fur. Turbo gave out a low purr and his expression lightened up, still breathing slowly from a slightly-closed maw, moaning in response to his strokes and raising his head a bit.

(Damn you, you big goofy, I just can't get angry at you. You've given my life meaning, and here I am all bothered and worked up over getting some medicine in time... It must be tiring to return from work and look after an ill person all night, huh?)

He reached with his other hand and caressed his abs in a soft massage, pressing on his body's details and feeling their shape. Sensing a soft stroke on his body, Turbo's paw instantly dropped from his stomach to his side, as if inviting this wonderful silky touch. Yzmar held a chuckle inside as he watched his dick slightly emerging, the poor thing wanted a lot of attention yesterday, but Turbo was being awfully careful with him.

(I wish I knew how to treat you right, I've... I've never been... this is all so new on me. Fuck, how can I ever hope to repay all this? How can I love you right? I know that you don't need to repay kindness, but... God, I feel incapable, unqualified.)

His wandering hands stopped for him to wonder in his mind. He never 'was' in a relationship like this before, he never allowed it to happen, but because of that he isn't sure anymore, having this fear of failing to love someone back. He stared again at the tiger's face, and a sad thought crossed his head, he's already doing bad by not being as passionate as Turbo is. He looked at the furry's feline dick slightly slipping through its sheath, remembering how Turbo served his desire last night, and wondered if he should do the same... the scary thought of losing what little he found in life felt so heavy.

(It's not like I don't want to, I honestly... I wonder sometimes if I'll be able to return this affection with an equivalent one or-)

Suddenly, just like that, he felt paws chaining around his body, and he yelped in shock as he got dragged down again on Turbo, his head slammed the tiger's shoulder with a thud. He looked at Turbo's face, and was stunned that the tiger was looking back at him in a wide-spread toothy grin.

"Turbo!"

"Morning, my dear squishy human."

"T... you were awake?!"

"How was your night?"

"*Grunt~* you didn't wake me for my medicine, doofus."

"I did, you gulped it and went back to sleep in 5 seconds."

"... I what?"

"Yeah, guess you really needed to rest, huh?"

He soon faced up again and brought Yzmar even closer to himself, laying the human's head against his neck and rubbing his jowl all over Yzmar's hair in purrs and growls.

"But enough about that, your hands felt so-*rawr~* wonderful."

"Y-You bastard, were you faking it?!"

"No, but my sleep busted as soon as you sat up; you were resting your head on my arm, remember?"

"... that means faking it, you dummy."

"So, my mate is afraid of not loving me enough? How cute."

Yzmar looked up at the tiger, and his muzzle was grinning so wide it almost reached all around his face from the backside.

"Damn you, I'm serious, don't make fun of-Hey, don't you mock me about it, alright?"

"Not at all, I'm just... yea ok, maybe I was, a little bit though."

"... go kill yourself."

Turbo blasted out, not believing how embarrassed his mate is. He brought his left paw up and brushed at his head, while the human kept staring away awkwardly.

"But really, don't bother yourself with such thoughts, mate."

"I... I can't help it, Turbo, I-"

"Yzmar, you're already wonderful the way you are."

"Thanks for trying to cheer-"

"No, I'm not cheering. You're just wonderful, full stop."

"... yeah, right."

Yzmar felt his paws all over his body again, he positioned him closer and closer, making the human literally lie over his bulky form, while still keeping his head to his neck and jaw. Every breath the colossus took sent the human body rocking lazily up and down, and his fur made it all the more tantalizing. Yzmar felt strong arms wrapping around his body, sealing him in place, as he began sensing heartbeats throbbing at his back, and smelling his natural hard aroma all around him.

"Turbo... I slept well."

"Mmmmm? That's good to hear."

"This was... the first time I sleep without nightmares, it was nice and comfortable, simply the best I've had in years."

Turbo almost froze at those words, he felt happy yet kinda sad.

"First time... without nightmares?"

"I've been troubled about this illness."

"Oh..."

"Even when I sleep, my heart would never rest or forget about it for one second, it keeps reminding me even in my dreams. I've been living my life in a rush for as long as I can remember, I had no time for friends, and obviously no time for a rela-"

"Stop right there."

Yzmar felt his paws rub around his body more, then he heard the tiger whisper, still his voice was magical.

"Maybe it's about time you stop being so gloomy, mate?"

"... I'm really sor-"

"No, stop, just... stop."

"... *sigh~*"

"Yzmar, you should smile more often."

"... heh, I've been smiling ever since you barged in."

"That's not enough-"

"I nearly laughed my life out when you tickled me."

"Yzmar, I don't mean just any smile."

"What do you mean, then?"

"I mean your special smile."

"... my what?"

"The smile, or laughter, that comes out because you want it to."

"... I don't get it."

"Never mind, you'll get it in time, I guess."

"But now you got me all curious, what did you mean? What 'special' smile?"

The tiger hugged him tightly, then turned his whole body to his left, dropping the human softly on the bed again, while keeping him clinched to his furs and muscles, lying directly behind his back and getting his tail twirling over them. They both stared at the window, getting bathed by the early morning sun.

"Turbo..."

"Don't think much about it, you'll get it soon, I know you will."

"I could get it sooner if you tell me now."

Turbo chuckled softly, then he lowered his nose to his lover's head, sniffing strongly and planting a kiss.

"No, you need to understand this one on your own, hero."

"... what a tease."

"That aside, how are you feeling? You don't cough anymore."

"... I feel great, my throat doesn't hurt at all."

"..."

"Turbo?"

"It doesn't hurt, huh."

"No, it feels fine."

"... for real?"

"*Chuckles~* Yes, for real; I'm not lying to you anymore."

"... I believe you, love."

"I promise I won't do that again."

"That's good, that's much better. 'Love you, mate."

He kissed his hair again, then started to part his hug slowly as he sat up, getting off from bed. He glanced at the alarm clock on his side of the bed and smiled.

"Wow, it's 10 sharp."

"No wonder, I slept like a log."

"I'll take a shower, then we can get a quick bite for your medicine."

Yzmar sat up and yawned widely, he lost himself a bit looking at the naked tiger as he stood off from bed, stretching out. He flushed a bit finding himself staring at his lover's ass and tail, still wondering secretly inside himself how such a strong burly tiger chose him - of many more appealing others - as his mate, love sure plays in mysterious ways sometimes.

"... guess I'll do that too, then. I'm about to forget the last time I was clean."

"Heh, nice exaggeration, mate."

"Well, see you at the kitchen."

Yzmar got up, walked to the room's closed door, and then suddenly got hugged from behind. He looked up and the tiger was smirking down at him with scheming narrow eyes.

"Hold it, where does this naive human think he's going?"

"Err... taking a bath at my-"

"Oh, no, you won't."

"... huh?"

Yzmar felt the tiger pulling him to his body even tighter, getting him away from the door.

"You're taking a bath right here... with me."

"But my clothes are-"

"Forget about them, you won't be wearing anything even after taking a bath."

"E-eh!?"

Turbo began moving backward towards the bathroom, still hugging Yzmar close to him and dragging him along.

"Turbo!? You can't expect me to stay naked all the..."

Turbo didn't answer back, he let out a deep low chuckle as he entered the bathroom, raising the human from the ground and putting him inside the bathtub. He stepped inside, keeping his paws on the human to prevent any sudden funny ideas of escape. The water thrashed down at them both, and the furry focused on getting Yzmar under the water while he kept rubbing his lover's skin clean.

Yzmar, already knowing that there's no point in arguing with him anymore, stood still, letting his life-companion take care of him once more as he smothered his skin with lathered soap and bubbles.

"Turbo, you've been treating me like a small kid lately, it's so freaking annoying."

"*Chuckles~* No, I haven't. I was taking care of an ill person... with passion, since he's my everything."

"Do lovers treat one another like this all the time?"

Yzmar shuddered as Turbo hugged his soggy body, rubbing his fur along with his lover's skin, getting foams of soap covering them both.

"Why, don't you love to be the center of your lover's attention?"

"... I guess I have much to learn about this 'couples' thing."

"Don't sweat it, you're doing great so far."

"All I'm doing right now is being sick, Turbo."

"I said don't sweat it."

"... *sigh~*"

Yzmar said nothing, clearly aware that Turbo doesn't want this bath to end soon, he was covering both their bodies with soap for the second time, anyone would say they were playing in the mud or fill inside a patrol barrel for taking this long under the shower.

Finally done, clean and dry, Yzmar stepped out to the living room, while Turbo remained in his room for a bit. He looked at himself for a second and smirked.

(... you won't be wearing anything even after taking a bath)

He shook his head to snap out of himself, he just can't stay like this, at least underwear and a pair of pants, or else he'd look like he's asking for his hole to get filled. He quickly fetched something on from his room and went to the kitchen, he didn't eat steadily yesterday at all, and the idea of having breakfast was like heaven.

'Hmm, omelets sounds good, I g-'

His thoughts broke rather quickly, just as he felt another hug from his nude tiger at his back; this tiger seems to hug him whenever he found the chance. Turbo lowered his muzzle and rested it on Yzmar's left shoulder, over the bite mark, and purred as his paws held his gaunt tummy lightly. Yzmar sighed out and turned his face a bit to his left, getting both their cheeks rubbing one another.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing, just felt like cuddling a bit. You feel much smoother when your skin is clean, though I'm ticked a bit at those pants."

"You took some time to get out, yet you're still naked."

"Oh, I just took your clothes and put them in the washing machine yesterday, so I was checking if they were dry."

"All this time checking on clothes?"

"*Gurgle~* No, I made a phone call, I told the boss that I'm taking a week off."

"Did he allow it?"

"He did, though he laughed a bit about it."

"Laughed?!"

"He said there were already five workers who wanted to take the rest of this week off as well."

Yzmar didn't focus on that part much, an image of Lernar lingered in his mind, and he just couldn't imagine him laughing. Turbo's paws went up and sensed his lovers body once more, making him moan and jolt out of his thoughts again. His paws were avoiding the knife wound as best they could, while his muzzle kept rubbing his lover's neck and left cheek.

"*Chuckles~* Turbo, cut that out; you know I'm ticklish."

"So what plans do we have for a 'quick bite' lesson?"

"Lesson?"

"Yeah, you promised to teach me, remember?"

"I was thinking omelets and beans, since it's breakfast."

"Eggs huh?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Mmmmmm..."

Turbo let out a long soft purr, he moved his head a bit and licked at the already healing bite mark, his tongue reached the iron shackle and suddenly rubbed itself over his neck, making Yzmar gasp. A paw reached over his lover's pants and pressed lightly against his groin, receiving an immediate response from Yzmar holding his paw with both hands. The tiger's member was already poking slightly between his butt cheeks from over his slacks, too, it made the human panic even more.

"Hey... *gasp~* Turbo?!"

"I think I'll make do with just 'you' on the menu, mate."

"Turbo, c'mon, man. We were just at it last night."

"But you're so ridiculously delicious, mate! *rawr~* 'can never get enough of y-"

They froze at the sound of the apartment's doorbell, just looking at one another in surprise, who would visit in this ungodly hour? They remained motionless for a bit, but the doorbell blew again; they were not imagining it. Turbo broke the hug with a grumble and his eyebrows clearly frowned in disturbance, bothered that something happened and spoiled their lovely moment.

"I'll get it."

"... wait, you'll what?!"

Yzmar instantly stood in his way, stopping him in the living room and looked at him in shock. It wasn't clear to Turbo yet, he tilted his head in puzzles at the huffing human in front of him.

"H-Hold it right there, mister."

"What's with you?"

"You can't open that door."

"I can't?"

"Not looking like this, no! Especially not with your dingo out!"

Turbo looked down at himself, and his feline dick stared up at him in its turn, as if saying 'ello thar'. He smirked to himself and gave a paw wave.

"... oh... hi there."

"Get something on, sheesh. Let me answer the door."

"Fine."

Yzmar went inside his room too, putting on a white short-sleeved shirt in a hurry, almost cursing at the guest when the door bell blew a third time. Walking to the apartment's door, he remembered the first time he answered the doorbell, and made sure the door chain was there. He cleared his throat and called out.

"Yes? Who is it?"

"Yzmar!"

"That voice... Claus?"

"Yea, it's me."

"Hold on, I'll get the chain."

Yzmar undid the chain and opened the lock, and just as he opened the door a white figure jumped at him, bashing his body strongly and making him take two steps back.

"SUH-PRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ~!"

"WOAH! H-HEL... eh?"

Zed held him just in time before he loses his balance, and stood there laughing childishly at his face.

"Scared you, didn't IIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiii~?"

"... a hell lot."

The human was holding his racing heart; for a minute there, he thought he'd be assaulted and/or abducted again. He looked at the door, and there they were, all 5 of them were here (counting Zed who's already sticking to his body like a bandage). Yzmar blinked twice, confused.

"Why is everyone here? Shouldn't you guys be-"

"We all took some days oooooooffff~"

"... what? Seriously?!"

"Yeah, bro! We thought we could drop you a vizzziiiiiiit~!"

"You guys... don't tell me you-"

Yzmar's head rocked forward, forcing his body to bow forward and almost knocking him on the ground. His neck pulsed in heat from the back, then he realized that Zed just delivered a smack at him... a hard one, to be exact.

"Yup yup, we all had it figured out and decided we could all have fun together."

Flok looked at Yzmar and smiled, he brought one hand to his face and shook his head.

"From what I know about humans, I hope I'm wrong."

"P-pardon?"

"You don't see a human answering the door with only his undershirt on, unless..."

Yzmar suddenly remembered that, and his head turned red all over, making Silver and Kuma laugh out loud in his face.

"Wops, he's blushing!"

"Err, I..."

Zed instantly snatched at his undershirt, looking too close at his eyes and face with a wide expression of joy and shock.

"*GASP~* ORLY?! Is there another biiiiiiiiiite~?"

"Wh-what?! H-hey, stop pulling-"

Yzmar felt another earthquake; the damn owl was shaking him violently, it made his chest hurt.

"IwannaseeIwannaseeIwannasee!!"

"Zed, stop! Not too hard, you'll-"

*riiiiiiiip~*

Zed finally stopped, surprised that he could see Yzmar's bare upper body now, then soon realizing that he had half of his shirt in his hands. Yzmar's face got even more red, everyone halted at the situation's awkwardness.

"... rip my... shirt... *sigh~*"

"*Chuckles~* wopsy, me bad!"

"..."

"I'm sorry, my friiiend~ I'll buy you a new one, I promiiise~."

"It's... it's ok, don't bother yourself..."

Silver began analyzing him, humming wickedly to himself through a closed muzzle, eyeing the T shaped pendant.

"Nice necklace there, we didn't get to see it last time."

"... it's..."

"Oh and look, the bite mark looks clear now. Wow, what a BIG mark Turbo gave you, he must have-"

"Silver, knock it o... wait a minute..."

There was something... odd, everyone was shirtless (except for Flok, who had a yellow gym shirt). Kuma, Zed and Flok had shorts on, more like sea trunks, while Claus and Silver were in... speedos. And they were all looking at him, it made him a bit nervous. His head began thinking nerdy again; Zed suggested they all have 'fun' together, them dressed like this, and eyeing him in interest. The human gulped with effort, trying his best not to think of the worst kind of 'fun' they had in mind.

"That 'fun' you mentioned, I hope it's not what I think."

Zed looked puzzled at first, but his gay attitude soon returned and banged his back again with his feathery hand, laughing at his face.

"Yyyyyou nnnnnaughty Earthliiiiiiing! No, we didn't mean an ORGY or anything of the sooooooort~"

"W-what!! No, I-I-I didn't think o-of..."

"We'rrrrrre going TO THE BEACH! YEA BABY!"

"B... Beach?! In this freezing weather?!"

Yzmar suddenly found his arm sealed by Zed, he turned to Claus and he was no different than him, holding Yzmar's other arm and smiling with his eyes closed.

"G... guys?!"

Claus giggled as he tightened his hold on his arm, making sure he won't get any hope of breaking free.

"We're taking you along, Yzmar."

"W-w-w-what?! N-no, hey, hold o-"

"No excuses, dude, we'll drag you there, tied up if we have to."

"What's with all the racket?"

Yzmar couldn't believe how happy he was to hear that voice again, looks like Turbo finished putting something on at last and is now out of his room.

"Turbo, thank God. Hey, please talk them off of-"

Yzmar looked back at him, and he wished he never did. They all turned their attention to Turbo who just walked out of his room, still naked but had his sausage covered at least... with a pose speedo, which did almost nothing in hiding his personal tools. The human had a wild guess that Turbo did some weight-lifting but now he's sure of it. Still, he didn't know if he should be glad that he at least 'did' put something on, or utterly embarrassed at him appearing like this. Yzmar felt his pressure increasing from distress (or maybe heat, whichever serves the meaning better at such circumstances); maybe he should have been more specific and told him to 'wear some pants and a shirt too' when he made do with 'put something on'.

Zed looked at him and opened his beak in surprise, even the 'loud mouth' guy in the group was struck speechless at his sight. But soon he beamed widely as he let out a sharp whistle, almost clapping at his enterprising appearance.

"Wooooooooaaah~ Turboooo, lookkkk-KING goooooood~<3"

"... I should have known it was you lots."

Yzmar chuckled sarcastically at him, still being held by Zed and Claus each from an arm.

"Turbo, good going, man!"

"... huh?"

"So you're a regular visitor to the gym, you could have told me instead of showing me."

"... what are you talking about?"

"I say put something on, and that's all you do... spectacular."

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"Excuse me, but did you say 'what's wrong with me' just now?!"

"I didn't want to put a thing on in the first place."

Yzmar gasped hard while the rest looked about themselves, doing that math was easy; didn't want to put 'a thing' on and appearing with only a speedo proposes one possible answer.

"Besides, you're the one that suggested I should cover m-"

"ACK!! STOP! DON'T SAY IT OUT LOUD, YOU DORK!"

"..."

Silver smirked to himself, while Flok got burned red and couldn't hold his laugh as he turned away, afraid of being rude. Yzmar couldn't believe himself, Turbo didn't feel the least embarrassed around these guys, are friends like that? Really? The wolf came closer and pat on Yzmar's shoulder while still staring Turbo up and down.

"Oh? Was there some 'action' going on recently?"

"S-Silver?!"

"Snaps, did we interrupt any cutchy-cutchy moments?"

"Silver, you're a real asshole, you know that?"

"So I was right? Is that why you're furious and-"

"No, insolent nerd. I happen to have zero tolerance right now."

"Riiiiiiight. Sorry, your opened wound up there fooled me."

Yzmar stammered, he instantly looked up. Was it bleeding? He couldn't tell. Soon, Silver laughed loudly as he brushed his head in a messy pattern, almost catching him red-handed.

"Bwahahah. Relax, it's not bleeding, but your reaction is so easy to read now; I was 'spot on', wasn't I?"

Yzmar closed his eyes as his head was about to steam in embarrassment, not believing how 'open' and 'simple' these guys are with each others, Turbo didn't seem to mind it much himself. If his wound opened now, he wouldn't be surprised. Everyone began laughing at him, and the poor human sighed out hopelessly, not bothering himself anymore. Flok, being the first one that controlled himself and held it inside, turned to Turbo and gave him a thumb-up expression as he winked.

"Turbo, you look just perfect, you'll ease things on us a lot."

"... I'm lost."

Flok made his way to the tiger, taking his chance as he wasn't even alarmed yet. He held his right arm with both hands, and Silver - getting the message - instantly went for Turbo's left arm. The tiger got baffled in confusion, he jerked on his arms but their hold was clearly unyielding.

"Hey! What's your fucking problem?!"

"We're going to the beach, dude."

"Beach?"

"And we're taking you both along."

"Now hold it here, you idiots. Yzmar is..."

Suddenly, the tiger stopped, it was a short moment but that was all his body needed. His one-sided mind rushed quickly, sending him a series of short messages. Hmm, beach, sun, water, sand... Yzmar, him, beach... Yzmar, him, beach, beach shorts, warmth, umbrella, relaxing...

...

...

An image soon kicked in his mind with all those elements combined, and he saw Yzmar cuddling with him on the golden beach sand, shivering, shielding himself from the chilly wind by curling up to his partner, protecting himself in his hug...

"... hmm, sounds good."

Yzmar turned at Turbo in shock, almost wishing for this to be a bad dream right there and wake up on a sweaty bed with Turbo snoring and drooling on his head. But that didn't happen; Turbo was really taking their side.

"Turbo?! THE FUCK YOU DOING?!"

"Hey, we've been 'doing' nothing lately, a day at the bea-"

"But I'm sick!"

"You seem alright enough to shout."

"Err..."

"Oh, calm down. Weren't you the one tired of staying in bed?"

"But going to the beach on such a freezing weather... This bad joke went too far already-"

Claus tugged at Yzmar's arm, and smiled at his face.

"It's no joke, my friend, we're really doing it."

"Claus, not you too... please, not now..."

"Oh, c'mon, everything will be fine. The sooner the better, the 'real' winter will show up and then we won't be able to."

"... ugh."

"It'll be fun, trust me. We'll take your medicine with us so you won't get worse."

(My, thanks for your 'big' concern over my flu.)

"C'mon, Yzmar, pweeeeeeeeez?"

"God, how can I say no when everyone pulls at me like this?"

"Yay, so you'll come!"

"I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"*Chuckles~* Nope, I'm afraid not."

He looked at everyone, and they looked back at him, awaiting his approval although they didn't really need it. Flok and Silver weren't holding Turbo anymore since he instantly agreed, that left only the human now. Yzmar sighed, wriggling his arms once in his friends' hold.

"Ok fine, fine. Just let go of me for a min-"

"Cool, let's go!"

"Wait, let me put something-hey... HEY L-LET GO, HEY!!"

+++

"Tch... 'the hell are they?! It's been like an hour."

Silver fixed the umbrella with Kuma on the sand, putting their basket and stuff near it after deciding to take this spot on the beach. The wolf mooned, placing both his paws on his back to crack it, then turned to Turbo, who just stood there tabbing his foot and crossing his arms.

"Actually, it has been only 20 minutes sinc-"

"Oh zip your canine muzzle, you know what I meant."

"*Sigh~* they said they wouldn't be long, Turbo, relax."

"How long can dressing someone with shorts take?!"

"Well, at least they have something for him, that's a good thing, right? He had some jeans on, I'd say it's not a usual thing to wear on the beach... don't you think?"

"That's because he got 'dragged' out the apartment like that."

"Speaking about the usual thing to wear..."

"Huh?"

Turbo turned to Silver, and found him staring at him again. Silver was humming to himself; Turbo had a short over his speedo now, and a big fluffy gray leather jacket that was a bit unzipped from the top, showing some of his well-formed body. Turbo narrowed his eyes at him, flailing his tail left and right as he rumbled at Silver.

"What's with that look, wolfy fuzz? See something you like?"

"I was... surprised a bit, you didn't mind coming with just a speedo before."

"That was before."

"What changed now?"

"Don't you remember how things were? I come to the beach with only that thing on and every eye on the beach takes a slurp at my looks."

"*Chuckles~* Yeah, lads and lasses, all the same."

"Some would even get close and still not break their stares."

"Remember that one time this reptilian macho dude faking a drop near us and fall on you?"

"I mean, it doesn't hurt to feel wanted like that, but now I have a mate. I don't want him to see such a thing, you know?"

"Heh, yeah I hear you."

Kuma sat in the shade of the umbrella and stared back at the other two, he scratched his left arm with his right claws and shook his head slightly to stay awake. His eyes were narrow, but his expression could have been out of sadness, or drowsiness, or just from the sun... but what he said next was a clear clue.

"Kuma envies his friends."

Both the tiger and wolf turned to him in silence.

"Kuma would love to feel wanted."

Turbo sighed out and smiled at him, feeling a bit sorry for him. Kuma was a bear, and by saying bear you are describing both his species AND his appearance, although saying chubby would describe him better. He didn't seem bothered by it at all, since he gets to do what he wants; eat and sleep. But, because of that, it was hard for him to be under the spotlight. Silver chuckled a bit, waving his paw at him.

"And your friends don't make you feel that?"

"Kuma means wanted as more than friends."

"Oh, give me a break, if anyone is envious around here, it should be me."

"Kuma doesn't understand."

"You won't, even if I try to explain it to you, and that's why I'm so envious."

"... Kuma still doesn't-"

"Yeah, I know that, I know... damn it, never mind."

Silver sighed as the bear sulked even more now.

"Look, just don't think about it much, buddy. There are those who love chubbies too, you know."

"Kuma would love to find one."

"You will, you look cute enough so-"

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEY~"

The three turned at the cheerful-beyond-measures owl as he flapped his wingy arms around while running. He stopped near them and took a minute to breathe, then raised his face at them in total glee.

"We finally did it! O' MERCIFUL LORD, WE DID IT!"

"Calm down, Zed. Where are the oth-"

Zed instantly snatched at Silver's neck and began pulling and pushing repeatedly. Silver opened his eyes wide as he saw the world going back and forth quickly.

"HOLY SHIT SANDWICH, WE DID IT, I TELL YOU~!"

"W-w-w-w-what th-th-th-th-th'ffffuck?!"

Silver howled in annoyance and shoved him away, rubbing at his neck as Zed's grip almost strangled him in his own chain.

"Fucking bird, don't do that; my chain nearly pier-"

"FORGET YOUR BLOODY CHAIN, WE DID IT!"

"WELL, YEAH GREAT BUT WHAT THE HELL IS 'IT'?!"

"WE GOT HIM TO CHANGE!"

"... him? Yzmar?"

"Yup yup, they'll be here in a-OH! There they aaaaaaare~!"

Turbo and Silver turned at the other three coming from afar, Flok and Claus were talking with each others, walking side by side, while the human was walking behind them almost covered up by them. Every single furry they passed by was eyeing the human in surprise, among other feelings. They turned to one another, nodded, then parted to reveal Yzmar with a 'tadaaa'!

Silver kept staring at the unbelievable sight before him, and Turbo was no better. Yzmar was 'forced' into putting a custom, he had a pair of artificial orange tiger ears fixed over his hair, orange paws-like gloves and boots, and an orange speedo with black tiger lines all over it. Not only that, Yzmar was holding both his hands a bit to his chest, like a dog would do when standing on his hind legs, and keeping his paws dangling a bit down, and his legs clapped together shyly from hips to knees. His necklace dangling like that from his neck almost looked like he's someone's loyal slave. Yzmar wasn't proud of himself one bit, his head was blushing strongly, darting down at the golden sand, embarrassment was about to kill him, but he couldn't stop them; it was 3-on-1.

Silver stared at him without a sound, he didn't blink, nor did he say anything, this situation was just... he just didn't expected to see anything like this. A smile crawled to his muzzle, soon turning to a toothy grin, and finally exploding in laughter.

"This... This is Yzmar?! This is epic! BWAHAHAHA!"

"What do you thiiiiiink?! Pretty good, huuuuh?"

"Good? Damn it, this is so cute... so cute it's WRONG!"

"Oh, check out the best part! Yzmaaar, turn arooouuund~!"

Yzmar didn't move, just standing there was thwarting enough. He took a couple of steps back, refusing to turn, but Flok and Claus knew he wouldn't; they both held him and forced him to turn a bit, making it better to notice the downy orange tail attached to his speedo.

Silver laughed harder, he laid one paw on Zed's shoulder and bowed his upper body, almost cracking up completely. Kuma stood up and came close, looking at the human calmly then smiled.

"Kuma thinks Yzmar looks great. Can Yzmar dance in that?"

"Kuma, please spare me."

"Can Kuma give Yzmar a Bear Hug in that?"

"Err... t... tempting, but no thanks, not now."

Finally pulling himself together, Silver looked at him again and muffled another laugh. Yzmar looked ridiculously endearing in that outfit, but his laughter didn't stop.

"Damit, you look... *chuckle~* so innocent!"

He turned to Turbo and pointed at the human with his thumb.

"No wonder you opened up for him, Turbo, he's-"

Silver stopped suddenly, noticing that long surprised quiet stare from the tiger. He wasn't listening, his eyes - and all his other functions - stopped at the sight of his mate appearing like this, and his jaw dropped down in shock... more like a pleasing shock. His yellow eyes were struck off-guard, who was that sexy tiger standing in front of him? Was it really his mate? Was he always this... this...? Turbo gulped silently, still darting with wide open eyes at him, remembering how he fantasized about him yesterday. Silver grinned, approached the tiger and nudged his shoulder with his elbow, bringing him back to reality.

"Hey Turbo! Yo snap out of it, dude, and close that mouth or else you're gunna drool."

"W-What?"

"Look, I know he looks so darn smexy and all-"

"Wh-what are you talking about? I... I'm not..."

"... dude, what's with the nose bleed?"

"N... nonsense! I have no nose bleed!"

Turbo turned away, annoyed, then slowly brought one paw to his muzzle, checking his nose. Realizing that his nose wasn't bleeding, he glared at Silver with narrow eyes and said nothing, finally getting the point of his lie. He stood silent, as Silver and Zed almost hugged each others in laughter, their eyes watered a bit from hilarity. Flok turned to Yzmar in the middle of this commotion and smiled, whispering.

(See? Told you he'll gulp his tongue.)

(I never agreed on anything, yet you guys...)

(*Grin~* Don't worry, this was just a joke aimed at Turbo-)

(Which involved me wearing funny setup... nice...)

(I'm sorry, we brought a spare trunk for you.)

(Gee, I feel much better already. When can I wear it?)

(*Chuckles~* I don't think they'll mind if you do now.)

(... *sigh~* well, that's a relief.)

+++

Everyone sat under the big umbrella's shade, still talking about daily life, about work, and sometimes throwing jokes at how Yzmar looked adorable in that custom. Everyone seemed to be forgetting themselves but this one human, who was silent almost the entire time just looking at them. They probably didn't think about it, but they were so open with one another, they laughed over anything, big and small, and they didn't mind talking about anything... almost felt like family.

Zed and Silver were like that classic cartoon work Tom and Jerry by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera; rivals, comical, and always have different opinions and thoughts, but sometimes - only sometimes - you'd find them hand-in-hand on a couple of things. And Flok was more like the 'father' type; he only enjoyed the company of his friends, it didn't matter for him where they hang out, as long as they were together.

Claus and Kuma were the green type, the type that makes you wish for your own immaturity to come back to you. The bunny was not as loud as the rest, but he sure did seem to enjoy his time with them. And Kuma was mostly the 'listener' of the group, not really courageous enough to talk (to the point that might fool some to be the 'wise' type) but he had the loudest guffaws, even louder than Zed.

And lastly Turbo, who didn't seem to be that talkative either, except for a couple of picks on his friends whenever he wanted to grin at someone like the bully he was. He'd make an excellent scalawag if it wasn't for Flok's effort, who succeeded most of the time in calming things down.

Yzmar sat speechless, feelings and thoughts crowded inside his head, like a new hypermarket opening for the first time and having half a billion crazy people dashing at the entrance all at once. He felt misplaced, he 'knew' he was, not because he wasn't a furry, but even his personality felt alien this time; everyone completed the other in this group, and only his presence was not of that importance. He was still self-protective, felt the need to stay defensive, he didn't even loosen up with Turbo completely.

Soon, the rabbit stood up and joggled a big beach ball in his paws. He stood out of the umbrella and shouted.

"Hey, let's play beach ball!"

Everyone looked at Claus and seemed to be happy with the idea, they never get to go to the beach like this so often. They all exchanged nods, supporting the proposal... but the human looked long at the ball in Claus' hand and said nothing, finding yet another reason to feel like an outsider. He soon felt Turbo's paw on his bare shoulder as he inquired.

"What's wrong, mate?"

"Nothing, just me wondering... what beach ball is..."

"Beach ball? It's like Volley ball, identical in every-"

"What's Volley ball?"

Everyone turned to Yzmar in silence, a long skeptical stare fixed at the human from every direction. He looked at everyone as he turned about himself, and found the wolf patting on his shoulder in accusing accents.

"Sure, and I don't know the Mother Maiden's name."

"What? I'm serious, I don't kn... wait, who the hell is this Mother Maiden?!"

"Oh stop the act! Forget Mother Maiden, but who wouldn't know Volley ball!?"

"I'm... honest, I really have no idea what that is."

"Are you for real?! It's you humans who introduced that kind of sport in the first place, how can you NOT know?!"

Turbo gawked at the human from behind; Yzmar was clearly telling the truth, but - for someone to be oblivious about a well-known sport - it was also clear that Yzmar didn't get raised up in normal environments. Given his rare disease, he must have been living his life differently, maybe alone. The tiger found himself reflecting on his mate's personality, no wonder why he felt so gloomy and somewhat uncivil, he hardly knows how to have fun at all.

Silver pat on Yzmar's shoulder, then joined the rest in outlining the field.

"It's easy, just don't let the ball bounce in your team's field."

"What?"

"Don't worry, it's really simple."

Yzmar stood there, baffled, lost. Silver, Flok, Zed and Claus soon got to work, while he stood still, watching them in dazed glares, his thoughts were no longer troubled about the game... why? He was so close to them, and they all considered the other as a friend, so why? Why did they still feel so far beyond? Why was he a stranger between them?

A gust of wind suddenly brushed his entire body into shivers and shakes, he hugged himself and trembled, feeling his pendent flapping about in the strong wind.

'Well, at least they won't need me because-'

He opened his eyes again and looked back at the umbrella, Kuma was still there, he was lying on his back and closing his eyes... obviously snoozing. He didn't seem bothered by the wind while his thick fur danced lazily with every breeze.

'Wow, when did HE sleep?!'

Yzmar sighed; counting Kuma out, he needs to join the others to make even teams. Another waft struck the human, sending him shivering strongly this time.

"Heh, must be nice to have fur covering your whole body."

"Not really."

Yzmar blinked twice as he felt a warm fluffy jacket being placed on him, carefully being dressed over his shoulders with its sleeves dangling freely down. He turned his head a bit to the right, glancing on the handsome furry bare chest behind him as Turbo removed his own jacket to warm him up. He was gazing at his eye, the feline's ogle turned Yzmar's cheeks red instantly, his jacket was so warm, and it carried his scent along with it.

"... Not really? Why?"

"Sometimes, I look at my mate and get... green."

"... Immature? Turbo, that doesn't make any sense."

Turbo said nothing more, even though he meant 'envy' here. He smiled and rubbed his paws on his mate's shoulders from over the jacket, then walked away to join the others. Another gale dashed about, making Yzmar brace his lover's jacket around him... the jacket was warm, so warm from being already worn by someone before him, and it went down further than his hips since it was too big on him. He stood there in awe, closing his eyes, this warmth...

"Heeeeeeeey!"

Yzmar looked up at everyone again, and the owl was waving for him to hurry up as they were about to start.

"Quit daydreaming about your lover in bed and HURRY UP~!"

+++

"So... remind me again why must I end up with the owl!?"

Flok turned to Silver as the wolf crossed his arms in front of him, irritated by being in the same team with Zed. The falcon smiled and shook his head, shrugging.

"Well, Turbo and I are considered big-sized, so it's fair to be in different teams."

"... and?"

"And, considering Yzmar's inexperience, the human has to be teamed up with Claus, since he's a pro."

"... like I said... AND?"

"Man, can't you see the whole picture yet? Either way around, it would be Yzmar, Claus, Turbo or Yzmar, Claus, myself."

"... you're saying that, in both cases, I'm stuck with-"

Silver suddenly bit his own tongue as Zed came close and smacked his head from behind. The owl laughed out near the bowing wolf and gave two thumbs up.

"Don't worry, Sylvie dear. We'lllllllll CRUSH 'EM BABY!"

Silver sighed, feeling a little bit of blood in his mouth. He turned at the self-esteemed avian and said nothing. Remembering what Flok said before they arrange all this up and drag them both out, he tried to be patient at least today, since the whole idea of coming to the beach was to lighten the mood up.

"Zeth, I think you mathe me bithe my thongue."

"ORLY!? Wow, you can reach your THONG!? Wish I caaaan~"

"I did noth... *sigh~*"

"Yeah, Zed loves to do 'em knots toooooooo~!"

"... you're nut-th..."

"Yup, love 'em nuts toooooooo~."

"Whatha dick~!"

"OH GAWD YES~! I LIKE ALL KINDS OF D-"

"SHUDDAAAAAAAP!"

And there it was again, Jerry ran around with a laughter while Tom chased after. Flok shrugged and smacked his forehead in defeat; these guys are just too much of a handful.

Meanwhile, Claus was a little busy with Yzmar in his team, trying to be as clear as possible about the rules. But even if it was Volley ball, or Beach ball, or even Hide-and-go-Seek... teaching someone oblivious about the game just before seconds before the game starts can be hideous.

Turbo was enjoying the show nevertheless, he was in the same team with his mate and didn't really mind much about anything else; they could lose for all he cares. Claus frowned a bit, Yzmar didn't seem to be able to grasp the simplest thing about the game.

"God, Yzmar, focus with me here."

"I'm trying, I really am."

"Are you the same Yzmar that everyone praised in the factory?"

"Err..."

Seeing that it might take long to actually explain it to him, they ended up giving him the easiest job: staying in the back for any long balls from the other team. After all, just 'playing' the game would give the human a better idea about what he must do.

Yzmar stared blankly at his teammates, Turbo was so close to the net, while Claus stood between him and the tiger in the middle of their field. Flok's team was different, the falcon and the wolf both stood near the net, leaving Zed in charge of the bigger part of their field. He suddenly felt nervous, what was that feeling? Was he... scared? His hands and feet were wriggling nonstop, and he found himself gulping a lot. He zipped Turbo's jacket up more, thinking this to be the effects of chilly wind bashing at his chest, but that didn't help; he didn't know what caused his heart to speed up... was it a clutch? Odd, he was experiencing this for the first time.

Zed was preparing to serve, but Yzmar's feet were still shaking. Was it fear? He was certainly shaking. Why was he thrilled?

"Yzmar! The ball! Don't let it bounce!"

Yzmar came to at the rabbit's shout, he looked up quickly, getting his eyes blinded by the sun. He bowed his head instantly, raising one hand at his head to hide the sunrays, and soon noticing the colorful ball scoring a point in their field with a gentle bounce.

"YYYEOWWWW! That one's FOR US, YA BABY~!"

Yzmar looked up again at everyone, Turbo smiled helplessly at him while Claus didn't believe what just happened. Flok and Silver looked at each others and shook their heads, expecting such an outcome from someone new, and Zed jumped several times, happy for a score all the same. Being good and all in this game, the bunny seemed a little upset. He came to Yzmar and looked him in the eyes.

"You didn't even move... a muscle."

"I... err..."

Turbo came close to them and pat the bunny's shoulder lightly.

"Hey, give him a break, he doesn't even know what he-"

"But, at this rate, they'll win."

"... so let them win, it's just a game."

"It's not a game, Turbo, this is war!"

The tiger took a step back when those eyes of flames got fixed on him now. Claus refused to lose; his eyes were brimming with frustration.

"Wow, hey... calm down, Claus, it's not like we'll be some sitting ducks and let them win."

"Exactly! We'll win no matter what."

"... *sigh~*"

Turbo shook his head silently at Claus and hinted with his eyes at Yzmar; the human was seriously sulking, it felt like he was - yet again - sensing this gap between himself and everyone else.

(You idiot of a child, it's all your damn fault!)

"... sorry, I'm just a dead weight."

A long awkward moment of silence tied the rabbit's tongue, and the tiger was no better, both gawking at the human sulking.

"HEEEEEEEEEEY~!"

The three of them turned back at the other team, catching the owl jumping several times in his spot and waving both arms.

"What's wrong!? Did someone die or what? I'm not done with my scoring streak. Hurry up and let's continuuuue~!"

Turbo grinned at the owl, this cocky bird sure knows how to change the mood all in one innocent line. He turned again to Yzmar and winked as he got back to the net.

"Try again, mate. Prevent it from bouncing only once, and leave the rest to your team."

"... but it's-"

Claus banged at his shoulder as he too took his place back.

"Don't think about it, just do it!"

"A... alright."

The human looked at their backs as his team stood in position again. He reached with one hand to his chest, his heart was drumming faster... was it his illness? But it felt different this time, he wasn't sure what was the cause. This simple game felt somewhat important now; although it didn't matter who wins, this new ecstatic excitement building inside him was... what was it? Is this... 'fun'? The edges of his mouth curved upward slightly... whatever it was, it was intense in its own way.

+++

The game carried on somewhat normally after that, Yzmar began feeling more daring to challenge himself now, his feet didn't respond quickly for him at first and he ended up missing some shots. But now his face just couldn't stop smiling, everyone else kept playing, and laughed lightly over every mistake. It felt like he could calculate where the ball would go just by looking, and moving a lot in the field got his body warm in this cold weather, encouraging him to move. The game began to draw a lot of hilarity too; Zed just couldn't resist molesting Silver by tripping him at times, or hit the ball directly to his head and face. They even needed to stop the game for 5 minutes for those two to end their usual chase.

Their match eventually drew the attention of many furries around them, as they gathered and monitored their game. Some were interested in the game, others just kept eyeing that beef hulking falcon and muscular tiger all the while, whistling provokingly at times, making Turbo a little bit edgy since he removed his jacket. And, being so worked up, his fur glistened in sweat, reflecting his fine structure to everyone's eyes.

"Woah!"

Turbo turned back, as the ball wasn't aimed at him near the net, nor to Yzmar at the end, it was in-between at Claus. He received the ball unprepared, bashing it upward as it got even further from the net. He dropped on his back and looked up, instantly shouting at his fellow teammates.

"Ack! *pant~* Shoot, the ball!"

"I got it!"

"I got it!"

Both Yzmar and Turbo raised their eyes at the ball, not hearing one another as they spoke at the same time. The tiger rushed back hurriedly, thinking only of saving the situation... but that thought went as far as tripping on Claus' feet. He lost his balance and dashed even more forward towards the human. Yzmar suddenly found a tiger running at him, losing control on his breaks as he flailed his arms about.

"T-Turbo, watch out!"

"UHCRAAAAAAAAAAP~!"

What happened next made some spectators gasp, some of them laughed, some of them clapped and whistled in tease... the other team looked at themselves and grinned in naughty thoughts; that wasn't a part of their plan, but it sure turned interesting.

Claus got up and turned to his teammates, and gasped as he saw the tiger lying on the ground behind him, with the human being under him. Turbo thought quickly when he fell on his mate, he brought his right paw on the ground and flexed his left elbow and wrist on the other side of Yzmar's body as he fell, while the human got bashed down at the sand and brought both his arms and hands on Turbo's bare strong sweaty torso, afraid of being crushed. Their eyes met, and they kept panting in both shock and fatigue since they played for an hour now.

"You-*huff~*... you ok, mate?"

"... y-yeah... *pants~* I'm ok."

The ball soon fell on Turbo's head, making him bow down more and touch Yzmar's lips with his faintly. They both got rosy all of a sudden, and the laughter of their friends made Turbo uncomfortable...

But there was someone else laughing, too.

The tiger couldn't believe it; the only laughter his eyes were glancing at looked so beautiful, maybe driven by everyone else's chortles and scorns. The tiger stared long, still not moving from on top of him, and the human just laughed hysterically at his snout, his face was all red now, unable to control this cracker.

Turbo's expression changed, this warmth he's feeling in his chest wasn't from the human's hands, his heart was almost bursting in happiness. That laugh, those wide-grinned lips, that unstable chuckle, even his eyes shut and eyelids glittered... Turbo finally found it, his special laugh; that chuckle sounded so attractive. So that was it all along; he was clueless on how to bring Yzmar's laugh out, but all this human needed was 'friends' from the start, he wanted friends to share joy with, share happiness and time with, share his life with, this new life he found with Turbo.

He smiled...

He couldn't help but smile, he couldn't contain this exploding feeling inside, how did all this happen? And to think that he discovered the key factor to his puzzle by 'tripping' his foot, it was all so sudden, remarkably pleasing. It all made sense, so perfect sense. He kept staring, this laughter was a thing he wanted to dig in his mind, and remember it just as it is! He looked at that joyful pendant dancing with every strong chuckle, gradually calming down... he knew he loved him more than anything, but he could swear that his love for him was still growing ever so stronger.

Yzmar opened his eyes again, looking at that crude tiger lying on top of him. He sighed in astonishment, out of breath; that was definitely the hardest crack he came across, he didn't laugh like this even when that slinky paw attacked his sensitive body.

"Dear God... *phew~* I've never laughed so hard in my life, I'm starting to get woozy."

Turbo still did not believe himself, staring down at his lover with a happy face. There were tears in his mate's eyes, but he didn't wipe them, those were tears he - somehow - was thankful for. Turbo finally got up, and offered his paw to Yzmar, getting him up on his feet again. The human got himself sprang up by Turbo, and instantly found himself in his hold, hugging a pile of sweaty furry muscles, it made some of the eyes around them super jealous... or super hatful of the human, that could be the case too. They looked at one another again in awe, and shortly broke the hug as Turbo reached for the ball again.

"Hey, let's continue; they're still leading with three points after scoring this one."

"Right, let's win this."

+++

"Phew, damn, that was some workout."

"Yeah, petty we stopped counting scores midway."

"Ooooooooow it's all Silver's fault, why did he stop counting our scooooooores?!"

"Shut it, black beak, I was tempted to count the times you targeted my head in comparison with their field!"

"Tehehehe~! Still, it was lots of fuuuuuuun~<3"

Yzmar sat heavily under the umbrella's shade with everyone else, stopping the game after he got his act together somewhat saddened him, but it was so enjoyable all in all. A couple of remarks exploded almost instantly, about how Zed kept bugging Silver, and how Yzmar and Turbo fell on one another, and how Kuma - who's awake by now - instantly fell asleep just before seconds of starting the game. Listening to them brought a small smile on the human, and a chuckle at times, as he kept staring at them silently.

'Friends...'

The word feels light and simple, it doesn't suggest anything severe or vital in one's life at first. Back when he was with them, he never knew anything like friendship, he heard of it, knew such a thing existed, and been told it was pointless. But now... those little smiles and giggles feel so dear, they filled his soul with life. He turned and looked at Turbo, Flok, the owl, everyone... strange group, indeed, but all those picks, jokes and friendly bullies made his heart calm. That orange arm and paw drawing him near his tiger felt as kind as it ever did.

"What is it, Kuma?"

Claus kept staring at his bear friend as he fished in his big picnic basket, apparently looking for something specific. As usual, Claus and Zed took care of bringing food for everyone, but Kuma always preferred bringing his own food. He looked at Claus again and his eyes were sad.

"Kuma can't find his tuna sandwich."

"Tuna?"

"Kuma loves tuna sandwich, Kuma likes to eat at least one so Kuma always brings one."

"T... Tuna!?"

They both turned to the silver-furred wolf, who kept staring at them in paralyzed expressions, something about his face didn't look right. He looked at Zed then back at Kuma, puzzling the rabbit even more.

"What's wrong, Silver?"

"Tuna sandwich... I just ate it, I think."

"What?!"

"Zed gave me his, so I... hold on a second!"

Silver looked again at Zed, and the owl was giggling silently by now, looking back at the angry predator and smirking devilishly.

"OH?! Silver, you big mean wolfy, you ate his fiiiiiiiiiiiiish~?"

"You fucking-"

Silver would have pounced at him again if it wasn't for the bear who kept staring at Silver and drawing closer. Kuma's facial appearance didn't show hatred nor sadness by that time. There was something else on his mind, which made Silver shiver, stepping out of his composure.

"K... Kuma, hold on..."

"Did Silver really eat Kuma's tuna?"

"... err... listen, let's... talk about this-"

"GIVE TUNA BACK TO KUMA!"

"Hey! Calm d-! WOAH~!"

There didn't seem to be much for words by now, Silver ran off as some dangerous brown furball followed after him in amazingly matching speed and turns. The mischief white owl kept laughing at them both, while the rest looked between themselves and didn't know which of the two were they feeling sorry for, maybe both.

"GIVE TUNA BACK!"

"Just how the-*pant~* fuck do you want me to do that?!"

"GIVE TUNA!"

"FU-KUMA, THIS IS POINTLESS, STOP CHASING ME!"

Suddenly, the bear's zeal faded, he stood still as his face sulked down, feeling miserable. Silver, noticing the hunter wasn't chasing after its victim anymore, stopped and turned at the bear, still trying to explain.

"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you, ok? That idiot just..."

"... Kuma's tu... na..."

"... fuck... hey, Kuma... I'm really sorry, dude. C'mon, don't cry."

The bear bowed his head even more, he closed his eyes and whimpered, he tried his best not to cry in front of everyone but a couple of tears slipped out. Yzmar gazed at the bear in surprise, looks like that tuna sandwich means a lot to him to cry over. The wolf came close and patted on his shoulder, then looked back at Zed in anguish stares.

"It's all because of that damned owl that-"

"Kuma wants tuna."

"... eh?!"

Kuma suddenly grabbed the wolf's shoulders with his claws, looking deeply in his face with a sad glare. Silver shivered, the bear's grip was firm and strong. His shiver grew stronger as he saw the bear's eyes brimming with tears and looking at him in strange eagerness, the bear's snout drew closer and closer, the wolf was able to smell his breath now.

"K-Kuma?"

"Kuma wants to at least taste tuna."

"But I've already... w-wait!"

"Kuma wants to taste Silver's mouth."

"What?! WAIT, WHAT?!"

"Silver must still have tuna between teeth."

"HOLD ON, WHAT THE F-?!"

Everyone back at the umbrella stared in unsigned silence, while others around their spot stole glances and whistles. Silver found himself pinned down, as the bear chained his movement using his mighty claws and the weight of his enormous body, and locked his jaw with the wolf. Silver's eyes were shocked, his body wriggled strongly, trying to break free. But it was all futile; the bear took his time slurping inside him, ravishing around his sharp teeth and mouth walls.

The sight was sudden as much as it was scary, Kuma wasn't thinking straight anymore and all his mind wanted was the taste of his favorite fish. The bear growled loudly, his slurps grew stronger, sucking at Silver's mouth in vigor. Even Zed sat in shock at the scene; they knew how much their bear friend loved tuna, but this was so outrageous. The poor wolf's struggle ended, his mouth being battered to its limits, even his drool got sucked out of his mouth for the faint taste of fish in it.

Kuma finally left his muzzle, sitting up straight with his body still over Silver's crotch. He glanced down, suddenly afraid; his friend was just lying there without moving.

"Oh dear!"

"Gaaah~"

"I-is Silver alright? Kuma didn't mean to hurt Silver."

"Just... *haack~* just get off me..."

The bear got up, so innocently helping the wolf back on his feet and pat at his back, getting all that sand off his fur. Silver wiped his jaw and looked at him, worried since Kuma still had a sad look on his face.

"... what now? Not done yet?"

"K... Kuma is afraid, Silver is angry with Kuma now."

"All this for a sandwich? Really, Kuma?"

"Kuma is... Kuma is really sorry."

(All this because... fuck that owl, I'll definitely make him pay sometime.)

Silver sighed, bowing his chest forward in fatigue and gulping several times now that his tongue felt suddenly dry. He remembers reading about some vampire legends in human folklore before, but they suck blood not spit... SPECIALLY not mixed with tuna!

Turbo chuckled back at the umbrella.

"Zed, be careful from now on; he might really kill you."

Zed was strangely calm, his looks were still not broken from those two as the wolf kept scolding the bear near him. He soon shook his head and turned to everyone else, smiling again bashfully.

"Wopsy, I'll be careful next taaaaaaaaaime~!"

"Something tells me you won't."

"Enough about that; these sandwiches taste awesoooooome~!"

Claus smiled, taking another sandwich in his hand.

"Sandwiches are easy, you don't need a lot to make one tasty."

A strange smile appeared on Turbo's face, drinking his soda as he resigned from eating anymore. He shook his head and tsked several times to get their attention.

"These were so-so, but still were good."

Zed stared at the tiger and smirked, blocking his beak with one hand and muttered with a muffled chuckle.

"What, like YOU would know anything about making food, Turbooooooo~!"

"When it comes to food, I think Yzmar surprised me the most."

"Yzmar? ORLY?"

"Hell yeah, his food isn't just awesome, it's a work of art."

Everyone looked at the human, who - by now - was staring at the sandwich in his hand and blushed hard once more. Being the main subject in his friends' gossip made him anxious, and him being there didn't stop them from discussing him so freely. Flok gave an interesting glare as he turned back at Turbo.

"He's that good, huh? Guess we need to find out for ourselves some time, don't you think?"

"Yeah, he also made some lip-smacking stuff yesterday despite his fever-"

Yzmar nudged the tiger's stomach with his elbow, getting more uncomfortable as his mate enjoyed the look on his face.

"Stop talking about me as if I'm not here."

"Alright, sorry..."

A couple of minutes passed in silence, but soon Zed blasted in his own special attitude, that kind of innocence that makes you wonder if it was pure or just another devil in disguise.

"So how did it happen, Turbo? How did you fall in looooove~?"

"... I don't know, we just did."

"Oh, c'mon nooooooow~ That's the boring stuuuuuuuuff~!"

"I don't know what to tell you, what do you want to know?"

"I mean both of you were like water and oil, then suddenly-"

Yzmar sighed, they are STILL talking as if he wasn't there with them, and the topic got more sensitive. He knew that, someday, they'd be asking him, or Turbo, about it, but for it to happen in his presence like this... these guys were too free with one another, he didn't know for sure if that was good or bad.

He soon stood up, telling everyone that he needed to find a 'lavatory' while the sole reason was not to hear their discussion. He walked away, still hearing them indulging in the same subject, and - remembering the bear and the wolf - he smiled as Silver didn't seem so angry with Kuma back then as he feared he would be. It was kinda strange, though, it made Yzmar wonder whether if that wolf liked the unexpected kiss or not, a thought that made him chuckle silently to himself as he left their sight.

Reaching quite a few feet away, he entered the restroom. He turned to one sink, amazed at the better-than-expected condition of this place (public restrooms back on Earth were almost always in a sad state). He reached for the rushing water with his right hand, but his left hand was still on his chest, over his heart. He looked at his reflection through the mirror, and the person he saw looking back was his own, yet those feelings were so new. His heart is still rushing at an unbelievable speed, joy was filling his soul. That reflection began to smile now, and a sigh of comfort escaped Yzmar's lips. He was happy around them, it seems that he doesn't know yet what Life is.

His joy was cut short; nothing good lasts forever in this sad world. His expression changed, he stepped closer to make sure, examining his face. His eyes... his eyes were...

(Shit... stay strong...)

The toilet's main door creaked open, and whoever entered didn't move much, standing a couple of feet away from Yzmar. The human lingered his head to the left a bit, facing the hyena as he noticed him entering the restroom. He was exactly as he saw him that day; messed-up hairstyle and tidy black suit, like an ill-mannered rich brat.

"Well well! We meet again, human."

Yzmar said nothing, he sensed the pendant under his firmly zipped jacket and sighed again to relax. As if the hyena dude wasn't even there, the human reached again for the sink and began washing his hands and face.

"Woah, so cold, huh?"

The hyena came closer, stood near him and faced the mirror, looking at his reflection and smirking in irony.

"I said cold, but I could have meant you instead of the weather, get it?"

Yzmar was still quiet, he finished washing his hands, then turned to the far end of the restroom, grabbing a couple of toilet tissue papers.

"What's with you? I'm off duty now, you could at least-"

The furry sighed and shook his head, looks like he was giving him the silent treatment, might as well just cut it short.

"I hope you've caught that piece of news yesterday."

Yzmar froze in his place, his eyes got a bit wider. They knew. He turned to the hyena and found him smirking. The bastards! Even in his apartment?!

"You... how did you-"

"Oh, it was a tape anyway, nothing much."

"... a tape?"

"Yeah; the reporter, the news guy, me, it was all just a little play. But we were watching you, human, we interrupted the signal to your TV channels just to show you our work."

He stepped closer, slowly, his smirk grew wider.

"And just as you snatched that remote, we returned the signal the way it was. Cool, huh?"

Yzmar looked at him in terror mixed with anger.

"You bastards, when did you enter the apartment? Did you plant anything th-"

"Entered? We never did."

"... then how?"

"And why would the magician explain his tricks to the audience? He wouldn't sell that amazed look on all their faces for anything... not even the world."

The human's fist rolled tightly around the scrolled-up tissue papers, but he gradually eased his grip; this guy is just playing with his temper. He said nothing to the hyena, and walked past him to reach the recycle bin, discarding the tissues.

"What do you want?"

"I thought my master made it clear the first time we met."

"Forget it, I'm not quitting-"

"If you don't, then I'm afraid our little 'play' might become real... and live for everyone to see."

"Let it be, then."

The hyena turned to Yzmar, this time it was him baffled at the human.

"Say what?"

"Let your ugly birds sing all they want, I don't care anymore. Let the world know... Heck, I'm ready to make that interview with a reporter and tell everyone myself."

The human turned again to the hyena, he tried his best to keep a dominant attitude as his green eyes pierced inside his skull. The hyena stood there, not finding suitable words to counter such statements. His words lost the road to his muzzle at the sight of that slow red line extending slowly down Yzmar's face from his scar.

"I don't know what your master wants, but the only fact that he knows my real name tells me enough not to trust him. Go ahead, raise your voice as high as you can and tell everyone about my Grim, my answer to his proposal remains unchanged."

"... you wouldn't want to do that, kiddo."

The hyena walked again slowly towards him, he stood still a couple of feet in front of Yzmar's face. His eyes didn't show any signs of intimidations at all, this guy isn't just show.

"Why wouldn't I? I don't care whatever you do."

"Isn't it clear yet?"

Yzmar suddenly faltered, his scar opened more as he staggered backwards, leaning his shoulder on the restroom's cold tiled wall. His heart raced faster, and it felt like his chest was getting smaller in size. He can't mistake these symptoms for anything else; the Grim just chose this moment to drop a visit. The hyena smiled slightly, fully aware of what's going on.

"Oh? Is it time for your daily suffering?"

"G... kkkeh..."

The human focused on his breathers, but another burst rendered his feet weak. His shabby form began sliding down, until he sat on the concrete floor. Of course, one sting from his pendant would fix him up again, but his mind worked extra hard; he didn't want Amado of all people knowing anything about Turbo. The hyena sighed to himself, he stepped closer and squatted down bending both his legs, resting his elbows on his knees. He kept observing the human writhing in his own battle.

"Psst, I'll let you on a little secret."

The hyena fished inside his suit's inner pockets and took out a small and thin tube bottle, there was dark green liquid inside. He held it in front of Yzmar's face and wriggled it a bit.

"You probably don't believe in such things now, but I'll tell you why you don't want to defy my master."

He flipped the bottle open, and with his other hand grabbed the human's lower jaw. Yzmar tried to stop him, he turned aside, rejecting the offered mysterious syrup, but he was already in his limits; this burst just had to be this powerful, and he can't show this guy the pendant. Soon, his mouth was forced open, taking just a little drip of the bottle.

The hyena looked satisfied with just a drip, he closed the bottle and returned it in his suit. And soon, Yzmar opened his eyes wide. There was no pain, no side effects... or should we say side 'defects'. There was an effect, only one: the Grim's symptoms were gone, puffed in thin air! Just like that, a small drip on his tongue and the clutch got kicked out. He looked at the hyena in fear, as the feline smiled back.

"Wh... what did you..."

"Why must you oblige? Yzmar, there will be a cure for the Grim soon, and you just had a taste of its beta sample."

"C... cure!?"

"This thing I carry here isn't the prize winner yet, it's strong enough to give the Grim a goodnight kiss. We have all the money to back it up, we only need time, we need pure Grim carriers... Yzmar-"

The hyena's stare turned serious now, his eyes now looking at Yzmar differently.

"-we need you."

"..."

"I'm not allowed to tell you any of this, it's top secret and it must not reach the public news, especially not medical science. So just keep it a secret, I told you about it so we can help each others. It's as your kind say; scratch my back, I scratch yours. Help us help you, and we both walk away happy."

Yzmar became silent again, he couldn't believe that his mind is calculating his options. But what happened just now struck him paralyzed. There was a cure, there was actually an answer for the Grim. Hope was returning to him again, but it was from someone he didn't want to join forces with. Ix told him that he's working on finding a cure, he never gave him any details about it yet, nor any updates whatsoever. But this hyena... that strange potion he has, the effects were quick.

"What do you say... Ramzy?"

Yzmar looked again in the hyena's face, this furry looked keen for an answer quickly. His mind instantly began running the 200meters Olympic run, breaking records beyond records. Accepting his offer will have a greater possibility of getting this curse off, that beta thing had potential. But that would mean leaving FEVA for good, his dream to bring their mission to reality, it will also cost him his new-found friends, and Turbo.

"I..."

"Well?"

"I can't... there's just too much at stake here."

"At stake? From the looks of things, your life is at stake too."

"!!"

"What could you possibly lose? Your job? Fuck that shit, you'll get a new one in no time. Friends? Family? Heh, you can't even 'love' someone at your current state."

Yzmar remained silent; this hyena still doesn't know about Turbo, that's a good thing, but he was making sense about everything else. The question remained in his head, does losing what he finally found equal the portion of his life held captive by his disease? Is he ready to pay with his 'current' life to get the 'rest' of his life back? He sat on his butt and bent his knees up, bowing at them and holding his head with both hands... getting the answer of that question wasn't easy. His scar's wound didn't stop, it alone was a clear clue of his stress at that time, not to mention how rigid and shaky he was.

"Sweet Mother Nature, you're thinking! You are actually THINKING it through!"

"..."

"My, are you stupid! Please, tell me you're just acting."

"..."

"You shitty creature, just look at you now. Is FEVA really that important? You'll get this vile infection off you and you'll enjoy life like anyone else! You think-"

"Shut your mouth."

"Shut my mouth? Hey, you have to be a real jackass if-"

"I SAID SHUT UP, GET LOST!"

The hyena stared at him for a minute, quiet; Yzmar's voice was panicked, he knew what he was rejecting, but he still didn't want to put his hand in theirs.

'I don't get it, any Grim-infected bastard will know better than to miss on such an opportunity, and this guy is...'

He soon let out a short snort, this human isn't letting up at all. He brought one paw to his face and closed his eyes in defeat, not caring anymore, it was starting to get too absurd.

"I say! You're the most fucked-up mother-fucker I've ever met. Not that the rest of your kind are any better than you, really."

The hyena looked long in that bowing head, covered by knees and hands, shivering like never before. He let out a long dried up sigh, standing on his feet again.

"I'm Zephyr, by the way, and I believe we'll be seeing each others quite often, so 'adios amigos' for now. Oh, and do think twice about what we're offering you here."

Zephyr went to the sink and 'acted' as if he was there to use the rest room like any other. He finished up and turned to Yzmar, but the human was still the way he left him. He didn't bother himself, and walked out on him. The human remained there, thoughts are starting to kill him about this strange person. Keep it a secret? Not allowed to tell anyone? He seems to be acting on his own accord on occasions.

But there was something more important in his mind than some hyena. He stood up weakly, his eyes were anchored to the floor, his mind was still troubling him with his options. Part of him kept comforting him, telling him that he just made the best choice, for who knows what Amado has up his sleeves for him? But the other side - the louder one - was scolding him beyond measures; that syrup he just took was clearly the answer he's been looking for all his life, and he just had to let it slip past his parting fingers.

'You fucking asshole!'

'Brain, calm down-'

'Shut it, pansy! Yzmar, just what the fuck are you thinking?'

'Brain, please, this won't help at all.'

'You feel it too, Heart, don't you?'

'...'

'That potion he drank from, that's the goal right there!'

'I know, but...'

'But what, you freaking 'A'?... God, just what do you want, Yzmar? What do you truly want? I can't understand you! I'm supposed to be your mind, and I fucking fail to understand you anymore!'

"..."

Never in his life did he feel so indecisive, it scared him more that he was seriously thinking about his options. Even now, part of him wanted to run after Zephyr. Of course, who wouldn't? After all, he was living his life on borrowed time. If the devil himself appeared from the Underworld and offered him a cure after signing a pact to sell his soul, he would have scribbled on the agreement blind-folded. He brought one hand to his mouth, feeling disgusted at the mere thought to the point of puking.

He remained there, not sure what he have, what he doesn't and what he wants. The blood began to drip from his chin now, and his scar never closed from his tension and stress. He felt the world rocking like a ship in a stormy night. It took a miracle for him to swing his way to the sink again, but once there, his heart acted again, making him drop on the cold floor of the restroom. A weak hand reached the zipper of the jacket, needing that pendant again.

A flash shoved the human's sight elsewhere, seeing his tiger and all his friends with a white background, as they looked back at him. That image soon changed, replaced with FEVA factory's main gate, a dragon and a chameleon were standing there, looking at him as well. The image changed yet again, now it was Amado's smug face, looking back at him with the hyena and the buffalo, each standing on their master's sides, looking down on him. A glimpse of his old man flicked in his mind with many other dark, shaded people behind him, but it didn't take much effort to shake that image off.

"What is it... that I want?"

Yzmar's lips said those words in whispers as his hand finally succeeded in injecting half the pendant's blood inside him. He kept lying there, the question was echoing in his mind, he was dying for an answer. What was it? What was he after? That Zephyr had to show up and put him in a tight spot. Tears gathered in his eyes, but not plenty to make them drop. He stood up, washed his eyes and face from the blood, but the scar kept pouring more lines with the water trails on his left cheek.

He tried walking out, but this strange sadness produced by Zephyr's sudden encounter made him dizzy. Losing control of his feet and taking a wrong step, his left shoulder quickly slammed to the wall, a grunt escaped his lips from the pain as he gave the wall his back and panted in fatigue.

"I don't-"

(I say! You're the most fucked-up mother-fucker I've ever met.)

"I don't know... I can't..."

('God, just what do you want, Yzmar?')

"... leave me alone... shut up... I just don't..."

"Yzmar..."

Yzmar didn't move, he felt a familiar entity drawing near, his ears knew that voice, and his skin liked the paws that laid themselves on his shoulders. Seeing him miserable like that, with his scar still bleeding, made Turbo worried, Yzmar was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't even respond 'physically' to him when he called.

"Mate, I was worried about you. The way you left... it was because of Zed, wasn't it?"

Yzmar didn't reply, nor did he nod or shake his head, he didn't do anything... his eyes kept staring at those feral feet. Zephyr's words kept ringing hard in his mind, the presence of his life's major objective so close to him, and yet his inability to reach it.

"Your scar's... Mate, don't bother yourself with it, most furries are like that. Heh, I bet you know already, right?"

Still, the human didn't reply, a slight shiver sent a small electric rush through Turbo's arms. The tiger finally caught the hint that something was seriously wrong; it wasn't the Grim, but it felt even grave all the same.

"Mate? 'You alright? What's-?"

Turbo bent his knees a bit, staring at his lover's sad face. Soon, a lone tear dripped off his left eye, running side by side with the blood lines.

"... hey, Yzmar."

His shaky body loomed forward and hugged the tiger lightly as Turbo returned his hug with a hug. That vibration, though weak and almost unnoticed, couldn't hide from Turbo, Yzmar was bothered by something again.

"Mate, what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure."

(Mates have no secrets between themselves.)

"Turbo, I'm not so sure of anything anymore."

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"I don't know... I... I feel awful, I don't know what I want most. I don't know what's most important to me anymore."

"Isn't that... us?"

Yzmar halted; Zephyr's voice vanished at Turbo's whisper. Yes, that was undeniable, that was the only thing that kept him going, he finally remembered that. Us, that was it. The only reason he began caring for his life is this tiger hugging him back right now. Being reassured by his mate, he let out a long sigh, his hug grew stronger a bit, and he rubbed his right cheek against those muscled pecks. His lover's odor was stronger since all that sweat dried up in his fur, it made Yzmar smile; he loved that whiff.

"Th-thank you, Turbo."

"Anytime, mate. And sorry about what happened."

"It's ok, I like being with him. I love being part of this crazy group... heh, I love you guys."

"*Chuckle~*, you changed, Yzmar. You were quiet, the type that keeps his thoughts to himself."

Yzmar didn't reply back, Turbo shouldn't know that he was still that type. Turbo shouldn't know about Ramzy or Amado, nor should that fox know about his affair with this tiger, and especially not his DNA miracle.

"You've changed too, tiger."

"I did, didn't I?"

"You were a loner too, so cool to draw attention, minding your own business. You sure didn't like me much back then."

"Hahah, yeah, I couldn't stand your attitude at all."

"Not that I cared."

"Guess we attracted one another somehow, eh?"

"We did... we sure did."

Turbo pushed him lightly back to the wall, supporting himself with a paw on Yzmar's right, bowing down and bringing his right paw to his lover's head. His thump played a bit over Yzmar's ear as he brought his muzzle closer and cleaned that trail of blood on his face. His paw then moved to Yzmar's chin, forcing his face up to savor his emeralds once more and marvel that unbelievable glittering effects in his eyes... although, for some reason, Yzmar's irises looked lighter than before. Not just his eye color, his hair color felt lighter too. But Turbo didn't worry much over such little details; Yzmar was Yzmar, and if anything, he looked even more gorgeous now.

"I changed because of you, Yzmar, I wouldn't have if it wasn't for you. Orange and Green sure is a bizarre combo, though."

"..."

"But I'm starting to love it more than anything... anything... fuck, if I could only make you feel it."

Turbo kept looking at his eyes, and the human was burning again, unable to look elsewhere. They stood like that for awhile, breathing in one another's scent, but it was crazy enough for the feline to just look without touching anything. The tiger did it once more, making the first move was always his thing, for tigers were alphas by nature as much as he was vulgar. Yzmar closed his eyes in fever, feeling that hot muzzle owning him again. His eyes cried freely now, but only his eyes, finally realizing what he treasures the most. Turbo told him before that he was his tiger's own treasure, but the human never knew his jewels to be so much identical in comparison.

The paw holding his chin moved down, unzipping the jacket slowly, letting out a deep low stripping sound as the zipper slid down idly. It didn't get far, stopping the zipper before reaching midway, then he wormed his paw on his mate's uncovered chest, playing a bit with the iron pendant. His paw fished inside left and right, forcing his entrance between his delicate torso and the tightness of the jacket. Yzmar had no choice but to moan, this tiger just loved to toy and tease all it wanted.

Turbo's paw retreated shortly, and the kiss got cut as he pulled away, looking at that feverish face panting. Yzmar opened his eyes, not sure what happened, but then the arousal scent hit instantly to his nose. He smiled; his loving cat had to stop because his shorts are starting to feel uncomfortable, he could even catch a grunt from his feline buddy.

"My, just from a kiss..."

"It's not that; I've been holding it inside for awhile now."

"Oh?"

"I thought of pawing off a number of times, I did it once already but... it just wasn't..."

Turbo looked again in his eyes, and a warm melting smile almost put Yzmar on fire. The tiger finally ran the jacket's zipper to its end, then pulled his mate back to himself softly, purring at the human's natural aroma, sniffing hard at his hair and caressing it with his paw and nose.

"It wasn't half as good, I want it with you, mate... only you."

"Turbo..."

"Say, how's that flu going?"

"I don't know, I totally forgot about it."

"Can we... do it, then?"

"It?"

"Please, I'm going crazy here. Can we?"

Yzmar, feeling his protector's dick throbbing at his tummy and jerking up, instantly realized what 'it' meant. He put on a smug face as he looked upward at his mate, which made Turbo sweat more in distress and arousal.

"P... please..."

"Alright, at least let's return to the apartment; it's getting dark."

Turbo broke their hug slowly again, looking down at him and still having him secured in his paws and arms.

"Alright, let's get back to everyone and call it a day, then?"

"Fair enough."

Turbo wormed his arm behind his mate's head and rested it on his shoulders as they walked out. Even though he was content with his decision, Yzmar's thoughts about that cure sample didn't fade entirely, his mind bothered him once more as they left the restroom.

(Mates have no secrets...)

He wanted to tell him...

Everything from A to Z, Yzmar didn't want to hide anything from Turbo. He closed his eyes in shame, his dark past will have to stay secret for now. He can't tell him anything, he can't involve him in this; being close as his lover was dangerous enough, he won't risk another life with his.

Not his 'lover'.