FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

As promised, a chapter delivered unto my fans, the few that still remain. I know it's a tad shorter then my normal ones, but I thought this would be a good stopping point, esspecially since it gives me more then enough room to get a 2nd chapter out by next week! That's right...another one coming soon to a website near you (most likly, this one)

So, a little info on this chapter...to be honest, I'm not exactly thrilled with it. I mean, have you ever watched a movie where everyone just kept going on and you wanted them to just shut up and continue with the plot...well..re-reading this, that's what it felt like. And you might think it's easy to correct, just lop out the dialogue and patch it back up. And though it was tempting, I realized that the patch job I'd have to do to make the ends match up in the middle would sound so contrived, so forced, it'd be obvious that they weren't ment to go together. And so, I beseach you to just push on through. I attempted to streamline as much as i could, taking out extranious descriptions and overzealous word usage. I am glad I took the time to proof read though, got the total word count of the entire series down 160 words. Now that may not seem like a large amount, but considering that it's the gross number, and i added back here and there, I say that's not a bad count for only 15 pages of edited story.

But this was writen a while ago, and I realized I had forgotten somethings that i mentioned here when working on the newer stuff, so I bit of a rewrite on the future work is in order, but that'll be taken care of in due time.

And without any further wait, here it is.

Sincerely,

Cyan Spirt

P.s. I just got this free comission from an artist on here, so I'll be sure to post it as soon as it's done...whoooo!

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Silence wasn't something easily achieved in a bar, but if you took away the trance techno music, that's what you'd have...a thick, heavy, awkward silence. And Maxi, being the duty-bound lion that he was, took it upon himself to break it. "Can...I get you anything Locke?" he asked, sliding a paw across the bar to give his paw a reassuring squeeze.

That seemed to work, at least marginally. "I'll be fine." The boy's face softened upon looking into the feline's golden eyes, and he reciprocated the squeeze; their fingers intertwining. "I mean, there are at least a hundred people packed in front of us, what are the odds he even sa-"

"S-sweetie pie!" a voice cut in, its serpent's "s" less pronounced then Vi's, but still audible.

Locke's face went from relaxed to stricken, his paw quickly recoiling from under Maxi's as a weary smile forced its way across his muzzle. "Sebastian, is that you?" he chimed with forced enthusiasm. Taking, perhaps, a tad too long to turn around, as a pair of fern colored paws draped themselves across his shoulders to hug his neck.

Indeed, it was. Dressed in a pair of skinny red jeans, a black and red pinstriped vest left open to reveal a black mesh shirt similar to the one Maxi had rejected; all of which was offset against his lime colored fur. The look was completed with a small black bowtie, spiked armbands from wrist to shoulder, and several pairs of variously colored neon glow sticks hanging from his rainbow belt. "Who else would look this good?" he asked, dragging his claws along the side of his trim chest to accentuate his figure.

The panther/wolf crossbreed resisted to urge to say 'Maxi'; substituting "I can't imagine anyone looking as go-" Interrupted as the chimera slipped his arm around the canine's waist, bringing him in for a sudden kiss, his forked tongue easily slipping past Locke's surprised defenses too duel inside of his muzzle. Steadying himself as Sebastian leaned into him, his back pressed against the metal rim of the bar; he wrapped his arms under the other male's armpits to stop from falling over.

Sheathing a snarl, Maxi tensely clinked his claws against the counter as the young lion felt true jealousy for the first time in his life; for when you already own everything, what's there to be envious of? Those normally lax golden eyes suddenly saw green...green fur that is, as Locke closed his eyes in the kiss with his supposed clingy ex boyfriend. The lion threw back the rest of his long island iced tea as he watched the two making out from the corner of his eye. Tail swatting against the side of his barstool; the metallic 'ping' drowned out by the heavy base of the techno music around him. He was tempted to intervene, but by the time he had summoned the nerve, the Locke had managed to pry Sebastian's muzzle from his own.

"I missed you..." the jade creature said, nuzzling the silky black neck with the bridge of his muzzle, the boney protrusions above his eyes pressing against Locke's throat. "So, how was your camping trip?"

"Oh, that..." the half-breed chuckled nervously, "it went well."

"Did Davy finally get some much needed fun?" Sebastian asked, looking over at the tiger who'd been watching them from his end of the bar.

Narrowing his yellow eyes, the Siberian half-breed shifted looks from the jade chimera, to the lion, and then back again. "Well...if you must know, we had a-"

"A wonderful time!" Locke interjected, "I know, I didn't expect it either; bu-but there we were, in the middle of nowhere, and it was...it was...well, there just aren't the words for it."

"I'll say..." Davy said with a roll of his eyes as he bit down on his lime wedge.

If Sebastian had doubts about Locke's story, he didn't indicate them. "I still don't see why I couldn't come with you darling. I could've made those cold autumn nights a whole lot hotter." The boy dragging a claw along the underside of Locke's muzzle, out to his chin, and up the side of his face to brush a few wispy strands of hair from across his face.

"Yo-You know how Davy is about his jeep." The half-breed replied, gently cupping Sebastian's fingers against his face before sliding them off into the side. "He didn't want you having another...accident."

The chimera winced as he intertwined his jade fingers with Locke's black ones. "It was only that one time...and I was sick."

"I know, I know...But it took days for that skunk smell to get out of the fabric, remember?"

"Yeah...I remember."

Maxi couldn't tell how much was a lie, but something told him it was a unfortunate accident that became a convenient excuse.

"That car's his baby," Locke reminded the other boy, "it's like his mate."

"Well...maybe if he actually got a mate, or even just laid, he'd finally loosen up about his 'precious' little jeep," the chimera surmised.

Davy growled from his end of the bar, spitting out the ice cube he'd been sucking on. "What was that?"

"All I said was, that if you found the right girl, or guy...you might actually learn to relax. I'm sure you could find someone too, that is, if you didn't spend all your free time brooding. I'd even be willing to bet that there's someone here who'd fuc-"

"There's no one," the tiger grumbled.

The chimera sighed, "You just need some action. Somebody should pull that stick outta your ass and give you some real action..." Sebastian slinked up along Locke's body till he was sitting in the boy's lap with legs draped on either side of the half-breed's hips. "...Instead of just your paw."

The tiger-lizard scoffed. "I bet you know all about having things shoved up your ass, whore."

Despite being furiously jealous of Sebastian, Maxi had to give praise when it was due; being calm in the face of an adversary such as Davy wasn't easy, he knew that from personal experience. "Yes, it's true. I'm liberal when it comes to sex; I dare say I quite enjoy it. I find it invigorating, relaxing, and just an all around good time with my partners," the jade male admitted, resting his head on Locke's shoulder. "But when I pledge myself to someone, that's it, I'm theirs. I take no other lovers. I'm fully committed, and I expect the same from my partner. Isn't that right Locke?"

With that, Sebastian sat up straight in the half-breed's lap so that he could stare down into the face of his boyfriend. "Right..." the cat said while managing to avoid a stutter that could give him away. Hesitantly, Locke looked up to meet his gaze, hoping to fool those violet eyes into believing him.

It appeared to work. "See, Locke's not fussing over his motorcycle, and he's happily committed to me."

"Happily committed?!" Davy spat.

Locke appeared stricken at what he foresaw, but with Sebastian pinning him, he couldn't stop it. "Don't do this..." he whispered.

"Are you kidding me?" Davy raged on, "Are you deaf and dumb, or just plain blind? All Locke's been doing for the past week was run-"

"N-ing around trying to find you the perfect gift!" Vi intercepted, much to Locke's relief. "You know SSS-Sebastian, you aren't the easiest person to buy gifts-sss for. I tried to help while he was-sss off camping, but I didn't have the best of luck."

The bar fell into tense silence as Locke, Davy, and Maxi squared off in a quest to see if one would have the balls to come clean. Luckily, it was Sebastian who spoke first. "You really did that?" his fingers returning to caress the polf's face.

Averting his eyes ever so slightly, enough to see the lion sitting next to him, Locke nodded. "Y-Yeah, it wasn't easy, I...umm, still haven't found the right thing."

"That doesn't matter," the chimera squealed as he hugged his boyfriend's neck, kissing him on the cheek. "It's the thought that counts, right?"

"Right," Locke reluctantly answered.

Davy stared back down into his now empty glass, not bothering to look up as his sister refilled the glass with the same bitter concoction. "Pathetic..."

Now it was Sebastian's turn to growl and flash his impressive fangs. "If you have something to say, my face's right here!"

"I was saying that your boy there is pathetic and he knows it. You're both absolutely pathetic!" the jilted friend shouted.

"Alright, I think that's quite enough boys," Vi said from across the bar, her claws busy polishing a highball glass. "If you two are gonna squabble like children, I'm gonna treat you as such and cut you off. I don't serve kids."

"Fine with me," Sebastian said as he rocked his rear in Locke's lap, his legs on either side of his waist, arms draped over those slim shoulders. "I'm not the one inclined to drown my sorrows in booze over missed opportunities," his eyes narrowing at Davy.

The simmering rage that had been stewing in the half-breed came to a head as Davy got to his feet, his thick lizard tail knocking the stool out from under him in the process. Bearing his teeth, an impressive combination of gator and tiger fangs, he was seconds away from mauling the smaller male when his sister's paw sternly, if not forcibly grabbed his bicep. "He's not worth it..." which, surprisingly, seemed to appease the angry beast, who stopped where he was.

Chuckling, the jade creature leaned over Locke's shoulder to knock off the remainder of his unfinished long-island iced tea. He was about to add insult to injury when he felt someone hesitantly tap him on the shoulder. "You're Sebastian, right? The boy who was on a stage a few minutes ago?" this new voice said.

Sebastian looked over his shoulder to see who had brazenly interjected themselves into an already tense situation. Standing there in a crisp revealing white blouse, black tie, aqua jacket, a red and black plaid skirt that left acres of bare leg exposed to the strobe lights before hitting thigh-high white socks, bedazzled pink anklets, and black ballerina flats, was one very large schoolgirl. She towered over everyone at the bar; being part stallion will do that to you. The other half of her lineage was likely rabbit. Maxi surmised this from her elongated ears that blended in with her impressive white mane, which itself eventually melded into her overly bushy equine tail interlaced with red and black ribbons. She had the broad face of a horse, a grayish pelt speckled with flakes of adobe clay, and soulful hazel eyes.

"That's me," he muttered unenthusiastically.

"Oh, dear...I'm not interrupting anything am I?" she asked, crossing her arms under her two mountainous breasts, which only further bolstered her cleavage out of the partially buttoned blouse; the rim of her pink bra cresting above the shirt's collar.

Looking back towards Davy, who had managed to get his stool upright, he narrowed his eyes for an instant before refocusing on the striking female in front of him. "Nope, we were just finishing up anyways. SS-So, what can I do for you-uuu..."

"Gwen," the stallion/lapin replied.

"Gwen?" Sebastian repeated.

The large half-breed's cheeks turned a faint crimson as she began to fidget with her French-tipped nails. "You were really great up there..." Gwen admitted.

A pale lilac overtook Sebastian's face, his way of blushing. "Why thank you. It's not as easy as most people think," he admitted matter-of-factually.

She nodded in agreement, "I know what you mean. That's kinda why I wanted to talk to you." Scraping her hooves nervously against the concrete floor, the stallion nickered softly and casted her eyes downwards, "I was wondering...hoping, rather...that you could teach me how you did some of that."

The chimera dwelled on the request for a second. "Umm...s-sure, I guess." He turned to nuzzle his half-breed boyfriend on the neck, "I'll only be gone for a few minutes-ss. You don't mind, right kitten?"

Locke couldn't nod his head fast enough. "You go have fun with...Gwen, was it?"

"That s-sounded a bit too eager..." the smaller boy teased, tracing his fingers along the polf's jaw-line. "You aren't trying to get rid of me now, are you?" his forked tongue hissing amidst a childish giggle.

"What?! You? No! Never!" Locke quickly backpedaled. Gently bopping a finger on Sebastian's pert black nose, chuckling nervously, "I just think you should have some fun with your fans. Besides, you owe me half-a long island ice-tea, Mr. Freeloader."

"Just have Vi put it on my tab." Slipping from Locke's lap, he leaned in to slide his right arm through Gwen's left, hooking them together before leading them towards the dance floor. "Ready to shake what your mama gave you?"

Gwen chuckled. "My father, actually; Mom always did have a thing for bigger guys." Pulling at her neck, she produced a small golden heart locket. "My boyfriend, Wolt, a rhino/elephant mix; an eleino, as he calls it," she leaned down to show Sebastian the small picture inside. "Suffice to say, I think I inherited her tendencies

"Is he as big as I imagine?" the green male asked with a cheeky smile.

"Bigger."

"Well then, let's make sure to keep him satisfied. We wouldn't want him taking that man-muscle anywhere else, would we?" The odd couple then vanished behind a wall of people; the only things visible were her ears as they made their way towards the center of the floor.

As soon as Sebastian was hidden from view, Locke hopped off his stool and grabbed the lion's paw. "Come on Mitch, let's go while he's distracted."

"B-But what about your dri-" his words abruptly halted as the crossbred panther/wolf pressed his lips against Maxi's. Wrapping his arms around the feline's waist, he didn't have to tug hard to get the boy to get up as their muzzles remained locked together. Once their bodies parted, the lion reached up to gently caress his boyfriend's face. "You're one shrewd negotiator. Ever thought of trying out for the debate team?"

The black cat chuckled. "You know, my dad suggested the same thing," he replied, nuzzling the fingers against his cheek. Taking his lover's paw again, he yanked him in for a quick peck on those tawny cheeks, enjoying the sight of the flush on his face. "We don't have a lot of time before he'll come looking," as he tugged him along the back wall, looking for some open dance floor and privacy for their first dance together.

Though he offered no resistance to being dragged along, the polf gave the lion little time to voice any objection. With his attention elsewhere, Maxi walked straight into Locke, who had suddenly stopped short. Instinctually he wrapped his arms around the smaller male's waist, pulling him close as they began to sway to the bass pumping through the floorboards. "You looked happy back there in the arms of your ex..." he whispered into a pert and point black ear.

"Happy?!" Clutching the lion's fingers around his waist, Locke arched his back to press his tail against the faint tent in the other boy's pants. "It was only so he wouldn't get wise."

Ignoring the plush rear against his crotch, Maxi stayed focused on the conversation at hand. "I guess this means you didn't tell him it was over," the larger cat surmised.

"You saw how he worships me..." Locke sighed, leaning his head back to rest on the lion's left shoulder, his emerald eyes staring up at the wood paneled ceiling. "How could I?"

The golden feline's voice hardened as they swayed in unison. "The same way you asked me out," Maxi said sternly, his arms tightening around Locke's middle, "...with confidence and honesty."

Closing his eyes, he felt the music's thumps sync with his heartbeat. "I can't do that to him."

"Can't....or won't?"

The smaller boy spun around in the other's arms. "Does it really matter?" His emerald orbs never shying away from his companion's face.

"Yes," Maxi replied firmly.

"Then...Then I don't know," Locke admitted after a few seconds of silence.

The lion's golden eyes narrowed to darkened slits of magma, his tawny face creasing in displeasure at where this line of questioning was taking them. "You still love him...don't you?"

"No!"

"No?"

"No...I-I...I don't think so." Locke's eyes slipped from Maxi's face to stare down at the floor between them.

"So...now you're not sure?" Maxi badgered, noticing his severance of eye-contact.

"Don't do this Maxi," he pleaded. Placing his forehead against the lion's chest, only to be disappointed by the lack of the embrace he had hoped for.

"Do what?" the lion retorted.

"This...these questions, making me take inventory of myself...of my feelings."

The other feline merely huffed, "Well, if they're as simple and clean as you claim they are, it wouldn't be such an ordeal."

Locke seethed under his collar, fur bristling, "Fine, I don't love Sebastian anymore! Are you happy now?"

"Oh...because you just said tha-" the lion began in a sing-song voice.

"I know what I said!" Locke spat. Returning to meet Maxi's gaze, the black cat let his rage fall away. "Why are you making this into such an issue?" he whimpered, holding on to each side of the other boy's collar. "It's obvious I chose you, so why does it matter?"

"Why does it matter? Locke, when I agreed to be your boyfriend, I did it under the assumption that I would be your only boyfriend. But n-now..." his voice temporarily faltering as he felt transfixed by those two glittering emeralds refracting the strobe light above. "Now I find out that you're still involved with an ex-boyfr-"

"We're not involved!" Locke interjected; adding, "This is the first time I've seen him since I rescued you."

"That's not the point! The fact is that you lied to me. Why, Locke?" For once the lion was thankful for the loud techno music, for it disguised their raised voices simply as an attempt at normal conversation amid the din of the dance floor.

The normally proud polf retreated into himself; his pert ears splaying submissively against the sides of his head. "I...I-I don't know," he muttered barely above the song.

Rage flooded the lion's system. "You do know!" Out of nowhere, Maxi grabbed the smaller boy's shoulders and gave him one or two hard shakes, "You know and I wanna hear it!"

Having never seen the lion upset, let alone angry, Locke was quick to quiver in Maxi's large paws. "Th-The truth?" he asked, swallowing hard.

"Yes Locke, the truth." His muzzle, normally the source of his infectious smile, now only showed an array of large fangs bared in his direction.

Amidst the loud club beat, the smaller half-breed sighed, pressing the bridge of his muzzle against the lion's sternum. "I didn't tell him because...because I wasn't sure that this whole rescue/kidnap idea would work. And that even if it did, there was no guarantee that you'd go out with me."

"So you wanted to hedge your bets and have a back-up plan." Maxi inserted.

"Basically...Sebastian became a fallback guy. I didn't intend it to go like this, to start dating him only to end up putting him on the back burner; I really liked him initially, still do, and maybe even loved him. But when I heard you were getting married, well...you know the old saying, right?" Tracing a claw around the larger feline's left nipple through his shirt. "The hardest thing to do is to watch the one you love, love someone else."

"True."

"So, I emotionally abandoned him in the hopes of gaining you, but I didn't physically break it off; because if you turned me down, and I had ended things with Sebastian, I'd have been by myself. You...You understand, right?"

The lion sighed, draping an arm loosely around the smaller boy's shoulders. "As much as I hate to admit it, I do; for I can empathize with an aversion to being isolated."

"So...will you forgive me?" the half-breed asked, pressing the bridge of his muzzle under the lion's chin to nuzzle his neck and mane.

There was a long pause as Maxi avoided looking into those large emeralds while that motor-boat like purr begged him for clemency. After a deep breath, he took a second to make sure he was at peace with his decision before the words left his lips. "Only on one condition..."

"What?"

"I want you to break it off."

A cheshire grin spread over the black cat's muzzle. "How about I'm completely honest? How about I tell him I'm in love with..." his voice dropping several octaves, "...a lion?"

Maxi hesitated as Locke's implications sunk it, his eyes narrowing. "Seeing as how that's more for my benefit than his, I think we can keep that our little secret."

"It seems the truth isn't that important to you after all." Leaning in closely, the half-breed slid his claws along the side of Maxi's head to his ear, massaging the inner pink/purple flesh between thumb and index finger before drawing him in; sealing their deal with a kiss.

Initially apprehensive about the ordeal, Maxi quickly gave in to temptation. Reaching out, he pulled the smaller male firmly against his body. Not to be outdone, as their tongues intertwined in the lion's maw, the half-breed jumped on to him, wrapping his legs around Maxi's waist. With his thighs resting on his boyfriend's hips he could sit up straight, making himself taller than the regal feline. For the first time, he could look down into those golden eyes, and Locke was enjoying it.

The panther's arms wrapped around the boy's strong neck as the pair rocked out of sync with the club's beat. As their hips ground together, their paws roamed over every inch of the other's body in reach. They growled into each other's muzzle as they 'fought' for dominance till the polf conceded victory to the lion; who nibbled on Locke's lower lip as punishment.

Locke yipped as a pair of warm pads massaged his ass through the thin material of his pants; squeezing not-so gently. "My my, someone's getting feisty," the black cat teased, pressing his crotch atop the lion's swiftly hardening length hidden in behind his black jeans.

"Well, when you're constantly pushing that sexy little body against me, how can I not?"

Dragging a claw along the side of the lion's face, "I didn't hear you telling me to stop."

"That's 'cause I didn't." extending his tongue to gently lick the digit.

The pause in conversation mirrored the pause in music as the DJ on duty jumped tracks, allowing for just enough time to form an awkward moment between the two lovebirds. "Is everything alright? You seem uncomfortable..." Locke asked; his answer coming in the form of Maxi's sidewise glance. Cupping the lion's cheek, he forced his gaze back to him, "Are you still mad at me?"

"Not at all, what's done is done...Water under the bridge, right?"

"Right," another pause; "Then what is it?"

Feeling a tad reluctant to disclose his current state of mental affairs, Maxi eventually confessed after several nuzzles of Locke's cold nose against his forehead. "I tried to tell you earlier, but...I can't dance like this."

"Nonsense, you're doing just fine," the half-breed reassured his boyfriend.

The lion seemed un-phased by the compliment, shifting his hips back and forth as the other boy rode atop them. "If you say so..."

Sighing, the smaller male slipped from the lion's hips, planted his feet between the legs of his boyfriend, his arms remaining draped over those large shoulders. "You said that you couldn't dance ' like this'," he said amid the short silence between them.

"Did I? I wasn't really paying attention."

"Yeah, ya did." Reaching up with his left paw, Locke stroked the lion's tamed mane. "Is there some dance you can do?"

Maxi dismissed the question with a roll of his eyes. "It was just a slip of the tongue, that's all. There's nothing more to it."

"I think the lady doth protest too much," he replied, sticking out his tongue at the lion, who playfully tried to bite it off. Several minutes of pulsing club beats later, "It's not Ballet, is it?" the half-breed asked suddenly.

"No."

"Is it Tap?"

"Nope."

"Can you Break-dance?...Cause that'd be kinda cool."

"I wish."

"Come on! Tell me wha-"

"Ballroom," his muzzle, which was miles ahead of his brain, said before he could cut it off at the pass.

Locke wiggled his ears, unsure of what he had heard. "Did you say somethi-"

"Nothing, I said nothing!" Maxi yelped, wishing he could pull back his words and swallow them down his throat.

Locks emerald eyes formed slivers of radiant green light; "You said 'ballroom', didn't you?" he spoke with a grin on his lips.

The lion's face went from pale to stoic; a look stolen from one of his father's oil paintings. "Yes, it's true." Maxi sighed, "It's not something I'm particularly fond of sharing."

"I noticed..." Locke said with a slight chuckle, hoping to lighten the mood. "So why'd you take it then, if you didn't like it?"

Now it was the other feline's turn to snicker, "You've never met my father, have you?"

Locke considered the statement for second, recalling the few seconds he had spent trussing up the unconscious elder statesmen back in his country cabin. "We've met...briefly"

"Consider yourself lucky then. The private academy he sent me to had the class, and according to him, any gentleman worth his weight knows how to dance properly. He also said it'd be good practice for my wedding...not much good it'll do me now. Wanna know what the worst part was?"

"What?"

"That I was actually good at it; awarded best male dancer in my year."

"...Bullshit"

Maxi chuckled. "It's true. I'm a classically trained dancer...comes with the territory I suppose."

"Prove it."

A wisp of mane obscured the lion's devilish grin; but with a half-hearted shrug, he downplayed the chance at getting a chance to show off his moves. "If that's your wish."

"Make it so-OOoooo!" The black cat yelped amid being suddenly dipped into Maxi's waiting arms. A transition so smooth the boy didn't even realize he was going over till he began to feel gravity take over his decent towards the floor; halted only by the lion's soft embrace. Looking up at the feline holding him, Locke's green eyes sparkled in the shallow strobe lights as he brushed his palm pads across the tawny face above him. "I hope that's not the only note you know, kitty-cat."

While using his left arm and both legs to support the half-breed's weight, he reached down with his right to brush stray strands of black hair behind his long wolf ears. "Oh little one, I'm gonna play you an entire song."

Locke gave the largest smile he could muster, a grin he was nearly yanked out of as the lion pulled him back to his feet. The smaller male felt one arm wrap around his waist as the other slid along the opposite arm to intertwine their fingers together. He then felt a small bit of pressure just under his ribcage, and began to move in response to his "handler". Like a puppet pulled from invisible strings, the half-breed blindly followed Maxi's lead.

Having taught new dancers himself, Maxi knew how to correctly apply pressure and swivel his own body in order to manipulate his partner into performing the right moves. After the first few faltering steps, they began to move in unison, with the lion leading them across the dance floor; spinning in slow, ever widening, concentric circles. With their eyes locked onto each other, neither realized that the crowd was slowly thinning, parting around them, allowing the couple to slip further into the densely packed interior of the dance floor. It wasn't until Maxi was able to send Locke spinning outwards till their arms were fully extended that they realized something was amiss.

With a flick of his wrist, like a yo-yo, he had his boyfriend twirling back into his waiting embrace. "Where did everyone go suddenly? Is there another show on?"

"I think we're the show, silly." the younger cat said, directing the his attention to the dozens of eyes watching them from the boundaries of the circle that had formed around them.

"So we are..." Maxi muttered as he directed the smaller feline up onto the pads of his feet as he spun him like a top, with one arm arched up over his head, and the other around his waist to guide him in place. "Guess that means we better put on a good performance."

Locke barely had time to formulate a response before he had to swallow the words as Maxi suddenly halted his rotations to pull him tight against his chest. Soon, the pair of cats was gliding across the dance floor with the larger lion taking the lead as the techno track reached its crescendo. In a cacophony of sound, the trance beats pulsed up through the floorboards and into their bodies as they moved with the music. Dancing face to face, the smaller black feline was just tall enough to press his face into the crook of Maxi's neck. A gentle brush of warmth across his lower back told him that his partner was preparing one last spin. Releasing his paws across the broad tawny shoulders; the polf was surprised that instead of being twirled out into the crowed, he felt himself shifted off balance.

Looking down into the eyes of his boyfriend, Maxi took a certain amount of perverse pleasure in seeing that element of fear materialize behind those incandescent emeralds. Maxi then allowed his hours of drilled-in dance steps override his senses; for instead of pull the half-breed in close, he kept him at arm's length while 'falling' with him. As they neared the ground, the lion's left leg jutted out into a stabilized lunge. With arms outstretched under Locke, he supported his decent till the last minute when he tucked his head into the bend of his elbow, stopping his head mere inches from the floor.

The crowd went wild with applause.

It took a second for Locke to recover from the abrupt stop, his head aching from his brain slamming into the side of his skull. However, this allowed time for his eyes to adjust to the glaring neon colors lights backlighting a familiar shape hovering over him. Squinting, he was able to make out Maxi's cheshire grin staring down. "Hey there stranger..." he cooed, flicking out his tongue in attempt to catch the tip of the lion's nose.

"Hey there yourself," the other feline retorted, gently squeezing the other boy's rear through the back of his jeans.

Averting those shimmering golden orbs, Locke couldn't help but blush as he felt a paw gently caressing his butt. It was then that he noticed just how near his head was to the floor, for from his position, the entire side of his tail was resting along the ground. "Cutting a bit close, aren't we?"

Maxi leaned in till their noses were barely a whiskers' width apart. "And here I thought you liked getting...close." With arms already around the boy, he merely angled the one under his head up as he closed his eyes in preparation for what was to come; Locke reading his signals loud and clear as he draped his paws back around his neck. Their lips opened, the boys already smelling the booze on the other's breath, and then they ki-

"What's-sss going on here?" a familiar voice growled from above them.

Opening their eyes, both cats turned to look over Maxi's right shoulder up at the figure, small in stature, but imposing in presence, glaring down at them. "Sebastian..." Locke whispered through tightened lips.

Dressed in the same outfit as earlier, his pale green face flushed crimson. Reaching up, the chimera tucked a few strands of white hair back behind his ear. "I take my eyes-s off of you for a few s-songs-s, and you have the nerve to do s-something like this-s!"

"I'm sorry," Locke winced, obviously feeling the sting from the other boy's venom, which, given his convoluted lineage, could be plausible. "It just sorta happ-"

"Not you, s-sweetie...I'm talking to this-s hus-ss-sy, harlot, and all-around man ss-stealer!" Sebastian replied, nudging Maxi's outstretched leg with the tip of his converse.

Pulling the black cat to his feet, the lion brushed his pants clean before turning to focus his attention on the fern-colored creature. "Who are you calling a man-stealer? I didn't see your name on him."

"Are you deaf too?" Sebastian said with a snap of his fingers as he placed the other paw on his hips, "Cause by your outfit, I had assumed being blind was the least of your worries-s. What'd you do, close your eyes-s and run naked through the clearance racks-s?"

Locke swallowed hard, "I don't think it's that ba-"

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? You must live in a house with no mirrors to show up in that. What happened, a box of crayons vomited on your closet? I mean, 'pride' rainbow earrings...really? How tacky." The lion said dismissively as brushed some of his golden mane away from his eyes.

The crowed that had gathered due to the dancing remain huddled to view a different kind of entertainment, one you could only see on late-night pay-per-view channels. They watched the chimera fiddle with his series of earrings for a second; his cheeks turning a deep magenta as his lilac eyes narrowed to thin slits of purple rage. "I don't have to take this-s!" he shouted, stomping his foot on the ground.

"Good," Maxi said with a roll of his shoulders, "Then leave, I sure as hell won't miss seeing your skanky ass around."

"Fine!" Bearing his teeth, Sebastian tensed up as he reached out to snag Locke's right wrist tightly before turning to go; effectively dragging him out behind him. "Come on kitten; let's leave this s-sad, s-sorry excuse for a dancer."

"What the fuck are you doing?" Maxi spat.

Looking back over his left shoulder, Sebastian sniped, "What does it look like genius-s? I'm leaving."

"Not with him you aren't!" the lion quipped; reaching over to grab a hold of the polf's other arm.

"And why the hell not?!" he hollered, spinning around to glare menacingly at the other male; tugging sternly on the black cat's arm.

"Locke doesn't have to follow you anywhere." Maxi responded, tugging back with equal force.

"He's my boyfriend an-"

"That doesn't make him your slave!"

"Who said he was-s?"

"You're such a hypocrite!" the lion pointed out, "Getting angry if he should so happen to dance with one other guy while you go out and strip for an entire crowd."

That took the wind out of Sebastian's sails, his threatening posture diminishing slightly as he tried to find a loophole. "Yeah...well...you're paws were all over him; touching him, and squeezing him, an-and whatnot."

"We were dancing! That's what you do when you dance with someone other than a steel pole. Besides, my paws were kept above the waist all of th-...well, most of the time; but nothing more than that, and certainly nothing as perverse as being an exhibitionist."

"I'm not an exhibitionist, I'm an entertainer!"

The lion feigned exhaustion, "If it walks like a slut, dresses like a slut, and talks like a slut...it sure as hell isn't a prince."

"You are one classless cat," Sebastian sneered, flipped his hair, and tried to drag Locke back towards the center of the dance floor.

"I tire of our little war of words. How about we let Locke have the final say in who he wants to go home with?" Maxi suggested.

That caught the chimera's attention, as he turned back to face his rival. "Fine."

The lion chuckled, "You must be pretty confident you have him wrapped around your dainty little finger like a yo-yo?"

The other male scowled, but said nothing as he nudged the black canine into the center of the ring, with his two suitors on either side of him. "Come on guys, d-do we really have to do this?" he stuttered, nervously pulling at his whiskers; his ears submissively against his head as he looked anxiously back and forth between them

Neither male said anything, eyeing each other up like pieces of meat. Each knew what was at stake, the paw of the most sought after bachelor in town, and they weren't going to give it up without a fight.

"This...really isn't the place for this. C-Can we do it somewhere else?" the mayor's son pleaded. "I'm not comforta-"

"Just pick me and get it over with already," Sebastian jumped in, "We all know that's what you're going to do anyways-s."

Maxi had never seen Locke out of his element like this, nervous and unsure of what his next move should be. Even when they were escaping from P.O.O.D.L.E. headquarters and running for their lives, he had been on top of things, carefully weaving his way around dangerous situations and questions alike; picking his answers with the confidence of a general and the finesse of ballerina. "You don't have to take his abuse."

"And what have you given him, one dance?" Sebastian countered quickly.

It suddenly dawned on him that no one else in this bar save for Danny, and perhaps Vi, knew what they had been through together, and that they have known each other for far longer than one dance. But if he were to reveal that information publically, he'd also give away his anonymity as Mitch, the lion/golden retriever half-breed, which would leave him in a dangerous predicament. The lion had seen it in his face but mistook it for his inability to decide between them. Locke knew who he wanted to be with; he had known it from the moment they first met in his father's log cabin. Instead, he was desperately looking for a way out...So was it any surprise that he jumped at one when it was presented?

It shouldn't have been, but it hurt nonetheless to see him go and take Sebastian by the arm, who then escorted him away from the circle of eager onlookers towards another part of the club. No words were exchanged; no backward glances over the shoulder as they left; no stink-eye or out stretched tongue, or arched tail. With suitor decided, the crowd quickly dispersed back to a throng of mindless bodies grinding and groping out on the dance floor, leaving the lion alone to lick his wounds as he eased his way through the dancers back towards the bar.

Moving towards the far end of the bar closer to the wall, he put one empty stool between him and Danny before taking a seat. He paid the tiger/lizard no attention, instead focusing on the lacquered wood of the counter before him, and the sound of ice cubes against the side of a glass. It took a minute or two for the bartender to make her way down to him, who by then was too busy sulking to notice her watchful gaze above. "Are you gonna drink your sss-sorrows away too?" Vi asked, after which she gave a non-verbal que to her brother to not start anything.

"I'm gonna try..." he replied wistfully.

The lizard nodded, her green scales reflecting the light of the recently descended disco ball over the dance floor. "What are you having?"

Fin

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I hoped you liked it, and let me just say, it feels really good to post something on here agin, hopfully the first of many. .

p.s. I know some of my indents are messed up on here, but they look fine in the original word document. I tried fixing some, but i know i didn't get them all. If anyone knows why this happens, or even better yet, a way to easily address this, It'd be a welcome tidbit of information.

and as always, comments, votes, and questions are all welcome