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CUDDLE

_ A/N: This came to me this morning and I just had to put it down. It's deliberately short and sexy. Everyone needs someone to cuddle and love them even our curmudgeon of a Commander. Hope you enjoy it. _

Chapter 1: Arriving in Megakat City

His sleepy mind desired one thing when awakening beside a warm body. Rolling close he tried to cuddle the other but his one night stand, as always, moved away reflexively. That was when he would wake completely and frown irritably at himself.

Why he always tortured himself seeking something from strangers he would never understand. Grunting at himself with self loathing, he slipped from the bed and went to the bathroom. As he showered off, the euphoria of the night slipped away as it always did when he had a stranger in his bed.

If it were possible, he would never have one there at all but his body would continually harp at him if he didn't see to its needs. So he would capitulate every few months or so and remain celibate the rest of the time.

All he ever wanted was someone who cared about him, someone to wake up in the morning with and who would cuddle him close, saying such wonderfully sweet things like; 'I love you', 'you smell good in the morning,' 'let's just cuddle here,' and 'I could do this forever.' But such things would never be there for him and he'd resigned himself to mornings of loneliness and desires unfulfilled.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Across the ocean and over a distant mountain range, in the Tymurr Federation another male was just going to sleep...alone. He was resigned to his solitary life, his career being his only outlet and connection to others.

He was tall, lean and well muscled with thick, plush, fur the color of silver tipped with black. His hair was black with a silver streak in a forelock that hung almost into his eyes. Bars of black stripped his arms and legs as well as each cheek on his face but his most arresting feature were his amazing eyes. It was a color rarely seen, a blue that was more purple in hue. They drew many an admiring look but the hard, coldness reflected in them made any prospective date shy away instantly.

He'd long since given up seeking anything but temporary relief for his body. Any hope of a relationship and someone to cuddle up to gone with his youth and dreams of being happy and loved.

Waking the next morning, a rather dismal day of rain greeted him as he dressed for work. His sharp looking red and gold uniform clashed rather badly with his silver coloring but it was the uniform of the Tymurr Federation military of which he was a member.

When he reported for duty, his commander handed him an assignment that made him grimace with distaste.

"Whatever possessed Davers to go there?" He asked, annoyed.

"That's what you're going to find out. Something big must be in the wind for a big time munitions dealer to dare leave his own turf for a danger zone like Megakat City," his superior snorted.

"Or it could be we got far closer to him, forcing him to rabbit, than we'd originally thought," Strader mused.

"I'd like to think so. All those months of chasing him down had to amount to something but taking off to that benighted city wasn't a move I would have thought him scared or suicidal enough to do," the commander said, shaking his head. "Well, whatever his reason was, you're going to have to fetch him. He crossed borders illegally so we finally have something to tag him with."

"What? That doesn't make sense!" Strader objected, strongly. "Davers was canny enough to avoid overtly breaking the law for years even though we knew he was dirty. To make such a bonehead mistake now isn't like him."

"I agree with you. This morning, I received a tip that thought Davers had made a deal with one of those damned omegas and got burned when it went sour," the commander dropped casually.

"What? Pardon me, sir, but no way was Davers that stupid. He may have been making a deal but it was most likely with a third party. He may have learned who the first party was and tried to back out. Now that would make more sense," Strader said firmly.

The commander eyed him thoughtfully. "Hmm, that does make sense and explains his sudden trip to Megakat though more than likely that hadn't been his choice which would explain why he did it illegally," he mused.

Strader nodded and said grimly, "Definitely not his choice and I could just see someone like that hard ass Dark Kat being the one shafted and sending out a party of his ninjas to snatch the person that reneged on the deal."

"Unfortunately, so do I. We were just lucky that someone had spotted Davers leaving town or we might never have known where he'd gone," his boss agreed. "So, you're going to have to try and find out what really happened and bring back Davers. If Dark Kat is involved, we don't want to tip him off that we know about him being involved, so you will be going in incognito. Hook up with Commander Feral. It's his turf! He's going to be upset finding out a gun dealer of Davers caliber is now in his city whether under duress or not. I'll call ahead so he's not surprised while you get on the next flight for Megakat City."

"Yes sir. Uh, is Feral that difficult to work with?"

The commander smiled, a knowledgeable look in his eyes. "He can be a complete asshole with a violent temper but he's also very sharp and an excellent commander despite the bad publicity he gets that says otherwise. I don't envy that big bastard working with such an idiot mayor and having those two vigilantes in his fur all the time. I'd have left that place long ago. Just be polite and respectful but don't kiss ass. He has a second that does that already and he despises him."

"Sounds like he and I will get along fine, sir," Strader grinned, maliciously.

Snorting, the commander said, "either that or you'll be at each other's throat. Just don't get into a row with him, alright...be good...as hard as that is for you. Good luck and keep your hide intact. Can't afford to lose my best inspector."

"I promise to take due care, sir," Strader said, amused, saluting then leaving his superior's office to pack his things and catch the next flight out.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

After a very long twelve hour flight and two time zones, Strader's plane landed at the huge Megakat International Airport. He prevented serious jet lag by sleeping on the plane to acclimate himself to the different time zone. It had been lunchtime in Tymurr when he left but it was just the beginning of the work day in Megaka when he arrived.

Yawning, he retrieved his single bag from the overhead storage, made a brief stop to freshen up at a restroom before heading to the taxi stand. Within minutes he was heading toward the huge enforcer building that towered above most of the city scape.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

In his top floor office, Feral scowled at the pile of reports waiting for him. It was higher than normal due to a run in with Hard Drive last evening. They and those annoying SWAT Kats failed to tag the techno thief.

When the dust had settled, he was no closer to figuring out why the techno thief was down at the docks. That certainly wasn't his usual M.O. which made him think HD had been a diversion for something or someone else entirely. An image of Dark Kat flashed in his mind...too often Hard Drive was forced to do things for that psycho omega and this could have been one of those times.

His desk of files was the result of that suspicion. The reports were on what normal activity was supposed to be going on at that particular wharf, input from his transport officers that monitored the shipping traffic in the area, inputs from their stable of snitches that frequented that part of the docks and any data his department of illegal firearms, drugs, and alcohol managed to dig up.

It would take him most of the morning to weed through all this data. It was normally something his second would take care of but he didn't trust Steele to ferret out the info they needed and his assistant, Sgt Fallon was already too busy handling all the other matters Feral couldn't take care of right now plus his myriad of other duties.

Sighing, he pushed his sleeves up and began to work, a cup of coffee nearby to keep him going. It was going on nine when his secretary interrupted him. He scowled at his intercom as he hit the button.

"Yes?"

"Sir, Inspector Strader from the Tymurr Federation is here to see you."

Feral rolled his eyes and sighed. He'd nearly forgotten that an agent from a foreign country would be coming in this morning. 'Damn, what bad timing,' he thought in disgust but told his secretary, "send him in."

"Yes sir." The pretty and efficient middle aged secretary smiled at the handsome tom before her and said, "you may go in, sir."

"Thank you," Strader said, bowing his head politely before walking to the heavy door and opening it.

The first thing the inspector noted was the size of the office which was huge but nearly bare of furniture. Across from the door was a huge wall of windows that held a spectacular view of the city. To the far right of the windows was a big pedestal desk set two steps from the floor. No chairs sat before it, though there was a couch, two chairs, and a table a little ways from the window plus some potted plants to relief the starkness of the space. Next to the door was a coat tree holding a heavy overcoat with commander epaulets on it.

After that quick look, his attention was firmly fixed on the occupant of the desk. Sitting back in his big, high backed, swivel chair, to stare at him, was a huge tom. His shoulders were very broad and he had an impressive chest that was obviously all muscle that strained his dress shirt whose sleeves were pushed up to reveal bulging, muscular arms.

The dark tom had a head of precisely cut black hair, piercing eyes of an amazing gold surrounded by natural black lines that only accentuated their huge size and his fur was an overall dark brown. The face that studied him was rugged with a large square chin and he had a small mustache of black.

A sudden hot warmth suffused his body as he stared at the impressive tom. He realized with a jolt that he found the tom very attractive and so very hot. It took all his hard won skills to keep a bland expression on his face and not be panting with his tongue hanging out at the stunning image before him. He was grateful for the coat his was wearing as his cock had decided to show an interest too.

Feral eyed the stranger and felt his heart gallop the moment those amazing purplish-blue eyes stared into his. 'Wow! What a looker!' He thought giddily, glad he had perfected his stone face or he'd be devouring the male with his eyes. All that silver fur tipped in black made him want to sink his fingers in to see if it was as plush as it looked. He'd couldn't remember the last time he felt this way about a male.

The inspector was dressed simply, obviously incognito, since Feral knew the Tymurr's uniforms were a very bold red and gold. What he wore now was a navy suit paired with a powder blue dress shirt, dark blue tie with silver streaks through it, and highly polished black shoes on his feet. He looked soo yummy that Feral felt his cock rise with definite interest.

Neither male realized they'd been staring at each other an unseemly length of time until the visitor got a hold of himself and walked up to the desk. When he moved, Feral was able to come out of his own stupor and stand up to walk down his pedestal to greet him.

"Hello, sir. My name is Dimitri Strader," he said extending his paw.

"Ulysses Feral, pleased to me you," Feral said, shaking the paw and feeling a zing up his arm; causing him to suck in a quick gasp of air, his nose catching notes of lanolin, jet fuel, and cinnamon wafting up from the tom as well as arousal. That last nearly made him blush. 'Oh, so he's attracted too,' he thought inanely as he carefully released the tom's paw, pleased with the nice firm grip as he did so.

Strader's paw was nearly swallowed up in Feral's and felt so right there that he had a hard time letting go. It didn't escape his notice that the big tom found him just as attractive.

'Well, at least we're not going to be butting heads but keeping our paws off each other...now that might be a problem,' he thought to himself, as he carefully took a slight inhale of air to catch the tom's scent. Arousal was there as was a stew of odors; gun oil, coffee, some kind of herbal body wash, and a deeper scent of musk laced with cedar.

'Okay, I've got to have this guy before I leave this city, but right now work is on the agenda,' he promised himself as he carefully put some distance between the two of them.

Feral felt Strader step back and assume a professional mien, his paws clasped behind his back. Shaking himself mentally, he got himself in paw as well and refocused himself on the reason for the inspector's presence here but promised himself that he would see if the tom would like to get together after this.

With their personal agenda's set the pair of males got down to business.

"I know my commander has spoken with you on why I'm here. Do you have any new information on where I can find my target," Strader asked politely.

Feral sighed, turned and waved at his desktop. "See that? That's all the information I've been able to have collected and I've already spent the last hour combing through much of it but haven't found anything yet."

Strader stared at the stack of reports and files and frowned. 'Why on earth hadn't Feral given most of the research to his assistant or second,' he wondered then remembered, 'he can't because his second is a nitwit...he must be short handed.'

"Then may I offer my assistance in the search, sir. We may cover it much faster that way," he offered, quietly. "Did you start this search due to our problem or did something else happen while I was in transit?"

Feral eyed him a moment then stared at the desk. "Your commander informed me that a gun broker was making a deal through a third party and got cold feet when he learned who the first buyer was. You suspect Dark Kat was the actual buyer and that he stole the broker away in revenge and brought him here. Before I could investigate your claim, Hard Drive caused trouble on the docks and made a big mess. I have suspicions that he was only there to cause a diversion for something Dark Kat was having done. Those reports are everything we could get on things both legitimate and illegitimate on the docks. Your help would be useful now to get through that mess faster. I'll give you the reports from the transportation inspectors and half the files from my BTF unit." He went to his desk and pawed through various reports making a stack. He handed those over to Strader. "All yours. Here's a pad and pen as well."

"Thank you, sir," Strader said, carrying the stack to the sitting area to get started. The additional information Feral had given him, firmed his suspicions that Dark Kat had taken Davers now all he had to do was prove it and find the missing crook.

Feral sat back down and shoved the distracting emotions about the male to the back of his mind and set to work again.

Chapter 2: The Chase is On

For the next two hours, there was no sound in the office but flipping papers and pens scratching. Finally, Feral gave a grunt of annoyance as he tossed the last file into his file basket but before he could make a comment to Strader about how useless his search had been, his office door popped open and Sgt Fallon hurried in with yet another file.

"Sir, this just came in from the sweep crew!" Fallon said, quickly, handing over the file.

Frowning, Feral opened it and began to skim the few pages it held while Fallon waited patiently.

Fallon's gaze fell on the stranger who looked up to stare at him a moment before returning his attention to a stack of reports he'd brought in for the Commander. 'This must be the inspector that was expected,' the sergeant mused then his commander snorted rather derisively drawing both him and the visitor's attention.

"Well, that confirms it." Waving the folder, Feral growled, "a wit was found at the scene who saw your Mr. Davers being hustled off a boat and into a van along with some kats dressed in head to toe black that could only be Dark Kat's ninjas."

"That's good news isn't it?" Strader asked, confused at how blase Feral was about the finding.

Sighing, Feral eyed his visitor with a jaundiced eye as he said, "it's good to know for certain your perp is here and who has him, unfortunately, finding Dark Kat is a needle in the haystack kind of thing. He comes to you...you don't ever find him."

Strader slumped in his seat. This was sounding like it was going to be a long waiting game for which he didn't have the time for.

"What are you going to do?"

Tossing the file down, Feral gave him a pained look. "We do what we always do...put out a bulletin and hope someone like this wit is found to locate Dark Kat's new hideout. However, if he chose to go to ground in the mountains, then we'll not find him at all."

The silver tom grimaced. "And how long does the wait take before you find him?" He had a very bad feeling about this.

Feral shrugged, "depends on whether he has a grand plan going at the moment or not. This Mr. Davers' attempt to pull out of the deal could have set Dark Kat's plans back and this is why he's mad enough to actually snatch the dealer. It's not ususal for him to do this so it must have been a really big scheme he has going. The possibility now is, he'll force Davers to make the deal he'd been trying for and get whatever it is he's needing." Feral's face took on a thoughtful look.

"Hmmm, you know, this kidnapping might be a good thing."

"How do you figure?" Strader asked, frowning.

Feral rubbed his chin, his eyes staring out the window without seeing anything as he explained. "It's given us an unexpected clue that Dark Kat had planned something truly big and that he was going to attack soon, something we had no idea about."

"But...despite that...you have no idea where to find him," Strader sighed, tilting his head up to stare at the ceiling. A waiting game. He hated waiting games.

"True...however, this time there's a difference in his pattern. This time he's become impatient and angry enough to do something against his normal, careful habits. If he made one mistake...he could make many more. Let me set my ops net into high gear and see if DK has left more obvious clues behind this time. We just might get lucky."

With a look of hope in his eyes, Strader watched as Feral made some calls. An hour later, he listened in as the Commander briefed the leaders of his undercover teams. He dismissed them thirty minutes later and turned to his visitor.

"Now we wait. If you want, you could shadow me to keep from getting really bored or you can cruise our city if you keep a close watch on your surroundings for omega attacks," Feral suggested.

"Either option sounds interesting. Perhaps I'll go with number two for the moment then switch to number one choice when something interesting comes up, eh?"

Feral shrugged, giving Shrader a small smile. "Something's always coming up so you won't get bored. I'll give you my personal cell number so we can keep in touch. Where are you staying?"

"I've reservations at the Freeburg Hotel in midtown."

"A nice place, nothing fancy and they don't serve meals. There's a cop diner just a few blocks from there called Jerimiah's and a restaurant in the same area called the Savoy. Enjoy your visit and I hope your wait won't be too long."

"Thanks. I'll go now to my hotel and check in since there's nothing more I can do. I'll give you a call later today to see how things are going," Strader said easily.

Feral pulled out a business card from his desk just as Strader pulled one out of his wallet. They exchanged cards and nodded farewell.

Feral had to admit, Strader's backside was just as fetching as his front had been. Sighing, he pulled his mind back to business and tackled more of his work.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

To Strader's annoyance, the search for Dark Kat went on for several days. He'd already checked in with his boss who'd told him he'd have to stick it out then as they needed this matter closed. He clearly understood the problem with finding Dark Kat so wasn't as upset by the delay as Strader thought he might be.

With nothing better to do, he'd seen the sights, actually gave assistance during a gang fight, watched with grim dismay an attack by some kind of living plants which he learned later was the calling card of a mutant Kat known as Dr. Viper which afforded him a chance to see the SWAT Kats in action and how they interacted with the enforcers.

He could easily see the animosity between the two forces but also a grudging admiration toward the wild pair of fighters. Their tech was amazing and he was captivated by the pilot's stunning skill flying their advanced jet and some of the really insane maneuvers he executed.

The weapons officer was a crack shot which would have been a great benefit to the enforcer though Feral certainly matched him in skill. Another thing that astonished him was the fact the pair weren't glory hounds. They actually avoided the publicity that hounded them by never really sticking around when the job was done. And the speed with which they could take a powder told just how fast the jet truly was. The enforcers were hopelessly outclassed which hurt to watch.

During this waiting time, he'd gotten to know Ulysses a little better. When it was possible, they shared dinner together and talked shop, touching only a little on their personal lives.

From the bits and pieces Feral let drop about himself, Strader learned the tom was as lonely as himself and realized, disconcertingly, that his life was a mirror of Strader's own...total dedication to their career, no interest in marriage or kittens, and no lovers. Just two lonely souls helping others and ignoring their own needs and desires. Perhaps, that was what drew them to each other.

Whatever it was, they were having a hard time ignoring their desires for each other, however, they were too well trained to allow their personal feelings to interfere with their duties. But it was becoming obvious by the many veiled looks they gave each other, that when Strader's task was over, the barrier would come down with a crash. He could hardly wait.

The case exploded suddenly, two and a half weeks after his arrival. A dead body had been recovered from the bay and the ME's office was able to identify the male as Davers.

Strader stared down at the mutilated body on the coroner's table, dispassionately. 'Well, I don't have to worry about taking his worthless carcass home and that's one more arms broker out of the picture,' he thought, both relieved and upset.

Yes, his perp was dead, but the reasons for the death were still unanswered and Dark Kat hadn't been located. But Feral knew the death meant the omega was ready to strike and this was his notification of his intentions. Less than two hours after the body was found Dark Kat struck.

The scene was like something out of a science fiction novel...a huge black ship in the shape of a spider came charging down main street striking at building and enforcers indiscriminately, causing widespread panic and chaos.

Strader had offered his assistance and Feral reluctantly allowed him to join him aboard his chopper as his gunner and copilot.

"Be fast on the guns and fast to bail out. Don't think twice about leaping overboard the moment our chopper is hit...in a battle with Dark Kat I always seemed to lose my chopper," Feral shouted to the tom as they strapped in and lifted off the flight line.

Strader blinked at him in disbelief but didn't ask how Feral managed to survive every time. One didn't just leap out of a chopper because there was no parachuting from this close to the ground. It was suicide to leave the chopper but in the fight with Viper, he did see a lot of enforcers leap from totally destroyed choppers rather than stay with them...and, surprisingly, many of them did survive...still he thought it was crazy.

Shaking his head at the insanity of this war Feral fought regularly, he got familiar with the weapons. Considering how the enforcers had to fight, he wasn't surprised to see the pilot also had weapons besides the gunner. He'd been in Megakat City long enough to have witnessed how brutal their war with the omegas was and why their jets and choppers fairly bristled with weapons. Too bad it didn't help them as much as it should. Feral lost far too many enforcers in this seemingly endless war.

The battle lasted over twenty minutes, was vicious, deadly, and terrifying. He and Feral comported themselves with honor, fighting until their chopper was literally ripped from around them.

Their lives had been saved only because Feral knew he was about to be creamed and managed to swing the chopper toward the Turbokat's location, fired one more round into the enemy to add to the barrage his other choppers were doing and the more intense pounding the SWAT Kats were giving the odd flying ship.

When that fatal blow struck their chopper, Feral yelled, "jump outward then fall toward me!"

Strader blinked at that odd instruction but didn't have much time to think more on it when their chopper exploded. He was suddenly freefalling wildly for the ground. Mindful of Feral's last command, he searched the sky while spreading his body flat to slow his downward fall. There was the big tom to his right and below, doing the same maneuver as himself. He angled himself as best he could, folded a little so he would fall quicker until he was just above Feral then spread out again.

Feral didn't see him yet then suddenly they were both snagged by a large net that wrapped around them and jerked them to a stop, squashing the pair of them together. With his chest pressed against Feral's, Strader looked upward to the see the Turbokat was responsible for their rescue.

"Glad you made it. Would have hated losing you," Feral rumbled close to his ear.

Strader turned his head a little so he could look the tom in the face. "You knew this would happen?"

The tom snorted, amused, "I counted on it!"

"Oh, so that's why you changed direction and came closer to them." Strader realized, which explained Feral's strange behavior and shouted instruction.

"Yeah, if they insist on being on the scene, I might as well make sure I survive the battle by being close to them. Their morals forbid them from just allowing me to go splat to the ground even if they don't like me much," Feral grinned, wolfishly.

As they were pulled skyward toward the jet, Strader could only grin and say, "I like how you think."

In minutes, they were aboard the jet and he got to meet the gunner of the pair face to face. There wasn't time for an introduction, though, as the enemy was still in the game. Waving the two of them to some jump seats against the wall, the small, colorfully dressed tom climbed back up to the cockpit.

Strader listened intently as the pair above them fought Dark Kat. He had to admit, they made an efficient team and he learned the smaller tom, named Razor or sure shot by his partner T-Bone, was the one who had invented and fired the amazing array of weapons they were using.

It was only another five minutes before Razor yelled 'bingo', signifying the end of Dark Kat's plans, whatever they had been. The jet flew a short distance then went to VTOL to land in the street. Strader wished they had a jet that could VTOL with such ease. It was still in the experimental stage in his home country and Feral didn't have the funds to have one built for the enforcers, which was highly unfair.

He got to meet the pilot, a big, brawny, sandy colored male who was arrogant and snide with Feral. That made Strader bristle with indignation but held his tongue as he noted Feral only seemed mildly annoyed and traded, what sounded like, familiar barbs.

Listening more closely to their testosterone laden bantering that consisted of threats by Feral and snide rebuffs and posturing by the big SWAT Kat, Strader realized there was true respect between the two and no real animosity. It seemed to be an act strictly for any viewers watching and/or listening in. Feral had to be careful not to show he sanctioned the vigilantes presence though it was obvious they did manage to work together...sort of a clandestine partnership to protect their city.

He was impressed. Feral knew he was in a bad position with his poorly equipped forces and was smart enough to utilize what was at paw to protect his city. To take the abuse and humiliation such as was being heaped on Feral by their pompous and unimpressive mayor took a big person who did what was right despite being vilified for it. He simple shrugged it off and stalked away proudly as he finished his work, ordering the clean up of the area, medical for the wounded, later finishing the necessary reports and the letters of condolences...all without appearing to care what was said of him but Strader knew otherwise. Inside, that huge tom suffered alone and friendless, keeping a gruff exterior to hide his true feelings.

Well he knew just the thing to help that wonderful warrior and martyr at the end of a terrible day. Now that his mission was over and Dark Kat had been captured, they could make time for themselves. Tonight, he would soothe both their lonely souls by joining together to celebrate surviving another day with a passionate night of sex. While Feral finished his day, Strader called his boss and said he would be back in a couple of days as he was going to take a short break then made for his hotel to make some special arrangements. He left a message with Sgt Fallon to tell his superior to come to his hotel room at seven that evening.

Chapter 3: Two Lonely Souls

Feral rubbed his tired eyes as he finished clearing up the mess Dark Kat had left behind. He'd learned what the omega was up to finally, and was appalled at how close they'd come to total oblivion. If Dark Kat had managed to succeed in his mad plan nearly half the city would have been wiped off the map and he could take over with ease. So Feral was thoroughly relieved the black widow hadn't imploded its cargo when it landed on the ground.

They discovered this nasty surprise when he sent in his enforcers to collect Dark Kat's unconscious form and the few living ninjas aboard. A sharp eyed trooper had spotted the deadly little device in the bomb bay still nestled in its launching tube while he was searching for more of the crew.

His bomb squad were nearly freaked by what they'd pulled out. He knew it wasn't good when they called for backup and a stronger container for whatever it was they'd found. It made an even more profound impact on him when the bomb crew brought out their now filled container with exaggerated care and loaded it on a specially padded vehicle, not even willing to try and disarm whatever it was on the spot.

When he got the report later, Feral paled. How in god's name did this Deavers character get his paws on a nuclear warhead? Angry, he set his special ops division to searching out all the tom's known associates and connections to the arms trade and plug the leak.

He was fervently glad Deavers was dead since it meant his skill at procuring such deadly toys was now at an end.

It was nearly nightfall when he finally shut down his computer, locked his desk, and went to get his coat on. Sgt Fallon had come in about two hours earlier to deliver Strader's invitation which he was now eager to accept despite feeling exhausted. The prize was so worth the loss of a night's sleep.

Stifling a yawn, he locked his door and headed out. Climbing into his hummer, he set off into the light traffic for Strader's hotel.

By the time he arrived, his stomach was grumbling. A valet took his keys as he alighted and made for the double glass doors. He passed the reservation desk and headed straight for the elevator bank. A car arrived within seconds and he pressed the floor where Strader's room was located.

Something smelled delicious and made his nose twitch when he reached the right door. Raising his paw, he knocked firmly, receiving a response within minutes. A warmly smiling Dimitri, dressed in white linen slacks and open necked powder blue shirt, greeted him and gestured for him to enter. Smiling back, Feral stepped through the doorway and into the medium sized room.

A queen size bed was near the rear of the space but the table that was normally near the window now stood just a few feet inside the door and was set for a meal. A delivery cart with covered dishes sat nearby while a bottle of wine was open to breathe, waiting for them on the table itself.

"Hmm, something smells heavenly. How did you know I'd be hungry?" Feral asked as he took off his coat and handed it to the silver tom.

Chuckling, Strader carried the heavy great coat to his tiny closet near the door and hung it up as he answered, "because I've done my own share of late night catchup and knew you wouldn't take the time to halt long enough to eat more than a small sandwich and coffee."

"You'd be right." Feral looked around and saw Strader had prepared for the evening with attention to all the details for a night that wouldn't end until morning. A feeling of warmth and excitement spread through him despite his tiredness.

He turned his head to watch Strader come over to the table. Eyeing the handsome tom appreciatively, he murmured, "...planned for everything did we?"

Strader gave him a small devilish smirk. "You like?"

"Oh definitely."

Pleased, Strader gestured to the table, "I'm glad. Shall we eat?" He took the wine and poured two glasses full before sitting down.

Dinner was enjoyable and captivating. Feral hadn't had someone he could truly confide in since his early days as a lowly officer. At his present rank, he had more enemies than friends and none of those understood what he went through to keep this city safe. Ever since Dimitri's arrival in the city, Feral felt some of the tension from his myriad of burdens ease significantly during their many talks.

The feeling of comfortable camaraderie wasn't one sided either, because Dimitri felt exactly the same. He had found it thoroughly cathartic to unload his many frustrations with politics, rampant underfunding, favoritism in the ranks, and all the other little irritations that made up his job, on Ulysses and have the big tom truly understand, listen and commiserate with him. It made the burdens they each bore, so much easier to handle and wonderfully freeing as well.

It was then they truly realized how well matched they were. Even though it had only been days since they'd met and they hadn't share a bed, they still felt a powerful connection that transcended mere sexual attraction.

Falling silent, they thought about how their lives were and how much better they could be if the two of them were together. The very air seemed to fairly vibrate with the intense longing the two of them felt so keenly, to never be alone again. However, a desire so personal was hard for them to express or speak of aloud so they sat there a bit shy and uncertain with each other.

It was Dimitri who made the first move to break the stalemate as he downed the last of his wine then rose to his feet.

Feral eyed him silently as he finished his own wine and waited to see what Dimitri would do first. He was surprised when the silver tom moved to stand behind him, placing his strong fingers over each shoulder and beginning a firm massage of Feral's broad shoulders which were tight and knotted from stress.

The dark tom moaned with relief as Dimitri's massage eased the tension he simply endured rather than sought professional assistance to correct.

Dimitri smiled when he heard Uly's moan, knowing he was helping the tom relax as he continued to forcibly knead the unhealthily knotted shoulder and neck muscles. He wasn't surprised Feral was this stiff, knowing he was probably the same but maybe not nearly as bad.

He dug and worked the muscles until they finally loosened and the dark tom was purring, totally at ease for the first time in recent memory. Leaning down close to Feral's ear, he murmured softly, "feel better?"

"Ohhh, much better...thank you," Ulysses rumbled, rolling his shoulders, appreciatively. Turning his head, he found they were eye to eye. "I do so love those incredible eyes of yours...never seen anything so beautiful before," he murmured softly, closing in to kiss the tom lightly on the lips, tasting the wine Dimitri had drunk.

Dimitri murred heatedly. He was pleased the dark tom chose gentleness as a prelude to their joining.

Though Feral didn't know it yet, Dimitri much preferred a slow, thoughtful study of each other rather than a violent and wild taking which some of the males he'd been with in the past seemed to desire. The slower route allowed each to take their time to get better acquainted; touching, caressing, and kissing while building the tension more strongly toward the actual mating.

Feral smoothly moved from his seat to standing, his arms encircling the silver tom's body to pull them into a more intimate embrace as he continued the kiss, tasting and delving into that hot, tasty mouth. He could sense, Dimitri liked this slower approach which pleased him greatly.

There was no feeling of urgency to hurry toward the bed, meaning more time to explore which he did, kissing Dimitri's mouth, face and neck, while his paws caressed and stroked the lean back as his powerful arms kept them close.

Their need thrummed between them, proclaiming more than anything else, how badly each tom craved the touch of another. It was obvious they'd been too long denied this simple comfort which others took for granted.

After a long pleasurable interlude, by mutual consent, they began moving toward the bed. Their paws stripped one piece of clothing off at a time, leaving a trail of ties, shirts, belts, shoes, pants, and socks behind, ending up at the bed with only their boxers still on.

Still remaining wrapped in each others arms, they fell to the bed. Hot for each other from their preliminary foreplay, it was time to satisfy some primal urges. But these were two males were very dominant so no one was giving in that easily to playing the sub part.

A loving wrestling match commenced with Feral taking an early lead. The air quickly filled with grunts, groans, and oofs of displaced air as they struggled for dominance. Kissing was interspersed with wrestling holds, nuzzles, and licks to ears and face that sent messages of heat and need through their bodies.

Feral adored the feel of Dimitri's thick, plush fur beneath his fingers. It was as lush as he'd been dreaming it would be and he couldn't wait to bury his face in it but Dimitri was giving him far more resistance during their play wrestling then he'd expected, forcing him to fight harder to win the right to mate first which only made things more exciting. It was fun and he hadn't played like this since...he couldn't remember when.

Dimitri was having a joyful time play fighting and wrestling with the dark tom. He felt like a kitten again except they were two harden warriors and were evenly match. But Dimitri planned to break the deadlock with a move Uly wouldn't expect.

His desire for the dark tom soared making him take a risk he wouldn't ordinarily do, that of getting his right arm nearly broken when Ulysses had it pulled back behind the silver tom's body and wouldn't let go. Forcing Uly to lean toward the side of the pinned arm allowed Dimitri to thrust his left leg through the tom's thighs, curve around the right leg and pull. Already off balanced, Uly was forced to release Dimitri's arm as he went flying backward to the bed.

Chuckling wickedly, the silver tom whirled around and straddled Ulysses' waist and crowed delightedly, "I win!" Smirking, he leaned down to give Ulysses a hot kiss while rubbing his cock against the tom's larger one through their boxers.

'Ooohhhh...he's so hot, I could just eat him alive,' Feral thought heatedly as he reached down and tugged at the boxers trapping that hot cock away from him.

Grinning broadly, Dimitri murmured darkly, "oohh, we're in a hurry now are we? Well, we'll just have to do something about that. Would you grab the lube near you while I get us ready?" He climbed off the bed, stripped his and Uly's boxers away, pausing to stare in pleased delight at the huge tool waving in the air at him. Tossing the underwear over his shoulder to the floor, he took the tube Uly gave him.

Preparing his partner, Dimitri tossed the tube to the floor then then lifted the dark tom's legs up on his shoulders. Lining himself up he eased in carefully, taking his time as he suspected it had been awhile since Uly had sex.

Feral's face bent in pain only a couple of times before Dimitri was finally firmly seated, the wonderfully tight channel squeezing him pleasurably. He began a slow thrusting in and out, leaning over to capture the dark tom's mouth for more passionate kissing.

Feral was flying high. The feel of that hot pole pistoning within him was fantastic and sent his senses reeling. He hugged the silver tom tightly against him as they plunged wildly seeking every ounce of pleasure they could from this first union.

The end came quickly with Feral than Dimitri coming hard and roaring, sooner than either wanted but was explosive just the same. They lay in a heap of panting bodies, catching their breath and feeling the drumming of their hearts.

When it was Feral's turn, he chose to take Dimitri from behind, loving the feel of all that dense fur against him as he thrust joyfully into the madly bucking silver beneath him. The ride was just as wild and intense as the first, and they came together, something rarely attained, making the joining all the more thrilling for both.

Resting often, they took turns for several hours more, enjoying each other to the fullest until exhaustion and utter satiation ceased the fun just after midnight.

With dawn's early light shining in his eyes, Feral woke to find himself in a strange place but memory snapped into play when he felt the warm plush body of Dimitri wrapped around him.

Smiling to himself, he enjoyed this quiet moment to nuzzle and cuddle against the tom. This was what he'd wanted and needed for so long.

Dimitri felt someone nuzzling his neck and hugging him tight. He slowly opened his eyes to behold those beautiful gold ones he'd been so taken with the night before. Smiling lazily, he returned the hug and nuzzle.

"Good morning, Ulysses," he murmured softly, enjoying the cuddle.

"Morning, Dimitri...mmm you feel so good. I just love your fur," he whispered softly, almost hesitantly, afraid of the rejection he'd normally gotten from males he'd slept with.

As if sensing Uly's worry, Dimitri banished it by softly saying, "...and I love being held by you in the morning. It feels indescribably wonderful."

Ulysses moaned, emotions too intense for him to articulate, made him cling to the tom and kiss the silver's face all over with joy.

Dimitri felt just as overwhelmed as he returned the heartfelt kiss.

For long minutes afterward neither spoke, letting their bodies tell the other what this moment meant to them.

Finally, Dimitri spoke, "well, I guess this means I'm moving to Megakat City then, hmm?"

Feral pulled his head away and gaped at Dimitri in shocked surprise. "Oh, I never assumed...I mean...your career...we've just met and that's a serious decision you shouldn't make so quickly based on such a short meeting and night..." he stuttered.

Dimitri chuckled. "Ulysses...easy. Yes, I can make a decision that quickly just as you can. First, I've been just as lonely as you; second, you can't leave here and I'm not so attached that I can't leave my home...didn't you remember me grousing about it? ...third, I can't imagine being with anyone else but you and I knew that the moment I laid eyes on you. The feelings only got stronger and more sure over the days we were together. The night we spent was glorious but it was this moment...this sweet and tender moment here in your arms being admired and wanted...that's what made the decision so easy and desirable for me."

He reached a paw up and tenderly caressed, Uly's cheek. "Tell me you don't feel the same way?"

Feral simply stared at this handsome tom for some minutes, trying to absorb what he'd said then leaned down and kissed Dimitri warmly before pulling back and saying, "I can't because I've learned to care too much for you as well. Also, though I never make such snap decisions where emotions are involved, I find that I've fallen in love with you and don't want you to ever leave me."

Dimitri smiled warmly back and whispered, "That's what I thought and I love you too."

Fini!