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Surprise fan art by the generous :iconKreos: ! Remember this? Kreos colored this one for me to be used as the cover art for this chapter, and I must say, I do love how it looks like! Thank you, Kreos! Don't forget to give him some love, y'all!

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S04E02

HH#118

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Hello, and welcome to "I'm With the Hockey Hunk"! My soap opera got into a surprise flashback start on last Friday, and now it is time to get back to the big business, I suspect! I'm glad for the warm welcome on the first chapter, as much as the critique as well - keep it coming, please! Only that way I shall know whether I'm doing a good job or not.

That said, I would also launch another edition of GRUFFY'S LURKER CHALLENGE! This means, if a special secret quota set by me is passed and enough people comments, I shall be posting a special something on Wednesday. The rules are very simple ALL COMMENTS COUNT - so whether you're a lurker, regular, or a semi-regular, everyone's comments go forward into the special Wednesday surprise!

That said, I also don't expect it for nothing, and I really appreciate the feedback as a way of keeping myself on my toes so that I'll be able to deliver the best possible product. Without more of the chitchat, I shall now present the latest chapter to you, and wish you a nice read! Yay!

*

Okay.

Alright.

I really needed to sit down.

I slumped to the bench, hard enough that my hip sent out a twinge of disapproval, and my tail smacked against the cold floor in annoyance at being shoved in such a manner. My eyes fell down onto the printed piece of paper again, and of course, no matter that I blinked, the wolf's paws were still resting on the delicious curves of Haakon's man-hips and their man-hug also included a whole lot of passionate-looking man-kissing done between their man-muzzles.

I closed my eyes extra hard, let out the breath I had been holding back, and looked at it again.

Yup.

Still kissing like there was nothing else in the world but the gentle caress of their lips against one another, their bodies with thrumming hearts seeking contact in the soft, passionate discourse of their muzzles and fleeing tongues.

Oh my God.

I flipped the paper around to hide the discriminating piece of evidence and then simply stared at the row of lockers on the opposite side of the small room, and allowed my rattling breaths to come freely.

Oh fuck....

I raked my claws through my head furs and made a face. I was sure that the little Rory on the mirror on the inside of my locker door would've been scowling back to me disapprovingly. I let out a deep, loud breath and glanced back at the now plain sheet of paper and its cousins strewn across the floor.

"Shit!" I snapped.

Oh, Mason, oh Mason, you're such a nice boy, but why, oh please why do you have to involve me in your drama? I've got enough of my own...

I snuffled and made another face and contemplated my situation. This bag was obviously something I was not meant to find, let alone go through its contents that included the proof of what the wolf did while he was not selling books here or making suggestive singing and dancing Facebook videos with his best buddy Haakon.

Well...seems that they got long REALLY well now, despite that punch incident.

Despite that man-date.

Man-date!

Oh, God...that date...how could....

There was no way out of it, I realized, and my tail almost jumped up to my eye level as the realization dawned on me in a rapid pulse of frantic energy coursing trough my body, there was no way to pretend otherwise.

He had to know.

Damn!

There was no way to deny it. He had to know that I was gay. No man in their in their right mind would ask a man out and just pretend that it was to get some tips on how to date a girl. And of course I had been so coy about it that I hadn't even dared to suggest the idea that maybe asking a man out even on a "practice" date was just a little bit suspicious of a certain kind of...appetite.

Oh damn, judging by that photograph, Mason was a real connoisseur of Norwegian cuisine.

Haakon knew that I am gay, I thought, dully, as the seconds passed, my heart raced, and the initial adrenaline spike started to wear off and take the shape of a more oppressive sensation in my body. Haakon knew, and he might have told Mason...Mason did ask me out way after Haakon apparently had caught me staring at his ass, and he could have simply told Mason, and the wolf would have gotten the idea to ask me out and...

But why to even do it, if he was actually doing all sorts of dirty dancing with the lynx? Was it a dare to prove Haakon's theory about me? Why the damn punch incident and what was that girl's role in this whole business?

Why was Haakon chatting me up regularly on Facebook?

Oh my fucking God.

Hadn't Haakon practically asked me out on a double date, me, Victor, Haakon and Mason, everyone going together onto a hockey game? He'd sounded so cheerful about it, as if...

Oh damn, as if it was a double date and not just an outing with him, his hockey buddy Victor, and Victor's buddy, me, and his buddy...

Talk about outings.

I ran my paw over my face and sighed deeply. This was getting too complicated.

"Roooooooooryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!"

_ _

The locker door swung open and Alex bounced in with the usual spring to his step. I almost keeled over.

"Oh, Rory, Crystal sent me down to make sure that you are doing alright, but oh my goodness, you aren't doing alright!" the Labrador yelped as he noticed the papers strewn on the floor. "What happened!"

My jaws formed a couple of non-descript words with no voice behind them, and Alex rushed forward, his tail making helicopters behind his tight while he came to a shuffling halt and put his paws onto my shoulders.

"Rory, you didn't fall, did you?" the Labrador rumbled worriedly. "Don't worry, I've been to a Red Cross emergency first aid course, I know how to immobilize injured limbs!"

His paws left my shoulders and were just about ready to start feeling up my hip before I snapped my paw onto his wrist and squeezed on it. The rumble rose from my throat instinctually and made Alex's floppy ears flick. I didn't let go of him paw.

"I'm fine," I huffed. "Nothing's wrong."

"So what's this mess then?" Alex waved his free paw over the paper-strewn floor. "What happened here?"

I knew I had to act quickly. I let go of Alex's paw and grabbed Mason's notebook and put it over my lap. Them I snatched the most dangerous piece of paper of them all from the bench and stuffed it between the notebook before Alex would have a chance of being extra helpful and picking it up...with dire consequences.

"I dropped this," I tapped the notebook's cover.

Alex eyed the pieces of paper on the floor and then rubbed his chin.

"Oh, dear..."

"No harm done." I said, trying to sound as calm as possibly while my heart still hammered in my chest and made me feel nauseous. "Help me out a bit?"

"Why, sure!" Alex's eyes seemed to light up. "You just sit tight, heheh."

"Thank you," I mused.

The swift-tailed Lab didn't take long in clearing up the floor, since he dropped to his knees (an ability which I envied) and picked up all the slips of paper that had fallen there, and soon handed them over to me. I wasted no time in pushing them within the pages of the notebook, damned that they'd be nowhere near where they'd been before, and then I pulled the bag close and stuffed the notebook in there before Alex would get any further ideas of helping me. Alex stood nearby and watched.

"But that's Mason's bag, isn't it?" he mused, pointing out the library bag. "I've seen him carrying that around!"

Oh, ffffffff...

"Well, it was in my locker, actually," I said.

"Oh, really?" Alex exclaimed.

"Yeah," I forced a smile onto my lips, "well, you see, I was wondering what it was and then I accidentally pushed it off the bench and it all spilled out..."

Hell, that was stretching the truth a bit, but I sure wasn't going to tell him I had been snooping around the bag trying to find out who it belonged to...but had found out something else. The least Alex knew the better.

"Oh dear..." the Lab shook his head, and I wasn't sure whether he was disapproving my apparent clumsiness, or the mess I had made of the whole locker room with my behavior, "I should've come to help you out before, I am so sorry! Let me at least hug you now!"

I didn't have the time to resist before Alex's arms went around my shoulders and he hugged me while I was still sitting down and he was standing up, and rubbed his chin against the top of my head! I held my breath for as long as he was close, but I still smelled the outrageous scent of his deodorant and his extra minty TicTac breath and his concerned pout persisted even when a foot was put between us in space. My cheeks were flushed.

"I...I'm fine," I forced my face to stay as calm as before, and even tried to smile a bit. "I think I'll manage now, thanks. I better put this back where it was and give it Mason when he shows up, huh?"

Alex rubbed his chin.

"Why'd he put it in your locker, though?"

I shrugged.

"Beats me," I said, "but I guess he thought it was some extra storage space or something. I wasn't exactly around, wasn't I?"

"Well, now that you mention it, he's also been hauling this big sports bag around, too, but he won't tell me what's in it," Alex mused thoughtfully, his tail wagging evermore, "maybe he indeed couldn't fit it all into his locker..."

I really didn't want to join him in this speculation. I'd rather just hide the bag and get my shirt on and just go upstairs and pretend that nothing happened here.

At least until Mason would come to work and I would have to face my newly outed co-worker for the first time.

With Crystal and Alex and Marge, too, probably, around to witness my being all happyhappy and oblivious and...

Oh get a damn grip of yourself, Rory Gliese! It's not like you never met a gay fur before! You see one in the bathroom mirror everyone morning while your gay paw is giving a gay squeeze on your gay dick having a gay piss!

"Heh, maybe," I said, "I'll ask him about it, maybe, eh?"

"Why, of course!" Alex flashed his extra white smile at me and folded his arms across his chest. "I must say, he's been doing such a good work here when you were gone, taking so much responsibility! I almost feel redundant with his busy paws going everywhere even when I'm not looking!"

Oh, damn, the mental images and Mason and his paws...aaaaaargghhh....

I picked up the library bag from the floor and shifted my numb ass on the bench enough so that I could shove the damn thing into the locker before Alex would get any further ideas on what to do with that bag.

"Well that's good to hear," I huffed once I was done with my surreptitious activities and faced the all too attentive Alex again, "that things aren't falling apart even when I'm gone."

"We barely even noticed!" Alex chirped.

"Heh," I rumbled.

"Are you sure you don't any extra help?" Alex mused, and then, seemingly needing some way to show his excellent helping skills, decided to pick up my abandoned crutches from the floor and hold them up in one paw, within my reach.

"Thanks," I muttered and put the crutches off to the side now. "I think I'll manage, really!"

"Alright!" he declared. "But I still owe you one Alex Hewlett's special blueberry and protein milkshakes for a snack during the coffee break!"

Oh, no...

"Thanks, but I'm lactose intolerant," I rumbled. "Sorry."

"Never mind!" Alex patted my shoulder. "I can always use soy milk!"

"Heh," I mumbled.

"See you soon! Just give me a holler if you need any help with the stairs, okay?"

"Sure," I happyhappied.

Alex sashayed out of the room and left me alone with my thoughts again, which might not have been the most preferable situation, considering everything that was going on in my mind, but at least I didn't have to deal with that extra piece of stimulus.

I rubbed my paw through my head furs and rumbled deeply.

"Aaaaghhh..." I huffed.

Just when you thought things were starting to get a bit more normal...work, Victor, Peter...

Bah.

I pushed my paw high up above my head and unhooked the shirt that was on the coat hanger and pulled it down.

"Oh, Mason..." I shook my head.

*

I conquered my nemesis, namely, the stairs, in a series of slow, careful steps, which was quite the challenge when you had two paws, two crutches, and one banister to deal with, but I managed, thankfully, and feeling somewhat breathless, to force myself up Mt. Albrecht and found myself on the main floor. I even looked quite professional, I hoped, with my neatly Peter-groomed mane and my somewhat musky red shirt and my black pants that I had put on for the occasion. The customers wouldn't even need to see my crutches once I was behind the counter and could rely on the promised stool to keep myself upright and proper and happyhappy and simply fantastic.

Oh, dear...I grunted.

Crystal was behind the counter, and I caught a sight of Alex wandering about the main floor, which prompted me to make a quick move for my regular position before Alex got the idea to try to help me again. Crystal was grinning broadly as soon as she saw me approach.

"Hi, Rory!" she smirked. "Looking good!"

"Thanks, sweetie," I smiled in return as I rounded the service counter with my slow, careful steps.

She made some room for me to pass her without needing to go sideways - something I daren't even try as for now - and slipped behind my good old familiar register, complete with the tall stool. It seemed most useful, and felt like that, too, once I settled down and put my crutches to the side. I knew that Crystal was looking at me, and I made a good show of setting up the cash register and tapping all the right buttons and symbols on the touch screen to take up to full action status. I turned my head a little and gave her a confident smile once I gave the final needed punch with flair, and then let my paw rest on the counter.

"All set for action," I smiled as my tail made a happy number 8 behind me.

"Go, Rory!" Crystal clapped her hands together and whinnied.

"Glad to be back," I smiled as I tapped the smooth, cool glass under my pads, "feels right at home here."

A very strange home at the moment, I had to admit, but it was better than no home at all.

"We've all been missing you," Crystal spoke, "especially Mason."

I'm sure my eyes widened.

"Oh really?" I squawked, my ears flicking rapidly.

"Yeeeeah," Crystal replied as she slowly leaned closer to me, which was quite the lot, because she was tall and I was seated, "he's kinda annoyed with Alex."

My ear felt ticklish under her breath, and flicked as soon as her snout moved away from it. Our eyes met again.

"Ohh I see," I commented conspiratorially.

Crystal straightened herself up and let her tail flick freely.

"Yeah, hahah," she chuckled. "We all need our studmuffin back in business."

I smiled a little, even if my stomach fluttered uncomfortably still.

"Heh," I said.

I knew I was supposed to puff out my chest and act a bit more like the alleged muffin, but the chime of the door interrupted us both in our games. A vixen had just stepped in to the shop, ears and eyes flicking about. Crystal and I shared a look, and she winked.

"All yours," she said and made herself look busy with her cash register.

I snuffled and cleared my throat.

"Hello, welcome to the Albrecht Brothers!" I called out. "How can I help you today?"

The vixen look at me, and smiled politely.

"Hello!" she replied. "I was looking for the Hunger Games books, actually!"

I raised my paw.

"Go past the cardboard wolf and they're right on the left on the "ADVENTUROUS ROMANCE" section," I explained, pointing at the still very much valiant Caledon Rocks cutout character keeping watch on the aisle.

"Thanks!" the vixen declared, her bushy tail swishing about.

"My pleasure!" I replied in my best happyhappy tone.

She went away, and I felt relieved for my successful first contact with retail after such a long pause. I saw that Crystal was smiling again, and I gave her another smile back, happily.

"Doing alright, huh?" I suggested.

"Sure!" Crystal grinned.

"Thanks," I rumbled.

This was going to be an interesting day.

*

_ _

_ _

"Are you ready, Haakon? All set?"

_ _

The handsome lynx grinned brightly and winked.

_ _

"Always ready!" Haakon snickered.

_ _

Here we go. Time to make some looooooooooooooooove happen.

_ _

I took a deep breath.

_ _

*

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