FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

October started cold and dreary. Winds and dropped tempratures. There was even a day that a light dusting of snow shaded everything white. It didn't stick for more than a day but there was just enough to huck a few small snowballs around. October was always a fun month on campus. The zombie craze that year had zombie walks set up all over college street and campus in one capacity or another, and it was one of the high holy party seasons of frat row. Spirits were secretly high, dreading midterms and anticipating homecoming before all hallow's eve.

Ryan made sure to put in for the days he wanted off early. Holloween weekend was a popular one to take off, and working nights meant having the first opportunity to sign the big calendar on the wall right as it rolled over into October. Bars always got stupid for Holloween and Ryan wanted to have the opportunity to get stupid at a bar where nobody knew his name at least once that weekend. He took extended days off, Thursday to Monday. Big Joe wasn't going to be happy with it but there wasn't much he could do. Nobody else had put in for it yet and most of the night shift crew wouldn't even check to think for about two weeks.

The third Tuesday of October, Ryan walked into the WRC with his climbing bag over his shoulder. He grabbed a locker key from the front desk and walked past the water fountains and restroom to push open the old metal door. The locker room was one of the few places that was part of the original building. Turqoise and white mini-tiles with metal dividers.

Clean and musky male intermingled in the way that only locker rooms can cause. Water was running and there was a pair of huskies in the room, one head and shoulders taller and about half again as wide as the other. Brothers, almost certainly. The big guy was ripped, but the short one had a bit of pudge. Ryan appraised them with a quick glance but then they started to strip so he averted his eyes before the sight of two stripping men started to make his scent show arousal.

Ryan kept his back to the joking pair while he opened his locker and stashed his things. Off came his pants. Cargo shorts and scuffed up kneepads for the harder course he had in mind. He switched his essentials over to his pockets, grabbed his harness and helmet and shut his locker. Going down the stairs onto the climbing floor, he spotted a german shepherd wandering around just looking at the few people who were climbing. Noah was trying to be unobtrusive and not too obvious but he wasn't remotely sneaky.

"Hey." Ryan grinned from the stairs, his harness clinking with each step for all the wedges, quickdraws and cams carabined to it. "How's it going?"

"Just taking a look around." He sounded a little embarassed. "I guess I was early." Ryan shook his head.

"Nah, I'm running late and Pierce couldn't be on time if his life depended on it. I usually end up spending a half hour on the short wall just practicing technique, but it's not a bad place to warm up anyways." The tiger thumbed over to the eight feet of imitation rock with multicolored grips studded into it. It wasn't high enough that it'd hurt when you fell from it, even if the floor wasn't rubber foam. "Just gimme a minute to strap in and I'll help you find a harness and helmet and stuff."

Ryan stepped into his harness, and adjusted the protection a bit so it hung the way it was supposed to. He clipped it around his thighs and shoulders, adjusted the waist snug around him and let that tail flick back and forth to make sure everything was comfortable and all of the buckles were flat and locked in place.

"What's with all the stuff on your harness?" Noah paced around him to get a good look at all the odds and ends Ryan kept on his gear.

"The little bits of wire with the square blocks of metal in them are called nuts, or chocks. You wedge them into rock and make certain they're steady and then you can use these things," Ryan grabbed what looked like two carabiners connected by a tough loop of nylon. "Quickdraws, to lock into the wall. It only really applies if you're actually climbing a rock wall, because we can't top rope climb until somebody gets to the top. Until that happens, we lead climb, setting point by point so if we fall we only fall say, ten feet rather than fifty." That made the dog's ears flare up. The idea of falling fifty feet was horrifying to most. It wasn't exactly a treat to those who had better sense of scale either.

"Don't worry about that stuff too hard." The tiger turned to catch the dog's eyes. "None of my gear is actually all that useful here. I wear it because it weighs eighty pounds. It's added weight that I need to account for when I'm actually climbing, so I have to train in it." Ryan walked past the dog to open the storage room where the spare equipment was kept.

"You're pretty serious about this aren't you?" Noah followed after him into the well lit chaos. Concrete floors with wooden shelves and open faced plastic storage bins with ropes, helmets and carabiners. Most of the harnesses hung from walls but a few were carelessly tossed on a shelf or two. Finding a helmet wasn't hard. He slapped one on the dog's head, tug it off and adjust it a bit until it fit right. The straps went right under the chin.

"Yeah, I guess. Always wear a helmet, and a harness." The storage room wasn't big. Two people was about the max it fit without squeezing. Ryan glanced over a few of the helmets to find one designed for pointed canine ears and tossed it at the shepherd. "If you run out of protections when you're climbing, you pretty much have to turn around and either go home or see if you can't find a way to optimize what you have, and there's no guarantee that you'll end up going straight up. It's best to have way more than you need than even one less. We don't have any great climbing places nearby, the best one in state is still only about seventy feet which isn't as high as you think it is. It's a long drive home from any good wall."

Ryan took a harness and loosened all the contact points on it before he handed it to the first time climber. It took a few seconds of glancing at it to figure it out. Noah stepped into the loops and slid it over his shoulders. It hung loose and he started fiddling with the straps to tighten it up.

"You'll want it snug but not tight, a lack of circulation'll tire out your limbs quick and you're going to need all of them. If the straps are too tight, then there's more stress on the bone when you fall too, so you want that give." Ryan ran his thumb over one shoulder strap and then loosened it until he could wedge a finger between the nylon and the dog. "You always double back through the buckle too, and then tug it flat. And you always get yourself checked out by another climber. This harness has six buckles. Shoulders, thighs, and the waist has two. You'll probably be hard pressed to find a harness that has less than five." He let Noah close his straps off before Ryan checked. He didn't hesitate to crouch in front of the hound and tease a finger between the man's jeans and the straps along that thigh. It wasn't rocket science and the dog had it right.

"Alright, looks good here." Ryan grabbed a belay device and pointed the dog out of the room. The dog was too broad to sneak past him. Between the jeans and that harness clamping the blue material tight to his thighs, the tiger couldn't help but see how round and tight that rump was even if all of the other muscles had a bit of slack to them.

"Don't I need to check you?"

"Not really, not because I'm sure that I did all mine right, but because I can't climb." One of the dogs ears lowered and he raised an eye ridge in curiosity at Ryan. "You're not certified to belay so you can't guard my falls, and I'm not authorized to belay certify you. In short, you're gonna get a lot of climbing in, and everybody else who shows up is going to have to kinda work around you."

"Oh... that kind of sucks."

"Not really. It helps with recruiting. See, we rope you in with dreams of continually climbing with no drawbacks and then bam.. reality.. here you are at the bottom of the wall with kernmantle rope in your hand trying to stay attentive and not get bored while the person you're belaying fiddles around for the better part of an hour not getting even halfway up a course. "

"You make it sound so fun." The dog grumbled a little. Ryan lead them to one of the dangling ropes in the top rope section. He took one of the ropes and started to loop it into the double figure eight knot and tie it through the dog's harness. Noah was paying attention so he untied the knot and did it two more times, slower.

"Nothing beats the rush. There's a reason I blew a few hundred bucks on my gear." He stood up again and grinned at the dog. Ryan threaded the other end of the rope through the U shaped bend of the gri-gri belay device before he shut it, clipped the carabiner through and twisted the chunk of metal to lock it on.

"I'm trusting you." The dog sounded a little bit nervous. "I'm not great with heights."

"Don't worry, I'm a good man to trust. And fear of heights just means you'll be more cautious, which plays to your favor. It's the careless ones that fall. " Ryan knelt down and picked up the locking carabiner attached to the anchor bolt in the floor and clipped it onto the back of his harness. He was pretty sure he was strong enough to catch the dog if he fell but protocol was protocol.

"Belay ready.. before you climb, call out climbing. Most people will be paying attention, but it's good to get the callsigns and make sure everybody is alert as possible." Ryan put one hand on each side of the grigri and started to tug rope through until there was only a little bit of slack. Noah puttered around the base of the wall for a few minutes shaking out his nerves. Then he started to climb. Ryan stole rope one hand length at a time to make sure any falls would be as short as possible. It wasn't a hard course. Noah made it up with no problem in about fifteen minutes.

"I'm about as high as I'm getting." The dog had climbed up so high he had to tilt his head away from the iron top rope bar. He was almost touching it with one of his shoulders.

"Now comes the fun part. You call out Belay. And you let go."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. If you don't trust your belayer, call it out and wait for him to give you the go ahead.. But I'm ready for you, so drop whenever you want." He could see the dog shifting nervously, and looking down. Thinking about just trying to climb down backwards. Ryan hadn't left him any slack though and he wasn't planning on giving any just so the dog could take the hard way down. Noah stepped one leg back and then let go with one arm to hang there by one arm and a foot dug into good solid spot. To get used to the feeling of dangling just a little. To test it out.

"Thatta boy. Now you're gonna wanna lean back, just keep your feet on the wall and push off. Just like you see swat teams do in movies." Distinctly different, but the difference meant nothing to the treed shepherd. "You're not gonna fall. That's the finest double eight knot ever tied by man. I got you." The dog brought himself in and then leaned back slowly, both hands going to the rope. Then he gave it a little hop and Ryan pressed the catch on the break to start to give him slack. Not much. Noah was nervous and Ryan walked him down slow with those little bunny hops until the older dog was on terra firma again.

"That's kind of intense." Noah let out a huge breath when he was touching the ground again. The helmet came off and Ryan grinned at him. The nerves made the shepherd laugh and bend over a bit to rest his hands on his knees. For a minute, Ryan was concerned that the liason might toss his cookies but when the laughing stopped he stood up.

"A healthy respect of gravity is a good thing." Ryan patted him on the back. "You wanna go again?"

"Yeah." The dog grinned at him. "Yeah I do." Ryan had the dog build his confidence on that novice course a few times, letting Noah run up and get used to being belayed down. Honestly, it was hard to screw up that thirty foot course so it was a good hook. The dog was running up for his fourth time before the white fox showed up with sunglasses on.

"Well look at you two.." Pierce smirked at him, hands tucked into his pockets.

"He's got the bug. We got another one." Ryan grinned at him. "This is the faculty liason for the athletic executive board, Noah Conrad."

"We've met a few times. I was late on the paperwork so I had to walk it in first thing the next morning. Then he issued us the first aid kit that's sitting in the storage room tucked into the hutch nearest the door, in case he asks. He's got a nice butt though doesn't he?"

"He's kinda dopey for my tastes and he's married."

"I like dopey. It's endearing. Plus he smokes and that's one of the things I look for. There's nothing more relaxing than lighting up a joint right after I get my nut off. I don't know if you know this but rings don't plug holes very well, and while it's not a guarantee, is usually an indicator of cherry goodness."

"Just what you look for in a man." The fox nodded and he had his eyes firmly fixed on the dog, that smirk widened.

"Yep. Take him out for a few drinks, smoke a little ganja and then put a really dopey look on his face." The fox wasn't quite rubbing his hands together like a supervillian. No, Pierce wedged all that melodrama into the tone of his voice. "Since he's wifed, I don't ever have to deal with the awkwardness of the we're not dating talk. It'll just be a given." That hit Ryan right in the temple and rattled around in his head a bit. It wasn't the dog he was thinking about. "Plus he's about to join the climbing club so we'll always have a ready excuse to find ourselves without the missus, and if she decides to join we'll just take her climbing a few times."

"Hey, I've been holding for him for about an hour and a half. After this climb you think I could take a break?"

"Certainly, but I want to get some climbing in too, so don't take too long." The fox glanced over him. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah.." Ryan gave the man a smile, but the critical appraisal over the rim of the sunglasses showed that the fox noticed the lie and didn't appreciate it. "If you start to get morose on me, we're going to talk. And you know how I hate talking to guys I'm not trying to seduce."

"You're not trying to seduce me?"

"Not if you're going to be all morose about it. Sadness is disgusting and I don't like it touching me, no matter how cute your tail is wrapped around your leg." Ryan blushed and unfurled that tail, to let it swing more naturally.

"Belay." Came the command from the top of the wall.

"Ready." And Ryan caught the slack as the german shepherd who had been anxious about heights boldly bounced down the side of the wall. As soon as Noah hit the ground, Ryan dropped to a knee to start to remove the locking carabiners.

"Noah, this is Pierce Cantrell, president of the climbing club." Noah nodded. "He'll be taking care of you for a bit. I'm gonna take a break." That shot those eyebrows up. Ryan was a little bit bigger than Noah, but Pierce was markedly smaller and leaner.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle." The fox patted Noah's shoulder. "Has that thug taught you the basics of belaying?" Ryan shook his head and started toward the stairs while the fox didn't hesitate to invade the shepherd's space. He was angling toward the vending machines when he saw a group of some of the bigger guys jogging. The tiger wouldn't have paid it any mind if it wasn't for the bull near the outside track. It was the person that Ryan least wanted to see at that moment.

Andrew gave a single plain wave as he passed, without even breaking stride. It had been more than the cat expected. He didn't wave back, he just fished a few dollars out of his wallet to purchase his power drink and one of the over-priced health bars. Ryan stayed out of line of sight of the jogging track, around the corner. He found a bench and enjoyed his meal more or less, and fifteen minutes of silence and relaxation to himself while he tried to put his head together.

The comments about married men got to him. Being as bent out of shape over it as he was made him angrier, it made it roil deep in his chest. All he could think about was that stupid band of gold and everything it symbolized. Also how quick the bull had been to disavow it said something about him. If he was that quick to write off a fiancee when convininent, how much faster would Ryan's own tail hit the door when push came to shove. There was nothing there. There could be nothing there. He had to back away before things got any messier. The last thing he needed was that sort of drama boiling over right around finals time.

A few deep breaths later he was tossing his trash in the garbage and going back down to climb. Ryan wasn't going to let that shit ruin his day. Ryan rotated in and out with Pierce and Noah. If Noah wasn't climbing, they were showing him how to belay. The dog wasn't allowed by the WRC to do it on his own, but after a few quick lessons they put him as primary and had one of them backing him up.

Ryan always stood close and paid attention with the rope in his hands. He tried to stay focused but having that curled tail brushing against his stomach or thigh every time Noah braced against the ground was distracting. Pierce was trying a hard course today so that meant a whole lot of falling, and it seemed the fox was extra energetic.

"Gimme some slack, I'm gonna try another B & D." Noah pressed the lever to loosen up the rope a bit.

"What's he mean when he keeps saying B & D?" Noah shot Ryan a glance, already bracing a little. Ryan was a little more calm, save for the scent of the slightly musky dog tickling his nostrils.

"Bold and Dynamic. It's when you drop down to two contact points or less. Sometimes it's the only way to get past a spot but it's kind of a risky maneuver." The fox crouched down, that tail flicking back and forth and bounded up as far as he could. His fingers caught the edge of the brightly colored horn he was trying to grab. Pierce swung in place for a few seconds before he found footing but nowhere particularly useful to put his hands. He was too stretched out to get much leverage for his legs.

"Rope it in, he's gonna drop." And with the slack he'd fall and lose the two feet he gained. The tiger didn't want to hear the complaints that came with that. He helped Noah haul in the slack and as soon as Pierce felt tension in his rope he dropped and hung there spread eagled to rest...shaking out his arms.

"Screw it. I'm done getting my butt kicked by this wall today. Belay.. Besides, don't you have work soon?"

"Come on princess, you're past the hard part." Ryan gave the rope a sharp tug. It barely made the fox move. No amount of pulling was going to really help to give much height. Climbing ropes had too much flex in them.

"No I'm not. I'm past a hard part. The real crux is right here. There's nothing I can reach." The fox turned himself around, putting his back to the wall. "Belay me already." The glare from the tiny fox had a kind of intensity that expected to be obeyed.

"Grow taller or start moving laterally. Use your head. You get past the gap and you're home free." The tiger lashed his tail. Noah glanced between the two arguing males, unsure. The glare was nothing new to Ryan though.

"I'm not letting you down, princess. You better start braiding your hair because you're out of luck. I'm not scheduled for tonight."

"Whatever. I'm comfortable. Nap time." Pierce put his feet on the wall and tucked his hands behind his head. "For future reference, anytime anyone calls belay, it is proper to get them down." A minute later of staring at that lashing tail, Ryan was feeding rope so the fox could take his sweet time victory walking down the wall.

"Well, that was fun." Pierce smirk twisted graciousness with dominance at the idea of being obeyed. "Any time you want more climbing lessons Mr. Conrad. Feel free to join. Professor Caufield is capable of greenlighting belay certification any time you have an afternoon to burn. It takes about six hours so long as you're good with knots."

"I am. I was a cub scout." Noah walked right into an entendre, and obliviously supplied one of his own. The smirk widened on that narrow white face and that fluffy tail whipped once.

"Excellent. I look forward to seeing more of you." Pierce looked like a cat who found the key to a canary's cage. Ryan undid his carabiner and backed off while bewilderment sprinkled across the shepherd's face. Noah seemed to realize he missed something, but not what.

Ryan started to take his harness off. No point in sticking around if Pierce was leaving. There wasn't a lot of secrets left in the training wall. He started toward the stairs while Pierce was overjoyed to help Noah out of his harness and into the supply room.

Andrew stood at the top of the stairs. That whip tail twitched to one side at the back of his sweat pants. The dark stains of hard work showed through in a few places. He was impossible to miss and just seeing the bull slowed Ryan's stride even if it didn't stop it.

"Looking good kitty cat." The bull straightened up as he got closer. He wasn't keeping his tone or really making any effort to hide that they knew each other. So much for secrets.

"Thanks." What was there to say, or to do. Ryan didn't swing wide. He kept the casual distance and kept walking.

"You got any juice left?" Andrew didn't seem to be so easily dissuaded. The tiger raised an eyebrow and switched which shoulder his gear hung over. "The team split and I need someone to spot me."

"I don't want to play these games." Ryan kept his tone as even as possible but he could feel that tail start to poof out. He couldn't stop that from happening.

"The only one of us playing games here is you. I've been nothing but up front every time and you've been pretending to be elusive. When I want you to suck my cock, I'll tell you to suck my cock. Promise." The brazenness made Ryan glance around. Sure there wasn't anyone particularly nearby, but they were far from alone. "And for that note, not that I don't want you to suck my cock but it can wait. I gotta get my lifting in." Ryan scowled a bit at the bull. The ring wasn't on the bull's hand, but that made sense. It'd get dinged up lifting.

"I don't want to be the other man." Ryan pushed open the locker room door.

"You want me to break up with my fiancee?" The bull sounded a bit amused. "I suppose I could if it bothers you that much." Ryan stopped dead just past the door and turned to stare at Andrew. He couldn't tell if that smirk was playful or not.

"What? No! That's not my decision to make. Don't use me as an excuse to break off your engagement."

"You just said you don't want to be the other man. So if I want to keep boning you, something I greatly enjoy doing, I should break up with her right? The logic is sound on my end." The bull leaned a bit closer to the cat, invading his space. That dark powerful smell hung around him easily. Ryan took a step back and turned away as he tried to stop the sensations memory brought to him by just being that close, with that familiar scent.

"You can either put your foot down and see which way I fall, or you can stop worrying about the you and me thing. Save your angst for the next time we fuck and we can sort it out then. All I'm trying to do is get you to hold some weights. So toss your rig in your locker and help me out." Ryan was all too glad to find a reason to turn his back on the bull and go further into the room. He blushed when he saw a broad chested yellow lab looking oddly at him as he moved to the locker. There was no way that the dog didn't overhear the entire conversation. Worse yet, the lab jerked his gaze away and hurried up dressing to get out of the room, chased out by a "Sup buddy," by Andrew.

That moment of mutual embarassment followed Ryan all the way his locker. He took a moment to stare at his bookbag and his jeans, right before he tossed his rig on top of them. The crash was echoing against the cheap old lockers. He knew he should have been getting his things and leaving. Instead he shut the door to his locker. It almost sounded final to the cat's ears. The bull was still waiting at the door, he'd even hold it open for Ryan as he walked out. The door wasn't all that wide, and Andrew made no motion to make himself slimmer. The forced contact made Ryan's fur bristle, and the big bull stuck close to him as they turned to head for the weights.

Pierce was chatting with Noah near the front desk. The fox must have caught something in his periphery because he glanced their way and that face went too still, the slightest barest arch of an eyebrow in curiosity. If Ryan wasn't so used to dealing with the fox's poker face he wouldn't have caught it. Andrew was as close as a good friend might be, not quite looming, but there. Either way, there was no way the fox wouldn't put two and two together. Ryan was just thankful they were walking the other way. There was no socially graceful way for the fox to intrude.

Andrew lead him to the bench press meant for the heavy breeds and started to stack weights. As soon as he stopped Ryan did the other side plate by plate. The reinforced bar didn't even bow at the truly startling amount of weight. The bull chalked his palms and laid down. Ryan took his position and tried not to think about the fact he had the head of the last man who fucked him between his thighs. His hands went on the bar. It was more weight than he could lift but he only really needed to support the bull.

"To ten." Andrew stated and started his lifts. That sweater hid everything but the barest movement of the muscles. Ryan still couldn't stop staring, picturing it in his head while he kept easy count. He stopped at nine.

"Eight...nine...three more." Ryan called out, and Andrew smirked..straining and grunting as he pushed past ten. Eleven.. twelve.. and then Ryan pulled up when he pushed and racked it up. The bull let out a big breath and shook his arms out.

"Move real quick." Ryan followed Andrew's commands and took steps back. The bull sat up and tugged that sweatshirt over his head and hung it from the ass end of the bench. Andrew tucked his hands together behind his head and showed off his biceps and back. They were a little more glossy for his hard work, the valleys deeper. When he laid back down, Ryan took his place again, that chest exposed. The extra weight wasn't hiding those muscles that minute, they were swollen from the hard use.

"Two more sets. Keep me honest and pushing kitty cat." The pleasure in Andrew's voice made him blush. Ryan swallowed and took the bar between his hands as the bull began that second set.

"One.. Thought you weren't looking to get laid tonight......two... "

"Can't help it..." Ryan broke up Andrew's answer with his third count. "When you look at me like that." A fierce grin up. Ryan met it with a scowl but he knew his cheeks were red, getting called for gazing over that body.

"Ten...One.....come on.." The bull was quivering.. straining.. "You got this. Focus and push...Two." Ryan grunted and knelt down a little to put extra force behind under the bar and get it racked up again. The leg of his shorts brushed over that muzzle and Andrew snorted hot breath right up it. Hard to tell if it was out of relief or intentional but it stirred the cat either way.

Ryan looked down over that chest, moving up and down as those lungs pulled heavy breath. Andrew's hand left a chalky smear as his palm graced over his stomach and lower to toy with the band of his sweatpants. Lower still to grab that grey thick material hard enough to outline the sheath that looked a little plump. Ryan glanced around. There were a few others but everybody was too caught up their work to notice the not so subtle groping. Ryan's eyes drew back and he couldn't help but watch. Andrew played with himself, letting it bulge just a bit, and the tiger could tell by the way it curved that the powerful man was wearing a jockstrap underneath his sweats. Ryan tried but he couldn't stop his tongue from flicking out to lick his maw.

"One last set. Then it's your turn. Make it hard."

"Yeah...will do." Ryan's mouth felt a little dry. It took the bull longer to get to ten this time.

"Five more." The bull snorted again, scowled at the effort. Those hands tightened, the arms strained as he pushed. "One...." The bar was shaking a little. "Two... Almost there. Doing good... and.. three." That one was questionable but all the same.. the bull strained to hit four.." Four..last one.. last one..and Five." Ryan knelt to lift with as much of his thighs as possible. The weights slammed home roughly because once it got high enough Andrew let his arms fall out. Ryan shook his arms off and the bull flopped out panting.

"Good job." Andrew praised him, as if it had been Ryan who'd put in the work. "We should do this more often." Andrew slid out from underneath and sat up to start to take some of the weight off.

"Set it at 260." Ryan used that sweater to wipe the bench clean of the man's sweat.

"You should take your shirt off." Andrew smirked as he swapped out the plates. 260 didn't look like much on the big breed bar. Ryan glanced up at the bull. "I did it for you. Do it for me." Ryan gripped the bar and got ready to lift. "Please."

"Alright. Just stop bugging me about it." The t-shirt came off. Ryan flexed a little bit. The simple act made him feel exposed though. He had a good body, but having the bull watching him with lust, pure and simple, undisguised in those eyes was different.

"Stay focused big guy." Andrew said as put one hand in between Ryan's. The tiger started to push. Andrew's brow wrinkled as the tiger blew past ten without straining too much.

"What are you going to?" Ryan kept the count in his head, and Andrew wasn't counting out loud either.

"Forty."

"You got fine tone kitty cat. You either need to kick up the cardio or start lifting more weight. Both really, if you're actually trying to get rid of this." And the bull would lean over and let his hand slide over that chest, grope that pec and the little bit of padding around it. The cat faltered a little bit but Andrew's hand was there to keep it steady enough while he recovered.

"Not that you need to, really.. looks good. I like it." The bull didn't hesitate to run his hand over the cat's stomach while Ryan was helpless to avoid it or stop him. The tiger couldn't see the grin but he heard it plenty well in that voice. Andrew's palm went up and he gave that belly a good slap that made the cat grunt and shove the bar back into the rack at twenty.

"Asshole." Ryan muttered and rubbed his tender gut where there were now remnants of chalk. He blinked as the bull took the time to add about thirty pounds. "Coulda dropped it."

"I could huck this weight the length of a city block. A real city block, not one of these tiny college town blocks. If you trust me on nothing else, Ryan, trust me on this, I won't get you hurt working out. I might push you hard, I might even push you harder than you can take, but I'll be there to catch the bar if you don't make it." Andrew seemed pretty serious about that, at least. "Alright. You said forty, you've got twenty more reps to go, and two more sets to go." The tiger looked at him dubiously, but all the same put his hands back on the bar.

It wasn't as easy. Ryan's arms were shaking before he got to ten.

"One...two...three..." The bull was looking down at him, both hands braced on the bar. Not lifting it, just holding. He focused on that counting. "Eight... nine..and up it goes." Ryan helped him rack it quietly. His arms falling, burning like they hadn't in a long time.

"See. Not so hard. We're only gonna push to twenty for the next two sets. Think you can handle it?"

"No." Ryan grumbled and shook out his arms while he watched the bull lean on the bar and ogle him. The way those eyes slid over his body made his tail lash. He couldn't help but think, but take in a bit more air to catch that scent. He knew the front of his shorts were stirring.

"Then prepare to be amazed. One way or another you're giving me those two sets. Maybe I'll think up a good reward for you if you do." Andrew met Ryan's eyes and licked his maw like the cat was a meal.

"I thought this wasn't going to be about sex."

"You think that's the only kind of treat I can give you?" A smirk at the tiger.

"It's the kind of treat you want to give me." Ryan tucked his hands behind his head.

"True, but we both knew that. The question is it the kind of treat you want to get?" The tiger readied his witty denial but the bull interrupted before he could talk. "Hands on the bar, slacker." Ryan sighed as the bull put him back to work.

Andrew kept quiet this time around. It wasn't so bad. The change in the weight had been what killed him. His muscles were more ready for it now, but that didn't stop him from straining.

"Breathe. Holding your breath doesn't help any. Exhale and push. Didn't count, gotta tap your chest." Ryan let the bar touch and held it there. He hissed violently when he pushed up and barely cleared it. "One more." The cat wanted to bite the bull's calf and hard for that. His chest and arms burned. Even his back throbbed. He felt like he could barely pick up his tail.

Andrew leaned over the bar to watch him suck in air. The peace lasted for all of a minute before those hands came down to tease through that chest. The rubbing felt good. Ryan's eyes closed. He started purring. Contentment, pleasure at the hands of that big bull. Andrew gave him a reprieve for longer than necessary.

"Come on kitty. You're not doing yourself any favors and we've got the rest of shoulders to work out." When Ryan didn't bother to respond, those fingers found a nipple and gave it a tug. Ryan couldn't help the yelp that escaped his mouth at the change in sensation any more than he could stop the glare that hit the big bull or the fact his claws were out. The only real disturbing thing was the way that the tug had made his cock twitch, lengthen, press. Ryan realized that he was fully hard in his shorts and nothing in the world could have concealed that fact.

"That was cute. Gotta catch you off guard more often. Come on. Last rep. Twenty five." The cat groaned, but he flopped his palms in place.

"Stop complaining. You love it." The cat started to push, but he was shaking by the third. There was no way he was going to get to twenty five.

"I only count the good ones. Make them good." The bull warned. Ryan's ears went flat. He didn't even know where the bull was counting from any more. The cat knew he was just breaking into double digits. It was about three presses later when...

"Ten. Almost there." Ryan groaned.

"Come on baby! C'MON!" Andrew egged him on. He took a hand off of the bar to smack the bench hard. "Fifteen! You got this." Ryan pushed and pushed...

"Twenty....one..two.." Ryan was pushing on toward twenty three when it started to drop. It was movign down toward his chest but those black hands were near his own and lifting up before it so much as ruffled the fur. Andrew took the lion's share off of his chest and it was easy to get the weights in place.

"Good job." The bull took to one knee leaning over him, those hands came out to rub those sore pecs again, both this time. Ryan looked up into those brown eyes and was stunned to see pride. "Told you I'd get you to twenty."

"Andrew..." This had to stop. Ryan knew he was falling for an engaged guy. Fell. He'd fallen for an engaged guy. He brought his hands up to those wrists.

"We'll talk about it later." The bull sighed as he pulled back those hands. "Let's get rows out of the way and then we can relax tossing around some dumbells." The bull looked away first, and then he was grunting to his feet and moving. Ryan sat up slowly and watched the back of that retreating bull. It took him a minute to follow.

There was no real need to spot for rowing, and plenty of machines open at that hour. He ended up working out next to the bull. Andrew stayed focused on his task, but Ryan couldn't stop shooting looks at the man as he worked out. What could he say to the bull. There really was no two ways about it.

"C'mere." The bull ordered as he sat on the bench. "Back to back."

"Why?"

"I'll cheat otherwise." That back was warm against his, that whiptail twitched against his more nimble tail and the cat had to stop it from curling around. It wanted to, he wanted it to but he slid it around a leg of the bench instead. Ryan was shorter, the back of his head came up to the back of that neck.

"Thirties." Ryan asked, and recieved forty fives.

"You don't push yourself." There was less contact as the bull bent over to grab his. Then they were spine to spine as they started to curl. Muscles moved against muscles, that coarser fur against Ryan's softer. Strength played off of strength. The silence was comfortable, relaxing. Ryan sighed and closed his eyes and let the bull's scent surround him.

It was over too soon. Andrew was the first one to put the dumbells down. Ryan didn't stop, not right away, even as he felt the bull start to move. He heard the weights rack up and then that warm comfortable presence came right back to rest against him too. It took a few more minutes before Ryan was resting those weights on his thighs.

Andrew turned, and changed his position. He'd press his chest right against that back, let his snout tease against that neck. Those hands came around to grab the dumbells by the fat ends and move them off of the cat, just letting them hit the floor with a clink.

"That's how you push it kitty..." A low murmur, praise and a tongue across that neck. "But you don't have to keep lifting weights when you're tired to keep me around." Andrew's hand found his stomach, feeling across those muscles, the cat breathing harder for the contact. When the bull touched his thigh, the cat couldn't help but spread his legs a little wider.

"Erm.. sirs.." The female's voice caught the cat off guard. Ryan's eyes popped open and he turned to look at the awkward lionness in the WRC polo and khakis. "You can't do that here. You're making the rest of the students very uncomfortable."

"Gimme a minute, I'm seducing somebody here." Andrew kept his snout against that neck. She rubbed at her eyes with her thumb and forefinger.

"My boss is thinking about calling campus security. I don't really think that's necessary. Do you?" Ryan was quick to tug at that arm around his midsection but Andrew didn't let it move right away. He hissed and threatened claws before the arm moved even enough to give him room to escape.

"Sorry. We'll leave." Ryan couldn't begin to imagine the shades of red his face was turning. Not to mention the way that the rest of the gym was watching the scene and chuckling to themselves. Ryan tried not to run in the building as he made for the parking lot. He wrote that shirt off as a loss because there was no way in hell he was heading back in there right that second. He still had the key to his locker and he'd pay the late fee tomorrow if he could manage to find his dignity.

The tiger was in his car and driving away when that phone started ringing. Andrew

"God Damn it Andrew!" Ryan shouted at the bull. "I'm going to murder you!"

"Cat got your shirt?" The bull quipped back. The tiger answered it with a roar of incoherent rage.

"Relax, Ryan. It's not that big of a deal." Andrew started but Ryan wasn't in the mood to let him finish.

"No! Shut up! How can you be so cavalier about this!? Why am I the one worried about your marriage?!"

"I don't know. You're really rooting for her, aren't you?" Ryan answered with a hiss. "Calm down. You know, if I didn't know better I'd say you were the one in the closet."

"I don't fucking think I'd say you're exactly in the closet, either."

"Of the two of us, I don't have a gay pride picture on facebook. Anyways, this is something we should be talking about in person. Phones don't do either of us justice. So where do you want me to drop off your shirt?"

"Is that really your greatest concern right now?"

"I wouldn't exactly call it a concern. A concern of mine would be calming you down. You think that's the first time people started making out on school property. I used to work at Ross Library, which, as it turns out is the second most popular place to have sex on campus next to the meditation room with a lock in the union." The lack of gravity, the lighthearted tone in the bull's voice was only making him angrier.

"At least they had the decency to hide in a back room somewhere."

"Is that really your concern? Is it the PDA, or is it the fact that you started to feel like we had something. I liked it. I liked working out with you. You made me want to do better and I want to do it again. What the hell's wrong with that?"

"Because if we work out together, we're going to have sex."

"I know you see a problem here but I just can't reach it." Ryan got ready to howl at him again but the bull. "I know, I know. Look, you let me deal with that on my own. Don't worry about it and it won't worry you. Now come get your shirt and the rest of your shit." Ryan was already halfway home.. but he paused and turned off to think about that statement.

"The rest of my..."

"Yeah, this climbing thing. It's heavy."

"How did you..?"

"I told the nice lioness that she spooked my shy boyfriend away and she owed me one. I told her I'd get out of her hair quicker if she got me into your locker so you could have your schoolbooks for the morning. So yeah, all of your stuffs in the back of my truck. Now where do you want it..?" That left the tiger completely dumbfounded. "Don't read too much into it."

"I live at 1712 Ridgeway, building C. It's one of the upper ones..and I'm not letting you in." They traded byes. Ryan found himself not driving quite as fast or recklessly. His thoughts still swirled in his head though. Why had he done that. There was nothing there that couldn't have waited until tomorrow. The books, the climbing gear, all of it. The word boyfriend rattling around in his skull didn't even sound good. It just ached.

Ryan went into his apartment and switched the outside light on to make it easier to find. He moved to the kitchen to pour himself a shot of whiskey. It didn't really settle his nerves but the taste was kind of a shock. A second one sounded like a good idea but he screwed the cap back on and set it on top of the fridge again. He went into the living room to boot up netflix to try and burn through time.

It was ten minutes before the knock came to his door. Ryan didn't bother pausing White Collared, he'd seen all the episodes twice over. He knew who it was, he didn't bother looking. A shirtless Andrew greeted him with a smile.

"Hey." The bull unshouldered the backpacks and harness-heavy gym bag. Ryan took them with a murmur of thanks and set them near the door. Then Andrew passed him the thick gray sweatshirt that was two sizes too big for the tiger, that sweat shirt that reeked of the bull. "I'm keeping your shirt, I like how it smells."

"Andrew, we can't." Ryan found his own voice lacking in conviction, and it wasn't the only part of him with that problem. The smirking bull grabbed the tiger by his belt and reeled him in, it felt familiar, nice. Ryan's hands came up to push away but once they felt those well known shoulders they didn't want to shove. The bull leaned the two of them agaisnt the frame of the door. The kiss stole his resolve as Andrew's hands slid to grip that ass to prevent the tiger from flinching away as the bull ground forward and let Ryan feel that sheath all too eager to thicken from it's lack of release earlier.

Andrew didn't ask when he broke that kiss. He'd grunt and lift and take them inside. The tiger slid his legs around those hips and arms over those shoulders, the purr making his sore chest rumble as Ryan let Andrew claim his lips. The bull stubbed his shin on the coffee table so hard it moved, but if he noticed or cared he didn't show it with his lips when he laid the both of them down on the couch.

The bull's heavy weight on top of him felt too good. The lips were too much when they broke and let Ryan breathe only to find that neck. The move of those hips, the grind of that hardness hidden by those sweatpants made him roll his hips back and pull with those legs to feel the press of the bigger male. Andrew's quiet low of pleasure made the tiger grin. Ryan prickled him carefully with those claws, drew them along the back not to break the skin but just to let him feel.

There were hands along his hips, the button to his shorts came undone and then the bull was sitting up with a grin as he walked them down Ryan's thighs to his knees.

"I did promise you a treat didn't I?" Andrew's hands came down to feel against those inner thighs, letting the shorts trap them at the knees as the tiger squirmed and tried to widen his legs. The bull took the time to grab Ryan's bulging boxer briefs and walk them down.

"A non-sexual" When his barbs caught, Ryan failed to keep his composure. The needy moan that slid past his throat would have embarassed him if he'd had that kind of thought. When the elastic cleared his cock finally, the embarassment took a few seconds to hit. ".......treat..."

"Maybe two treats then." Andrew removed all of the tiger's clothes as a package deal and let them hit the floor. Ryan rested his calves on those shoulders and the bull took advantage by feeling the whole of those legs. From calf to thigh, just letting fingers dance while he watched Ryan's body squirm and flex with his need.

Andrew pushed those knees up and his head went down. Hot breath across that pucker and hands pulling apart his cheeks. A snout teasing against the underside of his balls right before the big bull started to dig in. It started with a few powerful laps from the far end of that hole up and across that taint to just barely tease the bottom of those balls with the flat of his tongue. It took a handful of strokes before Ryan felt the fur mat all the way, the real heat and wet of that tongue against his taint.

Andrew worked one ball into his maw and sucked, pulled it away from that body with his mouth. He switched between them. Ryan mewled and hated himself for it, but he hadn't guessed the bull would ever tease him like that. It made the tiger's cock drip pre onto his stomach. It was minutes before the bull returned to that hole. It wasn't just a gentle teasing rub across those wrinkles. Andrew would press, bore into that hole.

It spread Ryan and his legs started to pull away from his chest but Andrew caught them by the backs of the tiger's knees. It made those meaty cheeks press tighter around that snout. It was almost a growl of pleasure from the bull while Ryan's hole squeezed around his thick tongue, made it hard to press in.

Andrew didn't stop, pressed tight against that hole that got moister with every stroke, every press. He forced inches of that tongue into that hole, let it roll against the sides and the depths while Ryan tried to stay still, and failed.. tried to stay quiet and failed time and again. The slickness only made it easier to try to slide deeper.

Hot breath huffed out time and again, cooled against Ryan's moist taint, and the moistness in that crack from the bull's eager lapping. The cat lost track of the time that tongue spent between his cheeks, but Andrew was in no hurry. Netflix was checking to see if they were still awake long before the bull's horns resurfaced to Ryan's eyes.Every nerve in that twitching, saliva sodden hole was awake and angry at the retreat. It wanted more.

"Fuck me." Ryan tried to make it an order but it was closer to begging. The bull smirked and pressed his sweatpants down around his knees. Anderw slapped the head of that cock against that hole and ryan scowled at him as the yowl broke from his mouth with the teasing. He could feel the pre sticking to his hole each time that flat head smacked against that eager entrance. The scent was so thick that Ryan could taste that pre. "And.." The yowl split the name as that head steadied and started to press inside.. the bull sliding between those legs to lean over him.

"Fuckin' beautiful.." low heated praise as the bull watched him squirm, felt the tiger start to cling and dig those heels in to pull his lover deeper. Andrew didn't stop until those big balls were flush with that ass and he didn't rest then. He knew that hole was ready for him and he'd work the last few inches in and out while he claimed that mouth again.

The altheletic tang on Andrew's tongue could only belong to one person. The tiger could taste it, a day's hard work and more from that deep spot but it was that sticky smooth friction rubbing all those spots that tongue touched and far more that had Ryan's cock twitching.. so close, even with just the first few movements of the bull's broad hips. The tiger broke the kiss to moan, to arch underneath that body and press into that lap.

Ryan felt every inch, every slight movement, that gently overworked hole so sensitive to even the subtle movements of that hard shaft throbbing deep in him. He could feel his body starting to tense, his own balls drawing up. His yowls got louder, his fingers dug deeper and those legs locked around that waist to try and prevent the bull from pulling away.

Andrew didn't. He didn't even try. He ran his hands up that fur to put his palms underneath those shoulderblades and support the male as he lengthened his strokes and kept them at the same speed, huffing out a shuddering breath. He could feel that hole clamping down, and he wanted to feel it work that sensitive ring.. he worked it in and out as that hole tightened and tightened.

Without even being touched, that pink barbed cock thickened, and twitched, striping the orange along his ribs and hiding in the white of his stomach fur and sticking out twice as loudly against the dense stripes near his lower belly. Those ears went flat and time stilled for the cat, as he hung from that bull whose thrusts weren't even slowing. Andrew let out a moan and licked that arched exposed neck from collarbone to chin and pounded in hard enough to make that body bounce,

That afterglow intensified, that body throbbing, tingling, as awake as that hole for the fact that the bull wasn't done yet. Ryan could feel his lover pulse inside of him, steady and regular still, just barely sped up from his workout. The tiger's hand slid up to grab the back of that bull's head and keep it against his neck to keep Andrew ravaging him. Seeking pleasure easily found Ryan's hips only slowed from the half laziness brought about from satiation, unwilling to stop pressing himself onto that thick cock, and letting that stomach rub against his half hard cock and let the friction of the fur catch those barbs and stop it's retreat. Keep it drawn out and ready, hardening.

The rhythm wasn't hard and the bull matched it if only for a few seconds before his hand slid down to the tiger's hip, to work the rhythm faster to press along harder, to work the muted slap of skin beneath fur into something loud enough to echo, their scents twisted and turned, blended into something that could only be the two of them rutting.

Ryan couldn't get enough of it. Couldn't get enough of the bull. Couldn't get enough of that pounding. The press, that weight on top of him making his couch creak. The way that powerful heart sped up, and made that flat headed cock twitch and bounce up to hit the nerves it never really missed all the harder as Andrew's body primed. Feeling all those muscles tense, those thrusts grow less smooth and more needy.

It flexed up and stayed rigid right against those nerves. Ryan yowled so hard as those thrusts punished that spot, the neighbors pounded on the wall to two sets of deaf ears. It took minutes before the bull's frantic sprinter's thrusts finished, for the pleasure to fall and for the big man to come to a rest on top of him. The tiger could still feel that thick vein pulsing, squeezing out the very last of that seed.

Andrew didn't move and Ryan made no moves to urge him anywhere else, and the night was young. It took them three tries to get to to the bed and Ryan knew he'd have a lot to apologize for come morning because the pair of them ended up against that wall pounding right back in a very different way. Ryan discovered his bed was a little too close to the wall to their purposes.

As with late nights, the mornings were quick to follow. Ryan felt and heard the movement, the little bit of cold with the feel of Andrew's heat generating body moving away. The bed creaked as he left quietly. The tiger's heart sank, and it took him a few minutes to muster the courage to roll over into the warm spot where the bigger male had been and glance toward the bedroom door.

"Hey, it's me...I'm not coming in today." Ryan's ears twitched as he heard Andrew talking to someone. "Yeah, we can call it a sick day..... I spent all my fucks last night." A bit of a chuckle. "Top of the class, boss. Well, be seein' ya." The clap of a cellphone being shut and then the big man walked back in. Andrew saw that mystified look on the tiger's face. "Relax kitty, I'm not quite gone yet. Unless you're throwing me out."

"No, it's cool." The tiger was happy to give the bull his spot back, and curl up around that body. The shoulder tucked under his head nicely, the covers over them. Ryan had a big bed but there wasn't a lot of room between the two of them. The warmth returned and the drowsiness triumphed. It'd been a while since he'd missed a class anyways.

They lounged the morning away, with only the occasional distance from each other for essentials or to turn off an alarm. It was closer to noon when grumbling stomachs lead them to wander into the kitchen to scrounge for something easy. Ryan grinned as he watched that nude bull rooting around in his fridge. The displeased grunts came one after another. There wasn't a lot for a herbivore to eat.

"Looks like I might have to put on some clothes." Andrew grumbled as he stood up straight and shut the door to the fridge.

"Tough life huh?" Ryan smirked at him. The bull responded by looming and trapping the tiger between his body and the cabinets. Ryan didn't flinch away, no point. That nearness had the snout nuzzling against his boxy muzzle.

"I'm sure you'll be this pleased when I try to cook you breakfast next time you crash at my place." Andrew grumped at him fondly, a nibble on one of Ryan's round ears.

"I'll keep that in mind for the next time you're hurrying me out of your house so we can get to class on time. You would have cooked me breakfast but all you had was wheatgrass and salads." Ryan leaned in to nip roughly at that thick skinned neck. The bull's hands tighteend on the countertops hard enough to make the formica creak. The tiger felt Andrew's thick cock twitch against his stomach.

"I would have." An indignant snort. "I might be a bit of a bastard but at least I know how to host." Andrew pulled back, shaking the teeth from his neck. The big bull paced into the living room to start to tug on clothes.

"No shower?"

"I saw your shower." Andrew smirked at him. "It'd barely fit one of us, unless you want me to watch you shower.. which isn't that bad of idea." The spade tip of that cock was poking out of the bull's black sheath. It made a nice bulge in the front of the sweatpants as it hid. The bull grinned and adjusted it and Ryan blushed but didn't look away.

"We keep up like that, I don't think you'll ever get out of here."

"That a bad thing?" A loaded question from the bull, but the tiger flicked his tail. This time he had an answer.

"Not for me." The confusion that flashed across Andrew's face was more than enough reward from the tiger. Another snort and the big man shook his horned head as he glanced around for Ryan's t-shirt, to make sure that he had it before he started toward the door. "See you later?"

"Nah, I do have a few things that I have to get done today to justify actually calling into work. But call me if you get lonely." Andrew glanced over his shoulder with a smirk. "Because I'll find time." The bull walked out smelling like sex and matted fur and Ryan couldn't help but shake his head.

Wednesday was a slow day, mostly because that week Ryan was dreading Thursday. The fox liked to pretend he was patient but he knew that Pierce had been dwelling on what he'd seen. Sure enough, when Ryan found himself inside the WRC to go climb, not only was the fox there and ready to climb but he was belaying. The tiger intended to watch from the first floor but the fox spotted him almost instantly and waved.

Ryan felt his tail lash as he mentally prepared. He made his way down the steps taking his time, making the white furred male wait that little bit longer. That white tail was whipping back and forth so fast he could practically see the unanswered questions forming in the motions of that tail.

"You're late." The fox glanced back up to make sure the wolf on the wall wasn't about to fall or attempt something bold.

"I didn't realize there was a strict limit on when we were supposed to be here." Ryan buckled in and stood behind the fox. Almost immediately Pierce let go and trusted the handling of the rope to him. That fox tail lashed about Ryan's ankles.

"It's rude to make people wait." The amount of offense crammed into that one sentence made Ryan snort. "Nothing but rude today. I would expect to find you in a better mood."

"Why?"

"Despite your neglect in informing me, I've noticed you have a new suitor." Pierce sounded so pleased with himself. "Proud of you."

"Don't be. It's not that cut and dry."

"I think it is. You see, I typically see a certain bovid walking hand in hand with a lady friend between the union and the communications building MWF. I couldn't help but notice his absense yesterday, especially in light of your friendliness the day before."

"What time?" Ryan looked right at the fox, gave Pierce undivided attention, and the fox caught on quickly. There was something in those light blue eyes of the fox.

"I notice that you're less concerned about the fact that there is another but rather where to spot them at. Ryan Cross, are you ...?"

"No..." The fox arched one imperious eyebrow. "It's complicated."

"Well done." The fox smiled at him. "I would have done the same, given the opportunity. So long as you're sharing him, maybe I will."

"I'm not sharing him." Ryan could feel the fur bristle all over.

"Oh, but you are. The longer you let him get away with it, the harder it will be to break away from established patterns." Pierce braced himself on the rope. "Don't lie to yourself. Delusion is unattractive." The fox let that sink in. "Now, if you're fine with sharing him, with her, that's different. I applaud your forward thinking. Monogamy is overrated and there isn't a practical reason to short these young lives on whatever pleasure one might be able to cram into them. Who knows, even I've enjoyed a devil's threesome once 'pon an adventurous eve..

Do not and I repeat, do not mistake this for shaming you. If what you want is monogamy, either go for it or break it off with him but don't float in limbo until you're bitter. If all you want is him, who the fuck cares if he has a girlfriend."

"Fiancee."

"Ooooh.. oooh.." It took a few seconds for the fox to let that sink in. "I may have to sew a scarlet letter on your clothes." The fox gave it a few beats before..."Proud of you." Ryan let his ears and his head fall forward with a sigh.

"You're incorrigable."

"People in glass affairs shouldn't throw stones. I've yet to hester my shepherd, but I think this weekend might be the time. He threw in for a bowl so all that remains to be seen is if I satisfy the one vice or two."

"You really think I should make him choose?"

"Heavens no. I think you should enjoy playing from the side well up until he's got little troublemakers of his own. You could even be their adoptive uncle. It'd be the most adorable little adultery." There was no sarcasm in his voice. The fox meant what he said. "I think however, that you wouldn't be happy if you couldn't claim the massive financial burdens that we call children as your own. That you'd agonize over a meaningless title and ownership of another sapient being vis a vis the way you label yourself and others. And that is your biologically evolved right to do so. If what you want is a man to arbitrarily name your own, as you have so often bitched and complained about while not getting laid despite the fact that I relentlessly throw my dick at you, then make him choose. You want to be married, like a fool, well before your thirties when you could be properly enjoying your youth."

"I do." Ryan nodded a bit at that. It was true. He barely caught the belay command, but he answered with his own and caught the rope. Pierce helped out just barely to work the lever as if that was the greatest burden.

"Ugh. You disgust me." That was genuine and heartfelt from Pierce too. "So now that you're a loose man fucking other people's property, does that mean that your morals have backslid far enough for me to sink knot deep in you?"

"I don't think so, no." A sigh from the smaller male up front.

"I had this nightmare once..... My secretary was fucking another man and excluding me from the fun..it was awful then too." The woeful words of the fox. "Belay me you adulterer." As soon as the wolf hit the ground Pierce was changing out so he could climb. Ryan sighed and took his post.

Ryan fell into rotation. They had uneven numbers but it was good to switch out, to shake out. To watch the other climbers and to pick courses. He knew the wall well but they changed the pattern of the pegs every now and then. New routes got made with colored tape starting from the bottom and going all the way up. The brighter the tape, the tougher the course. There was a new yellow on the lead climbing course he hadn't tried yet.

"Hey, Pierce." His tail flicked back and forth as he analyzed the route. "Check out the banana yellow."

"Actually, I've things." The fox was on the phone, and readying to leave."Make good decisions." Pierce waved goodbye and left his stuff near the storeroom door to be taken care of by someone else.

Ryan shook his head and glanced around for the wolf. He was poking around some of the courses.

"Hey, Casey. I wanna try this yellow out."

"Cool." It only took a few minutes of fiddling to get ready. Then there was the faux stones, too smooth and gentle on the hands. Harder on the fingers, really, because they didn't catch like real stones. You had to have a tighter grip.

Stretching, straining. Climbing was more about using hands for stability and pushing up with the legs when you could. Legs were the stronger muscle group. Ryan wasn't even sweating by the time he clipped into the fourth lead, the clips just hanging from the peg on the wall instead of having to be pulled from his vest like at a real wall. Ryan had to stop and look around. There was no easy way to go straight up. Plenty of stone shaped pegs either way, even a few in the middle but the yellow route skipped them all. Ryan sighed.

"Going Bold." Ryan called out, but not that it mattered all that much. He was above his top lead by about twelve feet .No amount of belaying would prevent a fall. It was still better to do what he could to minimize the distance. He coiled down, looking at that horn with the yellow tape at the base. It was an easy enough catch.

"Gotcha." Came the call from below. Ryan exhaled a few times, readying himself.

The tiger pushed with everything he had, his right arm shooting up at the same time his legs pushed. Four feet of boost easy, Ryan caught the top of the horn with a grin. It was slicker than it looked, and his hand slid down while he was reaching to grab it with his left. His right slid down and wedged itself in the wall and pinched hard. He knew he had the choice of holding on and screwing up his hand or falling. His reaction as a climber was to let go.

Gravity had already killed his momentum, and it took him hard. Ryan didn't fall backward as much as he just fell. He reached out for the wall but there weren't any grips good enough to catch himself on. Ryan wasn't even really trying to, just, trying...

Not to flail. Try not to flail. Don't curl. Don't curl. You'll spin if you curl up.

It feels a bit like what you think getting hit by a car would feel like. Sharp and sudden all over his left side. Then it gets dull and aching, bone deep spread all the way throughout the muscle so much even the other side hurts. You hit so hard, it aches all the way to the other side of your body.

Ryan's back hurt too.. the rope flexed a few extra feet to slow his fall, so it wasn't a sudden jerk that would have caused a serious back injury...but it still hurts. Chest tight, stomach tight. Ryan hung there and groaned and waited for his muscles to stop clenching.

He flexed his hand open and closed. The tiger shook off his arm. Made sure everything could move. That leg curled up and flexed out. He moved his ankle, rolled it slowly. Working order. Then Ryan was reaching back to the wall.

"Fuck... Belay?" Casey sounded worried. Ryan had to think about it. He was so low on the wall now. Not even halfway up. That side of the wall wasn't that hard..

"No..I gotta climb it out. If ya don't.. after ya take a whipper like that one.. it gets harder to get back on the wall. But fuck yellows today." Ryan tried to grin but his face was still screwed up from the pain and the bruises he could feel forming. Even take the easiest route, it took him twenty minutes to get anywhere near the top. The final reach should have been easy, but it took three attempts before he could reach that final lead and clip in.

"Belay.." Ryan was felt groggy, fuzzy as the call came up. Then he was leaning back and walking down, one aching step at a time. He was slow getting down and the wolf was glad to help him out.

"You feel like climbing.." Ryan asked of the wolf who shook his head.

"No, I'm good. Besides, you probably wanna call it a day after that one." Ryan couldn't help but nod. Casey patted him on the back, gently enough that even he didn't wince.

"Thanks man.. see ya around." Ryan tried not to limp too bad on the stairs.

The bruises didn't really show up until the morning after. His fur hid most of it, but any close examination would show it off, not to mention the fact that Ryan was actually limping. All the same, he'd already missed class once that week so there was no way he wasn't going in. Even just sitting was excruciating. By lunch he was ready to head home but he stuck it out until his last class at three. Worse yet, he worked every day that weekend and a split shift on sunday. The price of taking so many days off around a holiday.

That last week of October was always fun. Costumes came out and got ready, the frats were riled. There was a kind of energy on campus that came from nerves and from successfully passed midterms. Ryan's workweek was front loaded too, still catching up backlogs and to try and abate the inevitable complaining that was going to come from his co-workers at his forethought. Zach and Jacob didn't think to put in for it until the saturday before when most of night crew was staffed.

Wednesday night close was the sweetest thing in the world. Thursday was pretty good. After climbing came the first drinks of the weekend. The first parties too. Thursday didn't have the draw Friday have but it was still a good time. He made sure to drink a gallon of water before he even got in his jeep to head home.

The party that everyone was going to was at LOSO. It was a big old house with new tan siding and new windows only two blocks from campus. It had evergreen bushes that insulated sound well on either side, for the people who owned the house were well aware that they rented to college students. The newest crop had been renting for two years and they named it LOSO for the Land on the Other Side of the Ocean... for that is where the wild things are.

It would have been a cheesy name if not for the stories that people who didn't live in the house told about the goings on inside of it. Ryan himself had seen nothing too bad in person, but there'd been a few pictures floating around campus of a variety of lewd and lascivious acts. There were already people on the roof mostly naked by the time the tiger rolled in with a bellyful from dinner. The sun wasn't down but the music was going and the doors were wide open.

He got hit by the musk and lust as soon as he walked in. Slutty to no costumes slid in between people dressed normally and a very few number of more modest outfits. Ryan himself hadn't dressed in anything special. He wore a tank top and shorts because he knew how hot it was going to get.

"Howdy, how's it goin?" The voice drew him to a brown bear in a jockstrap bulging so far you could see a bit of the thick red cock if you looked in from the side, and a cheap sequined bowtie. Ryan grinned at him.

"Vic! Haven't seen you since you switched majors. How's it going here?" That was obvious. The house was warming up and so thick with various aroused scents that it was already making Ryan's head spin.

"It's going to be a hell of a night. Have a beer, only slightly drugged." The bear handed him a solo cup and brought the other hand up to the small of the tiger's back to guide him deeper in. He was thankful for the support while he got his legs. The big bear had a knack for getting through crowds, as they tended to get out of his way.

"Look, Ryan... don't make for the hills when I tell you this." Vic waited until Ryan had one sip of his beer. "But one of your exes is here." That made the tiger's ears fall. There was really only one person that the bear would need to warn about.

"You know how to put me in a partying mood." "Better you hear it from me then he bumps into you while you're getting your groove on. I don't want any fights getting in the way of the revel. So if Austin doesn't leave you alone when you tell him to, come get me or Becca and one of us will take care of it. I know you're a big tough guy that can take care of himself, and that's what I like about you." That bear's hand drifted down to give that rump a squeeze and to tug Ryan in. "but I really don't want to have to clean blood out of anything tomorrow morning. I intend to be hungover until I start drinking again."

"Thanks for the notice I guess." Ryan grunted at the grip and pushed away, swatting at that wrist to push it away. It had lingered a bit longer than he had expected. "You've become a lot more bisexual since we first met."

"I was shy in highschool. Took me a few years here to get my inner homo to shake hands with my inner hetero. Hey, on that note you seeing anybody?" Vic grinned as he turned to look at the cat.

"Sorta."

"Same as a no to me bro. If it's shaky enough to not be official, you're up for grabs. We should catch a movie sometime."

"I thought you didn't believe in monogamy."

"I believe in it, I mean, it's everywhere. You can only not believe in things that don't have a physical presence or some indication of existing. And while it's not my preferred state, I'll try it out. Why not? What's the worst that could happen?"

"Stuck in a loveless marriage?" The bear grinned a bit and scratched his stomach as he tried to ponder tha tone. "Ask me again when you're sober. And be forewarned, I don't usually put out the first date."

"That's okay, I can be a gentleman when I try. I'm just not good at trying. Just don't take me anywhere that serves beer or is poorly lit."

"You'd be almost charming if you didn't do this every time you were drunk." Ryan sighed and chugged his beer.

"Yeah, but this time I mean it." Vic leaned in to nuzzle the cat. Ryan brought his hands up to keep that muzzle away from his before the bear tried to kiss him. "Refills are a dollar." And then a nip to his ear hard enough Ryan hissed at the bear. He shoved the bear and Vic managed not to slam through people while he made his escape.

Ryan blinked as the crowd closed to hide the bear from sight. The fact that nobody had been injured by the three hundred pounds of surprisingly nimble drunk was a small miracle in his book. He made his way to the kitchen and threw three dollars down. He finished one of the cups there and brought the other two with him to mingle. There were a lot of faces he recognized, and even more that he didn't. The house was bigger than it looked, but it was quickly filling up.LOSO was sweltering before the sun went down, even with the windows open.

Most people suffered through it, counting on the night breeze to cool things off. It was maybe one in twenty that took something off. The confident guys, or the ones that just didn't care went bare chested with one or two in boxers or briefs. It was rarer for the women but there was no shortage of boobs to be seen if only in sprints.

Nine dollars in, Ryan was wavering and wandered to the basement where the music and the colorful moodlighting lived. There weren't a lot of people dancing but the music wasn't bad if a bit too loud. He found himself bobbing along and thinking about joining, just one face among the many who ringed the few people who were bold enough to tear it up.

The panthress in her sports bra that didn't hide the fact she was busty and cut off jeans so short she couldn't have been wearing much underneath them. She had a good looking male doberman on either side of her. She was kissing one deep on the muzzle, and the other was nibbling on her neck just pressing close together. Males and females, or females and females sometimes even kissing, lewder than even the straight couples. No pairs of guys though. Ryan shook his head and quit the basement feeling worse than when he'd wandered down.

By then the night air had cooled the first floor. Compared to the basement it was sedate, the murmur of many voices sounded a bit too quiet to ears still recovering from heavy bass pumping out speakers too big for the downstairs. Ryan turned and walked past the stairs to the second floor and into the main living area.

The living room was three big couches arranged around a big coffee table in a loose horseshoe shape. Normally they were set the opposite way to face the television but the house always spun them around for parties. Ryan was looking right between the struts, right at the bend where he saw Andrew cupping the face of a grey mare, eyes closed, kissing her. The pair of them had monopolized the couch and he was on top of her, between her legs.

They were dressed, but her hands were up his shirt, curling around the back of his shoulders, hiking it up to show off his dark waist. Her own was up a little bit too, her belly paler than the rest of her rested against his. The bull was oblivious, too into what he was doing to think anything of the people around him. Not caring about it, and with no personnel from the WRC to stop him who knew how far he might go, even in the living room with people swirling around them spouting pick-up lines or in conversations about any topics that could be dreamt up by wild inebriated minds.

Ryan took the long way to get to the kitchen where the kegs were still seeing frequent violent use underneath the slightly bored hands of the big clydesdale manning them.

"Any way I could get like, five.." Ryan had his wallet in hand and was thumbing through it.

"Uh sure..we got a pitcher or two in the cupboards." The horse turned to rifle through them to find a suitably large enough plastic container and start to pour the cheap beer into it. The tiger set a five dollar bill on the table and waited patiently while a solo cup was used as a metric. He took a big swig and gave thanks as he headed outside to sit on the stairs and watch the hookah crowd that had formed on the back patio furniture in the broken down basketball court.

The pitcher got lighter and lighter in his hand. It was hard to tell how much time had passed before he felt the presence next to him. The click of the zippo, the scent of the cheap LC cigarettes. Ryan didn't have to look.

"Something wrong?" The voice was smooth as ever, like the devil's own even when it wasn't offering temptations. The rasp of leather he knew to be brown against his elbow felt familiar enough he wanted to turn and swing just to get it further away from him.

"I wanted some air."

"That's how I know something's wrong." Roll and click. Roll and click. That was his nervous habit. Ryan's tail curled around his own calf.

"We're not friends." The tiger cashed out his pitcher. He hadn't really felt all that buzzed until he started it. Now it was starting to sink into his bones.

"We had a lot of good times for kids who set up a blind date through the internet." Austin's exhale sent a plume of smoke that tickled at the edges of Ryan's vision. For cigarettes, LC's didn't smell bad. Ryan wondered if that was just because he'd grown used to them when he dated the man. "Maybe it counts for nothing to you, but it means something to me."

"I didn't believe it then, and I was a whole lot more naive. If you're holding out hope that I've forgiven you, I can put an end to that right now."

"Fair enough. I screwed up and I'm sorry. I want to make it up to you, whether or not we could ever be a thing again. That's not really my concern. I owe you, and I want to settle debts." The black furred hands flicked the cigarette almost into a coffee can at the base of the stairs. "But yeah. I still do carry a torch for you."

"I was inches away from getting charged with all of your thefts. Thirty two hundred dollars worth and I didn't even know why I was being arrested. We just moved into that apartment. It took me weeks to figure out that you just packed stolen shit right with the things we actually owned."

"No amount of apologizing is going to change what happened." The dog agreed with him. He even sounded a little bit remorseful. The clicking stopped. The shuffling of hiding the lighter in the inner pocket of that jacket. "I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do with my life, about the kind of man I wanted to become. I had plenty of time to regret too, and it was what happened with you that I hated the most. If I had known that I wouldn't be there when the police showed up, I would have turned myself in. You had no place going through any of that. Let me find a way to make it up to you."

Then there was a hand on his wrist, a gentle grip. A canine's muzzle kissing his wrist. Ryan had already been burned by those lips and he jerked away accordingly. He stood up and left the dog sitting there. The ugliest part was the kiss still felt good. The touch of an old lover was a dangerous thing.

"A refill please!" Ryan hefted the container at the horse who was so bewildered by the exhuberance that he overflowed a cheetah's solo cup. Five more dollars on the counter.

"You sure man... it hasn't even been like twenty minutes."

"I work in a bar. I've got a professional grade liver and had a heavy dinner specifically so I could drink more." Ryan was plenty buzzed, a little wobbly but he kept a hand on the counter to steal stability from it. "I'll be cool to be cut off after this. No complaints. You seen Vic or Becca?"

"Becca left with a male lion. The neighbors called Vic and complained about the noise so I think he's in the basement taming things." That pitcher filled one cup at a time.

"Good neighbors." Ryan grinned a bit and glanced toward the back yard to make sure he didn't have a bigger more annoying shadow than usual. The horse grunted his affirmative and passed the beers over to the tiger. He made his way through the house to head back downstairs avoiding the living room like it had the plague.

The basement was eerily silent. Ryan kept a hand on the rail and listened. He saw some bodies moving, some sitting around. The cheers that erupted made Ryan jump and almost stumble. His heart thudded in his chest as the chuckles started to float up the stairs.

The tiger took a few more steps down just in time to see the dancing panthress and a female dalmatian rolling all over each other stealing gropes while muzzle deep in one hell of a kiss. The weirder thing was they were doing it in a big circle of men in various states of undress. There were a few other women too, also missing a few articles of clothing. There was a pile in one corner and plenty of people who were just watching.

Vic was part of the circle and he grinned at the tiger, and waved him over. Ryan took a swig and rounded the edge of the circle. He saw the big green bottle once he got around the hip-line of the two women showing off.

"Wanna play?" The bear grinned up at him as the girls finally started to break it up to a few boos. "Strip spin the bottle. If it lands on somebody you don't want to kiss you take off an article of clothing." That explained why there were more male flesh showing than female flesh. More guys to start with, and they were less likely to kiss each other than women.

"Sure I guess. Either way I win, right?" Ryan leered at a few guys and the looks that flashed across their faces made him laugh. He couldn't hold it in. They looked scandalized and vulnerable, that another male might objectify them while they were in boxers and one sock or shirtless.

"Nah, I win no matter what. Just how I like it. Watch out for the pantheress though, she bites." The bear rubbed his neck a little and Ryan could see a little bit of a bruise forming there, but only because of the blue track lighting hanging from that part of the ceiling.

Ryan joined the circle. The doberman in boxers and a sock gave the bottle a radical twist, and the carpet gave it plenty of turns before it started to slow. It was still going at a good clip when it went past Ryan. The very popular panthress was targeted again and the doberman's lust hit the air hard enough Ryan shook his head a little. He almost fell, but Vic reached out to stabilize him.

"Woah there. There's a penalty for party fouls right now, fair warning." The bear grinned at him.

"What is it?"

"For you, a spankin'." The bear slid an arm around the tiger's neck to give a gentle headlock and whisper. "Dibs."

"You can't dibs me without giving other people a chance." Ryan pushed the bear away while he growled and swung his arms in a half hearted attempt at a grope.

"You'd rather I leave it up to chance and let anybody have a swat at ya? Trust me, it's way more risky that way."

"Maybe I'd think it's more fun."

"Oh ho ho. I like where this is going. Fine, whoever gets there first, but I wanna watch no matter what." Vic gave that neck a squeeze and then helped the tiger straighten up. Ryan took a few gulps off of his pitcher to make certain the beer was nowhere near the top.

"What happens when they get to the last article of clothing and don't want to kiss whoever the bottle lands on?" Important, because there was a chubby boar already shirtless who was eagerly watching the bottle and checking his odds nervously.

"The game either gets a lot more interesting or marginally less interesting as people flee the circle in their shame. Historically speaking, people quit before going full nude. Perhaps today we'll see some courage. There's certainly been a lot of courage boosters floating around." The bottle landed between Vic and Ryan and the bear grumbled as he undid his belt and slid out of his jeans.

"We didn't even get a chance to resolve who was gonna get kissed." Vic grinned and shook his head, but didn't hesitate the eyeball the boar. The tight black briefs clung tightly to that body, and there was what had to be a thick cock hiding in the bulge.

"I ain't that drunk, and ain't either of you that pretty." There was a bit of a country twang to the boar's voice. "This is gettin' kinda gay."

"Well, yeah. It's supposed to be like russian roulette but with tongues. If there wasn't some risk, it wouldn't be a fun game." The panthress countered with a hand floating near her exposed belly, rubbing low at the top of her jeans. That quelled a lot of the dissenting male opinions quite thoroughly, watching those fingers tease back and forth just past the beltline.

Ryan shook his head and glanced to Vic who was likewise transfixed. His tail whipped back and forth while he watched the bear drool. The bottle slid around the circle one person at a time. Most males peeled out of clothes when it pointed to other males.

Vic came before him, and the bottle lead him to a male cheetah who opted to quit rather than to lose his green briefs. The bottle came to Ryan. He considered it carefully and looked around the circle at the many dubious faces and Vic, who was watching him with a smirk. Waiting, and hoping. Ryan smirked right at him before he gave it a good spin.

The bottle was still spinning when the bull walked downstairs. Andrew had a solo cup in hand and was glancing over the circle obviously playing spin the bottle. He met the tiger's eyes and smirked as he took his spot against the wall. It span and span and came to rest at the empty spot where the cheetah had just quit. Ryan frowned, and glanced up to Andrew at the wall. He was about in line. Time stilled when their eyes locked. The bull looked like he was pushing off of the wall.

"Dibs! Hu Rah!" Came the exhuberant cry from the other side and Ryan's ears jumped to the top of his head in suprise. He turned to put his hands up, to say stop and the bear was kissing him. Vic tasted like good spiced rum soaked with lust and the wet heat of a tongue.

The bear had his big paw at the back of that neck, cradling it. Ryan felt the slip of that jockstrap against his thigh. The fabric was smooth over denium as the weight of the bear and an insistent hand urged the tiger's leg to the side. Ryan put one hand on Vic's shoulder and threatened with his claws but the bear pressed forward without fear. His other hand still held that pitcher so it was of very limited use for any sort of defense.

The bear's weight carefully pressed put Ryan on his back while the poor badger behind the falling college students moved out of the way. Sheath to sheath with a few layers that didn't do much to blunt the feel. Vic slid his hand up and felt along Ryan's ribs, pressing the hem of that tank top up just a little more. Ryan felt the bears own claws scratching over that belly in a way that made him almost moan into the kiss. Those hands felt good.

Vic was a good kisser and it took Ryan a minute to find his mind and turn away. It felt great in the alcohol haze that had set deep across his brain, made his cock throb and that chest give a pleasing ache. The bear's broad muzzle slid itself against his neck and nibbled in a way that made the tiger mewl and expose himself. He blushed immediately and he glanced at the bull, worried.

Andrew was so surprised his jaw was open, those eyes a little wide. They narrowed in amusement when he saw Ryan's concern. The bull shook his head and started back upstairs. Vic moved up to try to claim his lips and caught the side of his muzzle. It gave the bear pause and Ryan glanced up at him. Their muzzles barely brushed as Vic turned to try and figure out what Ryan was looking at.

"Sorta taken huh?" The bear grinned and looked back down, bringing a hand back up to brush across Ryan's cheek. "It's cool." Vic leaned down to plant a gentler kiss on Ryan's muzzle. "I got one of the things I've wanted for years." It sounded honest, and Ryan couldn't help but blink at the bear that was clearly not in any hurry to change his position. To consider that throbbing between his own legs that beloged to him, and the one he could feel beneath that jock.

"If we kiss again, I'll be a little more on the ball." Ryan grinned at the bear and returned a gentle kiss that lingered a little bit. Then he was sitting up and Vic was kind enough to get out of his way. The bear rocked back onto his haunches and watched Ryan as he made his way up the stairs with a few more swallows of that pitcher.

Andrew waited against the bannister that lead to the second floor. Ryan caught the big guy out of the corner of his eye before he was even all the way onto the first floor. The tiger paused right in front of that grinning bull with the arms folded across his chest.

"You like the bear?"

"He's always been a good friend. Didn't realize he had a thing for me til tonight."

"You should consider him. He's not bad looking." Andrew said one thing but those arms came unfolded and he reached out to slide his big hand around the tiger's hip.

"I know, well hung too." That made the grins lip a little bit, and Ryan's his tail lashed.

"Nice guy, well hung, cute. Sounds like marriage material to me." Andrew's hand hiked up the tiger's shirt. The bruises made the bull squint and frown, head tilting for that closer look. He ran fingers across the still tender area carefully.

"Yeah, well I don't know that I'd take your expert opinion, all affairs considered." Another powerful swig that he chased with the last of the beer. Ryan leaned a bit closer to his lover to set the pitcher on the bannister. Good a place as any for it. "What are you really looking for?"

"What do you mean?" Andrew squeezed just a little bit along the ribs and Ryan grunted out in pain and twisted out of the grip. The bull countered with both arms, sliding around the tiger from behind and reeling him in to hold him.

"You're not looking for just hookups. You wouldn't have chased me down like you did if that was the case. You don't really seem to actually be looking for a relationship either, because the one you're already in you either don't care about or you're looking for an excuse to bail and the one you're sorta kinda in with me you're pushing me toward other people. What is it, some kinda loyalty game?"

"I've already told you I like the chase." Andrew teased a nipple through that shirt. Ryan leaned back against the sturdy strong body behind him.

"So when I stop running you're going to get bored, and find somebody else. I gotta say that doesn't make you a great prospect."

"I'm not good at being a long term prospect. I'm not certain I'm interested in being one either. I mean, look how it's worked out for the other person who considered me a long term prospect." It wasn't the most romantic thing the bull could have whispered in Ryan's ear right before that gentle nibble.

"Wow. You need to work on your sales pitch." The tiger struggled but Andrew didn't let him go. He squeezed him tighter, carefully from behind. It still put a little strain on that injury. Ryan could feel the bigger man starting to get aroused, the base of his tail pressed against the sheath, the tiger's tail teasing against that inner thigh just by position.

"It's worked thus far. I could lie, if it'd make you feel better, but you're gonna have to ask me for it in those words." A deep voice and a kiss to his neck that Ryan turned away from. He grabbed the bull's wrists and gave himself enough room to turn around while Andrew kept kissing his neck like they were whispering sweet nothings.

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm imagining myself balls deep in you right now."

"I'm imagining myself claws deep in you right now." He grabbed one of the horns and pulled that head away so Andrew could properly see his glare. "So you better stop lying to me. What are you actually looking for?" The bull's eyes were flicking over that face, lightly glazed with alcohol too. It didn't stop one of the man's hands from sliding down to grope Ryan's ass but Andrew didn't seem to have a better answer.

"Figure it out. You've got two samples, one you're running from, and one you're running to, because that's all that chasing is." Ryan tightened his grip and held that head in place when the bull went in for a kiss. Andrew scowled and snorted, shaking his horns to try and free himself. It took a minute for the scowl to resolve itself into a smirk.

"Truth or dare?" Ryan paused at the question but he didn't let his grip slip.

"Truth." Both were risky, but it was easy to guess where the bull would take the dares and Ryan knew he wouldn't be getting any questions answered that way.

"Do you love me?" Of all the questions in the world he could have asked. Andrew took advantage to slip free of that grip and press a gentle kiss to Ryan's mouth, one that Ryan returned slightly. The bull had no desire to deepen it that moment though. He let lips dance across lips and pulled back to be smug against the bannister with the tiger in his arms. Ryan thought about it.

"No. We've fucked a bunch and I like you but love isn't based on that. It's based on trust and shared experiences and all sorts of little things people argue about. I can't really trust you. I can't trust that you'll actually be there. At the end of the night, you're just a hot guy I've got feelings for that I like to fuck." Andrew frowned but nodded his agreement to the drunk truth spilling out of the tiger's muzzle. The words stung coming out, and the big bull agreeing with him was a second slap in the face even through the tingles in Ryan's frontal lobe from all the alcohol suspending his perceptions. "Truth or dare."

"Dare." Of course. Ryan smirked as it came to him though.

"Let me top you."

"Hell no." Ryan barely had the words out of his mouth before the bull was denying him. Andrew even pulled his hands away. That scowl was back in full force.

"Pay is three truths, virgin." The way that the bull's face twisted and a little bit of anger in those eyes told Ryan he'd hit it right on the money. He gave Andrew some time to consider but he leaned in to let Andrew feel his own cock, half hard in his shorts. The friction helped it harden while Ryan watched the struggle in his lover's eyes. A hefty price, but with three questions the tiger was pretty sure he could get everything he needed to know.

"Where are we doing this?" The bull grumped, not pleased with the outcome of his little game. Ryan claimed the bull's muzzle and pressed him against the bannister aggressively. The action caught the bigger man offguard and Ryan had him by the wrists before the bull's hands could go anywhere. He pressed those arms back and the bull made him work for it a little before relenting.

"I think I know a place." Ryan grinned a bit and let go of one of Andrew's hands to grab him by the belt and start to walk him up the stairs. The puzzled expression on the bull's face made it all the sweeter.

The hallway where the bedrooms converged already held the scent of sex. There were sounds coming from three of the five rooms and only two doors were shut. Ryan could peg Vic's room even at a glance, the messy one with the sports posters. There was a second one, painted in a dark blue with weights, a heavy bag and a bit of weaponry that wasn't what the tiger was looking for.

Becca's room was much more tidy. A plum purple decorated the walls with lavender accents and circular little mirrors scattered like stars tacked the wall with charcoal drawings and a few abstract paintings in vivid colors. The bed had a few pillows and a purple mircofill comforter. There was a chinese hooksword, hanging over the closet that told Ryan he was definitely crashing the right bedroom.Andrew started to shut the door but Ryan stopped him with a kiss.

"Be right back." A smirk as he left the bull in the bedroom to stare. Ryan crashed Vic's bedroom too, to check the nightstand drawers to find and steal the lube. If the bear ended up with a boy that night, he was going to owe two huge apologies instead of one. Becca was going to be the easier one, all things considered.

For once the bull wasn't bold. He'd shifted to the left but otherwise hadn't moved. Ryan smirked at the big guy who was working on his stoicism. The nerves were cute, no matter how he hid them, and it wasn't lost on the tiger that Andrew's eyes locked onto the squeeze tube in the tiger's hand

"Relax, I'll be gentle." Only earned the cat a snort. Ryan shut the door and he was happy to claim the bull's lips with a chuckle on his own as Andrew tried to talk. It became a real battle then. The bull put some weight into taking over the kiss, retaking control. Ryan was drunk and stumbled back to turn and let the both of them thump against the wall. Andrew impacted with a horn first and it jerked that head to the side.

Ryan attacked that neck with nips and earned gasps and a strange low he'd never heard before. A kind of lusty need that made the great cat redouble efforts. He squirmed his hands free to grip the bull by his horns and expose that neck to more teeth.

Andrew trembled a little in the pleasure and lost his balance. Down they went onto the big rug that hid a lot of the wood floor. It didn't mute their impact much. Ryan slid on top of that body, straddling that waist so he could expose that stomach.

Fevered hands slid up Andrew's shirt to tease claws along a stomach that twitched. He left a few marks but didn't break the skin. The responsive moan made Ryan's cock harder than it had ever been. That shirt slid up and he pulled it off to toss it to the side. Andrew smirked up at him and a gentle rake twisted that with some pleasure.

The cat couldn't help but smirk smugly down at the bull for once. The nerves were still trying to hide on Andrew's face and he kissed that neck again. Teased it with teeth and had the bull bucking underneath him. One of those big hands came to hold his head, keep it in place but Ryan pushed that arm right before the elbow and shook it off with a threatening growl.

"No hands. I'm topping tonight. Unless you decided you wanted to talk more."

"Shut up and get to work then." The bull sounded a bit more breathy, and Ryan sat up and grinned down as he thought about it. He reached up and pinched one of his lover's nipples gave it a good twist.

The bull gasped and let out a long moan. Pain, but.. pleasure. So much pleasure that Ryan blinked, twice when he felt the bull's big cock twitch in his jeans. It gave him pause while the puzzle pieces clicked into place. The cat gave him another twist while the bull squirmed and moaned. He didn't beg for more but that body was sure asking for it in the way the pec twitched and quivered. The way each time Ryan tormented that nipple that cock grew that much harder.

The revelation made him shift those teeth, nosing down the midline of those big pecs to seek out that nub already aroused and sticking up. A rough tongue over the exposed flesh. It earned moans and wasted motion. Suddenly, that big body, so strong became well and truly underneath the tiger's control.

Andrew grew still, nothing but gasps and quiet pleased half lows as teeth came in to tug. Ryan took it slow at first, cautious but it didn't take long to figure out that the bull's cock twitched no matter how rough he grew. The bull's head came up and thumped back down on the rug as he tried to get words out.

"No more.." The bull rasped out but it was the hand that moved his muzzle away physically that stopped Ryan. The tiger panted against that chest, his hard cock grinding against the stomach and still painfully trapped in his jeans with those barbs catching along the texture of his briefs. It made him purr. The bull laid on his back, taking deep breaths like something just put him through the wringer. The tiger sat up and took his time time to look over the puffy abused nub still sticking up. There were going to be bruises in the morning. Maybe he'd gone too far.. he let his fingers rub over it gently, and Andrew's hand came up to rest on his own.. but it didn't stop the gentle motion and pleasure washed over that dark muzzle again.

Andrew answered his question by smirking up at him and bringing his own hand up to tug on the untouched nipple. He tugged hard and moaned over the sensation. Ryan smirked down and went for it. He was bolder in his roughness. He dug his claws into the bull's ribs to leave more marks on that thick hide. No matter what he seemed to do, Andrew's body urged him for more. With a twitch or pleasured noise.

Ryan broke with a grin and sat up to watch his handiwork in the bull that looked more worn out then than he had after their longer nights. The tiger moved to scoop the lube back up and started to walk over to the bed peeling out of his clothes.

Ryan let his briefs hit the floor and turned to sit with his legs spread wide while the bull watched. He tossed the lube to the side and stroked his shaft a few times, the pre had already leaked down it and he spread it around the barbs with a slight shudder.

"You think that was good? Gimme time and trust." The bull looked up at him from his place on the floor. The pleasure in those eyes faded a bit, and Ryan knew he had him when he saw curiosity in place of nerves. The bull turned over and pushed himself to standing.

"You think getting me to roll over was gonna be that easy?" Andrew rubbed his cock through his pants. The change in angle showed the cat something that only made his smirk that more smug. It felt good to turn the tables.

"Yeah, I do. Because I've never seen you leak so much pre it showed through sweats, let alone jeans." That little dark spot told all the stories Ryan needed to hear. "You liked that a lot, and if you want to get laid tonight, we're doing it on my terms. Coz your truth changed things for me. You aren't the only hot guy I've got feelings for."

"You saying you're going to run out on me if I don't obey." Andrew chuckled but started to work on his belt. The button of those jeans, taking time to expose more and more of himself. The black boxer briefs couldn't contain that thick pipe. It was pulling one of the legs wide until the bull stripped and let the cock glistening with pre bounce free and drip a fat bead of pre onto the rug.

"I might. I'm feelin' pretty good right now. I've drank bout half a keg and I've had guys chasing my ass all day. I've got an ex, and a pretty cute bear you think I should fuck anyways floating around this house. I throw you in there that's two bad decisions and a promising one." Ryan milked his own cock to get a fat bead sitting right on that pointed tip.

"I like you when you're drunk. Helps you find your spine." The bull paced over and put a hand at the base of his own cock to make it bob in front of that muzzle.

"Ha! Call me spineless while I'm sober and see what happens. Hell, you better hope I black out or you'll pay for that one anyways." The pad of that nose twitched a few times but Ryan just smirked and raised and eyebrow. He let that cock sit there unattended except for Andrew's stroking. Ryan deliberately matched paces with the man, stroking his own cock at that same pace. His breath had to be felt over that presoaked cock too. Andrew looked a little labored. "It'll be okay, Andrew. Really. Even drunk, I know how to take care a you." And he'd pat the bull's hip reassuringly.

Whether it was his words, or wavering will, or the curiosity, or that newfound spine... Andrew dropped to his knees, still tall enough that Ryan had to scoot back to give him room. The cat purred when that thick tongue stroked him root to tip a few times to start to clean that pre off. The bull tucked his arm under the small of the back and held Ryan by his sheath.

There was a pleased low that twinned his yowl when the last of the pre was lapped off of that tip right before the bigger male took that cock into his long snout. Ryan grinned a bit and rested his hand on a horn just to give a bit of extra weight. Ryan was long for a tiger, but the bull was just a bigger breed with a longer snout. It was easier for Andrew.. so the tiger didn't mind putting him through his paces by actually using that horn after a few minutes. Get the muzzle going faster, holding down at that base longer before Ryan was pulling that head out of his lap. The cat claimed the other horn to balance out that head when he started to fuck Andrew's muzzle. Long strokes where he almost pulled the bull off of him to slide back in with a smooth stroke. The big guy stopped moving, and Ryan did all the work. When he actually did pull that head off, there was a low moan from the bull with a mouth gaping open lewdly, with a film of saliva and pre seed clinging to that mouth.

One thrust had that warm heat surrounding him again. The bed helped him find a rhythm, and the bull's hands forced his legs a little wider. Squeezed his thighs hard and scratched them with the much blunter nails. Ryan growled playfully at the bull, the tingling starting at the base of his balls.

The tiger raised up on the bed, bore down on that muzzle so the pointed tip of that cock fit right into that deep groove of his lover's tongue. The sensation of the press into the strong muscle made him yowl and throw his head back as his hips took off on their own to fuck without mercy.

The first few spurts slid across the bull's broad tongue and the next ended deep, shooting against the back of that throat. Andrew sucked all the harder for the fresh seed and the pleasure was deafening. The last few thrusts had Ryan grasping for breath as Andrew twisted just a little to let the barbs roll over the smooth tough tongue. Wasn't his first time doing that.

The big bull between his legs pulled off of his cock slowly, letting inch by pink barbed inch hit light glistening twice as bright for the mixture that coated it. Ryan grinned at the man and let it trail along that muzzle leaving smears like the bull had done no small amount of times to him in the past. The smoothness of that facial fur made him shudder, sliding over the recently spent flesh that was still tingling and more sensitive than normal. The smears showed up well against that black fur.

"Get on the bed. All fours." Ryan leaned down to kiss Andrew between his horns, stroke the fur at the crest of that head gently.

"Not gonna return the favor."

"Nope. I had to take my edge off so I could prep you right, otherwise that ass was gonna look too good and I wasn't gonna take enough time. " He smirked at the bull as the man grunted and pushed himself to standing, hands still on Ryan's thighs. "That way you'll fuckin' love it and start bendin' over without so much fuss."

"You act like I've been whining. I could easily flip you on your belly and fuck you senseless. I've still got about sixty pounds of muscle on you." And Andrew was getting the idea to do so, forming in his eyes. Ryan reached forward and grabbed the big balls, rolled them in his palm as he looked up at the bull and gave them a slow persistent tug further away from the body.

"Fuuuuuck...." Andrew rose up onto the tips of his hooves, that low curse splitting the air in pleasure. The pleased panting of the bigger male made the great cat smirk in a truly cheshirian fashion.

"This whole time..." Ryan shook his head a little bit.. as he let go and the bull fell forward, palms onto the bed. The tiger stood up and grabbed that whip tail and tugged it out of the way hard enough that Andrew grunted. His other hand pressed that hip forward, and he wedged his boxy muzzle between those meaty cheeks. That tongue flicked out to taste the sweatsalt and musk of the big bull. Rough tongue over wrinkled untouched flesh had Andrew breathing harder. For such a big man, it was a tiny hole. He forced his tongue across a few times before he even tried to work in, resistance to his slick muscle told the tale plenty well. It was minutes work to open the man up even enough to get the tip of his tongue past the clenching muscle.

The virgin moans of the bull put steel back into Ryan's cock. He grabbed those nuts and tugged to feel all the muscles flex around him, to feel the pucker squeeze around his tongue in a way that made that imagination beat off. The tiger ran his claws from that lower back down across one of those cheeks and felt each part of Andrew quiver and press back almost hard enough to prick himself on the claws.

Ryan feasted on that hole, pressing deep until his nose nestled against flesh and the bottom of his jaw was teasing his lover's cleft every time it moved to help get that tongue deeper. The muscle was tough, hard to penetrate but persistence and saliva won out. He could have spent days that deep in the bull, listening to him trying to keep quiet and failing time. Feeling him quiver and tremble like prom night's only virgin. The taste was almost as good as the sight of the muscles of that back tensing and flexing and showing off their hard earned nuances. That hole was dripping, glistening by the time he sat up on his knees to hear Andrew rasp out pleasure shaken breaths. The bull was lifting his tail, keeping it out of the way. It made him smirk and kiss next to the base, as he reached for the lube.

There weren't words that would calm Andrew for what came next. Ryan wouldn't have been eloquent enough in his right mind let alone drunk. The cap came open quietly and for that he was thankful. A bit of lube to a single finger and then he was rubbing over that pucker. All that good work the tongue had done was gone instantly. The bull's nerves shut him down. It didn't matter. The lube slicked over the spit and massaged that lube along the wary pucker while he purred and kissed that back.

Ryan had to force his finger in, insistent pressure placed right at the center with something far firmer than a tongue. It gave and the slick slid in with a catch of the bull's breath at being successfully invaded. Andrew tried to sit up but Ryan's other hand came up to grab him by the shoulder and keep him positioned.

"We've gone as -" Andrew started with conviction battling a little bit of panic in his voice but Ryan cut him off.

"Shut up and trust me. I'm the honest one with morals outta the two of us." It earned a snort but quelled resistance for the time. He sunk the finger deep slowly but he didn't stop even when he bottomed out. He slowly finger fucked the big man, reaching up to angle for where he knew those nerves hid. He curled that finger just a little every time his palm pressed against the dense cheeks.

The tiger let go of the bull to add a bit more lube. He pulled the finger almost all the way out to slick up a second one. When he pressed back in, the additional thickness made the bull groan and hang his head forward. The muscle clenched and squeezed and the way it twisted against his fingers while Andrew repositioned his hips further away whetted his cock all the more. It didn't stop his fingers from sliding in and sliding deep to reach and reach.. and

The bull twitched forward. It slid from that ass all the way up that back and his head popped up. That body arched just a little and Ryan knew he had it. So he pressed it again and stayed close while that big body squirmed and tried to flee from fingers causing undocumented pleasure. That was all it took. Insistent, repeated jabs of that finger, like he was trying to milk the bull. Every jolt making that body rock and half muted grunts of pleasure slid past that muzzle while the hole locked down aimlessly out of confusion.

Those big black balls started to rise and Ryan stopped them. The anguished pleasured moan of the bull was music he wanted to hear again. The tiger took his time in working those balls back with gentle tugs that had the hole flexing around those fingers. He could see that big cock flexing and dripping pre that ran down almost the whole length. Ryan felt a bit of half cooled wetness trickling over the tops of his fingers of the hand teasing those balls. This side of the bull was a damn beautiful sight. He finger fucked his lover and kept him from coming until that cleft was broken in enough he could part his fingers. Sneaking in the third wasn't as difficult, didn't worry the bull lost in his own pleasures near as much and a few presses of that showed the cat his bull was ready.

Ryan let go of the balls so he could slick his own cock, eagerly throbbing in the palm of his hand. His fingers freed themselves and he wiped them off on the bedding to take care of most of the lube. He slid up to one knee behind the male and held that hip to press the pointed tip right against that target. Andrew stilled completely. His ass found new will to resist and Ryan kissed a shoulder, sliding a hand around to rake claws across that pec and gently gently tease a nipple that had the man choking out a gasp. Ryan couldn't tell if it was pleasure or pain but either way it made the big guy's cock twitch and that was good enough for the cat.

"Relax.." Ryan warned but it didn't happen, and it didn't matter because he'd waited a little with that tip wedged in the center of that hole. He'd given warning, and then he started to press in. His hand found the base of his cock to keep it steady while he slow forced the first few inches in. The barbs catching along the clenched pucker made him yowl quietly, and made his tail lash in anticipation knowing there were only more and bigger sensitive barbs to rough along the male's inner depths. The pressure only made him want to bury more and he kept his pace relentless until he was seated in that body.

Ryan ran his hands over that broad back, rubbing it soothingly. Slow circles, and a few kisses along the spine of the larger man. That hole was straining around the tiger's cock and the bull was breathing deeply to deal with invasive feeling. It was an effort of will to be stopped. If not for that body to explore, there would have been no way. He let his hands slide around to tease along those pecs and that stomach.

Soft fingertips traded into claws and back again to keep the bull guessing. He was careful with those sore nipples but when he teased them it had the bull sliding back, shifting those hips. Ryan nipped the man's shoulder and rubbed those nubs to make Andrew build the rhythm pressing back until the tiger's sheath was pressed against that hole. He hugged the bigger male tight once.

Ryan rocked back on his heels, almost out of the male slowly and let that slow pace lead him back in. Sawing slowly in and out of the big male who braced himself. Ryan's hands gripped high on those hips to pull his body forward. The gentle pace still had the bull grunting every time he delved in. It took a good roll of the tiger's hips to touch that spot and draw those stoic grunts into the long pleasured moans Ryan wanted.

The tiger showed Andrew intimate mercy. He made love to that tight round ass, pressing deep and grinding to keep that pointed head tripping over those bundles that made the bull want more even if Andrew tried to hide it. He tried to be quiet and failed. He tried to stay still but he pressed back with every little shift of the tigers hips to stay seated perfectly in the lap of that smaller waist. He spread his legs and raised that tail higher just a bit. It thumped and tickled on the outside of Ryan's thigh.

When the moan broke free of the proud bull's chest, Ryan slid those claws up that back. It made the big man tighten and the tiger pulled out a few inches and slid deep. The pace changed to those faster rabbit thrusts, seeking pleasure but taking it easy on the first timer. It broke the moan up into attractive syllables with bursts of pleasure caused by bouncing deep and he loved the weight of the big man sliding down onto his lap, that eager pressing back. Andrew was being harder on himself than Ryan.

It meant to the tiger he didn't have to be so gentle. He reached up to grab that shoulder and pull the man back while he drove forward hard. The bull's head reared up and those eager meeting thrusts paused, those thick dark arms shook and Ryan pressed down on those shoulders to find his angle. He pulled out far again and drove in and the low that followed shook the room. Orange and white hips slammed against the bull with a smack barely muted by the fur.

Andrew loved it so much he came, that cock twitching up to shoot the bull in his own chest. The bedding wasn't safe either, the next spray bounced down down. Pulse after pulse those big balls tight against that black body. Ryan closed his eyes and lost words for a moment to the way that hole tightened around his cock. He couldn't stop his hips, the pace of burying most of that cock back in the bull. Laying inches of pipe against that spot rougher and rougher. Faster and faster.

Ryan didn't stop by the time the bull finished unloading. Each time the tiger tagged that spot inside just a little bit more cream slid out of that thick bovine cock. The bull was too tight for Ryan to take it easy, he lost himself to instinct and bred that tight hole with the whole of his being. The thrusts rocking the bed and that big sensitive body on the end of his cock and Andrew set himself to take the punishment.

Ryan slid his chest forward, his muzzle right against that shoulder as far as he could reach. He nipped that shoulder and that neck and growled his dominance while the bull relented, exposed neck and let the tiger get a better grip. His arms slid around claws over pecs dragging down without breaking that tough skin but still leaving marks that made the bull moan and clench and press back even into the harder thrusts.The claws went away when he squeezed those pecs for leverage, held them and pounded against the heavy cheeks.

The bliss swallowed him and Ryan roared his dominance to the world. That hole twitched, tired and ravaged around his cock as the tiger lost it with frantic thrusting. He could feel his seed sliding around the barbs all the more sensitive for another slickening. Ryan didn't even slow until the pleasure started to ache and even then he rested on that broad back that was a little unbalanced. Andrew rolled to the side gently and the cat slid an arm around that waist to hold him. Big spooning the much larger male while they both caught their breath.

"Jesus..is it always like that." Andrew grumped. Ryan chuckled a bit and nipped him hard enough to bruise that shoulder. He loved the way that body froze underneath his teeth.

"No. It gets easier and more pleasurable after a few times. Ya get used to the sting." Ryan licked that new mark and nuzzled that neck. After a little they burrowed under the covers. For the first time, they only made love once in a night they spent together.

Morning jackhammered Ryan's brain. In his fervor, the cat forgot the cardinal rule of drinking, apply water liberally before bed. Slight motion and sunlight made him roil as something moved him even gently. Then the cold, the cold of not being near something, of covers vanishing. He grasped at something but it was a long time before something warm hid his body from early morning air.

"It'll be okay." Even whispers hurt his ears and he couldn't place the voice. The gentle tap of something on the table. A rattle that shook Ryan's teeth and he glanced to glare at it to see water and a few pills.

The tiger took a few sips to nurse that stomach. Water would make everything better, but he needed to take it slow. A few more small swallows before he even tried the pills.

"You look like hell." Vic scratched his belly and shook his head, leaning in the doorway in flannel pajama pants slung low. "You got pretty drunk last night. Threw yourself at me and everything." Coffee steamed from a blue mug in the bear's hands.

"I wasn't blackout drunk." He shot back with a glare that only brought belly laughter. "Don't you have something to dibs?"

"I was gonna call it on the washing machine but your beau is bound and determined to sneak the two of you out of trouble. He's a wise man that one." Ryan glanced around and saw the comforter missing. The sheets and pillowcases too. He was covered by a big gortex coat and one sniff told him that it belonged to the bull. "Gave me my lube back too." That made the tiger blush and look down.

"Sorry I didn't ask." He mumbled and turned away to hide his face in the water glass.

"Don't be. I wasn't using it. I hooked up with the panther chick." He grinned a bit and sipped at his coffee. "Worth it. Though not quite who I was aiming for." Ryan glanced at him. The bear didn't seem hurt, and he didn't sound bitter or vindictive or anything.

"You're a really good guy Vic..."

"Leave it at that." He'd hold up a hand to the tiger. "And remember that when that asshole breaks your heart. Friendzone me now if you must, but I know the secret to getting out of the friendzone." The seriousness on the bear's face, the sense of purpose glimmering in those eyes and the set of that jaw. It made Ryan chuckle a little and regret even attempting to do so. He laid back down.

"I was gonna say call me sometime." That caught Vic off guard. It was the bear's turn to stare at him. Ryan gave him a weak smirk. The big guy nodded though.

The sound of hooves was easily heard, a painful clacking that was a mule kick to that forehead that only got closer. Vic moved to the side a bit to let the fully dressed bull in. Andrew paused in the doorway and looked over the bear with the low slung pajams. That smirked started to form.

"Cute isn't he?" The bull stayed close to the bear, looming over him.

"Definitely. Twice as cute for that limp you had this morning. I haven't been fucked good and proper in a long time. How about you?" Vic didn't flinch back, that close space and size didn't intimidate him even though the bear wasn't near as broad. Only a bit shorter however.

"Never, actually. I don't think anybody could have taken it better than my kitty did." That smirk was plenty wide on the bull's big face.

"Oh ho ho .. well maybe he'll give me permission to fuck you sometime so you can compare." The twist to the bear's muzzle was much more subtle. It weakened Andrew's smirk just a little. The pissing contest didn't sit well with the tiger however. Ryan cursed to himself and stood up to find his clothes and start to dress while the alpha males were focused on each other.

"I need to head home." Ryan muttered as he collected his things. He checked to make sure his cellphone, his wallet and keys were in his shorts still before he tugged on his shirt. "I don't know if I'll be out tonight. I'm feeling pretty miserable. Getting older I guess."

"You're only as old as you feel, unless you forget to pre-empt your hangover and then you feel ancient. I woke the guys who crashed in the living room and basement up with pots and pans this morning and it was a hell of an ugly sight. Chased them right onto the lawn." Vic grinned and glanced away with Andrew. "Hope to see you again but if I don't. Oh yeah, I'll take care of the laundry stuff, since I'm here and all." The bear gave a jovial wave and left the lovers to their devices.

Andrew turned to look at Ryan, and there was a slight scowl to the smirk. Ryan shook his head a bit and started walking over to him.

"You can fuck him if you want." The bull grumped

"I know." Ryan fell against the bull to rest his head on that chest. He couldn't quite muster the strength to bring his arms up for the hug. Andrew put one arm around his shoulder and started them down the hallway. Relief flooded the cat as he was allowed darkness while the bigger man guided him down stairs and outside to his jeep.

"Here you are." Andrew even gave Ryan a kiss to the side of his muzzle before he helped him into the car. The bull hung nearby while the tiger fumbled with his keys.

"No goobye kiss?" Andrew leaned on the door with one of those huge forearms.

"We don't have that kind of relationship." Ryan met the bull's eyes with a careful glance. Andrew's eyes slid over the tiger, smirked and he leaned in to kiss the tiger anyways. Ryan was slow to return it so Andrew didn't try for anything more than that gentle kiss.

"See you at the executive club meeting." The big male's words made the tiger's ears wilt. He felt awful and now he had to sit through another round of college jocks fumbling through Robert's Rules of Order. Ryan checked the time and set an alarm before he even started driving.

Ryan had to pull over once on the way home from the motion sickness. Once he got home he crashed. Water and lazing around in low light and quiet. He switched his alarm off before it even really rang and dragged his still dragging tail out of bed to tumble into clothes and head to the meeting.Andrew was waiting for him outside the room, and the bull opened the door for him.

"You wanna catch dinner after this, or is your stomach still iffy?" The words made the tiger think about it, and that stomach that was still not fully settled still managed to squeak a growl loud enough the bull chuckled.

"Asking me out on a date?" The tiger glanced over his shoulder at the bull that followed him too closely.

"Yeah." Andrew didn't mince words that time. "I figure we've been fooling around for a few months, we're due for at least one dinner right." The man wasn't talking all that loudly but the deep voice carried and drew eyes. About half of the executive club members were there including most of the cute guys. Ryan tried not to blush and the bull glanced at them but only smirked and reached out to let that tail pass through his fingers. The tiger snatched it away and curled it around his waist with a scowl.

"What about your fiancee?"

"I'm breaking it off with her. I'm too young to get married. She wants a lot of stuff I don't. I'd make an even worse father than husband and I doubt I'd be too great on that to begin with." Ryan sat down and the bull took the chair right next to him. With his legs wide it had Andrew's thigh resting against the tigers. The big guy was wearing shorts and that let his heavy warm calf brush against Ryan's.

"I should introduce you to my buddy Pierce. I think you'd get along."

"Is he cute?" Ryan kicked the bull for his glibness.

"Not as cute as Vic." Andrew laughed at the cat's retort and the lack of threat in that made Ryan's tail poof out in annoyance.

"Hey, you offered him to me. I may as well check." The bull put an arm around Ryan's shoulders and hauled that seat nearer. "Just because we're dating doesn't mean we can't fool around with other people."

"We're not dating, and I don't share." Ryan scowled and turned to look at the bull. Their muzzles were as close enough that Ryan could feel body heat on the pad of his nose, let alone that warm breath.

"Why not?" Andrew leaned in to kiss the Ryan and the tiger turned away before the kiss could happen. All the same the bull kissed his cheek and nibbled on that neck.

"We're not dating because I can't trust you. I don't share because I don't like to share and I don't need to justify it more than that."

"You like the bear. I'm not too picky and I've got a feeling he'd be down. Why not try it out at least once and see how it plays out. Maybe you'll like it. Come to dinner with me tonight, then we'll hit a party and see about tumbling the big bear into his bed. It'll be fun."

"Andrew. This isn't what I'm looking for. I'm sorry, but it's not. I like you a lot but I'm not going to play these games. There's plenty of people okay with open relationships."

"I'm fond of you. I want to see where it goes." Then the door opened and Noah walked in with red eyes and a dopey grin. There was a white fox with a grin on his face. Pierce smirked into the room and met Ryan's eyes. There was that gleam that the tiger recognized. As good as bragging. It distracted the tiger for just a few seconds and with a flick of that fluffy white tail the fox was off.

"I'm gonna say no on the date." It was hard for Ryan to say. He didn't want to say no, and even saying no didn't really seem to distract the bull from stealing another kiss from that neck. Afterward, Andrew did move further away so the sports club meeting could go on in relative peace. Somehow this one managed to be longer than the others. All the longer for the bull that kept letting his hooves wander into games of footsie that made tiger think of a whole lot more.

Ryan was half hard by the time the meeting was called. He was quick to stand, and crossed in front of Andrew to get caught in the mill of executive club members fleeing for their sanity. They were twice as eager for the parties and bars that awaited them that evening. Ryan eschewed the parties to hide in Bubbles.

The bar was off of the beaten path. One actually had to walk past three much more popular bars, go up a set of stairs in a tunnel of plywood and tin. Around one more corner was the entrance, a plain door with a print of a bathtub and a big rubber duck.

Bubbles smelled like soap powder. Wood floors and fake stone walls concreted over mostly wooden walls by an amatuer mason. Old scored tables scattered around the room with a few that looked like varnished tree stumps wrapped around the support columns of the building. There were two bartenders and three people playing darts. Ryan was glad for the silence, for the subdued atmosphere and the cheap beer. The refuge was what the tiger needed while he wrestled with the three men on his mind for the rest of October.