Topsy Turvy: Chapter 2 - Chasing Tails
#2 of Topsy Turvy
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Chapter 2: Chasing Tails
He lapped his own cum from his paw and got off the floor, his head lowered in defeat. The tiger was now in the other room, probably playing video games. He pulled his pants up and stuffed one of the tiger's dirty socks into his pocket, before thinking to himself.
Sometimes your place in a relationship can be ambiguous.
_ _
Before he could expand his thoughts further, the front door swung open and a small but beautiful ocelot stepped into the room. He was about 5'8 with a slim build and dazzling markings across his face and body. He was carrying a small handbag with him and had obviously come home from work. It didn't take him much time to give Topsy a look over and figure out what had just happened.
"Hey Topsy." He sounded less than thrilled.
"O..oh hiya Chase!" The canine quickly stumbled into an upright position. "How was work?" He tried to sound sober and play it straight, like nothing had happened.
"It was k. Tiger's in the other room?" He walked briskly past the Dalmatian, without even slowing down.
Before Topsy could answer, Marcus walked in from his bedroom having heard his boyfriend arrive. His demeanour was different this time. He seemed happier, more excited.
"Hey babe! Lookin' beautiful today." The tiger remarked. He walked over and immediately embraced Chase in a warm and tender hug that lasted about 20 seconds, although Topsy had stopped counting at that point.
"Thanks hun, you do too." The ocelot replied, burying his face into Marcus's shoulder and giving him a delicate kiss on the cheek while their arms were still locked in a gentle cuddle. He had to stand on his toes to manage that feat, as even though he was taller than Topsy, he was still a little shorter than the tiger. The prolonged embrace allowed Topsy to retreat into his mind again. This time he was recollecting.
"Don't worry; I know how much you care about him. And frankly I feel like he loves and cares about you even more." Topsy delivered this line to Chase 6 months earlier, at a coffee shop.
_ _
"To be honest I didn't even know who you were up until a couple of weeks ago. I just feel betrayed; I don't know why he wouldn't ever mention you if you two have been such good friends for a while." The ocelot replied.
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"Chase I promise, our relationship isn't like that. I know how much trouble you've gone through to try and be with him and I'm not going to stand in your way. I'm not going to compete with you over him because as far as I'm concerned, he loves you more anyway. He's going to be happier with you and you two are going to be happy with each other. All I can do is to try my best to support your guys' relationship." He was eager at the time. This was the only solution he could think of where Marcus would be happy without compromising his relationship with Chase. Topsy knew he had to step away, even if he didn't want to.
"It's not just that Topsy, he wants an open relationship too. I don't know if I'm comfortable with him fucking other guys, even if it's you or if you're just gonna be playing with his paws." Chase seemed extremely hesitant and stressed out, a far cry from his normally composed and nonchalant poise.
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"An open relationship doesn't mean he doesn't love you or care about you Chase, it's just that different people have different needs sexually and sometimes it's healthy to explore those needs with people who share them with you. If the thought of us doing anything makes you uncomfortable then just tell me so and I promise I'll never do anything with him. I'm not gonna jeopardize my relationship with him or his relationship with you just so I can get off." This seemed to calm the ocelot down a bit. He fixed the Dalmatian with stunning hazel eyes and cocked his head to the side.
_ _
"Thanks Topsy." He paused. "I can see why Marcus hangs out with you."
_ _
That last comment always escaped his mind. He never understood why the tiger kept him around. He didn't feel needed, or necessary. Maybe he was just nice to talk to... he definitely didn't feel attractive, especially not in comparison with the company Marcus kept. And the tiger had many a candidate to entertain his paws. It wasn't love--that privilege was only extended to Chase as far as he knew.
---
_ _
"Hey doggie! Wake up!" A loud cry snapped Topsy back. It was Marcus. "It's getting late. Don't you have somewhere to go?" The tall tiger was staring him down playfully. "This ain't no place for a side bitch!" The ocelot was still in the tiger's arms, motionless, like a piece of art. Topsy sighed and picked up his notebook, making his way to the door as he heard the tiger jeering gleefully all the way.
Such a bully.
It was around 7 p.m. when he started walking home. The sky was quite dark and the weather was chilly, and he was only wearing a light jacket. Something about that encounter rubbed him the wrong way; it felt like Marcus was getting more domineering the more they hung out, especially when they were around other people.
Sometimes your place in a relationship can be ambiguous. It would be one thing if they were having sex, or even if there was oral involved but there wasn't. It was mostly footplay and even then it only happened on rare occasions. Sometimes knowing how much distance to place between yourself and the person you love can be the most challenging part of any relationship. In his case, they aren't even dating. He promised Chase to support their relationship, and he owed it to Marcus to do so anyway. Or at least he felt like he did; what would you do if you loved someone and only wanted to see them happy?
_ _
He winced slightly, knowing full well that it wasn't healthy for him to constantly let his mind run and overwhelm his thoughts so frequently. Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He disliked having sound notifications, especially for texts. His eyes met the white glare of the phone's small screen. It was Lex.
Hey there pup. :)
He swallowed softly.
** Oh..hey! What's up mister?**
Oh not much... just thinkin' about you.
o.o who me? What's so special about me?
Nothin'... except how blatantly you blush
when you see something you like ;)
Fffffuuuck. Just what I needed; another feline jock in to bully me.
Hey! No way! I was just embarrassed
Suuuuuuure.
What are you doin' right now/tonight?
Uhmm nm just walking home atm. What's up?
Cool. You should come over :) I'm on
Grassfield and 23rd.
What the fuck? Is this guy serious? I just met him today and he wants to hang out at 8 p.m.?
_ _
** lol. What? What would we do?**
** We just met >_>**
We can just hang out, grab some coffee
or something. Marc just texted me he said
you looked kinda down so I thought I'd cheer
you up/get to know you better :)
Marcus? That's really weird. Maybe I shouldn't snub this guy... I didn't know they were good friends.
_ _
** Uhh sure. I'm not really that down tbh**
** but we can hang out for a little.**
Cool! I'm the third house on the block. See you soon ;3
Sigh. What did I get myself into now?
_ _
He took a right on Grassfield and walked for a solid 20 minutes. It had already been a long day and he was excessively tired and just wanted to shower and sleep. He made it to a small street on 23rd avenue and counted three houses down. It was a dimly lit house with some haphazard stairs to get to the front porch. He took a deep sigh and went up the stairs.
Knock knock knock.
The door swung open and Lex stood before him, a true titan. He hadn't been this close to the jaguar before. The feline was wearing a black tank top and some tight boxer briefs which showcased an impressive bulge. His tank top was pretty tight as well, making his pecs and abs look even bigger. The small Dalmatian gulped at this spectacle.
"Well hey there puppy! Sorry for looking so sleazy; all my clothes are in the laundry but I haven't run it yet. Come in though we can still hang!"
Topsy hesitantly stepped through the door and heard Lex, as though not knowing his own strength, slamming it behind.
"How was the walk? Sorry for texting you on such short notice." He guided the Dalmatian to the living room.
"It was okay... I'm kind of tired honestly. Where are we going for coffee?"
"Well we can't really go anywhere cuz all my clothes are dirty. But I can make coffee here and you can just relax and make yourself at home." The large feline seemed to glide to the kitchen. For someone so large, he was certainly really light-footed and barely made noise when he walked. Topsy inspected the house really quickly as he made his way to the couch in the living room. It was quite messy and there didn't seem to be much order: empty food and pizza cartons strewn about, coffee stains on the table, and dust on the shelves.
"So uhm..how long have you known Marcus?" The Dalmatian felt tiny in this place.
"Oh you know, probably like a year or two now, we work out together and shit." The jaguar replied loudly from the kitchen. A coffee brewer was coughing up noise and Topsy could distinctly hear a separate rattling noise coming from the same location. "How do you like your coffee?"
"Black."
"Aw shoot I already put some milk in it" The jaguar seemed preoccupied with something.
"What the fuck?" The Dalmatian chuckled. "Why would you ask me how I wanted my coffee if you already made it your way?"
"My bad puppy!" Lex shouted. He walked into the room a few seconds later holding two different coloured mugs. "Guess you'll just have to do with this!" He placed a red mug in front of the small Dalmatian.
"I'm not a puppy.."Topsy remarked under his breath before observing the coffee. It was pretty funky and a lighter brown color. He looked at Lex's coffee which was distinctly darker. "I like darker coffee. Can I have yours instead?"
"Nope."Lex replied flatly, picking up his mug and taking a sip.
Sigh.
_ _
He picked up his red mug and took a few sips. The coffee was too sweet. He knew he wouldn't be drinking it.
"So why are you taking CompSci anyway? I thought jocks weren't supposed to be super smart." He wanted to be cheeky and appear tough.
"Yeah well we're more than just eye candy you know." Lex set his mug down, his large biceps were shaded pretty well in the house's cheap, dim lighting.
Topsy sighed, knowing that there was no way he was going to intimidate or out-brazen the feline. He took another sip of his coffee and set it down; pushing it away in a motion that signified that he wasn't going to be finishing it.
"Aww, you don't like it?" The jaguar sat up kind with a kind of urgency, inspecting the cup and then looking up and down Topsy's small figure as though he were trying to figure out a math problem. "You haven't even gotten through half!"
"I think I'm good... honestly I'm pretty tired and just wanna shower and sleep." He felt the tiredness creeping back in, his shoulders slouching down a little.
"Aww that sucks," Lex replied, almost sarcastically. "Well if you want you can shower and crash here."
"I... I really shouldn't.."Topsy stuttered. The idea of a nice shower certainly appealed to him; he'd been walking around all day and the walk back home was daunting, but could be expedited with a warm shower. "I really have to get back home tonight, and I don't have a change of clothes."
The jaguar seemed more relaxed now.
"Don't worry about it; I can do your laundry right here. I was just about to pop mine in anyway."
It felt like Lex had already made the decision for him. The tall feline got up and pointed towards a corridor.
"It's the last door to the left, just make yourself at home."
And just like that, the feline disappeared into the kitchen again, without making a sound.
Topsy let out a deep sigh. For some reason he felt helpless, as though nothing had been working out for him. He took a few moments to contemplate his loneliness. There was no reason for him to be unhappy; he'd been doing okay at school, he got to be in constant contact with the person he loves, and he was surrounded by people who cared for him. Maybe he just enjoyed being bullied, or maybe it was that he didn't prioritize his needs and emotions properly relative to other people. He got up off the couch.
"Fuck it."
It wasn't obvious where the light switch for the corridor was but he didn't really need it to find the bathroom. He counted a couple of doors down and made a left, his paw fumbling along the side of the wall until it eventually did find a light switch, illuminating the dank tiles and dirty porcelain. The pale blaze ran him over, casting a small, canine shadow behind him. He felt so drained. He closed the door and clicked the little button on the knob to lock it before removing his clothes: jacket, shoes, shirt, pants, underwear, and socks, all in that order. He placed his wallet, phone, keys, and glasses on the side of the sink.
Just at that moment, he heard the jaguar calling him from down the hall.
"Hey I'm about to do laundry! Can you just throw your clothes out the door? I'll take care of them!"
He sighed again, picked all his clothes up, crumpled them into a ball, opened the door slightly, threw them out, and shut it again. He just wanted to get in the shower. The bathroom itself didn't actually have a shower--just a bathtub, a sink, and a toilet. At least there were towels hanging from a nearby rack by the tub.
He stepped into the wide, beige, tub and turned the faucet. The shower head immediately started spewing cold water, and an audible "fuck" emanated from his lips. He weaved to the side to dodge the stream and got on his tiptoes to pull down the elevated shower head. After waiting for a few seconds for the water to heat up, he placed the head back into its initial position and allowed the warm current to flow over his small body. Finally, he was where he wanted to be. He closed his eyes.
His mind immediately conjured an image of Marcus, another memory.
"Talk to me man, what's happening?" The Dalmatian looked up at the tiger who was standing stoically in front of him.
_ _
"I can't hang out with you right now, you need to go away." There was a pause.
_ _
"It's Chase isn't it? I know you care about him, but I need you as well. It's been two weeks and we haven't even talked once."
_ _
"He's in a bad place right now."
"So am I." Topsy protested. The tiger fixed him with a sceptical stare, but offered no reply. "Why does he always get priority over me?" The Dalmatian whined.
_ _
The tiger finally retorted, with tactless callousness
_ _
"Because he does."
_ _
The bathroom door slammed shut, snapping him back from his thoughts. He reflected for a moment before realizing that he had forgotten to lock it again after throwing the laundry out.
"L..Lex?"