FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

CHAPTER 5

Adam slumped over the couch and gave a long sigh as he placed an arm over his head. The library was killer today for the buck, and it seemed Margaret had it out for him. She had him stack a massive pile of books in alphabetical order before shelving them into their designated location. Although he usually enjoyed the time with his thoughts, his own mind has been at war with itself. Three days had passed since the incident with Jericho, and he still hadn't shaken the heart-wrenching face that the bull had made out of his mind. After Adam tore out of the apartment, he started a binge eating and movie marathon in earnest.

Two boxes of tissues and a jug of ice cream later, he was out like a light on the couch, to Jessica and Dan's surprise, surrounded by tissues and dvds, as well as movie cases like a shrine which had been built around him. His mind had been the center of an emotional battleground during, before, and after work. Lost in his thoughts as he reminisced once more about the Friday that ended in disaster, the buck grabbed a chocolate bar that laid idly on the table. Unwrapping it, Adam took a small bite of the dark chocolate bar and began to chew with a blank look across his face. Ears perking up when the front door into the apartment started to rattle, Adam looked back to see the knob moving and the sound of cursing and shuffling. Eventually, Dan appeared in the doorway with his keys in his mouth as he fumbled around in his pockets.

Walking through the door, dressed in simple gym shorts and a casual tee shirt, Dan clutched a protein shake in one hand and a granola bar in the other. Sitting down on the couch near the buck, Dan took a swig from the green bottle in his right hand. Sweat flowed down his body, and he reeked of draconic musk.

Sighing as he readjusted his posture, Adam sniffed and laid his head on the armrest of the couch casually. "So, just got back from working out?" Adam inquired as he stared at the TV.

"Yeah," Dan said simply as he began to unwrap the granola bar. "I did a bit too much today, I think. I think I pulled something." Grabbing his leg, Dan began to massage his quad, his blue scales shimmering with sweat as he winced whenever his hands crossed the muscle.

"That sucks," Adam grunted curtly as he began to be mesmerized by the ceiling fan that was spinning counter-clockwise. The dark wood of the blades looked worn, but they still circulated air just fine. Adam always hated the old and squeaky sound the stupid thing made, but right now, it was comforting for an odd reason he could not put his finger on.

Huffing at the answer, Dan commented, "It sounds like you still have your fist up your ass." Taking a bite out of the bar, a loud crunch was heard as the dragon chewed. "You need to get over whatever slump you're in before it eats away at you for good, dude."

"Easy for you to say," Adam whined softly as he continued to stare at the ceiling fan. "You've never been in my position."

"Asexual is the way to go. No one to hold yourself up to, no one to commit to, and ten times easier, since there aren't any obligations. Just look at yourself, Adam. Ever since you went to that fucking strip joint, you've been all mopey. I'm sure what you did wasn't all that bad," the dragon mentioned with a shrug as he took another long swig from his bottle. The smell was sweet, but strong, and Adam could smell eggs and banana. The egg scent reminded him of Jericho, and he shook the thoughts away quickly before he could get dragged down by guilt again.

"Except asexual is boring," Jessica said, appearing from within her room, yawning like she had just woken up. "Besides, if it's anything like my favorite anime, love is an amazing thing, and even the saddest of hearts can be warmed by its comforting embrace," the gazelle added dreamily before her gaze hardened on Dan. "So shut up with your asexual bullcrap. And besides, I don't think I need to remind you what I found in your room when I was cleaning all the old plates and glasses out of it," she smirked. "I don't believe Adam knows that, now that I think about it!"

"H-hey, that's none of your business anyway! That's just for personal..." Looking over to see Adam giving a small smirk, Dan blushed as he chomped down on his granola bar. "Nevermind," the dragon said as he looked to the side. "But that's not the point! The point is that Adam has just been lounging around! He hasn't been to the gym in ages! Just look at his body! He's getting all flabby!"

Reaching out and poking Adam's stomach, Dan felt his hand get slapped away by the buck with a soft growl right when it began to poke into the muscle beneath the small gut. "Go away, Dan. I'm fine! I just have a lot on my mind," Adam said as he scooted further towards the end of the couch, as if trying to get away from Dan's prying eyes.

"Hun, you're not fine," Jessica said soothingly as she sat down next to her best friend and put an arm around him. "I've never seen you so depressed, and that's coming from the girl who was there for you when your favorite goldfish died in sixth grade." She smiled softly. "I'm worried about you, Adam. I won't press you for details, but I want to talk about all of this with you when you're good and ready to share, okay?"

Giving a small smile, Adam nuzzled into Jessica's shoulder and said, "Thanks, Jess. But if you tell anyone about how much I cried when Swimmy died, I'll kill you." Hearing a gagging sound in the background, Adam looked over to see Dan putting his hands up to his throat and making a mock choking sound.

"This is too corny for me," he rasped as he got up to throw away his wrapper and place the bottle in the sink to wash later. Looking over at Adam, Dan said, "But, if you do need someone to talk to..." Giving a small pause, Adam waited for what Dan was about to say. Was his only male roommate about to show him affection? "Talk to Jess," the dragon finished as he walked back over to the couch and plopped back down onto it. He gave Adam a gentle punch on the shoulder with a smile when he noticed Jess and Adam's sour expressions.

"Only kidding," he said as he placed his feet on the table.

Jess rolled her eyes before gently rubbing Adam's shoulder. "Ignore mister grumpy dragon, hun." She massaged his left shoulder for a while in silence before speaking up again. "Hey, I bet your buddy from the gym misses you. Why don't you give him a call and go hang out or something? Gets you out of the apartment for a little, gets you some fresh air on the drive over, and if you play your cards right, perhaps even get some of that cute otter tail of his," she chuckled brightly, trying to cheer Adam up with her pervy jokes. "What was his name again? Thomas?"

"Toby," Adam chuckled as he started to sit up. "He's called me quite a bit, trying to get me to go back to the club, but..."

Adam gulped a bit as he remembered the night once again. He remembered the yelling, and he rubbed the back of his neck subconsciously. The bruise was gone, but it felt like the pain was still fresh as Adam recoiled from the exact spot Jericho's hand wrapped around his neck. But he did manage to crack a bit of smile. It was pretty fun, after all, before everything went south. "I mean...I don't know if I should risk it again." Adam's eyes fell to the floor as he began to get lost in his thoughts once again.

"Hun, what happened at that club?" the gazelle asked softly. "I'll assume you went home with someone, since you didn't come back until the next morning, so was it the guy you went home with that caused this?" she asked, far too sharp-minded and uncomfortably spot-on with her deduction.

"It wasn't his fault. I should have told him about...Just give me a moment to gather what I need to say," Adam said as he sat up and gave a long-winded sigh. Dan rolled his eyes, but he kept an open ear. He didn't care if he was being dramatic; to Adam, the dragon just didn't understand his situation.

Looking at Jess, Adam told her everything that happened. He told her about Lance, the dance, Jericho, and what happened at the club. He laughed at some parts and was choked up at others. It took quite a while, but Jess listened attentively, not saying anything, and just listening. Dan would sometimes make snide comments, but Jess kept him in line with her signature glare. Adam was thankful for being her best friend at that moment.

"And that's what happened, and now I'm here," Adam said with a solemn smile as he leaned back to feel the cushion of the couch against his back. It felt as if a weight was lifted at that moment, as if he got something off his chest that he kept bottled up for way too long. It felt nice just to tell someone of his predicament.

"So, basically, you have a crush on this Lance guy, a bison whom you barely even know, and that's conflicting with the feelings you have for the bouncer bull, Jericho, who, at least up until that last part, treated you well and appeared to have genuine feelings for you, and when it got hot and heavy, you blew it with Jericho pretty bad, huh?" Jess asked, trying to make sure she had all the facts straight. She cast a glare at Dan. "Make one comment about how I just said he blew it after things got hot and heavy, and I swear to god I'll neuter you with your own horns, dragon boy."

Dan shrugged and kept his mouth shut in his attempt not to laugh, and Adam rolled his eyes. "Yep, that's exactly what happened. I just...don't know what to do. I want to make it up to Jericho somehow, to keep his friendship, at least, but I think I spoiled it." Grabbing the chocolate bar that was three-fourths of the way eaten, Adam popped another small square into his mouth. "Toby has been leaving me messages and stuff. He's worried sick about me. I feel terrible about it, but I just needed to get away to think. In reality, though, I really don't know what to do."

Jess sighed softly, rubbing her face. "Yeah, that's a real tough spot you're in there. Well, answer me this: When you think about Lance, what's the first thing that comes to mind?"

Thinking for a moment, Adam remembered the way the bison danced for him, touching him in ways that were sensual and incredibly hot. He remembered the thong around his waist, his muscled body flexing and rolling as he moved to the beat. He remembered the taste of alcohol on his tongue and the transaction of the wrist band. Adam felt his eyebrows narrow a bit at the thought of the small leather band around his wrist, and he said, "Business". As the words left his lips, it felt like a dagger plunging into his chest, as if his very heart ached. "I'm just a customer."

The gazelle sighed once more. "You met him outside of the club too, though, right? What did you think of him then?"

Pondering once again, Adam remembered the bison grabbing his goggles, his cute expression as he sipped on the smoothie, and his silence that made him appear strong and vigilant. Adam felt a small smile cross his face, and he said, "A guardian. He seems like a warm person." Adam remembered how confident he was as he strutted about, his presence unmissable, given his size, yet he was so good-natured and adorable.

"There, see? He's not all bad. Now, when you think of Jericho, what's the first thing that comes to mind?" Jessica asked, prodding just a bit deeper.

Adam remembered laughing over the breakfast that turned into Adam collapsing into the bull's arms and nodding off as they cuddled. He remembered how excited Jericho was to make him breakfast and the twinkle in his eyes as he watched the deer enjoy what he made. A smirk crossed his lips when remembered them stripping naked, a blush when the obscene and vulgar yet sexy words crossed his mind. But then he remembered the terror he felt when Jericho wrapped his hand around his throat, throwing him out of the room and onto the floor, and the sadness at hearing the big guy sob behind the locked door.

"The first thing that comes to mind is 'complicated', but...we're complicated. I want to apologize to him. I need to talk to him and explain myself."

"Complicated is putting it mildly, hun, but I want to know what you FEEL about him. How did he make you feel right up until the end?" Jess asked, softly stroking Adam's toned leg. Dan was about to add input, but a quick leer from Jess shut him up once again.

"Treasured," Adam said as he remembered the affection in Jericho's eyes. Adam felt his voice quiver a bit at the thought. Even though the flings with different men were nice, none ever pampered him like Jericho did. "I felt wanted."

Jess looked lost in thought for a moment. "And do you want to feel treasured like that again, or would you rather just friendzone him, or ignore him altogether, while you go pursue a guy you barely even know, just because you have a crush on him from seeing him at the gym?" Her words were logical, yet oddly caring in her own way. She was trying to make Adam see why part of this predicament made almost no sense.

Nodding, Adam thought for a moment before saying, "Yeah, I want to feel that way again," the deer said with a warm smile as he felt a burst of energy shoot through him. Lance was starting to become a footnote in his mind, and he felt like he reached a revelation. He felt like he needed to run to the Lounge and see if Jericho was working. He wanted to tell Jericho everything; tell him how much the night meant to him.

"That's the stag I know and love!" the gazelle smiled as she pat Adam's leg softly. "Get out there and win his heart, Adam!"

Shooting up off of the couch, Adam ran to his room and began to search through all of his clothes to find something nice to wear. Dan sighed and looked at Jess with a concerned look across his face. "And what if this bull doesn't want Adam's affection anymore?"

The gazelle's full lips turned into a small frown. "Then it's our job to be there for him when he comes back here in tears. And I expect you to be a bit better help next time, you big oaf," Jess replied, rolling her eyes. "I swear, with empathy like yours, you're never going to get yourself a girlfriend or boyfriend."

"Good. I don't want one," Dan said with a grunt as he got up from the couch and made his way to the hallway. "And don't you dare tell anyone about my....thing in my room! No one needs to know about that," Dan growled with a small blush across his face.

"I'll take the knowledge of your secret horse dildo and the swimsuit issue of Busty Bovines Monthly to my grave," Jess mock saluted.

Grumbling as he walked away, Dan went to his room and began to clean up his mess, putting his toy and magazine in more inconspicuous places, where Jess's keen senses could hopefully not find them.

"I just like big things, okay?" Dan grumbled to himself as he pushed a drawer shut.

Night fell, and once more the night life in the city began, various bar hoppers and club goers flooding the street in pursuit of a fun way to blow off some steam at the end of a long day. As with any other night, the Foxhole Lounge already had a line forming outside the door at exactly 8pm, the doors to the club getting unlocked and the bouncers letting patrons inside while rejecting the few foolhardy youths who thought fake IDs were a good idea. As Adam pulled into one of the regular parking spots, he could already see the familiar fishnet and low cut shorts on some patrons. Putting his car in park and pulling his keys out of the ignition, Adam placed his keys in his pocket. Adjusting the mirror, Adam checked out the work Jess did this time with his appearance. Jess had picked out a more low-cut, button-up shirt that had a bit of a popped collar in the front, and the buttons on the top were unbuttoned to show off his the upper part of his chest a bit. It was crimson red, like the other one, and she dressed him in more casual jeans that hugged his legs. The gazelle had even gone so far as to make sure hair was spiked and in faux hawk-like fashion. Adam thought he looked ridiculous, but Jess guaranteed the look was a more risque version of his "churchy" look from before.

"Whelp, here goes nothing," Adam said as he checked his pocket to make sure his note was in his pocket. Adam remembered how long he spent toiling over every word, making sure everything sounded fine. The most important part was he hoped that Jericho would be able to meet him afterwards, near the bar, at four, where he would tell him everything. Grabbing the door handle and pulling it towards him, Adam got out of the car, closed the door, locked his car, and made his way to the front entrance.

Adam could hear the pounding bass of the club already echoing in his ears. Butterflies started to flutter around in his stomach as he got in line and it moved ever closer to the door, the music steadily increasing in volume. As Adam got closer, he could see horns over the top of peoples' heads. His heart leapt in his chest as the horns turned into a nearly a full body. He looked the same; his massive frame still just as massive as his eyes scanned the crowd. He seemed controlled, and his deep voice as he let patrons in rumbled through Adam's ears. The same security shirt that was around Adam's frame five days ago was once more covering the bull's bulky chest.

Adam took out his ID and wrapped the note around it with shaking hands.

"I need to see some ID, si-" Jericho began to say as he addressed Adam, who was next in line. "Oh," he said flatly, his face taking on a deadpan expression. Up close, the deer could see that there was a darkness around the bull's crystal blue eyes, like he hadn't slept very well in days. "ID, sir."

Adam handed over his ID, the note's wording facing up as he handed over the card. The black ink clashed with the light brown paper, and the buck had taken his time with the cursive. He made sure to watch Jericho's eyes for anything, but they were blank and void of any warmth. Each second he spent in the bull's presence reminded him of his mistakes, and he had to fight the urge to just run away and never come back.

The white bull looked over Adam's ID and handed it back, the note still wrapped around it. "Enjoy your evening, sir," he said in a deep, monotone voice that was very unlike him as he turned his head and addressed the next patron in line.

"Well, fuck," Adam mumbled in a melancholy voice as he walked through the doors and into the club, not wanting to start a scene. As he walked through the door, he said, "Thank you," and continued onward inside. The inside atmosphere was bumping for a Wednesday, and Adam saw many people running about and doing their thing. Pocketing his ID and his note, Adam noticed Toby was bartending and serving drinks to a bunch of thirsty patrons, the neon glow reflecting off of his black dress shirt as he was in the middle of doing some extravagant flourishes with the bottles. Adam walked over to one of the stools and sat down.

"Hey, what can I get for ya, cutie--Adam!" Toby started to say before his eyes lit up, and he practically hopped across the bar to give the deer a hug."I was so worried about you, bud! When you didn't respond to my texts for days, I was really starting to think you might have been trying to cut me out of your life, or something! Where have you been, buddy?" the excitable otter asked.

"Errr, uhhh, it's been a long week. Sorry about not responding, man," Adam said with true sadness in his voice. "It's just...it's..." Adam paused as he thought of the brush off he received from Jericho. He wanted to spill everything to Toby. He wanted to tell him how he felt about his fellow coworker, but he couldn't muster it. Toby wasn't some shoulder he should cry on. Plus, the otter had a job to do.

"I'm fine," Adam managed to say through a forced smile. "Just give me some water. So, how have you been, bud?"

The otter sighed heavily. "It's been nuts here!" he replied, sliding Adam a glass of water.

"First, Jericho calls off work for two days, so then we have a shortage of bouncers. Had a fight break out at the door when some punk thought he could overpower the rhino bouncer at the door, so that made tensions a little high that night. And, for some reason, something's been a little off with Prancer and Behemoth for a few days, too, so there was a slight decline in patrons, which meant less tips here at the bar, and that makes for a rather sad otter!"

"I have a few hunches why," Adam thought to himself as he took a long gulp of the water like it was booze. "Well, that sucks. I just thought I would stop by and see if I could give a..." Adam paused for a moment. "To give an acquaintance something, so I thought I would just swing by and say hello," Adam said with a warm smile. For some reason, Toby's energy was always contagious. The sound of techno filled Adam's ears, the high hat rattling his ear drums as the wolf DJ pulled out a case of vinyls. Adam was surprised, since mixing vinyl was such an old practice, but the antique feel was nice. The dance floor was packed, as always, with the patrons grinding and rubbing against one another as well as just having a good time. The pink neon lights fluttered and flashed on the floor as the patrons danced.

"Oh, before I forget," Toby said, interrupting Adam's observations. "I walked in to a note on the bar on Monday, along with some money, and it said that, if I saw you anytime soon, to give you this." The otter handed Adam one of the rainbow-colored wristbands, the band that signified you as fair game for any of the four male dancers who performed nightly. "No idea who it was from, but my money's on that group of guys you danced with the other night. Pretty sure I saw at least a few of them come in."

Adam hesitated when he saw the rainbow colors across the band and remembered how much trouble that those bands had gotten him into last time. After all, what happened could have totally been avoided. "Err, I don't know....I don't think I am feeling up for it tonight..." Adam said as he looked over the rainbow colors.

Toby shrugged. "I can't force you to put it on, but hey, if your week has been as stressful as you say is has been, I'd say you deserve a chance at a nice, relaxing lap dance, or something," he laughed. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Thinking it over for a moment, Adam said, "Ahh, what the hell. There's no way I can get picked again, especially if I sit back here." Giving a nervous chuckle, Adam clicked the wristband on and felt it fling around his wrist comfortably.

"So, when do introductions happen?" Adam asked Toby as the otter slid a drink down to a patron on the end.

"Should be any minute now," the mustelid shrugged, adjusting the bowtie around his neck. "You gonna stay back here the whole time? Seems like a bit of a waste of a wristband, if you're not even gonna get close to the stage."

Thinking for a moment, Adam looked out to the dance floor to watch the different patrons grinding and dancing on one another before eyeing up the sparkling silver stripper pole. Stepping up off the seat, Adam leaned his back against the stool with his tail facing the otter and looked over his shoulder. "I think I will just enjoy the view from here."

"Suit yourself, bud," Toby chuckled as he made some kind of neon green drink. "At least you chose a spot with a cute bartender behind you, ready to serve you whenever!" The otter winked at Adam as he made his signature drink for the deer, sliding it to him.

Adam chuckled as he grasped the drink. The cold glass felt familiar against his palm, and he smiled at Toby, "I only wanted water, you sly devil!" Adam held the glass up to his nose to smell the sweet scent of fruit and the sting of alcohol. A pink neon light shined on the glass and reflected his eyes onto the clean glass as he rotated the liquid around.

"True, but someone paid for you to have that wristband, so you need to relax and enjoy yourself! Can't have you and your church clothes being all stuffy again," the otter grinned, winking at him once more.

Adam sighed, but he felt his lips curl into a smile as he knocked the glass back and cringed as he felt the burn move down his throat. Putting the glass back onto the counter, Adam felt himself shiver slightly as the alcohol gave him a warm feeling in his stomach. "Hey, at least I did my hair this time. I don't look like I rolled out of bed," Adam joked as he looked out over to the stage. The same pink that reflected off the glass shined over the stage nonchalantly. Adam turned around and faced Toby, watching the otter serve drinks and watch his adorable tail.

"True! You are looking really nice tonight, Adam! Shame you've only got eyes for two of the guys here, and I'm not one of them! But hey, maybe the seventeenth time asking you out will be the charm!" the otter laughed as he grabbed a mug and filled it with beer for a bear who walked up to the bar.

Adam's face flushed as he realized how much Toby has asked him out, and he was about to say something before he went silent. He felt a bit of guilt at the fact he did turn down Toby's advances so much. He felt a strange feeling of awkwardness wash over him as he leaned against the bar, his tail flicking upwards, but he shook away the feeling. Adam tuned into the conversation two patrons were having about the alcohol and the cute bartender. He smiled to himself.

"What?" Toby asked, looking confused as he saw the look on Adam's face go from guilty to happy. "You're looking like someone just shot your dog and then gave you a million dollars, or something. Did I say something weird?"

Shaking his head as he felt the somber feeling start to return, Adam replied, "No, no! I am just thinking is all." Giving a small smile, Adam thought of something to try to rectify the situation, but he still kept basking in his silence with the stupid smile across his face. "It's just been crazy, Toby, and it's nice to sit here with you and enjoy the club," Adam said in an honest tone. He was grateful for Toby's friendship, but a romantic relationship with Toby would just be strange to him.

"Hey, it's basically my job to make people feel comfortable and enjoy themselves!" the otter replied with a warm smile and a gentle touch on Adam's hand before turning to get back to what he was supposed to be doing.

"LADIES AND GENTLE--Oh, who am I kidding, it's only males out there!" the wolf DJ laughed over the microphone. "How are you all doing tonight?" he asked enthusiastically, to the cheers of many patrons. "Alright, you perverts, who's ready for a different kind of dancing tonight?"

Adam raised an eyebrow and looked over at Toby with that foolish grin across his face. The crowd roared to life, some clients knowingly making their way over to the stage, whooping and hollering giddily. Others stood around the DJ booth, listening intently to the wolf's words. Adam leaned up against the stool, his heart pounding his chest out of nervousness and subtle excitement.

"C'mon, go up to the stage!" Toby prodded Adam. "Go enjoy yourself!"

"Let's give it up for our first dancer of the evening! He knows when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, but he knows damn well you've been bad and not good, you horny devils, so give it up for Prancer!" the DJ cheered loudly, the familiar, oddly festive, holiday-themed electronic dance music kicking to life as the lights dimmed and were replaced with a warm red light as fake snow began falling on the stage.

Adam felt Toby give his back a gentle push, and the buck chuckled as he moved a bit more forward, curiosity taking over him and the alcohol helping him along a bit as he made his way towards back of the crowd. Standing on his toes, Adam saw the muscular caribou flexing as he sauntered onto the stage with a confident swagger. His biceps bulged, and his beautiful chest was on display.

Prancer smirked and bounced his pecs for the crowd, which got quite a few cheers, before he turned and bent over, spreading his legs so that his sculpted ass was on full display, the red, jingle-bell adorned jockstrap doing nothing to hide his fuzzy little tail or the hole that lay under it. A few people in the front row got nosebleeds as they got a perfect view of the ass that many of them would love nothing more to get a piece of, and judging by the number of them who had their hands in the air, adorned with red or rainbow wristbands, many of them really wanted that to happen.

Adam covered his eyes as the red light blinded him for a moment before circling around the crowd. He felt his mood falter a bit as his mind flashed back to when he scolded Prancer harshly before as he watched the all-too-familiar dancer walk across the stage; showing his stuff to the crowd and watching those wristbands lift with a glimmer of deviousness in his eyes as they searched around the crowd. Adam shook off the guilt and continued to watch the caribou dance and move, hoping that the next stripper would be up soon. "Luckily, I am in the back this time; no more risky shit," Adam told himself as he awkwardly watched the caribou with a hint of desire.

Once it hit the point of the show when he would always invite someone up onto the stage, the house lights brightened up so he could see out into the crowd. He scanned the throngs in front of him, clearly seeing a few he was interested in, but when his piercing yellow eyes locked onto Adam's own browns, the huge caribou grinned, gesturing towards the deer with an outstretched arm, his pointer finger beckoning Adam up to the stage.

Adam watched the crowd part almost like the Red Sea, and he felt several hands slap him on the back and on the bum, as if encouraging him. He felt some push him ever-so-slightly forward, and then another and another, while he was continuing to shake his head ever so slightly. He felt like this was too much to be true; a dream as he soon stood near the steps that led up towards the caribou above him, the grin still plastered across his face.

"Well, fuck," Adam said casually as he looked up towards Prancer's sweaty, massive body.

"Perhaps later, cutie, but for now, you're mine," the huge male grinned, offering Adam a hand to help him up onto the stage.

Adam's mind swam and screamed for him not to take the hand, to just run away in the opposite direction and never look back, but as he turned behind him, he noticed the crowd looking back at him, and his nerves got the better of him. As he reached out to steady himself, he felt the swift grasp of a hand around his before he was yanked gently up onto the stage. Adam was shaking slightly, his mind racing through many possibilities on how this night would end.

"C-utie? What is goi-what is going on?" Adam managed to stutter as the hand rubbed his. Adam wanted to pinch himself, to wake up and return to being hunched over a bucket of vanilla bliss, but the only thing he could do was walk along with Prancer across the stage to the roaring crowd's delight.

"You're wearing my wristband, and you're cute, so of course I picked you to join me up here," Prancer smiled warmly as he led the deer to a chair that he grabbed and sat in the center of the stage. "Now, just sit down, relax, and let Santa's sexiest employee show you what it feels like to have the attention of a real man, hm?"

Adam mumbled a few words that resembled something extraordinarily vulgar as the caribou pushed him dominantly onto the chair. He felt the legs of the seat move back slightly before coming back down onto the stage with a dull thunk. Prancer smiled deviously as he moved over to Adam, caressing his face with his hand. Adam trembled at the touch, a rattling sigh coming out from his lips. He felt his member jump slightly, his desire hidden under a curtain of confusion and fear, but it was there. The cervine felt completely vulnerable as he sat in the chair, wondering what Prancer had planned with his sensual attitude. He tensed as Prancer's hand brushed against his leg, not expecting the sudden touch.

"Why so jumpy, buddy?" the caribou asked, turning his back to Adam before leaning back and sensually grinding his exposed rump against the deer's lap. "Just relax!"

Adam was having a difficult time with his morality complex, but as he felt a hand fall onto his right shoulder and rub it gently, Adam felt his body instinctively relax at the touch. Feeling a hand against his own, Adam watched as the hand moved his own for him, across the broad muscle of the caribou's chest, his pert nipples, and down over his sculpted abs. Feeling a red blush across his face, Adam turned a bit away to look at the floor as he felt the body in front of him while it grinded against his now growing arousal. Although the situation did feel unsettling, he was enjoying the contact.

"Mmm, yeah, that's good," Prancer practically purred as he released Adam's hands, the deer continuing to rub and explore his muscular body without further prompting. The caribou turned around and resumed his dance, practically burying Adam's face between his pecs as he sat on the deer's lap and continued grinding, his thick, masculine musk with a hint of peppermint wafting up Adam's nose as he was bathed in the other male's scent.

Adam sniffed in the scent with abandon, his will starting to shatter, and he gave a small moan as he took in the scent. He felt his cheeks turn red in embarrassment, but he continued to bathe himself in the powerful musk. The caribou's hefty pouch prodded his chest, and the bare bottom rubbed against his now very tented pants. A hand moved to the back of his head, holding him in place as the deer payed homage to the stud that was grinding and dancing on him.

After around five minutes of constant stimulation through Prancer dancing all over his body, Adam soon found the caribou reaching under his chair and producing a small package about the size of a ring box and handing it to him. Upon accepting the package and taking off the small lid, Adam looked in to see a small key, and attached to it was a little slip of paper that said "Key to my North Pole" written on it in flowing script. Prancer smirked as he watched the deer come to the realization that he was being asked to go upstairs with the caribou.

Adam, not really wanting to spoil the moment with gibberish, took the key with a smirk across his face, but still with a hint of caution. He asked Prancer through panting breaths, his hair a mess and his arousal peaked, "What's this about?"

The caribou cocked his head and looked genuinely confused. "You mean you got a wristband and have no idea what it's for?" Prancer asked. "Are you a first-timer here or something, buddy?"

"There's no way he doesn't recognize me," Adam thought as he stood up from the chair and felt a hand take his own to lead him towards the edge of the stage ever so slowly, but still with that quizzical expression across his face. Shaking the thoughts from his head, Adam gave a bit of a short sigh. Maybe it was just his luck; maybe Prancer understood his conundrum and would help him get to Jericho. Hell, he could give Prancer the note! "Listen, just take me back to your room, and we can talk there. I have some explaining to do." He said the words quietly, but he hoped that Prancer could hear him.

"What are you even talking about, buddy? You act like I've met you before or somethin'," Prancer replied, leading him off the stage and to the foot of the staircase to the upper floor.

Following, Adam felt taken aback by the answer, his face still flushed as he worked with his hair to make it appear a bit more presentable. Adam was about to say something, but fell silent. Was rampant amnesia an epidemic? A couple that walked by the stairs wolf-whistled at Prancer and winked at Adam slyly while Prancer just blew them kisses in their direction. Adam tried to hide himself, but Prancer seemed to enjoy the attention. Before Adam could slink away, they were already at the entrance to Prancer's room.

The door was labeled "The North Pole", unsurprisingly, and Adam slid the small key into the lock on the door, which clicked softly as the door opened. Inside was a literal winter wonderland, complete with fake snow falling from the ceiling via some vents, a fake snowman, an igloo, some sleds, and of course, a huge christmas tree decorated in an almost picturesque fashion. Much like Lance's room, the very center of the room held a small, raised platform with a pole running from platform to ceiling.

Adam felt a bit of nostalgia at seeing the raised platform, his mind thinking back to when Lance danced for him, and then he felt that same anxiety as Prancer closed the door behind him. Some bells jingled cheerily as the door was shut. Taking a deep breath, Adam could smell and taste peppermint on his tongue. The feeling was chilly and relaxing and reminded him a night at home during the holidays.

That feeling would have normally been joyous and relaxing, but that entire illusion was shattered the second Prancer turned Adam around, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and slammed him against the wall, growling deeply. "What the fuck are you playing at, buck?" His yellow eyes glinted with a barely restrained rage as he looked down at Adam, his forearm pinning the deer's throat to the wall. "After what you did, I'm surprised you even had the balls to walk back in here!"

The arm that Adam was just worshipping a moment ago now had him up against the wall, and the deer could feel the cool paint up against his back. Adam struggled, gripping that arm with both hands, but his struggles meant nothing when he felt the caribou's kneecap pushed against his legs to pin him fully against the wall and the arm remain in place, unfazed. "I-I wanted to apologize! I have a note. I just nee--I tried to give it to him, but he...let go of me, you crazy bastard! Please!" Adam was so shocked by the turn of events that he tried to yell for help, but the words didn't come. Everything that was happening was too much too fast, and he continued to try to wiggle out of the hold in his panic, awkwardly trying to push his hips against the caribou's body to push him off.

"Stop fucking struggling, punk!" Prancer roared, getting dangerously close to Adam's face. "You broke Jericho's heart and threw away one of the nicest guys alive in the cruelest way possible! And for what? So you could come back here and watch guys dance on stage, so you can get your rocks off later tonight when you touch yourself to the memories of us dancing? Fuck you, dude! You have no idea how much you hurt him, and yet you had the gall to walk right past him to get in here! I can't even believe you!"

Prancer released his hold on Adam and threw him to the floor, the caribou putting himself between the deer and the door. "He locked himself in his room for nearly two full days because of you, you know that? Didn't eat, didn't sleep, and the only reason I know that is because all I saw or heard of him for those two days was him crying while listening to sad music. That he's even here tonight is a fucking miracle! I don't know what the fuck your deal is, but I want you to get the fuck out of this club and never come back, you got it?" he yelled.

A knock was heard on the door, followed by the door opening. A head peeked in, the red scales glimmering as a massive dragon looked in to see a deer crouched on the floor, absolutely stunned, and Prancer standing with his hands clenched in fists. Squeezing past the narrow opening and forcing the caribou to step out of the way of his massive body, Behemoth strolled in through the door with his arms crossed and a frustrated expression across his face. Giving one look at Prancer, Behemoth said, "What the hell is going on? I can hear you yelling all the way down at my room!" His voice boomed across the walls, and the golden loops around his hips that held his underwear in place rattled as he walked. His loincloth was skimpy and only barely covered his massive frame. Adam felt his hope of getting out of the situation fade when he realized both of Jericho's roommates were now involved.

"This is the fucker Jericho brought home the other night, Garl, and he's the reason that the poor guy was so destroyed for the last few days," Prancer informed the red dragon, accidentally using his real name, rather than his stage name 'Behemoth', because of how angry he was. "I was just telling him that he's not welcome here anymore."

Garl snorted, and a stream of hot air puffed out of his nose. He roughly closed the door and stomped over to the buck who started to push himself away. Before he could get away, he felt a hand grasp around his ankle roughly and pulled him roughly towards the dragon, and he was once again pinned by his neck, but this time the grip was stronger. Adam felt himself beginning to gasp for air before the grip loosened, Adam going nearly slack as his back was pinned against the floor. Adam's will was broken; he didn't want this to get any further out of control, and he sobbed in the dragon's tight grip.

"So, this is him. Quite puny and breakable, a little twinky bitch. You were right, Dash," Garl growled as he looked over Adam in his grip. He didn't even realize he used 'Prancer's' real name, or possibly just a shortened version of it, his anger also getting the better of him. "You made the mistake of coming here, and I believe you haven't quite learned your lesson. I should beat the crap out of you...leave you hurt and broken, like you left Jericho. That bull didn't do anything to you to deserve that, and that is what you deserve. A pity, really. He seemed to have really fallen for you, based on how he talked."

Adam was debating whether or not being dead would be a better option than getting the crap kicked out of him, and he chuckled darkly in his mind at the morbid thought of dying in a strip club. When he thought about it, all of this was ridiculous; the fighting, the crying, everything. Right now, he just wanted to go home. Maybe the strippers were giving him a blessing rather than a curse? Looking down, Adam could see the note in his pocket hanging on the edge, ready to fall out onto the floor.

Dash bent down and grabbed the exposed note, swiping it from Adam and unfolding it. "Who the hell writes an apology letter? A real man should at least talk to the person!" the caribou spat, beginning to read over the letter which read:

"Jericho, I know you are angry, and I was foolish. I really fucked up, like really fucked up. I didn't know what I had, what I wanted, or how I felt. I thought you would be just a one-night stand, and I am going to be completely honest and say that you are sweet, kind, and cook really well, and I don't feel the same for Lance as I do for you. I like you as a person, and not an object. I'm sorry that I hurt you and that I didn't understand the way you felt about me, but I want to try to mend it and try again. I know we just met one another, but I am willing to become more if you give me another chance. If you don't, then I understand, but I reserved a table at Day and Knight. Maybe, we can talk this over some pancakes, and this time I will pay for it. Sincerely, Adam Wueller."

Dash handed the note to Garl to read over while he contemplated how to respond to what he read. As the note was handed, Garl released his grip around Adam's neck and opened up the small letter with his massive hands, awfully confused. Adam fell back onto the ground, spluttering and holding his neck.

"Okay, spill it," the caribou sighed, the bells on his jockstrap jingling as he shifted his weight. "What the hell happened between you two? He looked all happy and lovestruck when he brought you back to our place, and the next morning, you're practically running out of our apartment, and he's locked himself in his room. And are you referring to our Lance or a different Lance? Because that's a whole new level of fucked up, if you are, dude."

Getting up from the ground, but getting a deep growl from Garl before he began reading the letter once again, Adam stepped away from the large dragon and brushed himself off. Adam cleared his throat and adjusted his hair before saying, "I'll tell you, if you promise you're not going to beat the shit out of me."

Glancing over to Adam with a glare that could cut steel, Behemoth replied, "We'll see."

Adam looked over to Dash for his reply. "You have my word that no harm will come to you. At least until you're finished with your story. After that...we'll see," the caribou replied with a similar glare, crossing his arms over his chest.

Adam sighed, once again starting from the beginning at the gym. He told them about meeting Lance at the gym, the looks that he would give him, and the whole situation of stabbing him with his antlers, to Lance dancing for him at the strip club. For some of the stories, he giggled, and for some, he became melancholy. Then he began to discuss Jericho, letting the words flow and being open and honest about everything. He left in the details; giving everything from the dinner to the sex, but making sure not to include too much detail.

"And now I'm here with you two..." Adam gestured to each as he sat back down on the floor, starting to rub his neck. "So, that's all I have for you."

Dash looked between Adam and Garl for a moment in contemplation. "That's some serious romance novel shit right there. You seriously started having sex with him, only to accidentally moan out Lance's name?" the caribou snorted with laughter. "And here I thought stupid shit like that only happened in terrible chick flicks!"

Adam's eyebrow twitched with annoyance. "Oh haha, I never said I was smart, but..." Trailing off, Adam thought for a moment and then repeated, "I never said I was smart."

Garl looked between Adam and Dash and threw the letter over to Adam's legs before saying, "I probably missed my dance for this sappy crap." Garl rolled his eyes as he adjusted the band on his loincloth and said, "You really screwed up, but not as bad as one guy Jericho had the hots for a while back. Dash and I threw him in a dumpster, and I took his wallet and keys...for good." Garl smiled cockily at that. "Brown leather, and his driver's license picture is still hilarious. Guy was looking through the dumpster for days, trying to find them. But, that doesn't mean you're off the hook. Verdict, Dasher?" the dragon asked, looking over at the caribou who was scratching his chin, as if in deep thought, while Garl gave him a nonchalant look.

The caribou sighed heavily in frustration. "I still want to toss you into the dumpster, but I'll stay my hand for now. Go try to fix things with Jericho, and if you succeed, I'll formally apologize to you for everything that's happened tonight, but if you hurt him again..." Dasher's voice lowered and sounded dangerous, "If I even see you on the same block as the Foxhole, you're getting thrown in the nearest dumpster after a swift beating. Got it?"

"Same goes for me, you stupid little buck," Garl said dangerously while extending his massive claws out. "I've heard venison tenderizes well."

Adam nodded furiously.

"Oh, and, Adam, was it?" Dasher asked. "If you intend on pursuing your little crush on Lance...do try to leave Jericho alone for good. He's too sweet of a guy to say it, but it would crush him to see you flirting with another guy, and I can only take so much Adele, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, and Katy Perry before I want to punch a hole through his door and throw his stereo out the window."

Adjusting himself again as he stood there, Garl said, "And I am tired of stepping on used kleenexes all over the place. You break his heart, and the same goes for me, little buck. Except Dasher may have to hold me back to keep me from breaking your spine."

"I like Beyonce, personally, but I get what you're saying," Adam mumbled weakly before getting up off the ground with shaky legs and pocketing the letter. "I can try to catch him at the end of the shift and talk to him."

"Good. And Adam? Good luck," Dasher smiled, almost eerily non-threateningly. "Oh, and, in case it wasn't obvious, no, you're not getting a private show up here, so just see yourself out, would you?"

Snorting, Adam felt Garl's breath ruffle his hair as he started to make his way to the door, "I don't know if I like you, but I do have to admit that you have balls...or you're just an idiot."

Adam blinked and replied, "Thanks?"

Nodding, Garl said, "Yep, now, this is where I leave you two. Good luck as well, little buck. Now...let's get out there and help ourselves to some clients!" Giving one of Dasher's rump cheeks a slap in his jock, Garl laughed as he watched the furry flesh jiggle slightly.

"Have fun, big guy," the caribou rolled his eyes. "I only have one more for the evening, after blowing my first dance on this trap for dear Adam here. And stop slapping my ass! You know I hate it that my ass is a little big..."

"Mmm, it's just right for me. It just has so much...umf behind it," Garl laughed as he started to openly grope the big caribou. Adam watched with a mix between confusion and whimsy. At least the two were not bringers of death and destruction all the time.

Dasher groaned. "You're lucky I love you, Garl, but we swore to Mr. Tux that we'd keep our relationship a secret from the general patrons! I couldn't give less of a shit if Adam knows, since, ideally, he'll either end up dating Jericho and find out anyway, or he'll be in a dumpster with a couple broken bones, and let's be honest, no one is going to believe him anyway."

"It makes it all the more sweeter," Garl replied with a smirk. "Isn't that right, doe?"

"You guys are assholes," Adam said with a small chuckle as he walked towards the door and brushed past them. "Now, I have a date tonight, so if you'll excuse me..."

The caribou grinned, slapping Adam's rump as he passed. "Oooo, look at him getting all confident and cocky! You go get 'em, tiger," he laughed, wrapping an arm around the large dragon next to him. "Meanwhile...I'm kinda craving some dragon," Dasher grinned, trailing a finger slowly up the red dragon's bulging chest.

Giving a small growl, this one less aggressive and more of a deep rumble, Garl replied, "I am in the mood for a leaner meat tonight..."

"Oh my god, get a room," Adam yelled back at them as he walked down the hallway and made his way down the stairs.

"You're just jealous that I get a private dance tonight, and you get nothing!" Garl yelled back before rubbing one of Prancer's nipples and grinning from ear to ear to show his pointed fangs.

"What do you say we add some more white to my North Pole before you go on?" Dasher purred as Adam walked further away, though still in earshot for that last bit.

Feeling his cheeks turn red at the thought of the two strippers doing naughtier things than usual in a public place sent a shiver down Adam's spine. He heard the words spoken from Dasher's lips, but as he made his way down the stairs, the loud music drowned out their sensual conversation. Adam was somewhat melancholy that he had to leave the two and didn't get to watch. After all, he did get chosen by Dasher to see the stripper perform.

Shaking the thought away as he felt his foot leave the last step and onto the dance floor below, Adam noticed the DJ was beginning to spin house records that had a soulful piano and bass mixed together to make Adam's tail sway subconsciously to the beat as he walked across the dance floor. Taking a peek out towards the lobby's hallway to see if Jericho was there, Adam noticed the crowd was getting a bit dense as people made their way inside. The bar Toby worked was packed with people, each laughing or smiling and clinking their drinks together merrily with Toby working the clients like putty. Adam started to realize more and more that the Foxhole was less of a hole in the wall establishment and worked more like a well-oiled machine, if a machine could be a lust-fueled party machine, as people made themselves comfortable in the energetic environment.

Noticing the bull's massive horns over the swarm coming in, Adam decided maybe it would be best to wait a bit and catch Jericho on break before doing anything. Walking over to Toby, Adam asked, "When do the bouncers usually go on break?"

The otter was practically running around trying to serve everyone at the bar, but he paused for a few seconds to answer the question. "They generally rotate every four hours. So, at the end of that time, the guys at the door will go on break for thirty minutes, switching with the guys who were inside and are then coming off of their break, before starting bouncer duty inside to keep rowdy dancers and such in line. Why?"

Adam gave a small smile and said somewhat excitedly, "I need to talk to Jericho about something. I have some making up to do with him." Adam watched Toby make a flourish with one of the bottles before sliding a filled drink to a patron who gave him a thumbs up and a couple of dollars into a tip jar.

"You sure this is the best time to do it, cornering him at work?" Toby asked, looking a little concerned, even as he juggled three wine bottles and tipped each into three glasses for three feminine-looking foxes at the bar.

Adam fought back an argument and thought about the otter's words. It would be somewhat rude to discuss the affairs he had and give him more trouble. "Does he get off at around 4am again?"

"That's when everyone gets off, basically, so yeah," Toby chuckled. "What, hoping to get another date with him? Guess you two really hit it off, huh?"

"Err, well, maybe not hit it off, but kind of..." Adam began to fumble over his words as he tried to think of something to say. The awkwardness made him lose whatever bravado he had, and he started to twiddle his thumbs a bit. "I just really need to talk to him," Adam concluded, trying to not arouse too much suspicion.

Toby paused midway through making a drink to look at the buck, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. "So, what happened? You strike out?"

Adam began to stutter a bit, trying to think about what to say before he sighed and said, "Well, I already told you about Lance, so let me tell you about Jericho..."

Adam began to once again tell the story of the night out with Jericho; from the dinner to the intimate moment between them, and Adam told Toby about how the night turned from a high note to a low note nearly instantly. He was pretty hard on himself, too, stressing how it wasn't Jericho's fault, and that he was the one to blame for this. He left out the part with Dasher and Garl, but he showed Toby the note he wanted to give Jericho. The calligraphy was a bit smudged from everything it been through, but the message was still decipherable. Although Toby was busy bartending, he listened intently on Adam's words, concentrating on the the details. The patrons around him also sometimes listened in before shaking their head or getting a glare from Adam before continuing with their drinking or socializing.

"And, that's what happened, and that's why I really need to see him...to try and make this right," Adam said somberly as he put his right cheek in his hand and traced his left index finger around an empty shot glass. The thumping music in the background seemed to fade as he concentrated on the emotions he was feeling.

Toby sighed as he approached the deer, all the customers sated for the time being. "Sounds like you really fucked up big time, buddy. Honestly didn't know Jericho was quite that sensitive," the otter frowned. "Sounds like that's gonna be one hell of a job to salvage that mess, hate to say."

"Yeah, but I want to try," the buck said with a determined expression as he pocketed the letter. "I haven't been loyal very often, and I didn't realize how much I was playing with peoples' feelings, until I left Jericho in a horrible mess. I feel like I need to redeem myself."

The otter frowned, looking like he wanted to say something there but thinking better of it. "So, you're hoping that note is enough to make him want to give you a second chance?"

"I hope it is," Adam said somberly, but still giving a chipper smile. "I don't know if it is, but it doesn't hurt to try, I guess."

Toby looked at the deer with an almost sad expression before he forced himself to smile optimistically. "Well, I wish you the best, Adam. You're a great guy, and you deserve to be happy!"

Noticing the expression flash, Adam wondered for a moment, and asked, "I always complain to you about my problems. Do you have anything you want to tell me?" Adam brought the reply up as casually as he could. He never caught Toby actually sad before, so that flash of melancholy was new.

Sighing softly and smiling, Toby replied, "My life is pretty much the same as it always is, really. Went home with that kangaroo guy from the other night, had a nice time, then woke up alone, as per usual. Grateful for the sex, of course, as it was pretty damn good. Wouldn't mind a repeat performance," he chuckled, pouring a glass of beer and sliding it down the bar to one of his regular customers who had just sat down.

"You mean that one kangaroo? Dimitri? Errr, Desmond? Or was it Darrel?" Adam pondered for a moment before drumming his fingers on the bar's table. "Jericho did warn me about him. He was cute, but...he did have THAT aura about him."

Toby shrugged. "I saw it coming a mile away, but part of me keeps holding onto that slim hope that, come morning, I might not wake up alone, for once. Tomorrow's another day, though, right?" he smiled, perhaps gripping the glass he was washing with a rag a little harder than one normally would.

Adam tried to smile, but it came out weak, and he said, "Well, you'll have my company for a bit, then, since I'll be up till 4am again, so if you need someone to talk to, I'm right here," the buck chuckled. "I'm parched anyway. Got something to drink that won't kill my wallet?"

The otter laughed. "There's plenty that wouldn't break the bank, but it depends if you're into cheap beer or not. Well, there's always shots, or just small mixed drinks."

"A mixed drink would be nice, Tobes," Adam winked as he placed his head in his arms and watched as a wolf began to make a move on a moose. The two seemed to have their arms wrapped around each other and ready to go to town. Adam felt a bit jealous.

"Tipsy Toby, or want something else? The ingredients in it are fairly simple, so it's only six bucks for one," Toby asked, holding a glass.

Adam grinned, and said, "One please, and we'll see how well I feel about that. Last time I had only two and was a bit buzzed. You know how to make a powerful drink."

"It's a gift!" the otter chuckled as he whipped together his signature drink and slid the blue raspberry flavored beverage in front of the buck. "Do I need to open up a tab for you, or do you have cash?"

"I have cash," the buck commented while rummaging through his pants and pulling out a five dollar bill and a one. "I kind of had a cheat day...for like the whole week...so I got plenty of change from the fast food restaurants I partook in." Adam gave a blush as he slid an extra one into his free hand and placed it into the tip jar.

Toby accepted the cash and put it into the register behind the bar. "We all have those days! Though, I have to watch my figure a bit more than you do, I'd wager. You've got all those tight muscles, whereas I've just got this damn swimmer's build. Can't seem to put on any real bulk, and I'd rather put on muscle than fat," he frowned, clearly a little frustrated with that fact.

"You look good," Adam said as he eyed Toby in his black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, his black pants and belt, and a blue and grey vest with the club's logo emblazoned on the left breast. "If you want, we can start doing less jogging during our workout sessions. I feel my heart rate is fine, but I do want to build the muscle on my arms." The buck flexed his right arm on the bar and noticed the small bulge of his biceps.

The otter had to keep himself from staring at the deer's bicep, clearing his throat and focusing his attention on the drink in front of him as he blushed slightly. "I'd be all for that, though history says I'm doomed to never be able to put on any substantial muscle, which is super depressing, since I love muscles..."

"We can work on it, buddy. I know a good protein powder that has helped me out. Dan, my roommate, recommended it to me. It tastes pretty bad, but it works fairly well," Adam mentioned as he relaxed his bicep and watched the moose and wolf begin a passionate makeout session on one of the couches. "I feel we can become strippers here in no time," the buck joked.

Toby just laughed at that one, running a paw through his disheveled, sandy-blond hair. "It's a nice thought, but there's no way in hell I could ever hope to compare with the likes of Behemoth, or even Fang, and he's the smallest of the four, even though he's still really fucking ripped."

"You never know," Adam said with a chuckle. "We could have our own signature underwear, poses, and our own rooms! Not like I haven't given that any thought..." Adam wolf-whistled mischievously. "We'd be a class act, Tobes."

Toby snorted with laughter. "Yeah, somehow I have trouble even imagining myself up on stage doing what those guys do, but for you, I'd try my hardest to learn how to be that level of seductive!"

In about a blink of an eye, Toby slid the drink down to him. The drink looked just as fruity and delectable as before, and Adam noticed there was extra garnish lining the lip of the cup: sugar. Tipping the cup back, Adam gulped down the beverage, and fought against the very subtle sting of the alcohol, but licked his lips at the sweet taste.

Adam giggled from the conversation he and Toby had throughout the night. Toby and Adam's conversation subjects carried on for a bit before moving more on to lighter subjects, laughing and smiling for a while before Adam went out onto the dance floor. A group of about five people beckoned him over for him to join, and Adam decided to dance the night away. The group was open about their advances on the buck, and Adam felt them grope him and grind against him. He didn't mind; he started to enjoy the sexual energy of the club. The DJ encouraged the crowd as he mixed different vinyl tracks, and eventually two hours started to melt into four as Adam made his way back to the bar and sat down, his hair a bit of a mess and his shirt untucked.

"Looks like you had fun! And it only took two drinks again!" Toby laughed, getting the buck a glass of water and setting it in front of him.

"Thanks, Toby," Adam said as he wrapped his hand around the cup of water and started to gulp down a huge amount. Sweat dripped down his body, and he gasped when he placed the glass down onto the counter. "It was great! I kind of lost track of time though. What time is it?"

Toby checked his watch. "Little after midnight," he replied, looking Adam over. "You're one hell of a hot, sweaty mess," the otter smirked. "Emphasis on 'hot'," Toby added with a wink.

Adam giggled like a little kid, and said with red cheeks, "Well, I'm glad you think so. I think I might have exhausted my resources. Anything I can do to pass t-"

Feeling a sniff on his neck, Adam froze as he felt a tongue lick his across his neck a moment later. Inhaling deeply to calm himself, Adam was about to turn around to tell the perpetrator to kindly fuck off, but when he turned around, he noticed two yellow eyes staring into his own, and a midnight black coat of fur that reflected the pink light. The panther was large, massive even, but lean, and the skimpy, light brown jockstrap around had an almost tribal look to it. When Adam looked back with what appeared to be hesitation and fear, a sinister grin crossed the feline's lips. His pearly white fangs glistened in the artificial light, appearing a slight pink, like his coat. The necklace around his neck looked to be made of large teeth from various animals, and the tribal paint across his body gave him a truly barbaric appearance. The panther seemed to watch Adam's reaction, as if analyzing him, to predict his next move. Adam felt, for the first time in his life, like he was being truly sized up by a predator. Adam's eyes darted to his wristband, and the panther nodded towards the bracelet.

"You're lucky I'm not in the mood for venison, but I'll keep you in mind, little one. In the meantime, I'll be watching." The panther's laugh was a low rumble, and Adam felt it move through his body like an earthquake. It was somewhat...exciting, in a way, but equally terrifying. The voice was suave, but it had a maliciousness behind it.

Adam did not know what to say and gulped as the man stealthily sneaked away, his footsteps barely audible as he ventured deeper into the club.

"W-who the hell w-was that?" Adam asked as he began to take off his wristband and nervously slide it away from him.

Toby snickered as he watched the panther stalk away in search of other prey. "That would be Fang, our hot as hell panther dancer. He's the one who acts all predatorial to get a rise out of those he deems as 'prey'. Fang's a little more on the rough side as far as seduction goes, but damn is that guy charismatic. He could charm me out of my pants any day of the week and dominate the hell out of me," the otter said wistfully before clearing his throat to snap himself out of it. "Ahem. Anyway, I'd probably watch out for that one, unless you're gunning for some domination and submission play, or even just to look at those gorgeous muscles under that perfectly sleek, black fur," Toby said in a slightly entranced tone, clearly finding the panther irresistibly attractive.

d

"Well, he is kinda hot, but he may be a bit too rough for my taste," Adam said with a nervous smile as he remembered Fang's piercing yellow eyes looking into his. The buck shivered when he reached his hand up to his neck and felt the wet saliva on his matted fur. He trembled at the thought of the tongue trailing over other more sensual parts of his body, but he quickly shook the dirty thoughts away. "But, I can see why he would be appealing."

The otter laughed as he watched the flustered Adam come to terms with what just happened. "So, what's up next on the agenda, Adam? More dancing after a brief rest?"

"Yeah, I guess. I am kind of tired though, but the DJ seems to be doing a good job keeping the tempo up," Adam said as he gestured over to the shirtless, muscular grey wolf, wearing large DJ headphones, who was busy lining up the tempos of the two vinyals. "There is only so much of guys grinding on me that I can take," the buck chuckled.

Toby laughed once more, patting Adam on the shoulder. "Yeah, DJ Wolfurion Stormrave is a master up there with the music, and he always manages to keep people excited and horny. Must be a gift," he smiled. "A gift you have as well, I'd say, considering how you do the same to me," the otter added with a wink.

Adam felt his face turn immensely red at the comment, and he cleared his throat saying, "I'm not THAT attractive, Tobes, but thanks for the compliment. Hopefully your thong isn't that constricting when it comes to boners," the buck joked as his tail flicked about happily at the attention that he was receiving.

The otter adjusted his less than slutty, fancy attire, frowning. "Perhaps I chose the wrong night to wear the thong underneath my black dress pants..." He sighed softly, smiling at his best friend. "What can I say, you arouse the buck out of me, Adam," Toby laughed, grinning at his terrible pun. "Okay, that was bad, I admit, but I couldn't resist it!"

Adam laughed and said, "You flatter me too much, Toby." Feeling a pang of guilt at the sentence, the buck once again had to shake the feeling away and replace it with a smile. "Anyway, do you have any suggestions on what else I can do to kill some more time?"

Toby's eyes moved from Adam to just over the deer's shoulder, looking very confused at first before adopting his usual smile. "Heya Midwest Manhunter! What can I get you to drink?"

A shirtless Lance sat down next to Adam. "Melon ball, please, Toby," the bison replied with a smile, the otter immediately getting to work on preparing what was turning out to be a bright green drink, which Toby delivered a matter of seconds later. "I'd say 'put it on my tab', but I suppose that would be silly, since employees drink for free."

"Within reason," Toby corrected with a chuckle. "The patrons are the ones supposed to be getting drunk and dancing, not the dancers like yourself!"

"I know, I know," Lance laughed, waving dismissively as he took a sip from his alcoholic drink. "No matter what bars I go to, Tobes, you still make the best melon balls!"

Toby smiled brightly. "D'aww, thanks, hun!" More patrons arrived at the bar, and Toby's presence was needed at the other end of the bar, the otter walking away to take care of the thirsty dancers, leaving Adam and the bison alone.

Adam shuffled awkwardly in his seat, looking from the green liquid in the cup Lance had in his hand and up to the bison's naked chest. It seemed he was wearing the exact same leather cowboy chaps that he had danced for Adam in. "Maybe he won't notice I'm even here," Adam said in his mind as he watched the bison's tail flick up and then fall to rest. Although Adam didn't want to look, he could not help his curiosity as he took quick glances at the male before slapping himself out of his trance and keeping quiet.

Prancer's words echoed in his mind: "If you intend on pursuing your little crush on Lance...do try to leave Jericho alone for good."

"I'm sorry about the other night," Lance stated, looking straight ahead and not at Adam, but speaking loudly enough so that the buck could hear him. "For how I acted. It wasn't very professional of me, and I guess I just kinda got scared that my private life was going to overlap with my more public life. But that doesn't excuse how I acted, so I wanted to apologize to you."

Adam wanted to keep his mouth shut and not say anything. He wanted to just move on from Lance and never look back. However, when he looked over to Lance, Adam noticed how rigid and professional he looked. The apology was just that, an apology. Although Adam realized that the bison was sincere, it didn't make the situation any less awkward; especially since Adam had it in his mind to keep away from Lance.

"It's fine. It's water under the bridge now, and I would probably have the same reaction to the situation, honestly. I should have not acted so...aggressive, I guess, and just walked away from when you lassoed my antlers," the buck said as he watched the bison tip the drink back, his large biceps flexing menacingly. "That was a nice shot, by the way," Adam remarked with a small chuckle.

Lance snorted with a hint of laughter. "You weren't being aggressive at all. And truth be told, I was aiming at a particularly handsome lion who was standing behind you, but I guess I fucked up the toss, and I ended up getting your antlers," the huge bovine chuckled as Toby appeared with a refill for the bison's drink before walking off again. "Rather than look like an idiot and try again, I just went with it. Can't have people thinking I'm bad with a lasso when that's the signature part of my act!" he smiled as he turned and looked at Adam directly, his green eyes twinkling slightly from the flashing lights coming from the DJ booth.

Feeling his chest flutter a bit at the smile, Adam gave a grin back. "He smiled at me! My god, what has the world come to? He hasn't smiled at me unless he was professionally obligated to, and here he is, beaming at me!" Adam thought to himself as he felt a jolt of excitement run through him. Although the gesture was small, it made him forget about pushing Lance off to the side. "Well, maybe we can at least make up for the events that happened between us before, right? He's not flirting with me, so I haven't done anything wrong. No harm in that..." Adam thought cheerfully to himself as he became more engaged with the conversation.

"Ahh, we all make mistakes, I guess. Some larger than others," Adam said as he placed his hand on his cheek and his elbow on the bar to prop his head up in a lazy sort of way. "I bet you don't make that mistake often, anyway."

The bison nodded. "I try very hard to keep myself on task, and I pride myself on how good I am at what I do, so my outburst towards you has been more or less haunting me for the last few days. I know we're not exactly friends or anything, but I just didn't want you to be the first patron who wasn't thoroughly satisfied with their private performance, if that makes any sense?"

"And now we are back to boring, professional Lance," Adam dryly thought to himself. "I understand. Lance, you can let it go. We both are at fault, and you can consider your job, pride, or whatever secured. Whatever happened, happened, and I accept your apology." Adam punctuated the last sentence with a warm smile. "Enjoy your drink, and relax."

Lance smiled with equal warmth, placing a hand on the smaller male's shoulder. "Thank you, Adam. Truly. It means a lot to me that you're able to forgive me so quickly for how I treated you. His expression shifted into a significantly more shy one. "To make it up to you, if you ever...you know...wanted to meet up at the gym and lift weights, or something, then grab a smoothie, it'll be my treat."

Adam was taken by surprise by the hand on his shoulder, and secondly, the offer to do something outside of the club. "This isn't something you are doing just as a one and done makeup thing, are you? Like another business transaction?" Adam joked with a weak laugh, but the words were serious. He wanted Lance to want to hang out with him; not be obligated into it.

This made Lance pause momentarily. "Well, I don't really have any friends at the gym, and the guys here like to go in the mornings, rather than in the evenings, so I don't really want to go with any of them, because frankly, I like sleep way too much," he chuckled. "So, umm," he looked away slightly, "it wouldn't be a one-time thing, unless things get weird, I guess. Toby seems to like you a lot, so I guess you must be a pretty decent guy," Lance chuckled, rubbing the back of his head before running his hand through his spiked, styled hair in a shy gesture.

"Wow, he thinks I'm not crude, perverted, and a degenerate. That's a plus," Adam mumbled under his breath. "I would like that, then. Maybe you can teach me some techniques to get some muscle on my body. You seem to have worked wonders on yours, and if I looked like that, then maybe I can drop this whole librarian thing and become a dancer," Adam complemented Lance with a smirk as he looked over Lance's naked chest before laughing at his own dirty joke.

To his surprise, Lance actually laughed. "Hey, I don't see why not! I've seen some pretty huge stags, so there's no reason you couldn't get at least as big as me, if you really put your mind to it. That said, your species will inherently try to slow your progress, what with your metabolism and such, but if you really stay on top of it, you could put on muscle in no time! That said, you're already off to a great start, from what I've seen of you in the pool." The bison smiled a friendly smile. "Mr. Tux would totally hire you on if you were a muscle stud. You've already got the looks, so all you'd need is the body!"

His face turning red and his body wiggling in the seat, Adam felt a new sense of confidence come over him. It was very strange seeing Lance so talkative and honest, even though he already had an encounter with that side of him in the past. "Wow, that's awfully kind of you to say, Lance. Now I really want to run to the gym," Adam said with a newfound bravado as his body flexed subconsciously. Although he didn't want to admit it, he did enjoy the attention Lance was giving him.

"You alright, Adam?" Lance asked, looking a little concerned as he saw the deer going red in the face, or rather, more of a different hue than the pink lighting made everyone in the club by default when there were no dancers on stage, and wiggling in his seat like a child with ADHD. "Was it something I said?"

"Technically, yes," Adam said after he was done giggling like a child. "I've just rarely been complimented on my body. It's satisfying to hear it from someone as large in stature as yourself." Looking over Lance's body, Adam felt a tinge of envy. He always wished for a body as large as Lance's; perhaps some coaching from Lance could do the trick?

The bison shrugged. "Just stating what I see, bud, and it's not too hard on the eyes," Lance winked. "Though I can tell you outright, you're gonna need to really work on the weight training more and less on the cardio for a while, if you're more interested in gaining muscle mass."

Adam honestly did not know if he could form coherent words. The subtle wink mixed with the flirting was getting to the buck a little. He chuckled before pointing to Lance's exposed chest, and said, "If it gets me that, then I will do anything. Whatever you are doing, it works."

Lance chuckled and bounced his pecs in reply. "I'm no trainer, but I'd like to think I could make that happen! You've already kindly laid out the groundwork for the masterpiece that will one day be your pecs!" the bovine dancer smiled, finishing his second drink and putting it down on the bar. Whether it was the inherent nature of who he was at the club or the mixture of the pungent odor of testosterone and masculinity in the club and alcohol in his veins, Adam might never know, but it was making the bison oddly charming.

Adam laughed as he watched the bison's pectorals bounce up and down tantalizingly. The suave, deep voice mixed with the beautiful body it belonged to was whispering sweet nothings into his ear. He felt a shiver down his spine as he remembered those expert hands working the muscles in his back, but he shook the thoughts away when he felt his pants tighten a bit. "Well, you seem like a good guy to be my spotter. I wouldn't mind lifting weights with someone as experienced as you," Adam said with a smile as he thought of the bison standing over him, his crotch just inches from his face as he lifted the bar.

"Then it's settled," Lance smiled. "As I'm sure you've noticed by now, I show up at the gym at 5pm sharp, work out for an hour, then leave to be home, showered, and changed before coming here before this place opens at 8pm. Doesn't leave the most room for socializing, but it's a living," the bison chuckled.

"Sounds fine. I can bring myself to the gym after work then. At least I can move around after organizing books all day," Adam mentioned with a shrug as he thought about how good he would look in a tight speedo after a few weeks of Lance training him. Maybe he could get a light green one like Lance had. It did bring out the bison's butt, and Adam was looking for something that could bring out his. "And the results will look pleasing. Perhaps I can fit into something a bit skimpier after all this," Adam said out loud, the thought leaving his mouth before he could stop it.

Lance laughed a deep, booming laugh. "You're one of the least skimpily-dressed guys here, and yet you're worrying about that? You're an odd one, Adam," the bison smirked.

Lance's laugh was contagious, and soon he found his giggles turning a bit louder and deeper. "I like to look nice when I am in public, but I do like things that highlight the male physique."

"That explains why you're here, ogling the dancers, and probably the other patrons in their skimpy clothes," Lance grinned. "You want to look good in the skimpy clothes so that you have a better chance of Behemoth or someone else picking you for a private show, right?" he winked.

Adam thought back to when Prancer and Behemoth nearly kicked his teeth in last time he was chosen, combined with the somewhat crazy event that happened between Lance and himself. He gave a small sigh and said, "I think I will just stick with the private shows happening in my own bedroom. It's been pretty hectic since the last time I won the lottery here," the buck said with a smile and a devious wink back as he watched Toby slide more drinks down towards thirsty patrons. It always seemed that the otter was so busy, but always on track when it came to drinks.

Lance looked a little confused and concerned. "What about my private show with you made things hectic? I mean, other than getting a bit defensive on my end, it's not like it should have ruined your week, right? Or are you not referring to that?"

"Oh, shit, I said too much!" Adam's mind screamed. "Err, your private show was amazing, don't get me wrong. It's just the fallout kinda sucked. You seemed like a nice guy, and I thought the private dance thing ruined whatever we had." Adam stuttered for a moment before saying, "NOT that we had a romantic relationship before. I mean relationship in a more casual sense, but more like...umm..."

Adam felt like he was chewing on his words as he rubbed his thumbs together. He kept continuing in his nervousness. "I just liked what we had before is all, but I'm glad we could get our awkwardness figured out..." Adam finished in an ironically awkward fashion as he avoided adding anything more. He didn't want Lance to figure out the love triangle he stupidly created, but here he was giving out more information than what was necessary.

The bison shrugged. "I guess I can see your point. I imagine it was a bit of a shock, seeing me in public, only to see me here a while later, when I'm practically a different person. Though, did you really like that casual acquaintance thing we had going on? I mean, I wanted to punch your teeth in for stabbing me with your antlers, then there was the makeup smoothie, but I guess it wasn't all bad, since there was that time I got your goggles for you off the bottom of the pool. If you want to remain as acquaintances, I understand, of course."

"I like what we have now. It feels more open and inviting. I like that you seem to be friendly towards me, rather than a bit of a brick wall. No offense, of course. You are just so shy outside of the club," Adam said as he began to relax. "Thank goodness I didn't screw that up," Adam thought as he wiped some sweat from his forehead.

Lance looked a little surprised by the deer's desire to just remain casual acquaintances, having become used to other males practically throwing themselves at him, but he shrugged it off. "Alright, then. I've gotta go get ready for my show, so I'll see you tomorrow at five, then, right?" the bison asked, standing up off his stool and downing the glass of water that Toby had, at some point, slid over to him.

Adam smiled and said, "Yeah, I'll be there on the dot. Go break a leg out there, stud," Adam said with a wink as he watched a few drops of sweat roll down his muscular chest and abs before falling onto the floor.

"Have a nice night, Adam. See you around," Lance waved as he disappeared into the undulating throngs of patrons and eventually going backstage to where the dancers, presumably, had their dressing rooms.

Turning back over towards the bar, Adam thought about how strange the night has been for him. He thought about the apology and how strange it was to see the dancer who was shy and timid outside of the club become so charming and forward. Reaching into his pocket, Adam pulled out the note that he had for Jericho. He read over the ink that was somewhat smudged and noticed some of the edges were cut crudely. The writing was still well-crafted, but overall, the note had seen better days. He smiled to himself as he pocketed it. Perhaps he was in for another surprise with Jericho. Maybe the bull would hear out his story after all?

Humming pleasantly to himself, Adam felt like nothing could bring him down as he drummed his fingers on the bar's smooth surface once again. Throughout the night, Adam sometimes chatted idly with Toby, and other times, he wandered back out onto the dance floor to come back a sweaty and gross mess. He talked with a few patrons. Some seemed to be a bit more scandalous than others, but eventually the night continued onward.

With a good crowd, combined with an energetic atmosphere, time seemed to fly more quickly than the buck anticipated. Adam felt his eyes weighing down on him every time he checked his phone to see the white letters on the left read an hour past what they had once read, but nevertheless, he eventually made it to 3:45 AM and meandered on back to Toby. He panted like crazy as he took a seat on the same barstool once again. His ears rang from the music, and his heart felt like it would leap out of his chest at any moment. He never felt so exhausted yet so wired. Looking over to the entrance of the club, Adam noticed Jericho was still keeping watch as patrons began to pack up and leave.

The bull was holding the door open for everyone, nodding with a small smile at a few people who must have been regulars whom he knew, and once the clock struck 4AM, only a few stragglers remained, all running out a moment later, leaving Adam alone at the bar with Toby, who was busy cleaning up the mess from the night's revelry. "Still gonna go through with it, huh?" the otter commented, sounding exhausted.

Nodding, Adam said, "I think it would be the right thing to do." Grabbing the note, Adam opened it to see the ink was even worse, and the paper seemed strangely wet in places. Groaning, Adam shook the paper and tried to press it down with his arm. "Toby, do you have a napkin and a pen? I don't think this note will even be readable."

Toby laughed softly and handed Adam a cocktail napkin and a pen. "Bit on the ghetto side, but I applaud your resourcefulness," the otter smirked, going back to wiping down the bar with a rag soaked in some kind of cleaning solution.

Adam clicked in the pen and began to scribble as he much as he could from the previous letter. He tried to use his sparse calligraphy knowledge to make it look as best as he could. He held onto the old note and even tried to fix the smudged ink, but he gave up with it. Looking up at the otter, Adam said, "Thanks for the help, Tobes," as he fixed his hair and the collar on his shirt.

"Do I look ok? I don't know if I should go to him or if I should wait for him....oh, Christ, I can see him," Adam said as he began to panic.

Toby rolled his eyes. "Normally I'm optimistic, but you're gonna cause quite the trainwreck if you don't calm yourself, Adam," the otter chuckled. "Take a deep breath, collect yourself, then decide."

Giving himself a light slap across the face, Adam gave several small jumps up and down and looked to his left to see Jericho was opening the door to come in. Adam could see his form coming through the door, and he felt butterflies in his stomach. "I think I am going to take a leap of faith and go to him."

"Godspeed, you ridiculous buck," Toby laughed, getting back to his cleaning.

Running now, Adam made his way over to the bull who now looked extraordinarily tired. When Jericho noticed Adam, his posture and expression hardened. His eyes glazed over, whatever emotions he had now hidden behind a wall of cold. Adam felt his stomach do a tumble inside him as he stopped in his tracks.

"Jericho, I want to give you this, and I know you probably hate my fucking guts right now, and I understand that, but I want to make it up to you in any way I can." Holding out the cocktail napkin, Adam then quickly mentioned, "And the original was a lot better, but it kind of got destroyed." Adam used his other hand to pull out the original which was covered in sweat and crumbled in places.

The huge white bull narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the cocktail napkin. "I'm not going to read it. If you have something to say to me, say it. Don't give me some rehearsed bullshit," Jericho replied flatly, crossing his arms across his chest. "You've got one minute before I toss you out, so make it quick."

Adam got the message, threw both notes to the ground and began, "Listen, I know I screwed up, and I know how much our time spent with each other meant to you. I'm going to be completely honest and tell you that I didn't think I would develop feelings for you. I thought we would just move on from one another, but I was wrong to assume that. I didn't realize how much you meant to me and me to you. I understand if you never want to talk to me again, but I am begging for one more chance. I reserved a table at Day and Knight, and this time I will pay for it. You can order the most expensive thing on the menu; I don't give a shit, but I will tell you everything and be open and honest."

Jericho kept glaring at Adam, not saying anything for what felt like a painfully long time. "You say that you developed feelings for me, but you could have fooled me. In fact, you did fool me. I thought you were something special, but then you went and moaned 'Lance' while we're in the middle of making love. If you ask me, I'd say, if you were genuinely feeling something for me, you wouldn't have been thinking about someone else!"

The bull clenched his fists and lowered his arms to his sides, gritting his teeth. "You have no idea how much that hurt me, Adam. I was foolish enough to trust you, to think you might actually be someone I could see myself being with, but I was just another notch on your belt, wasn't I? Don't lie to me! It was all a game for you, wasn't it? All a ploy to get in the big bouncer bull's pants so you could brag to all your friends about how you ended up in bed with me. Well, I'm glad you moaned some other guy's name when you did, because I'd have probably put you in the damn hospital if it went any further before I found out I meant nothing to you!"

Clapping sarcastically, Jericho kept on the offensive. "Well-played. You successfully fucked with my feelings, hurt me, and made me lose even more faith in ever finding love, so thanks for that. Thank you for opening my eyes to the foolishness of my own beliefs that I might actually mean something to someone for once!" Finally, his rant coming to an end, Jericho snorted in anger, looking like he was about ready to throw Adam through the nearest wall.

Adam was stunned, but held in what could have been his own anger bubbling to the surface. After all he went through, after everything he had in mind, everything was crumbling before him into nothingness. He had to bite his tongue, and he breathed as deeply as he could to calm himself. He wanted to shout back, but what good would that do? Right when he was about to open his mouth, he closed it and looked at the ground. He tried to find words that would describe how crappy he felt. Eventually, he found a few.

"You're not another conquest, Jericho. You never were. I was lonely, jealous, and confused. Jericho, I'm trying-I'm trying to at least ask for some time. We don't have to do anything. I just need to explain myself," Adam said softly as he trembled at the sudden outburst. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, but he didn't think he would be ripped to pieces with words.

"Explain to me one thing: In what way were you lonely, jealous, and confused? We had what I thought was a fantastic breakfast date, slept in the same bed, had a nice breakfast, and everything fell to shit when we got intimate. How do those things lead to what happened?" Jericho asked, clearly annoyed, but the anger level was at least diminishing slightly.

"At first, I wanted a different guy, who did not have the same feelings for me as I had for him, so then I decided to go off and find someone else. That's where you came in. I needed someone to fill that gap. I didn't mean that I was lonely and jealous during the time that I spent with you, but I was ultimately confused," Adam admitted, his confidence slowly returning as Jericho's anger diminished. "I had some time to think about what I've done, and I felt I should come back and explain myself to you."

Jericho took a deep breath and slowly released it. "Fine. I'll hear you out over breakfast, but you're on thin ice," the bull warned. "Let's go."

Nodding, Adam quickly gathered himself and said, "I guess we should head over to Day and Knight then. I have a bit of explaining to do." Wary of Jericho, Adam stepped out of the way to allow the bovine to exit the club. The deer's tail nervously flicked back and forth, as if expecting to get yelled at once again.

"A bit," Jericho echoed with a less than pleased grumble. He clearly didn't like what was happening, but some sliver of him wanted to see if things might work out. Together, they walked down the street once more, the diner coming into view.

Adam kept his head down for most of time, nervously fiddling with his thumbs and glancing over at Jericho every so often to see his stern demeanor still not quite leaving him. The difference between his composure just a week ago and today was night and day. Adam felt pangs of guilt every time he looked up into Jericho's eyes to see them filled with hurt. Reaching up, Adam felt his neck begin to ache once again. Eventually, the two made it to the steps of the diner, each footfall making Adam's ears flick as they made their way up to the front door. Reaching forward, Adam grasped the door handle and opened it for Jericho, beckoning the bull to pass. He tried to keep a strained smile, but the awkwardness was still there. The two made their way to the same booth as last time, the window overlooking that same street light that flickered on and off.

The bull didn't say anything as he walked in, and the fox waitress from their first time there together approached the table, instantly picking up on the awkwardness. "What can I get you boys?"

"Coffee. Black," Jericho replied with his own forced smile, not wanting to be rude to Carla.

"Lemonade, please," Adam answered as well, his own lips curling into a smile. His was a bit more genuine than when he held the door open for Jericho. It was nice to see a familiar face in such a stressful moment.

Once Carla scampered away, Jericho's eyes locked onto Adam's. "Okay, speak, and speak carefully," he grumbled, slouching back in the cushioned seat.

Adam was a bit stunned by the change in attitude and swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. "S-sure. W-what specifically do you want to hear about?"

Jericho's already stern expression somehow managed to harden even more. "All of it. Explain why I should even speak to you after what you did, what you put me through."

"Jericho, I cannot give you a reason to want to speak to me after I hurt you. I know I fucked up, and only you can gauge if I am doing the proper thing," Adam said as calmly as possible. "You said you didn't want another bullshit response; well there's my honest opinion."

In the corner of Adam's right eye, the streetlight began to flicker on and off.

The bull's eyes only narrowed. "If you have no idea why I should even speak to you, then why are we here? Why drag me out here and get me alone, then?"

"My own idea of why you should speak to me is to give me another chance, but that's pretty cliche," Adam said with a raised eyebrow as he stared into Jericho's blue eyes, trying to read them. He came up with only anger and frustration. "I am going to go out on a limb and say you wouldn't have come here if you didn't see SOMETHING in me. I don't know what it is you see after I made the mistake, but I cannot give you an idea of why you should speak to me. I can only guess."

Jericho groaned in frustration. "You know why I even agreed to this? It's because, on some level, I want things to work out with you, because I think you are a great guy, but that was a far more foolish Jericho who thought those things. I've been burned too many times because I've let my heart start falling for someone, only for the feeling to not be mutual, or in this case, your heart was never really there to begin with, since you were busy thinking about my damn coworker!" the bull growled, fists clenched. "I was a fool for letting myself feel anything for you, Adam. I should have realized you were a player a whole lot sooner, but I was single and alone, and I let myself get hopeful that, maybe, you'd be the one to end that loneliness. Far from it, it would seem." There was only bitterness in that deep, handsome voice.

"And I understand that, Jericho. There is nothing I can do beyond this point but say I am sorry. I want to make this up to you in any way I can. What I want is to walk away from this diner on equal terms with you. I cannot fix the scars I caused, but maybe I can at least help them heal a bit better," Adam said as he continued to stare at Jericho to try to judge him for a reaction. He needed something out of the big guy; anything that could show that Jericho was opening up to him. The guilt started to come back and gnaw at his heart once again. He wanted to reach out and hold the bull's hand on the table, but knew it would not be appropriate.

A little bit of confusion made the bull's stern expression falter. "And why do you feel the desire to fix things with me, exactly? We knew each other for less than a day, so it's not like you're trying to salvage some long-term friendship here. I was a one-night stand for you, plain and simple, so there's nothing to salvage."

"I feel horrible about what I did to you. I know that we haven't known each other for very long, merely acquaintances, but I guess what I should be asking is if we can start over. A clean slate," Adam said as he fiddled with a sugar packet, feeling the small particles underneath his fingers. The packet crinkled and crackled underneath his grasp.

Jericho raised an eyebrow at this. "You honestly think I can just forgive and forget what you did, Adam? That you could buy me breakfast, and suddenly I would just forget all of the pain and heartache you caused me? I don't believe I can do that," he stated flatly, seemingly dead-set on pushing the buck away. "Even if I did let you back into my life, you'd have to work damn hard to even have a chance in hell of winning my trust back."

"Well, I guess there is no better time to start than right now. If you can stay, at least for breakfast, and if you still feel the same as you did before walking in here, you have every right to not talk to me again. Of course, you can just walk out now," Adam chuckled darkly before becoming fixated with a small packet that held pepper. "I just want to start repairing the damage I caused."

The huge white bull sighed heavily and ran his baseball mitt of a hand through his spiked, silvery-grey hair. "Alright, I'll stay, but just so we are clear, this, in no way, is getting you any closer to getting in my pants. I gave that part of me to you too hastily last time, and that's a mistake I do not intend to make again, got it?"

"Y-yeah, I know. I didn't expect that to happen," Adam said while throwing the pepper packet to the side. "And...thanks," Adam added with a genuine smile at Jericho, his melancholy and awkward mood somewhat stifled for the moment. Putting his hand on his cheek, Adam looked over at Jericho and was about to say something, but just kept his mouth shut. Maybe it was best he let Jericho take the reins.

"What?" the bull asked, noticing the stag's expression. "Looked like you were gonna say something."

Adam chuckled and blushed, saying, "Nah, I was just going to ask how your day was, but I thought better of it."

"Why wouldn't you ask that? That's practically the go-to thing to ask someone for small talk," Jericho snorted with just the faintest hint of a chuckle.

Adam smiled and said, "Well then, how was your day?" Starting to get back into the flow of conversation as the mood lifted a bit, Adam was pleased that the conversation was starting to come back to life.

The bull sighed softly. "Well, I was in a foul mood for about two hours after you walked in, turned people away from the doors perhaps a little more aggressively than I should have, though I felt a little bad for making a just barely not twenty-one year-old raccoon guy cry after I snapped at him. That kinda...helped ground me a bit, once I realized how much of a raging asshole I was being." Jericho sighed once more, looking down at his hands. "I'm not proud of the person I was tonight."

Adam felt the mood once again deflate like a popped balloon. However, he still managed to keep his cool, at least a little. "Sorry, man." Another pang of guilt flowed through Adam's mind. "Maybe breakfast will cheer you up," Adam said as he nervously tried to move his hand towards Jericho before recoiling quickly when he realized how close he was. He tried to blow off the gesture by messing with his hair.

Carla approached the table, setting the exact meal they had earlier in the week down in front of them, along with their drinks. "I took a guess, huns, but if you really wanted something else, I'll just take it back," she smiled sweetly, the vixen's face practically radiating friendly warmth. "Can I get you boys anything else?"

"Thank you, Carla," Jericho smiled. "You know my tastes a little too well."

"It's my job, sugar!" she giggled cutely.

"It looks great! I'm surprised you remembered from so long ago," Adam said with surprise as he smelled the pancakes with a hungry glimmer in his eyes. His stomach gave a rumble. Adam had forgotten how long it had been since he had eaten, and the food in front of him looked scrumptious.

The vixen waitress kept smiling, glad that they were satisfied. "It was only a few days ago, and how could I forget one of the cutest couples ever!" Before either male could correct her, however, her attention was called back to the kitchen, and she hurried away.

Adam was left with his finger up and his mouth open, but decided not to address the comment. "Well, the food looks good," Adam mentioned as he attempted to steer the subject in a different direction. Whenever he looked at the situation, it was quite comical. Everything looked serene from the outside looking in, but it would be different if Carla knew the situation. The tension was somewhat defused, but Adam could still feel it.

Jericho actually laughed from how ridiculous the situation was, stifling it with a hand over his muzzle. "She probably spends too much time on the internet imagining how cute certain people would be together. Carla has probably been thinking we were a couple since the last time we came in, and knowing her, probably giggling profusely every time she thought about us."

Starting to lighten up, Adam laughed at the thought of a waitress peeking over a counter and snooping on customers, as if playing matchmaker for couples. "I wouldn't doubt it. How long has Carla been working here? She seems like the person who would have all the gossip around town," Adam asked as he began to eat the pancakes, feeling the fluffy batter separate underneath his knife before grabbing the small cup of syrup and pouring a hearty amount onto the stack. He noticed there were some spots not soaked in the liquid and thought, "It's been a long day," so he proceeded to make sure the whole top pancake was covered.

"She's been here as long as I've been a bouncer, and I started there when I was twenty-five, so at least two years," Jericho replied through a mouthful of eggs.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you look older than twenty-seven," Adam said with a chuckle. "Out of everything, I forgot to ask you what your age was." The sound of slurping was evident as Adam inhaled a chunk of batter, and it was not the most attractive look for him either.

Cocking his head to the side slightly as he chewed, Jericho swallowed before responding. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Adam felt somewhat embarrassed as he shuffled a bit in his seat, as if adjusting his posture. "I...err have a bit of a thing for more...mature men. So it was good, from my perspective," Adam commented before stuffing another piece of pancake into his face. "You act mature for your age, Jericho."

The bull rolled his eyes slightly. "Yeah, it was real mature of me to grab you by your throat and throw you out of my room, then proceed to have a breakdown for the better part of two days. Definitely not something a teenager would do," the white bovine stated sarcastically.

"Okay, well, you act mature when you aren't pissed off," Adam said with a chuckle to defuse the situation. "We all make mistakes; a lot were made just in that hour alone." Adam gave a pause as he thought back to the anger and rage that was projected out at him. He gave a shiver and wiped his mouth with the napkin. "Anyway, how is your eggs benedict?"

"Fantastic as always," Jericho replied through a large mouthful of the food before swallowing and washing it down with his hot coffee. "Your pancakes?"

"I can't complain," Adam said with a grin as he finished the first pancake before cutting down into the second. "I should have gotten something besides lemonade. The pancakes themselves are delicious."

"You can always get another drink when she comes back to check on us, doofus," Jericho laughed. "Lemonade was definitely an odd choice to go with pancakes."

"Yeah. I have a bit of a sweet tooth. Kind of got me in trouble here," Adam chuckled as he began to work on the second pancake. Time began to fly as the two chatted away while stuffing their faces full of delicious food. Eventually, the atmosphere between the two began to become more casual, but Adam still could not shake the feeling of still not making it up to Jericho, even when he footed the bill. When the two walked out of the dinner, Carla led them out with a smile and a devious wink to the pair. As they made their way down the stairs to the sidewalk, they noticed the urban landscape around them was surprisingly quiet.

There would usually be at least one car traveling down the lonely road before disappearing, and the stoplights would flick from red to green, but there was no traffic waiting this time. It was a calm environment as the two made their way back towards the parking lot.

"I'm sorry for how I acted, Adam," Jericho said after a while of walking in silence. "I still wish things could have played out a lot more differently than they did, but you didn't deserve that explosive rage."

Adam felt his heart thump in his chest. He shook his head, saying, "You shouldn't be the one apologizing, Jericho." He thought he could hear angels singing as his feet clopped against the pavement. "You didn't deserve to be hurt like that. But I will admit, you do have a nasty grip. You should have been a wrestler, not a football player," Adam teased.

"Thought about it, but turned out I played for the team that liked handling balls a bit more," the bull smirked at his joke. "Probably for the best I didn't do wrestling. Probably couldn't have kept myself from getting hard, you know, from getting all hot and sweaty with another muscular guy grinding against me on a mat," he laughed before composing himself.

"Jesus, you should have been a wrestler..." Adam said out loud before dispelling the thought. "I-I mean, I errr, like you the way you are, Jericho...yeah," Adam said while nearly drooling at the thoughts that were running through his mind of Jericho pinning down men before pulling down their singlet and doing devious things.

The bull cocked his head as he laughed, looking down at the buck. "You're tenting," he pointed out with a smirk. "Get your head out of the gutter, buck!"

"Well, you put it there!" Adam retorted with a chuckle as he gave Jericho's shoulder a playful hit. "Not every day that I get to capitalize on the thought of you pinning people down and then doing naughty things...Oh, fine, you caught me! Yes, my pants feel a bit tight right now. Happy?"

Jericho snorted with laughter. "I'm glad you asked me to breakfast, Adam. I think I really needed this. I've been so irrationally irritable and angry these past few days. Hell, I even flipped shit on Garl and Dasher for using up all the milk, which really isn't that big of a deal anyway, since there's a convenience store on our block."

"I'm glad to be here too. I went through three tubs of ice cream and nearly every romantic comedy in the book before I got the balls to come back to the club. I got some...encouragement from some friends, though, and I worked on my cursive all day before other people decided to beat some sense into me," Adam chuckled as he remembered Dasher and Garl nearly ripping out his throat before turning softer on him. "It's nice that you enjoyed yourself as much as I did," Adam said with a smile as he looked over to Jericho.

"Now, when you say people decided to beat some sense into you, what do you mean exactly?" Jericho asked, looking over the seemingly uninjured deer.

"Well, I mean that more figuratively," Adam added, showing his teeth as his mouth stretched into a grin. "A couple of guys really helped me through this. Without them, I don't know if I would be standing here. Well, in one piece anyway." Making sure to mumble the last part, Adam laughed under his breath.

The bull's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out exactly what Adam meant by that, but he shrugged it off and kept walking. "Regardless, I'm glad we're at least on speaking terms again. We're not quite back to the clean slate you wanted, but it's a start, right?"

"Yeah, it's a dat-I mean start!" Adam quickly switched the sentence. "I can make compromises. We can't finish without at least starting."

"What on earth do you mean by that?" the white bovine laughed.

"Mean by what?" Adam said coyly and shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I thought I told you to get your head out of the gutter," Jericho smirked.

"My head isn't in the gutter, big bull. I just moved out to a nicer area," Adam replied with a foolish smile. "I think you are just hearing things."

"Uh huh, suuuuure," Jericho laughed as they entered the Foxhole's parking lot.

Laughing in response, Adam said, "So, want to call it a night? I am okay with parting like this, if you are. It was a nice night, and I think I need to sleep."

"Yeah, let's just part ways here. We know how well it went last time when you came back with me," Jericho winked playfully. "I'm kidding!" he added when he saw Adam's face start to look saddened by the memories again.

"Don't scare me like that," Adam said as he gave the bovine a playful nudge in the ribs with his elbow. "At least, this time, we won't get into an all-out brawl, so that will be a nice change of pace," Adam teased while sticking out his tongue.

The huge bull smiled. "Goodnight, Adam," he said, holding out his hand for a handshake, but then opening up for a hug, then switching back to a handshake, not knowing what to do in this situation.

Adam fumbled about as well before walking forward, and he felt the warmth of Jericho's body against his as he wrapped his arms around Jericho's broad torso. He felt a smile cross his lips as nostalgia took over. His mind started to fall back to when he fell asleep in Jericho's arms, which felt like so long ago. In the back of his mind, he was wishing he could go back with Jericho and relive that moment, but he knew it would not be tonight. After all, he still had a lot of repairing to do.

Jericho hugged him tightly for a few seconds before releasing Adam. "Drive safe, okay? I'll see you around," he smiled as he waved and walked to his car.

Adam waved back, his arm falling to his side a few moments later. He walked over to his car, unlocked the door with his key, and hopped inside. The interior was just the same as it was before, and nothing was out of place. Reaching up to his rear view mirror, Adam adjusted the angle to see Jericho just pulling out of the parking lot and driving away. A smile crept up along his face, and pretty soon, a small drop of something fell down and onto the seat. The buck felt like he was on cloud nine as he celebrated his success with tonight. It was crazy how much he screwed up, but in the end, he learned something, and managed to at least start the mending process of Jericho's heart.

"Yeah, I'll see you around," Adam sniffed.