FSE

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For a Wednesday night, the line outside the club was abnormally long. Adam stood in line for quite a while, his fishnet t-shirt showing off his sculpted abs and toned chest. The shorts he wore were a midnight black with a light blue streak that went around the sides in intricate patterns, swirling and melting with the black of the shorts. The dragon that stood by him wore baggy shorts and a tight tee-shirt that showed off the muscles underneath. His tail flicked nervously as he watched people around him, and he seemed like he was out of his element.

"Remember, you owe me double if a guy starts hitting on me," Dan said through clenched teeth as he got out of the way of a skinny fox who raised an eye at Dan. "Got it, buck?"

Adam chuckled and said, "It will be a good time, Dan. Just relax, and go with the flow of things. I promise no one will shoot rainbows out of their mouths when they talk to you."

Shaking his head, Dan replied, "I'm more worried about the atmosphere of this place. The way you described it made it sound really sketchy."

Feeling his eye twitch in irritation, Adam angrily threatened back, "Don't you say that again, or I will not drive you back."

When Dan noticed the buck snorting in apparent anger, the dragon rolled his eyes and said, "Fine, fine, but if one guy touches me the wrong way, I'm out."

Adam huffed and turned back towards the crowd, looking around the area.

The crowd around him was chatty, and the smell of sweat and leather filled the air, a strange new smell to the buck. When a cougar decked out in a full X-harness and a tight black jockstrap walked past him, Adam knew he was missing something. There were plenty of cat calls for the kitty as he walked by and flexed his lean body. Others went a little further and slapped his exposed bum. Adam lost him in the crowd as he made his way up to the bouncers. Dan seemed to be stunned, watching the event with a sense of confusion and disgust, but also curiosity and wonderment.

"Seedy..." Dan said as he looked over at Adam with a glare.

"I prefer the term 'expressive'," Adam retorted back while crossing his arms in annoyance. He was starting to regret ever taking Dan to the club, if he was getting underneath his skin this much already. Adam hoped that, when the dragon saw the interior, he would quiet down a bit.

Eventually, the duo made it to Jericho, who was standing there in something very interesting. The hulking, white-furred bull was wearing an X-harness over his chest as well with a silver ring in the center, as well as long, black leather pants and a black leather cap. He looked like someone right out of a leather fetish magazine. The only thing that looked out of place was the little badge on his harness that marked him as security, and the neither the badge or the harness was doing anything to hide the bovine's massive, bulging pecs, his perfect six-pack, or his two, slightly perky pink nipples, likely a side effect of the evening's slight chill.

"I.D. plea--" Jericho started to ask, not having recognized Adam at first. "Oh, um... hey, Adam," he said, his initial smile faltering a little. "You, uh, look good tonight. Hardly recognized you."

Smiling at the compliment, Adam said, "Thank you, Jericho. You don't look half-bad yourself. I...uhh did not realize it was a theme night tonight." Looking Jericho up and down, Adam remembered when Jericho stripped for him and the two had started to do their thing on his bed. A warm glow of memories started to flood his mind, but he knew that they were not meant to be, and he shook them off. Dan looked away from the male standing in front of him with a nervous blush, his mind secretly wondering what it would be like to be able to feel those muscles under his hands.

"Yep, tonight is leather night!" the bull smirked. "Not everyone is wearing it, so you don't need to worry about being out of place. It's largely for the staff, but the patrons are encouraged to partake as well. Who's your friend?" Jericho looked Dan up and down, grinning slightly, as if approving of the other male's body. "He's cute," the white bovine added with a playful wink.

Although the dragon's blue scales reflected in the light coming out of the club and the streetlights overhead, a visible hint of red was apparent around Dan's cheeks. "M-my n-name is Dan, sir," the dragon stuttered out before growing quiet, his foot awkwardly scraping against the ground. He looked up at Jericho's face, the bull towering over him by nearly a foot. Dan's six foot eight frame was overshadowed by the massive beast of a man in front of him.

Adam was surprised by the dragon's embarrassment. Usually, he was the one to take conversations further, or invoke a response out of someone he just met by being...well, by being more Dan-ish, so basically by being more of a loud-mouthed dick. Now, he was a stuttering, timid, and soft-spoken mess. Also, Adam never heard Dan call anyone "sir" in his life. He felt his own curiosity start to rise out of him, and to spur on the spirit, Adam looked up at Jericho and gave a sly wink, saying, "He's not usually like this. Most of the time, it's hard to get him to shut up."

Dan looked over at Adam with a nasty leer while baring his teeth menacingly, but then he fell back into his shy state. Some of the people near them stepped back a little bit, afraid that Adam would turn into venison soon.

Jericho, however, simply grinned. "Sounds like someone's feeling a little shy. If you find yourself wanting my number, just ask Adam, and I'm sure he'll give it to ya, Dan," he said teasingly. The bull reached over and pushed the door open for them. "Enjoy your night, you two. And, Dan, relax," he added with a smile. "Go dance, get a drink, and enjoy yourselves."

"Thanks, Jericho," Adam said with a smile as he walked through. Dan, like a lost puppy, followed inside, but not without another glance at Jericho who blew him a kiss and winked at him jokingly. Running forward, Dan made his way up to Adam, sweating, and said, "You owe me more drinks."

Rolling his eyes, the buck said, "Jericho won't go after you, so you don't have to worry about that. If I were you, I'd take his advice, and just relax." Right when Adam said the words, he was hit by the smell of sweat and musk as he walked in. His heart began to pound faster, along with the beat of the music, and many patrons that walked by were far less clothed than usual. Dan stuck close to Adam like glue, his presence well-known to the buck as he slid up to the bar to where Toby was mixing drinks. The atmosphere felt like every other time he had arrived; familiar, heart-pounding, and exciting. The pink hue of the light shined around the dance floor where many people were enjoying the music. The DJ was the same wolf from before, pelting out energetic trance while casually listening to the music with an ear on his headphones and the other to the crowd.

Dan looked as if he was going to be sick, the atmosphere pelting him with sights and sounds unfamiliar to him. Part of Dan wanted to stay and experience the foreign environment, while the other part of him wanted to lock himself in the bathroom and wait for the night to just be over. Glancing back at the doors to the outside, and the white bull who was letting more patrons in, part of the dragon was comforted by the fact that, if he did hightail it outside, he could maybe chat with the bull. After all, Adam did mention he was a familiar face and not one who was likely to hit on him or touch him inappropriately. No one would fuck with him, if there was a bouncer standing right beside him, after all.

When the two sat down on the barstools, Adam's tail flipped around in anxiousness. No matter how many times he came to the Foxhole Lounge, he always expected something to happen, and his fingers dug into the wood as he looked around for any signs of Dasher or Garl.

Neither dancer was anywhere to be seen, thankfully, and as Toby walked up to them, all the worries started to wash away. "Hey, Adam! And if it isn't Dan! Here I was under the impression you were straight as an arrow," the otter smirked. "How'd the doe talk you into coming, big guy?" he asked, winking at Adam when he said 'doe'.

Adam chuckled at the remark and brushed it off. Dan seemed to have gotten his confidence back after seeing someone more familiar, and said, "Ahh, well, that's a good question. He offered me a few drinks in exchange for me coming with him." Remembering Jess's words about trying out a "real dick" rather than his "pussy horse dildo" was the final straw. He had enough of his pride being attacked for one day, and funny enough, right when he said the words, Adam struck a deal with him that, if he went out to the Lounge with the buck, Adam would buy him drinks. Dan figured if he could trick people into buying him drinks, he was in business.

Toby cocked his head and raised an amused eyebrow. "So you're gonna get wasted and have your first gay experience tonight? Can't say I saw that one coming," the otter laughed. "Well, there's plenty of good cock...erm...stock...to choose from here, if you can woo them!"

Dan felt his jaw grind a bit at the comment, but he resisted the temptation to say something he would regret. "I won't be taking anyone's cock, Toby. Not like this slut."

Jabbing a thumb at Adam, the buck just shook his head and teased, "I don't know...Jericho was looking at you pretty funny. I think he might want a piece of you."

Growing bright red, Dan looked at Toby and said, "Give me your strongest, so I can make it through the night, please."

The otter grinned mischievously. "You sure you don't want to remember the first real cock you take up the ass, big guy?" Toby winked. "I'm just playing, Dan," he laughed when the dragon looked offended. "Two tipsy Tobys coming right up!" Toby began making his signature blue raspberry drink, soon sliding two towards his two friends. "Let me know what you think, Dan!"

Sniffing the liquid inside, Dan reeled his nose back, but not before grasping the glass and tipping it back, downing the whole thing in one go. Many of the patrons around him looked stunned at the fact that he downed it so fast, and Dan just sat on the chair, with an oblivious look on his face, before saying, "It's not bad, Toby."

Reaching for the next, he knocked that glass back as well, downing the whole thing. He focused more on the taste, feeling the sweet rush of the fruity mixture coming together before the warm feeling of alcohol in his stomach made itself known. This time, there was a pleasant smile across his face, and he said, "Not bad at all."

Adam looked over at Dan as he slid over the money for the drinks before saying, "You are an alcoholic." Placing a couple of dollar bills in the tip jar, Adam looked over at Toby and said, "If I ever leave, please make sure you keep pointy objects away from his bum."

Not thinking Dan heard the joke, Adam and Toby talked for a little while before the dragon piped up.

Dan hiccuped and said in a joking manner that was incredibly slurred, "Not unless I want it, of coursssssseeee." He gave a long giggle before snorting and falling silent when he realized what he just said.

"Uh huh..." Toby said slowly. "Think I'm gonna cut you off already after that. Here's some water," the otter added, sliding the blue dragon a glass of ice water. "Keep an eye on him tonight, Adam. The people here are great, but I'd hate to hear that something happened to him that was less than desirable. And, Dan? Keep it in your pants, bro."

Dan nodded and gave a bit of a burp before saying, "I think I am going to go to talk to that one bull outside real quick to see if he can give me a tour of the place." Since they had been sitting for a little while, Dan's departure from the bar was a bit difficult, and soon Dan was stumbling the wrong way and out onto the dance floor.

Adam looked over to Toby with a concerned face before pointing to Dan and saying, "I have to go take care of the man-child that I have now just conceived."

"Probably a good idea," Toby laughed. "Have fun, Adam! It's good to see you again, man," he added with a genuine smile.

Adam waved and said, "It's good to see you, too, Toby!" He ran off to chase down Dan who was now laughing and giggling through the crowd as they bumped against him. Adam was shouting, trying to get Dan to hear him and make his way back through the crowd. Focusing on the glittery blue scales, the buck was homing in when the pink light on the stage shined in his face. He blinked, and the dragon disappeared. Cursing to himself, he spent a good chunk of the next hour looking around for Dan, but ended up making his way back to Toby with a displeased frown on his face.

"Where'd Dan get off to? He already run off with the first guy who offered to blow him?" the otter joked as he made a drink for another patron.

Adam watched the cherry-looking liquid get put into a stainless steel shaker before being tossed around a bit. "He is free now, Toby. Free to roam the fields brimming with penises as far as the eye can see." Although Adam was joking, there was a hint of worry to his voice. "I hope he will be okay, but I lost him on the dance floor. Hopefully his maw isn't full of some stranger. He has such a whiskey dick...Asexual my bum!"

Toby pauses mid-shake to look at Adam. "Whiskey dick? What's that even supposed to mean?"

"It's a phrase that means you can only get it up when you are drunk. I have a feeling Dan might be one of those...or he has just been hiding his own sexuality under those thick scales of his," Adam confessed as he placed his hand on his cheek and sighed audibly.

A random fox who was walking by chimed in, speaking in an incredibly flamboyant voice. "Hun, you got it backwards!" he giggled. "Whiskey dick means you CAN'T get it up when you're drunk! Guy I went home with last night had that problem, so guess who's here again?" the fox winked at Adam before sauntering off into the crowd on the dance floor.

The two got a laugh out of that. "Well, hey, so long as he has fun, right? Well, has fun and is safe about it," Toby amended himself, sliding the now finished cocktail to a totally different fox at the end of the bar. "So, what's wrong? Something seems a little....off with you today. Plus, you've only ever come in alone, so what's different?"

Perking up almost instantly, Adam said, "Ahh, nothing much is wrong. I'm just worried about Dan. He is just another person I felt that I dragged into this mess, and now he is pa-"

Stopping mid-sentence, Adam watched a giddy dragon stop over to the bar and sit down, seeing it was none other than Dan himself with a wide grin on his face. The only difference between Adam and Dan at the moment was that the buck had at least one layer of clothing over his chest. The dragon, on the other hand, had nothing on to cover his chest, displaying his upper body proudly with a shit-eating grin across his face.

"...paying for it," Adam finished as he looked at Dan's naked chest with a mixture of confusion and bewilderment.

"You, uhh, lose your shirt in the last hour, big guy?" Toby asked, grinning. "Suppose I should have read you the disclaimer that sometimes a Tipsy Toby can result in sudden loss of clothing!"

Dan nodded and said, "Mmmhmm. Some guy ripped it off me when I bumped into him. He told he I would look better without a shirt..." Giving a laugh, Dan then continued, "I didn't find that big bull dude, though. I think I might have walked the wrong way."

Shaking his head, Adam tsked and said, "I thought you knew better than to talk to strangers." He let out a sigh of relief that Dan was fine though and seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Twenty bucks, and you can have a Foxhole Lounge signature shirt!" Toby laughed. "Another thirty, and you can have one signed by the dancers. Wanna pony up the cash, Dan?" the otter laughed again, amused at the idea that the supposedly straight dragon might soon be wearing the shirt of a high-profile gay club.

Thinking hard for a moment, Dan rubbed the scales on his chin as he thought about the offer Toby made for him. In his not-so-sober state, he took out his wallet and placed down twenty dollars onto the bar, involuntarily flexing as he did so. He crossed his arms and grinned like he won a bet and said, "It's a deal, little otter bro." After all, he didn't want to be walking around shirtless the whole time, did he?

Adam slapped his hand against his forehead at the words and let out a bit of a groan, but not before giving a bit of a chuckle at the turn of events. "Toby, you are quite the businessman."

The otter grinned as he took the money and reached under the bar, tossing Dan an extra large, black shirt with the club's logo on the left pectoral, but it was also a shirt designed specifically with winged species like the blue dragon in mind, with special wing holes in the back. "Well, when a good chunk of your existence is entirely off of tips, you learn to be charming enough to sucker, erm, get people to spend that extra dollar!"

Smirking at the comment as he watched the dragon excitedly put on the shirt over his chest, Adam said, "I know what you mean by suckering people."

Dan seemed to have ignored the comment, too busy humming along to the music in his drunken high to even care what Adam had to say anymore. "This design is pretty fantastic, Tobes. Did you make these?" Dan stupidly slurred out as he placed his arms on the bar's table and slouched forward until his rump poked outward over the chair.

"Nah, Mr. Tux did. He's the club's owner; doesn't come down from his office much. Just watches from that little window up there," Toby said, pointing to a window overlooking the dance floor and the rest of the club from the second floor. The blinds were drawn, and the lights appeared to be off. "It's simplistic, but I think they look pretty good!"

"Seems like an interesting guy," Dan said as he played with the fabric that was around his neck and shoulders. "So, when does that bull guy get off, Toby? I kind of want to have a chat with him to see...how he works out. I need some tips," Dan continued with a grin on his face, but the blush was appearing again.

Adam shook his head and said, "You are just thirsty. You aren't going to ask him for 'tips'."

Giving a sigh at the buck, Dan retorted, "Adam, you just don't understand. I am in need of workout tips, and so I will g-" He gave a hiccup and continued, "I will get them."

"Wait, wait, wait," a confused Toby interjected. "Let me get this straight. So, Dan, you've maintained you're straight, er...asexual...for all the time I've known you, which admittedly hasn't been that long, but still, you get drunk, and suddenly you're going full gay and wanting to hit on the biggest bouncer here? I am beyond confused."

The statement halted Dan in his tracks for a moment, and in his state, it took him a while to realize that he was being a little bit less-than-tactful with how he'd said things. He leaned forward to Toby and said, "Ahh, it's all just innocent fun. I'm not gay, Toby." A smile crossed his lips as he said the words, his pearly white fangs showing in the light. "I just want to talk to that bull guy outside, not bang him." There was a slight hesitation with the last sentence, as if he had an idea that what he was saying was a bit of a lie.

Toby didn't look convinced, but he shrugged and wished Dan good luck. "Just be careful. He's a nice guy, but he's still a bouncer whose duty is to throw out unruly drunks."

Giggling as he got up off of his seat, he seemed to be a bit more sober now, since he knew which direction to head to get to Jericho. His feet seemed to take him the rest of the way, and he left through the door after giving Toby and Adam a thumbs up before tapping Jericho on the shoulder. The two did not see any more, other than the door closing shut behind the dragon.

Adam prayed that Dan would not get himself into trouble.

"This is gonna sound a little odd, but are you really okay with Dan doing that?" Toby asked, cleaning out a cocktail shaker with a wet rag. "I mean, you seemed pretty intent on chasing after Jericho yourself for a while there. Or are your sights completely set on a different bovine now?"

Looking back over at Toby, Adam stated, "Nah, I think it's fine. We have both kind of moved on." Looking a bit conflicted at his last statement when he remembered the bull's heartbroken expression, Adam shook off the conflict with a smile. "I think we both kind of moved on from one another."

"Well, I'm glad you two are at least on speaking terms. From what you told me, you had quite the rough patch there for a while," Toby smiled. "So, do you think you have much of a shot at landing the other hooved male you've got your sights set on?" he asked casually.

Adam smiled, his devious smirk reflecting in the pink hue. Excitedly, Adam looked around to make sure he was not being watched or heard, and said, "Yeah! Actually, we kind of already...kissed." Sitting upright, Adam's chest puffed out proudly in accomplishment. "He's so sweet, Toby. I think we might become a bit more."

Toby raised an interested eyebrow, the cocktail shaker now totally forgotten, even though he was still holding it with the rag and his paw still inside it. "Oh, really, now? Forgive me for saying it like this, but how the hell did you manage that? Unless he's dancing or talking with the other dancers, he's pretty quiet, shy, and keeps to himself. Was he drunk or something?"

Chuckling at the response, Adam said, "No, I did not drop a drug in his drink or give him too much to drink. We just started to work out, spend some time with one another, and next thing I knew, he was helping me vomit up sushi in the back alley of a Japanese restaurant. After that, things started to look up from there."

The otter, who was dressed in a leather vest and and shorts, leaving his toned chest and stomach mostly exposed, now looked even more confused. "That sounds...romantic?" Toby said slowly. "Then again, I suppose I really shouldn't be surprised that you managed to court someone like Lance, since you've always had a way with using your charms on males," the otter added with a small roll of his eyes. "He gonna be a fuckbuddy for you, or something? Or are you thinking on playing the relationship game?"

Hearing the tone of the otter's voice, Adam seemed as confused as Toby as he sat on the chair. He was a bit taken aback by the attitude that the otter had. Adam was not used to him being a bit hostile. He decided to blow the tone off and say, "The relationship 'game', Toby? What do you mean?"

Sighing, Toby sat down the cocktail shaker in his paws softly. His eyes closed briefly before he opened them again to look at Adam. "You know what I mean, Adam," he said softly, sounding oddly depressed. "I mean the whole dance of feeling each other out, seeing where things go, and if the moment strikes, you ask to make it official. Then begins the second dance, this time to a different tempo, where it's all lovey dovey stuff and flaunting the new relationship by talking about all the cute things you have done together, and of course, consummating the relationship time and time again, celebrating the exclusivity of your union." The longer he talked, the more Toby sounded increasingly bitter, like he was reliving a particularly unpleasant memory in his mind.

"Toby, if it's something I said to you, then tell me," Adam replied back with a note of impatience in his voice after he listened to the otter's vivid description. He started to feel a stir within his stomach that made him feel uneasy. He never heard Toby speak like this, especially not when he was working. Adam hoped that some of the other patrons were not paying attention to the two, and that they were too distracted by the music and people to notice.

The otter bartender made a frustrated frown before sighing again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking my frustrations out on you. I should be happy for you," Toby replied, chewing on his lower lip slightly, his paws balled into fists, like he wanted to hit something. "I'm a shitty friend. Enjoy your evening, Adam," Toby muttered, turning around and walking into a small door behind the bar, presumably a storage closet where more alcohol was kept, or at least the bottles that didn't fit on the display shelves behind the bar itself or under it.

Adam was stunned as he watched the door close. Looking over, many of the patrons seemed to be staring at him with disgruntled expressions on their faces. One of them, a tall and built wolf in a leather vest and assless chaps strolled forward to the deer, sat by him, and said, "So, you going to serve us, buckaroo?"

Giving a nervous laugh before the wolf answered back at him with a glare, Adam gulped and said, "I'll go talk to him."

"Good on ya, meat."

Hopping over the bar while being watched by the other clients, Adam walked to the door and pulled on the handle to open it. The room was dark, and the burning smell of alcohol hit Adam right in the face. A small light hung from the ceiling, a cord dangling from the switch that turned on the bulb.

The room itself was lined with shelves upon shelves of bottles, some of the bottles appearing to be very old and, logically, quite expensive. The area wasn't terribly large, so it wasn't hard to find Toby. He was sitting in the far corner of the room with his legs pulled up to his chest, huddled up in a ball. Even though he was clearly trying to do it quietly, the otter was sobbing, and his ragged breaths and strangled sounds made it obvious that he was doing so, even though his face was hidden in his knees.

Adam slowly walked forward, his hands feeling his way down the shelves. Making sure not to knock any of the bottles down, the deer was meticulous, but one of them clinked against the back of the wall. Cursing under his breath, Adam managed to catch what appeared to be well-aged wine, and placed it back on the shelf. Even though he wanted to be stealthy, it would be near impossible for someone to not notice his presence.

Toby didn't look up, but the shift in his breathing was enough to tell Adam that Toby knew he was there. "P-please, go away, Adam. I don't want you to see me like this..." the otter half-cried, half-begged.

"Toby, you're not a shitty friend. Just let me comfort you a bit. I feel somewhat responsible for this," Adam said softly as he moved forward a bit. Since Adam was somewhat experienced with crying people, including himself, he felt a bit confident he could provide the proper companionship for Toby. The fact that Adam had never seen Toby in such a state was unnerving for him, however, and the deer felt like all that he was experiencing was like an illusion.

"I am, though!" Toby groaned into his paws, sniffling as an obvious tear stain appeared on his sleek brown fur. "Ever since we met, I've had a crush on you, Adam, and that never went away. Hell, every time I saw you, I kept holding onto the hope that maybe just ONCE, in spite of all of the seventeen or more times I've asked you out, that maybe the next time I asked might be my lucky break!" The otter broke down sobbing again, it taking a good few seconds before he composed himself enough to continue talking.

"I love you, Adam. I always have. And I feel like a shitty friend because I can't just be happy for you that you found someone you like and want to date. I'm beyond jealous that I'm not the person you fell for, and I'm even more jealous that you have a real shot with a total hunk. Meanwhile, I'm depressingly single, and I'm clearly only ever good for a one-night romp between the sheets. No one will ever love me, and the loneliness is killing me, Adam," Toby cried, finally raising his head enough to show his tear-stained face fur as more tears rolled down the smooth fur. His eyes were bloodshot, and all traces of the suave bartender were gone, replaced by raw, pained emotions.

"The only relationships I've ever had weren't good ones, and they hurt me physically and emotionally. I...I just want to be happy, Adam...not continue living behind the mask of the flirty, bubbly Toby while I feel like I'm dying inside..." Toby continued, speaking through the tears and wiping them off his face as they fell. The mask was shattered, and before Adam was the true Toby, the otter who was hurting far more than he ever let on.

"You...love me, Toby?" Adam asked quietly. He felt ill, as if the world was spinning. His mind began to race, and he realized the less than subtle cues that the otter had been giving him were more than cheeky remarks. He felt horrible that he pushed the otter away for so long, chasing other men for his own pleasure. Adam sat on the floor, pulling his own legs close before he fell. He stared at Toby intensely, as if waiting for another bomb to be dropped. "Now I feel like a horrible friend," Adam said while trying to gauge where he would go after hearing this. He was so naive, and had been so oblivious of the otter's remarks. He was locked away in his own world, and too far gone to take Toby's advances.

And, truthfully, he knew he could not take Toby's enthusiasm. If they ever dated, Adam would be afraid that it would go down in flames, so he just kept Toby close, but still at a distance. He did not want to hurt the poor otter, but ironically, he ended up practically toying with him, just like the other one night stands. Just like Jericho. He just never had sex with Toby.

The otter took a long, shivering breath as he sniffled and wiped the tears from his eyes, faking a smile in spite of tears continuing to fall. "You're just following your heart, Adam. I can't fault you for that. I'm the idiot who keeps falling for guys I think I've always known, deep down, will never love me, like truly love me. I've known there was practically no chance you'd fall for me, but you've been so nice to me since we met that I actually started to believe there was a chance after all..."

"Toby, I can't..." Adam found the words hard to form. This had the honor of becoming one of the hardest conversations the buck had to have in his entire life. The hardest was when he came out to his parents. "...I can't give you what you want, and for that I am so very sorry, but I can be your friend. I can be by your side every step of the way," Adam managed to stammer out as he scooted closer to his friend. He didn't want to lose someone else this month. Jericho was rough, and Toby would probably be just as rough to get over. Adam only had so much fatty food he could eat in one month.

Toby was quiet for a long time, just looking down at his paws as his legs slowly extended out straight. "I know you can't give me what I was hoping for. I was half hoping that, when things went to hell with Jericho, that you might finally come around to me, but I guess Lance swooped in there, somehow, and stole that chance before it even came up. I'll just...die alone, I guess," he said, beyond depressed at this point. "I've slept with or gone on dates with nearly one-hundred different guys of all shapes, sizes, and species, but not one has ever made me happy or made me feel loved. I should just give up," the otter sighed, rubbing a paw down his face.

Scooting closer, Adam moved until he was parallel with Toby's body, his legs pulled close to his chest. He gave a sniff before saying, "Listen, Tobes, if you need someone by your side, I can help you, but I wouldn't just give up on the search. It may take years, but you will find someone. I'm not going to beat around the bush and tell you that true love is right around the corner, but it's not all hopeless. Please, don't give up! You're too nice of a guy to not be with someone. I'm just not the right person for you. I would hurt you, Tobes."

The otter shook his head slowly. "I don't think you would. You're too nice a guy to hurt me. And even if you did, it would be nothing compared to my first boyfriend, since his version of loving me involved verbal abuse and nasty bruises in places no one will ever see them. I've survived far worse than a flirty buck who has trouble committing."

Adam shivered as he thought about the otter, cowering in fear while a shadowy figure raised his hand, ready to slam a fist into the otter. "Toby...fuck," Adam began, but turned away. He fell silent for a moment. The deer began to watch a spider start to crawl down a cobweb on the ceiling. "I'm sorry. You don't deserve that; not someone like you."

"Don't I, though?" Toby frowned, looking like a broken shell of his former self. "What does it matter if I get hurt? At least someone is actually paying attention to me, even if it's not positive attention..." His voice got choked up, and he was clearly struggling not to break down sobbing again.

"I pay attention to you, Toby. The coworkers here like your company, and I like it too. You are a nice guy to have around, talk to, and hang out with. People who treat you like crap are ones you must let go. It's not good for you to have that in your life," Adam said calmly as he watched the tears run down the otter's cheeks. Adam felt his own lip beginning to quiver, but kept he himself under control. He had to be strong for the otter.

Toby just waved a dismissive paw. "Sure, maybe you're right, but five or six close friends can't fill the void in my heart that can only be filled by a mate."

Adam felt his impatience starting to rise within him again. He wanted to yell at Toby for being such a mope, but he knew that would get the situation nowhere. The otter wanted a deeper relationship with him, and he had pushed him away for so long. The least he could do was spend some time with him.

"I-I understand. I'm sorry, but I don't think...I don't think I can fill that void," the buck answered honestly as he awkwardly shuffled his feet back and forth. "However, I can still be by your side to support you."

Toby sighed softly. "Thank you, Adam. It's been really hard on me these last few months. Hell, the last few years. I don't want to lose you or your friendship, so if friends is all we'll ever be, I'll have to learn to accept that. I value the friendship we have, and I hope I haven't made this too awkward," the otter said quietly, looking down into his paws.

Nodding, Adam said, "You have not made this awkward at all. I'm glad we are having this conversation. It just hurts to see you like this, Toby." Remembering all the people he had stepped on in order to get more intimate with Lance, Adam felt himself cringe. "I like being your friend, Toby. Maybe it's best we don't wash each other in the shower anymore either." Adam had to shake the images of Toby's soft hands rubbing soap into his back.

The otter looked up with a brief look of longing, like when a parent takes away a child's favorite toy, before his eyes settled back into their previous look of sadness. He sighed, "You're right...It's probably for the best...I'd be lying if I said it didn't make my heart flutter every time we did that, and I've been dreaming of the day you might actually kiss me, but..." Toby stopped himself, waving his paw. "Forget I said anything just now. That started to sound like a guilt trip, and I don't mean to do that to you."

"You're fine, Toby. I should not have been so intimate around you. Anyway, are you ready to go back, or do you need a moment? I will be with you until you are ready, either way," Adam said soothingly as he reached forward and stroked Toby's hand comfortingly. He wanted the otter to know that he was there for him and not just saying things to appease him at the moment.

Toby looked down at his paws for a moment before looking back up. "I think I still need a minute." He paused. "Hey, Adam? I have no right to ask you this, but..."

Looking over at Toby, Adam did not say anything, but waited patiently for what Toby was about to say. He had an idea of what the otter was going to ask, but gave the otter time to speak. Breathing in a large amount of the musty storage closet air, Adam kept his mouth shut and his ears open to listen.

"Could I...get just one kiss from you? Please?" Toby asked, his voice small and timid, clearly expecting rejection.

Adam was actually surprised by the question and shook his head lightly, saying, "Toby...I don't want to hurt you..."

Surprisingly, Toby didn't back down immediately. "Please, Adam? It doesn't have to mean anything, and I promise I will never ask you out again, touch you inappropriately, or even flirt with you, if you wanted....just...please...I really need to feel loved right now..." Even as he finished speaking, it was clear, from just the tone of his voice and that hint of desperation, that he was on the verge of tears once more and still very emotionally fragile.

Closing his eyes, Adam felt his mind race. The logical part of his mind told him to drop the experience and move on, while his emotional side told him that it was just once, and it would make Toby feel better in the process. Nodding, Adam slightly puckered his lips and whispered, "Okay, but...okay..." Waiting for Toby to make the move, Adam sat still as a statue, his heart beating quick his chest.

However, Toby appeared to be hesitating. Even though Adam was willing, and the lips he had craved ever since they met were right there, waiting for him, the otter just couldn't bring himself to move the few inches between them and take what he wanted. "Adam, I..." Toby started to say before choking up, tears starting to fall once more.

"Shit, Tobes..."

Scooting closer, Adam wrapped an arm around Toby and continued to comfort him. He brushed his head lovingly, but not adding any flirty touches or gestures. As much as Toby wanted to go the extra mile with him, the buck knew he could not love the otter back with every bone in his body. Adam checked his watch to see that they had been in the backroom for at least fifteen minutes, and the glowing numbers making Adam wince at the light that came from them.

Toby buried his face in Adam's chest, paws resting softly on the buck's now much more filled-out pectorals, and he just nuzzled his friend softly. "I'm sorry..." the otter's muffled voice came from Adam's chest. "I really wanted to, but I just...couldn't bring myself to do it...I'm so spineless..." he cried, tears starting to wet the buck's fishnet shirt and the cream-colored chest beneath it.

"Toby, you're not spineless. It took a lot of guts to confess your feelings to me," Adam said as he heard Toby gasping before beginning to sob again. "Just breathe deep, and let it out, big guy." Running a hand down the otter's back, Adam did the same as Lance did for him when he was vomiting up the sushi, making sure to whisper words of comfort to Toby.

The otter nodded slowly, finally daring to look up and meet Adam's eyes. "You have a point, I guess, but even still, I waited months upon months before finally doing it, and I chose to do it at a time when you've already got someone you're really interested in. Sure, it took some courage to even ask for a kiss, but where's the courage in backing down because you're too scared to take something you want, even when it's willingly being offered to you?"

"Toby, it took more courage to back down from the kiss than to instigate it. Maybe it's for the best that you did back down. I know of several people that I should not have went the extra mile for, Tobes, and maybe I should have had the courage to tell you no," Adam commented as he continued to stroke the otter's neck and back in a calm manner. Adam could feel the warm tears on his chest turning a frigid cold as they slid down his abs.

Taking a moment to steady his breathing and wipe away the tears, Toby slid out of Adam's embrace and tried to put on his best, happiest face, which was still lacking, but only the regulars who saw Toby practically every night would even stand a chance at picking up on there being something wrong. "You're right. It was for the best. Now, I do believe I need to get back out there before customers start getting too mad that I chose to break down during one of the busiest times before the dancers take to the stage tonight. Gonna be a good one, I'm sure. Did you wanna buy a wristband for tonight?" the otter asked as he stood up and adjusted his black leather vest and shorts, seemingly back to normal at the flip of a switch.

Standing up, Adam dusted off his clothes, and walked over to Toby, saying, "No, Toby. I think tonight I will just keep it a bit low-key." Walking over, Adam wrapped his arms around the otter and gave him a hug before pulling away and saying, "Let me know if something is bothering you again, okay?" The shift in Toby's attitude made Adam feel a bit uncomfortable, and Adam could not help but feel sorry for the otter for the fact that he had to bottle up all his emotions.

Toby caressed Adam's left cheek with one paw briefly before quickly retracting it, as if the buck's face had somehow burned him. "You're a good friend, Adam. Never forget that," he smiled softly as he turned and opened the door, walking back out to his bar and serving patrons like nothing had even happened.

Adam stood still for a moment, letting everything that happened begin to sink in. He felt his mind become dizzy for a moment, the overstimulation getting to him, and he stumbled a bit as he made his way out. The pink hue from the light was almost blinding, and many of the patrons that were sitting at the bar greeted Adam with a friendlier tone now that Toby was smiling and giddily serving drinks to the thirsty customers. The wolf from before held up a bottle of beer, as if in thanks, and Adam smiled curtly before having it turn back into a frown. Dodging Toby to make sure he did not knock the otter off balance, the buck vaulted over the table of the bar and took a seat next to the wolf who clapped him on the shoulder.

"You did good, kid," the wolf said before taking a rather large gulp from the bottle. Adam shrugged off the paw on his shoulder, and wolf gave him a bit of a glare before shrugging and taking another large drink. "Don't know what you are moping around about, but I guess it's none of my business."

Getting up off of the stool, the wolf opened up his arms and greeted a muscular tiger in almost full leather gear with a hug. The two spent a moment chatting before the tiger's hand squeezed on the wolf's vulnerable buttocks firmly and led the wolf over to a place a bit darker. Adam sighed, but he watched the spectacle with hint of longing. He wondered momentarily what Lance was wearing. He hoped it was a harness. Smiling at his own perverted nature, Adam put a cheek on his hand, and began to watch Toby spinning bottles.

All of the sudden, he felt as if he was being watched. He could feel the hair begin to stand up on the back of his neck and turned around to see two glowing yellow eyes looking at him in the shadows before blinking and disappearing.

"Fang..." Adam muttered as he searched the shadows for any sign of the feline, but he came up empty.

"Aaaaalright, all you horny guys out there, pause that sensual grinding for a moment and spend some time looking up on the stage!" DJ Wolfurion Stormrave called out over the microphone, the huge, muscular wolf hopping up onto the stage, still wearing his headphones around his thick neck. "We're switching it up a little tonight, if you couldn't tell," he grinned, gesturing to the open, studded leather jacket he was wearing, which showed off his flawless torso, a black leather dog collar, complete with glimmering tag dangling off it, and some black leather biker pants. "And in the interest of starting things off with a bang, let's welcome our first dancer of the night: Midwest Manhunter!" Cheers rang out throughout the audience. "Watch out, folks, because this bounty hunter is about to bring down the house!" the wolf cheered with a fist pump in the air before hopping down off the stage and over to his raised DJ booth adjacent to it.

Adam felt the need to begin whooping a bit and calmly began to walk past the crowd and towards the stage. Although he had seen the introductions numerous times before, the intimacy with Lance had spiced up the act of watching him dance so confidently quite a bit. Since they were taking it slow, seeing Lance without clothes was rare, at least when they were alone, but when the bison was on stage, Adam got all the eye-candy he wanted, and Lance couldn't complain, since it was his job. It was almost as if he found a loophole. Beginning to feel excitement running through his veins, the buck made sure to get as close as he could without being smothered by the cheering crowd. His eyes glimmered in anticipation as he watched a spotlight begin to focus onto the stage.

A short puff of fog later and Lance strode confidently out onto the stage. Much to Adam's delight, the huge, musclebound bison was wearing a black leather X-harness across his bulging chest with a silver ring connecting the studded arms of the X. He also wore black cowhide chaps which had taken on a shiny, leathery sheen, and rather than his trademark lasso, he carried onto the stage a rolled-up bullwhip.

Lance grinned his best seductive grin as he struck a pose, holding up one arm and pumping the bicep, making it bulge massively as he grinned at the audience. The DJ started a song that was an odd mixture of rock and western music, and barely two seconds into the song, a whip cracked, and at the exact same time, Lance unfurled and cracked his own whip blindingly fast towards the floor of the stage, the sound practically echoing throughout the room. He smirked once more before ending his bicep pose and beginning his show in full.

Over the next fifteen minutes, the huge bison had the crowd cheering to the point of people going hoarse with his impossibly seductive display. Adam was not an exception to this, jumping up and down, but also laughing hysterically. Now that the buck had an idea of how Lance truly was, seeing him in the erotic getup was as arousing as it was amusing. He managed to yell and clap through his laughter, even giving a few wolf whistles in the process. His pants did feel a bit tighter every time the whip rang out across the area, and Lance flexed in the harness.

Five minutes after that, the bison was panting slightly, and he smirked one final time before he reached into the waist of his pants with both thumbs on each side and proceeded to rip off the chaps and the jeans beneath them, which were tearaway pants and chaps rather than full clothing, and he tossed them backwards onto the stage as he struck another sexy one-bicep pose and cracked his whip out above the audience, startling and thrilling more than a few members of the crowd, the dancer now standing on stage in only his harness and the newly revealed black leather underwear which accentuated Lance's package gratuitously.

Needless to say, the crowd went absolutely wild as Lance exploded into a faster tempo song, his hulking body dancing around the stage fluidly as he broke out every single possible trick as he ran his hands through his hair and undulated and swayed his torso and hips, flexing every muscle and looking like a bison god of masculinity as his sweat matted down his thick fur and accentuated his muscles perfectly.

Adam's jaw nearly hit the floor as he watched the performance, and he started to wish he had worn looser-fitting pants as he watched with less and less amusement and with more and more desire. He felt a shiver move down his spine as he imagined himself dancing up there along with him, the bison grinding against his body. He had to push the thoughts out of his mind, continuing to watch Lance with an unyielding gaze. There was an obvious hunger in his eyes as he watched the bison's hips move, Lance's package bouncing slightly in the snug leather with every shift of his body. Adam smiled, feeding off the ecstasy that Lance was receiving from showing off his body. He basked in his own arousal, watching the display with a need that began to eat at him.

Ten minutes later, Lance's show came to an end, and the bison was a sweaty, panting mess after having danced so vigorously for so long. With every heave of his powerful chest, his pecs and abs flexed, gaining even more definition and looking all the more amazing. He slowly unfurled the whip and scanned the crowd, everyone wearing Lance's wristband, or the rainbow wristband, throwing their arms up in the air, each praying that the godlike bison would bless them with a private showing of that body and his moves, especially after a dance like that. Lance grinned as he found his target: a tall, muscular, black and white husky with strikingly blue eyes.

The bison, rather than cracking his whip, he flicked his wrist, and the whip flew out and wrapped itself around the husky's own wrist. Lance smiled as he walked the length of the stage, the husky trailing behind him on the floor below, and upon reaching the right side of the stage, Lance hopped down and led his lucky patron through the crowd, many people taking that opportunity to reach out and touch the bison as he led the husky to the staircase. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Lance turned and scanned the room, his eyes meeting Adam's.

Giving a subtle wink, Adam looked over Lance and the man he managed to snatch before making a rude gesture, his left index finger and thumb forming an "o" before taking his right index finger and sticking it through with his eyebrow raised. He pushed it in and out of the circle with a smirk across his face. Lance hesitated a moment, frowned slightly, and then turned and walked up the stairs, husky in tow, the black and white male's tail wagging furiously in excitement.

Confused at the blowing off of his joke, Adam was a bit stunned as he watched Lance walk away up the stairs. Usually, he fell for the corny jokes a good portion of the time. Shrugging, Adam began to walk around the dance floor, listening to the music and finding it a bit hard to navigate past all the leather-clad attendees. As he was migrating across, Adam saw a couple starting to make out, their hands rubbing against one another lustfully as they explored their bodies. Adam did not get a chance to identify them, since he kept moving on, but a bit of jealousy started to spring up inside him. It never occurred to him before, but at that moment, he started to realize how jealous he was of the husky that got brought upstairs to the bison's private quarters, and he was stuck down on the floor.

"It's only business," Adam reassured himself as he moved past a pair grinding against one another on the floor. He felt his fist clench a bit, but he continued onward. Adam started to wonder how Dan was doing, and his mood began to lighten as he imagined Jericho smiling down at the dragon, his leather-clad body wrapped around Dan affectionately.

Knocking himself out of his trance, Adam found himself walking up the stairs leading up to the upper floor. Stopping himself, he clutched the railing and looked around to notice no one was paying attention. Part of him wanted to walk up and investigate Lance, while the other part told him to go back. He tsked and decided to choose the latter, walking back down with his tail between his legs, figuratively. That was, until a black shadow whisked in front of him, as if a blur, and Fang stood with his predatory gaze staring into Adam's eyes.

"Chosen people only, little buck. I suggest you come back down unless you want a visit to a more...unpleasant dungeon."

Adam noticed fang was wearing a black X-harness like Lance, but this one had a long connector that held up the black jockstrap around his hips. A leather cap was on his head, and his tongue trailed across his white teeth sensually.

"Who said I was going to your dungeon?" Adam replied back with a huff at the cockiness that the panther gave off. "And why are you following me in the first place?" Adam was not in the mood to deal with such a dominant personality at the moment.

Giving the buck a grin that showed his fangs, the panther moved swiftly out of the way as Adam made his way down the stairs. His tail flicked softly back and forth, a soft purr coming from his lips as his eyes gazed over Adam's chest in the fishnet shirt. "You seem to be testy today. You're lucky I like when prey has a bit of fight in them." Giving a snicker at Adam's annoyed expression, Fang backed off a bit before saying, "And I have not been following you. The club has eyes and ears in places you do not know about. Keep that in mind before chasing after someone..."

"Is that a thre-?"

Before he could respond, Adam turned over to where the panther was standing to see his form was gone. Feeling his body shake a bit as he made his way across the dance floor once again, Adam sighed in relief when he sat down at the bar.

"Hell of a dance, wasn't it?" a deep voice said behind Adam, Dasher appearing and sitting down next to the buck and smirking, wearing a red leather version of his usual red jockstrap adorned with jingling bells along with a red leather harness which was just a big X across his chest. "Figured you'd come back, little buck. Never learned how to leave well enough alone, did you?"

Not knowing how to respond as the caribou acted as if everything was all buddy buddy, Adam awkwardly tried to scoot away a bit on his seat. The last sentence that Dasher said gave him a strange, eerie feeling. Plus, the fact that Dasher rarely came so close to him at the bar sent off a few warning signals, especially after all the drama that had been involved between them. "What is he up to?" Adam thought to himself. He hoped that that Dasher was just here to buy him a drink.

"Do you need something, Prancer?" Adam asked, cutting straight to the point. He began to get up to make sure he could get away before Toby could catch whatever was about to happen.

Dasher put a hand on Adam's right shoulder and pushed him back down into his seat. "Aw, c'mon, buddy, just talk with me," he grinned, an odd predatory look in his eyes. "I went through all the trouble of nabbing one of my wristbands for you, so you could at least humor me with a conversation," the caribou said as he grabbed Adam's left hand and slapped the red wristband around the buck's wrist, the adhesive keeping it firmly on his wrist.

Feeling the rubber kiss his wrist, Adam looked down and felt the caribou squeeze around the band with a smile across his face. Adam could not help but feel something sinister was about to happen, and he pulled his wrist away from the caribou sharply. The buck had a confused look on his face, and he did not realize that the wristband was now attached to his fur. He looked into Dasher's expression, trying to read what he had planned for him. Unfortunately for him, Dasher was good at concealing his motives.

"What?" Dasher rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't look so confused. I told you what would happen if you hurt Jericho and came back here, buck, so now you and I are going to go up to the North Pole and have a little chat, alright? And look, you even have my wristband! How convenient that you now have a pass to go upstairs with me..." he grinned evilly.

"You son of a b-" Adam stopped himself when he saw Toby looking over, and he sat in his chair with a defeated look on his face. "Fine, I'll play your game, but know that I put my heart and soul into repairing our friendship," Adam hissed quietly.

"Like hell you did!" Dasher hissed back. "I don't exactly have the largest circle of friends, but I know damn well that repairing a friendship doesn't include telling the guy you made fall in love with you that you're interested in someone else, let alone his fucking coworker!" Dasher looked pissed now. "Join me upstairs, unless you'd rather get kicked out of here for causing a scene in about ten seconds," he threatened as he stood up.

Looking back over at Toby, Adam noticed the otter was still busy serving drinks, but his eyes were trained on the two curiously. Giving a small groan when he realized he was being played into this, Adam growled, "Fine, but I'm tired of being on off and on terms with you. After this, no more of this shit." Getting up, Adam felt like hot steam was pouring out of his ears. He was tired of these stupid games with people who did not understand the situation, and now he was probably going to get his ass handed it to him for it. "Want me to just walk on up now, or do you want to dance for me first?" Adam joked darkly as he stood by Dasher with his arms crossed. The caribou seemed to tower over him. The fight wouldn't last long at all.

Dasher smirked at that. "I'll go up first, but you best follow me up there in the next thirty seconds, got it? Don't keep me waiting.

Feeling his teeth grind together, Adam promised, "I'll be there." The words came out like a tired sigh.

"Good boy," the caribou smirked, turning and walking off, soon disappearing up the stairs.

"You fucking prick!" Adam growled in obvious anger down towards the caribou. Some of the people around him looked at him as if he was joking, but when they saw his obviously displeased expression, they quickly walked the other way. Adam stomped towards the stairs, walking up them and following the caribou closely. He watched him make a sharp left at the top of the stairs with a cocky smirk across his face as he beckoned him with his index finger, and the buck followed. He was mostly fueled by anger and his nerves. He just wanted to get this pummeling over with, and he wished all of this was just one big prank with a surprise at the end.

Dasher waited until Adam entered the private room, still adorned with a variety of christmas decorations, before blocking the door behind him with his body. "Here we are again. You, me, and an angry dragon," he grinned. "As is tradition, let's hear your shitty defense so I can get to the fun part."

Giving a worried look as his eyes fell upon Garl, who stood in assless chaps with a ball-gag around his neck, Adam was not surprised that Garl was in the room. "You've pretty much heard it all," Adam said honestly as he begun to brace himself when Garl began to walk steadily closer. "I did my best to tell Jericho I was still...I was still wanting to chase after Lance, and I no longer felt anything romantically for him, but still wanted to be friends. I fucked up, but I tried to repair it. Maybe I should have never become involved in all of this, but now I must accept the consequences, I guess." Saying what was on his mind made him calm down a bit, but the primal anger that he needed to unleash was still stirring within him.

"Well it's not even fun if you're not gonna at least try to persuade me not to punch your teeth out," Dasher sighed advancing behind Adam. "Regardless, you came back here after failing to fix what you had with Jericho, as seen by my bull roommate still being single, and I DID give you a nice little warning if you showed your face around here again if you did exactly what you did. Now, what kind of guy would I be if I went back on a threat like that? No one would take me seriously. Perhaps I'll have to punch some sense into Lance too, once we're done here with you. You both played a part in fucking with Jericho's emotions, and I can't forgive that."

"Don't bring Lance into this," Adam threatened with a snarl as he turned around with a finger extended. He did not know that such a voice was inside of him, and he almost recoiled when he heard it. It was deep, loud, and straight to the point. He almost hiccupped afterwards when he realized what came out of him.

Garl seemed to have stopped in his tracks and was a bit hesitant in moving forward towards Adam. Dasher, however, was unfazed and clearly unamused. "And why should I? Bad enough you broke Jericho's heart once, but then you went and did it a second time, because of him, so he's practically an accomplice, as far as I'm concerned!"

Seeming to snap himself out of whatever he was feeling, Garl was about to ask something, but fell silent. "Lance did nothing! He didn't make the mistake, I made it! Don't fucking touch him, Dasher," Adam cried out at the caribou. He didn't care if anyone heard him, or if the whole club heard him, he just wanted Dash to wise up to what he was truly saying. Adam's desperation was becoming more evident. He could not understand why a bystander had to be brought into their conflict.

"Perhaps, but maybe it'll be sweet revenge either way, if I fuck up this pretty little face of yours, and he can't stand to look at you, so goodbye relationship," Dasher grinned maliciously, grabbing Adam and pushing him backwards into Garl.

Feeling his back collide with the mound of muscle, Adam looked up to see Garl's concerned face as he looked over at Dasher. He pushed Adam back into the middle, not roughly, but not gently either. It was as if something in his stomach was not settling right. "Listen...Dash...I think that maybe..."

"Maybe, what? Don't tell me you're backing out NOW, of all times?" Dasher asked with annoyance in his voice as he looked at his boyfriend.

"I don't know if...I can't..." Garl hesitated, and Adam glanced at Garl to see him fighting an internal battle. Adam did not know if the comment about Lance made him rethink what was happening, or if it was him, but something was uncomfortable for him.

Dasher growled. "You and I are having a very long talk when we get home, Garl. Since when did you start caring about this little fuck?" The caribou grabbed Adam and threw him to the floor, landing harmlessly in decorative cotton ball snow. "Do I need to remind you about Jericho locking himself in his room for days because of what this guy did to him?"

Garl felt his muzzle bare his teeth in anger, but at the same time, he was still a bit reluctant. He never saw his boyfriend so aggressive. He was in shock and feared the caribou in his fit of rage. This was not the person he fell in love with, but at the same time, he could still hear Jericho's cries in his mind. Adam was nothing special when it came to the scum that played with Jericho's emotions, but no guy had ever came back to apologize. Feeling dizzy, Garl felt as if he needed fresh air. His mind began to buzz, and the loyalty he had to his original promise began to fade. He hoped that Adam and Jericho would work something else out, so it would not have come to blows.

"I know what he did to Jericho, but I don't like...seeing you like this."

Hearing those words made Dasher pause, his aggression fading into a stunned, ashamed look. "I'm just trying to protect my friends, Garl, you know that..." He looked up into the larger male's eyes, looking like a child who had just been scolded by a parent. "You know I would never hurt Lance. He's like a brother to us, even if I don't like what's happened here. It's just...seeing Jericho like that...I just got so angry, and all of that was directed at this deer," Dasher said with a gesture down at Adam.

Sitting with a stunned expression on his face, Adam remembered all the threats Dasher had made, and here it was as if he was suddenly forgotten about. He waited for the two men to hug it out with tears in their eyes and walk out, but he knew that probably would not be the way it would end.

Garl sighed and said, "I know. I'm furious at him for what he did to Jericho, too. I think, when you mentioned Lance...I just stopped." Garl stood with a somber expression on his face, his shoulders slumping low in embarrassment, combined with relief that his mate was calming down.

Dasher sighed, ignoring Adam and walking forward to wrap his arms around his boyfriend, burying his face in the dragon's neck. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry for always acting so irrationally when my anger gets the best of me. Please...forgive me, love," the big caribou said sincerely.

"It's...it's fine, Dash. I forgive you. However..."

Sighing at the sign of affection, Adam felt his body begin to calm down, and he began to wiggle his way out from the cotton balls around him. As he did so, he noticed the two were hugging in an intimate embrace. When the dragon eventually opened his eyes, they flicked over to the deer to see him scrambling to stand upward.

Turning over to Adam, the dragon snorted, and the deer thought he saw fire come from his nostrils. "I'm still pissed off..."

Dasher grinned, releasing the hug as he looked at his boyfriend. "Now that's the dragon I fell in love with! Whew, and here I thought you were going to try to persuade me to let him just walk out of here!"

"I think I was just reluctant about Lance. Now, where were we?" Garl said, a sinister smile spreading across his face as looked over to see Adam slowly making his way over to the door and trying not to draw attention to himself. Adam stopped when he felt eyes burning into the back of his neck, and he turned around to see the couple staring at him. He braced himself once again.

"You want the first punch, my love?" Dasher grinned, cracking his knuckles as they advanced on Adam.

"Nah, I'll let you do the honors, dear," Garl said back while giving Dasher a small peck on the cheek.

"I love you," the caribou chuckled, closing the distance between himself and Adam quickly and punching the buck hard in the gut.

Hunching forward as Adam felt the fist sink into him, the blow felt as if he got hit by a truck. He had never been in a fight before past the age of ten, so the fact that he was still in denial of what was happening made the whole experience somewhat surprising. He coughed, expecting blood, but was pleased that he was not coughing up his lifeblood. Pushing forward, the buck hoped to try to push Dasher onto the floor and away from him. He threw his arms forward and felt hard, unyielding muscle in his way, but he did manage to move the caribou a few inches. He thanked Lance's workout program for that. He saw Garl circle like a shark, moving up behind him in a quick flash. Part of him was more worried about what Dasher was going to do, less so about the dragon. However, he started to worry when he felt hands move underneath his arms and pull him towards Garl's chest.

"How sweet of you, Garl! You caught me a punching bag!" Dasher mock cheered as the dragon held Adam in place, the caribou immediately throwing punch after punch at the buck's midsection.

Feeling tears start to form with every gut-wrenching slam into his abs, the buck cried out with every hit. He tried not to concentrate on the punches, and in response, he kicked out his legs, hitting the caribou square in the chest. He hoped that would at least slow down the stream of hits. Struggling in Garl's hold, Adam tried to wiggle his way free, but Garl just growled, and said, "We warned you, buck. You hurt Jericho, and now you should receive the punishment for it."

"You guys are fucking unstable," the buck choked out as he felt his midsection sting with pain from all the blows. He coughed, and this time he had to keep himself back from nearly hurling. "Get off me, and let me go! This isn't high school!"

"Isn't it, though?" Lance's voice asked from the doorway, the bison's arms folded across his chest as he stood there in his full attire from earlier. "I hope you've got a damn good reason for bullying my boyfriend, you two," his deep voice said with a low growl.

Garl's eyes went wide, and he instantly dropped Adam onto the floor, the deer heaving and coughing up a storm. He held onto his stomach, looking up at Lance who towered over him. He felt an instant feeling of relief, combined with remorse. He never wanted to get the bison involved in this, and here he was, standing over him and calling him his boyfriend! Adam didn't even hear the words and have them fully register in his mind; he was in too much pain from getting the crap beaten out of him.

"I think...I think I am just going to take a small rest," Adam mumbled as he laid on his side, clutching his gut.

Lance's expression was blank as he stared down Garl and Dasher. "You've got five seconds to defend yourselves."

Garl said nothing, his guilt evident across his features. He was about to say something, but he stopped himself and fell quiet, like a child. The same hesitation when he talked with Dasher about the situation was evident. Crawling over to Lance, Adam pulled himself upward by Lance's legs, and wrapped his arms around his midsection, as if in thanks. He was breathing heavy, and every breath felt labored.

Garl was almost ready to beg, and he looked over at Dasher to see he was pretty stunned as well.

"Sit down, love," Lance said softly as he guided Adam over to a chair meant for Santa to sit in. "I'll be right back, okay?" He stood up and faced Garl and Dasher, cracking his knuckles. "Your time's up," the bison growled as he charged forward and slugged Garl hard across the face, thankfully only hitting his cheek to prevent any black eyes, since looks were 95% of their job.

"Hey, hands off my man!" Dasher growled, throwing himself at Lance and sending both bovine and cervine to the ground in a mass of writhing limbs, both fighting for control of the pin, the caribou getting a couple good shots in on Lance's midsection.

Garl felt the blow across his face, but he shook it off, kneeling down in an attempt to grab Lance, but instead got another slug, but from Dasher's elbow as he pulled it back to take a swing at Lance. Adam would have laughed, but it hurt to. All of this looked so unnecessary, and it was all because of him.

"Stop..." Adam said weakly, but it came out in a bit of a gasp, like a can of air that's almost empty.

Lance took a blow to the cheek, knocking him off balance just enough that Garl could get a good grip on him and pin the bison's arms behind him. "Get off me, Garl!" Lance growled, thrashing in the dragon's powerful grip. It was perhaps a little dirty, but Lance pulled his leg up and slammed it back down, his hoofed foot painfully stomping down on the musclebound reptile's foot.

Bellowing out in agony, Garl let the bison go and stepped back with a snarl of anger across his face. "Why are you helping him?! After all he did to Jericho..." Garl said through his pain as he leaned forward to begin to nurse his aching foot.

"Jericho is a grown-ass man who can fight his own battles!" Lance roared, his fists clenched as he advanced on the dragon. "He's a fucking bouncer! He doesn't need two bullies to harass anyone who wrongs him!"

While Lance's back was turned, however, Dasher took a cheap shot into the bison's ribs, bringing the large bovine to his knees as he clutched his side. "Perhaps, but it doesn't take back the fact that the buck you're trying to protect hurt him terribly, even AFTER Jericho mentioned how shitty his past with guys has been. Dear Adam here STILL pursued him, slept with him, and destroyed Jericho's trust forever when he moaned out YOUR name during sex! You're protecting a manipulative, lying, USER of a buck, Lance, or did you manage to not see that while you were busy going on dates with him and sleeping with him? He's only doing all this with you to satisfy his sick need to sleep with and then throw away the guys after he's gotten what he wants out of them," Dasher spoke, his words laced with an almost tangible venom behind them.

The bison looked over his shoulder at Adam. He wasn't really like that, was he? The doubt was evident in Lance's eyes. "Adam...tell me it's not true..." Lance said, his eyes searching Adam's face for any evidence of a lie.

Adam shook his head, and said, "I've told you everything, Lance. I've admitted everything to you. I have nothing left to give you. Please, you have to believe me." Nearly begging as he said the words, Adam clutched his stomach. The pain began to dull, but it was still a bit difficult to say words without wincing.

Lance hesitated for a moment, wanting to believe Adam's words. "Okay," he said, getting back up to his feet before turning on Dasher and punching him hard with a right hook to the jaw, sending the large caribou sprawling on the floor.

"BOYS!" an angry voice yelled from the doorway. The door to Dasher's North Pole was wide open, and in the doorway stood a very angry-looking red fox, behind whom stood Fang and Jericho. He wore a clearly very expensive black tuxedo, under the jacket of which was a blood red vest, a tie of identical color, and a white dress shirt, the outfit complete with cufflinks and tails. His fur was the striking orange-red color his species was famous for, and it stood in stark contrast to the whites and blacks around his muzzle. To say that he was both dressed and groomed impeccably would be a massive understatement, but his otherwise handsome features were marred by a barely controlled rage as his amber eyes looked between each of the three dancers before him then over to the buck sitting in the chair behind them. "Who wants to explain to me what's going on here?" he growled..

Adam sat in the chair that was a bit too large for his frame, and the buck was about to say something before falling silent. All of this was too ridiculous for him to put into words. Here he was, chest hurting, eyes watering, and knees shaking with a room full of strippers beating the crap out of one another. If his mother asked him what he had in been doing with himself in Pennsylvania, this scene would not have even left his mouth. But there he was, looking over at Fang, and Adam saw the panther give him a wink. The buck had a feeling he had something to do with this. He gave a relieved smile back, but he quickly turned away when the fox looked at him with a glare.

Jericho seemed to be stunned at the situation, but he still kept a professional attitude about it; he was respectfully silent.

"Mr. Tux!" Lance practically yelped, practically snapping to attention like the fox were his commanding officer in the military, Dasher, surprisingly, following suit as he picked himself up off the floor. "W-what are you doing out of your office, sir?" To Adam's surprise, Lance genuinely sounded nervous and just a little scared.

The fox, who was maybe all of five and a half feet tall and practically two whole feet shorter than the white bull behind him, just glared at Lance, the bison shrinking noticeably under that stern gaze. "Mr. Blunt," he said, indicating Fang behind him, "came and notified me that there was a situation in progress, and I felt that a strong, supervisory hand was needed in a situation like this. I trusted you boys to be able to behave yourselves, and so I gave you free reign to do as you wished within the walls of this place, but it would appear that my trust was misplaced." His eyes shifted and locked on Garl's. "Mr. Fang, please enlighten me as to why three of my dancers are in this room, brawling, and why there is a patron up here with you."

As Garl began to open his mouth to speak, his shoulders began to slump again, and his wings drooped low. He began to shake nervously, his fingers trailing around one another as he tried to search for words he wanted to say. Before his mouth opened to explain, Adam began to stand, and said, "Sir, would you mind if I tried to explain the situation?" He felt his confidence waver a bit when Mr. Tux's piercing amber eyes fell over him. Adam didn't know if it was guilt that ate at him, making him want to come forward, or if it was Jericho's expression as he looked over the results of the carnage, but he felt like he needed to intervene before Garl had a breakdown.

"First, state your name," Mr. Tux replied. "Then tell me, in your own words, what happened here and why." His gaze was one of interest, but the anger was still simmering below the outwardly civilized surface.

"My name is Adam, Adam Wueller...sir," the buck managed to spill out before starting to walk forward. His hands fell to his side casually, not wanting to give any reason to expect he was about to cause trouble. "And I can tell you everything, as long as we go to a more..." Looking over at Jericho, Adam bit his lower lip and chose his words carefully, "...private area. I can explain as much as you want to know there." The silence that fell afterwards felt almost deafening. There were a thousand and one questions flooding Adam's mind: What if I get in trouble? What if I can never set foot into the club again? What if I get everyone in trouble? What does Jericho think about this? What if this ends up on some news site? What if Lance gets fired? The last question was the hardest to swallow, and he felt his nerves begin to heighten as he began to realize the severity of the situation. Lance had already told him that the majority of his income was from dancing, and he'd fall upon extremely hard times, if he lost this job.

The fox's eyes analyzed him for a solid twenty seconds before he finally spoke. "Alright. Garl, Dasher, Lance, Adam, and Jacob, all of you to my office. Jericho, if you'd kindly inform Toby that this problem is being dealt with, and then tell the DJ to distract everyone from the lack of dances with music, it would be greatly appreciated."

"Yes, sir," Jericho nodded before walking off to do as was asked of him.

"Hop to it, boys," Mr. Tux stated with mild annoyance, watching Lance and Dasher practically flee the room.

Garl did the same, following Dasher out with haste. Adam spent a bit more time getting out of the room, feeling the bruises on his chest rub against his fishnet shirt. He winced for a moment but did not wish to look like a weakling, so he managed to walk out of the room at a moderate pace. When Mr. Tux followed him out, he walked ahead swiftly to stand by the dancers, as if inspecting them for any physical harm.

Sliding up near the buck, Fang appeared, almost out of thin air, with a smirk on his face. He leaned forward and whispered to Adam, "I told you that there are eyes and ears. Took over Lance's private dance and threw him out of his own room, so he could save you," the panther said with an uncharacteristically reassuring smile.

Adam gave him a look as the feline scurried forward near Mr.Tux, making sure to keep a respectable distance from the owner of the club. Adam felt alone as he trailed in the back, but at the same time, he needed the distance to gather his thoughts in peace. The buck watched Jericho break off from the group and head back downstairs. He waved cheerfully to some of the patrons on the lower level, as if nothing had even happened. Adam was thankful for the bull's ability not to break under pressure.

A few steps later, and the group stood in front of a shiny black door that had a well-crafted brass knob. Above the door, a thin brass metal plate had "Mr. Tux's Office" labeled on the front with a silhouette of a fox lying on his back and holding up a martini glass right below the words.

The fox walked forward and slid a key into the lock, opening the door for all the males in front of him, everyone walking inside quickly, not wanting to keep Mr. Tux waiting, since his bushy orange and white tail was lashing from side to side, silently displaying his displeasure with the situation. His office was relatively modest, as far as offices go, but he had a large mahogany desk, on the side of which sat a computer monitor and keyboard, along with various random curios and knick knacks across its shining wooden surface.

The walls were lined with pictures of all of the dancers, past and present, who had ever been employed at the Foxhole Lounge. There were lions, bears, tigers, bulls, orcas, and numerous other species, but all of them had one thing in common: every single last male on the wall was a muscular Adonis, even the few foxes on the wall, though they were nowhere near as bulky as some of the larger species. Each picture frame had a nameplate on it with the guy's name, stage name, and the years he worked at the Foxhole. On the wall opposite the wall of dancers was a wall dedicated to all of the bartenders and bouncers who had ever been employed there over the years, framed in a similar fashion, and intermixed with a large variety of group photos which had been taken ever since the club had opened nearly sixty years ago.

On the remaining wall, there was simply an ornate clock and a window covered by blinds, which, judging by the changing lights coming through it, was the window that overlooked the dance floor and stage. It would be easy to stand up here and look down at the throngs of people below and feel like a god, like you ruled everything the multicolored lights touched.

Mr. Tux sat down behind his desk and leaned forward, steepling his fingers and resting his chin on the tips of his fingers. "Everyone, please have a seat," the fox stated, motioning to the two couches that lined the wall where the window was.

Adam did as he was told, and he watched with awe as everyone followed suit without as much as a peep of disobedience. Adam remembered Lance telling him he liked his job, but if he had said anything other than that, the buck would have cried about the dancers being slaves. However, it seemed they all just had that much respect for Mr. Tux. Shivering out of nervousness at the display, Adam finally began to realize what kind of power he was dealing with.

The couch was comfortable and supported his back. The cushion of the couch wrapped around him, and it made him feel oddly safe in the intense environment. The way everyone was dressed was totally opposite of the overall mood of the situation; there was nothing erotic in this moment at all.

"Now, Mister Wueller, was it? I do believe you had a story to share with me. Speak plainly and openly, and be straight to the point. While I care about the details, I also have no desire to keep everyone up here for a long, drawn-out story. There are still seven more dances tonight, and we're already behind schedule because of this little debacle," Mr. Tux said, his black-tipped ears swiveling on his head slightly, as if trying to catch every sound in the room.

Adam was tired of explaining his story over and over, but he held back his annoyance. He knew that this time, the story would involve jobs being at stake. He sighed and began to retell it, starting with Jericho. He made sure to tell it in a professional manner, but did as Mr. Tux requested, and he jumped straight to the point each time. He skipped over the dates he had with Lance and jumped straight into the relationship aspect. He made sure to look in between the lines of the emotions of the situation instead of focusing on every small detail. He stressed the strain on each relationship and ignored the audience's huffs at his retelling. He left out his own personal emotions, even when his throat closed, and he found it hard to speak. When he finished, he leaned back in the couch and looked around to see the others' reactions. They seemed to be focused on Mr. Tux's every gesture, as if waiting for the verdict to be announced.

"I see..." the fox said slowly, scratching his chin, as if deep in thought. "And you believe your feelings to be genuine?"

Adam felt something snarky rising. "What else would I willingly get punched in the chest and stomach multiple times for?" He suppressed the urge to say that, and simply said, "Yes, I feel them to be genuine."

Mr. Tux regarded Adam for a long moment. "Humor me, Adam: If you were in my position, what punishment would you give out to Dasher, Garl, AND Lance?" He emphasized the 'and', meaning that he was considering punishing Lance as well for the fight. "Do try to be impartial and not let your feelings cloud your judgement."

Adam wanted to yell out in anger. He felt that, if anyone was to be punished, it should be him. Adam was taken by surprise at the sudden question, and he whispered very quietly, "I would fire them, sir." Feeling as if he had been slapped across the face, he fell silent and hung his head in shame. He wished it had never gotten to this point, never went this far, but here he was, staring his consequences right in the face.

Lance made a strangled sound behind him, as did Dasher and Garl. "Sir, you can't possibly...!" Dasher stood up and tried to protest before Mr. Tux cut him off with a penetrating glare.

The fox stared him down, the caribou backing down and sitting back down on the couch before Mr. Tux's gaze shifted back to Adam. "Do you, Adam the buck, not Adam the theoretical club owner, find that to be a fair punishment for what has transpired here tonight?"

Adam felt his lip quiver a bit, and he shook his head before placing his head in his hands. "I feel that I should be taken into account, too, but...I don't know if I want to answer that question, sir. I'm afraid I wouldn't sound very professional. Please, don't base your opinion off of...of my own advice." He tried to hide the tears streaming down his face, holding his breath before covering his face.

Mr. Tux pressed on, regardless. "You'd fire your own, well, not boyfriend I suppose, but you'd fire the guy you're interested in because it would be the right thing to do, not because you want to? Am I understanding that correctly, Mr. Wueller?" The uncomfortable silence which followed was practically painful for the three whose jobs were on the chopping block.

Adam felt a lump forming in his throat. Why was Mr. Tux doing this to him? Why did he push him so hard? It was then he realized that this was his punishment; he put this on himself. He wanted to deny the fact that he was ever involved, run away and never look back. Adam figured if all three of them did decide to beat the living tar out of him after this was all over, that he did not know what he could possibly say to stop them.

"Yes..." Adam said weakly. He wanted to plead, beg, and request mercy, but he knew that there was nothing else to say. What employer would want three loose cannons on the job? He didn't know, and frankly, he just wanted the prying to cease.

The fox's expression remained totally blank as he looked at Adam, his amber eyes seemingly cold and calculating. Out of nowhere, his lips curved into a grin as he looked between Garl, Dasher, and Lance. "Well, you've heard his judgement, boys. As of this moment, you are all..." He took a painfully long time to finish the sentence, his eyes locking onto each of their own over the span of the silence, "...off the hook."

There was stunned silence, followed by a loud sigh or relief from the three dancers. "Dasher, Garl: remember this night, because this buck's honesty just saved your jobs. Lance, you've found yourself quite the man. Hold onto him tight, you hear? Not many guys would ever dream of saying what he just said in front of the guy he was interested in, and it took some real balls to remain impartial and do what is right, rather than what he wanted. Logically, he'd want to save your job, but instead he chose justice over love. I'd say a moral compass like that would be invaluable in a relationship, wouldn't you agree?"

Lance was barely even able to nod. His heart was still pounding in his chest, unable to comprehend everything that was happening. "Yes, sir!" he replied, his voice quiet and surprised.

Adam sniffed loudly, wiping his eyes and his nose with his fishnet shirt. It was quite disgusting, but he did not care. He was secretly thrilled that he managed to get out of the situation, but he felt incredibly jaded about it. His own emotions were cheering for him, patting him on the back for a job well done, while his logical side was looking for some catch to this situation. It was as if everything worked out once again in the grand scheme of things. He was still shaking, terrified of the whole situation. He knew he threw Lance underneath a bus, but part of him felt that it was a miracle that he made it through all of this relatively unscathed physically. He swore that he would end up nearly dead by the end of all this.

"You're all dismissed. Garl and Dasher, to make up for missing a dance, you're both going on together, so get down there and tell the DJ to start your show. Lance, good job earlier. Saw the whole thing from up here," Mr. Tux said as the three dancers, followed by Fang, who had sat silently in the back this whole time, left the room, Lance hanging back for just a second before walking out into the hallway. "Adam, if you could please spare a moment, I'd like to talk with you for a second. Please shut the door."

When Adam noticed everyone leave, he shut the door and sat back down on the couch. It seemed he calmed himself, his composure a bit more lively, but he was still bracing himself for anything that resembled a punishment. Looking over at Mr. Tux, he noticed that he was fiddling with his fingers, moving them around as if feeling for something. Adam opened his mouth to say something, but he fell silent. It seemed that was the role he kept falling back into; an open mouth, but no words to say.

"I have to admit, I'm surprised, Adam. I'm usually a pretty good judge of character, but I didn't know what to think about you, right up until the end," the red fox said, reaching under his desk and pulling out two tumblers and a decanter of wine, pouring two glasses of the red liquid and handing one to Adam.

Taking the glass, Adam sniffed it to smell the strong grape mixed with the bite of alcohol. He was not much of a wine person, but he could make an exception for this moment. He needed the glass. Adam tipped the glass back until he could taste the sweet grape on his lips along with the mild flavor of alcohol. He placed the glass down, his thirst sated, and he managed to say, "What do you mean...sir?" Adam said while quickly adding the sir. He felt his own personality was not too hard to figure out. Quite the pretentious thing to think, but he found himself easy to handle.

"Based off your story, I had gotten the impression that you genuinely didn't know what you wanted out of all of this, but when you got to the part about your interest in Lance, that's when I decided to turn all of this into a test. I wanted to see just how strong your character was, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that your sense of justice is very similar to my own. I figure, if you were just mildly interested in Lance, you would have made some big speech about how Lance didn't deserve to be fired, that he was just protecting you from Dasher and Garl. Instead, you chose to say you'd fire him as well, which I'll admit surprised me," Mr. Tux smiled.

"Since, let's be honest, unless you were an immensely terrible person, you wouldn't purposely voice such an opinion, but I saw something in you that told me that you'd stand by Lance, even if he did walk out of here tonight unemployed. In all honesty, that's what stayed my hand tonight," the fox said, sipping his wine. "Lance deserves someone who will stand by him, no matter what, even if the right thing to do isn't easy. He's been through a lot since I hired him here, and his gentle soul needs someone like you to give him confidence in who he is. And," he smirked, "I gave you the perfect way out of whatever little vendetta Dasher and Garl had against you, since, for all intents and purposes, you saved their jobs tonight. I understand their anger, and their motives were noble, even if the execution was less so."

By the time Mr. Tux was done with his speech, the glass that Adam's hand was around was empty. Even though Adam was listening intently, he thought about some of the first words that the fox had said, "...that you generally didn't know what you wanted..." He thought long about those words, about what Lance meant to him, and he felt a smile cross his face. Before Mr. Tux could say anything, he raised his hand, and said, "Do you mind if add something, sir?"

"By all means, Adam," the fox smiled, raising his glass before taking another sip. "More wine?" he offered.

Adam nodded and watched as Mr. Tux's hand tipped to pour out more of the decanter's contents until a suitable amount of wine sat in the glass. "I don't know if Lance will ever be truly everything I want with every part of my being." When he said this, he watched the fox's claws click against the glass, clearly annoyed by the words. "And before you say something, I think no one truly knows what they want. I feel relationships are the same. However, there is not a minute in the the day where Lance is not on my mind, even in the smallest ways. I don't know if he is what I want, but he is pretty damn close."

Adam didn't know why he admitted such personal thoughts to a man he just met, but he figured it could have been the wine that he was sipping at.

"To expect perfection would be foolish and unrealistic," Mr. Tux nodded. "So, I agree with your logic there. If he makes you happy, then that is all that should matter, and his flaws are trivial in comparison. One final question, and this is just because I'm nosy and curious: Do you love him?"

Adam felt a blush cross his face before he began to smile. He downed the rest of the wine in one swoop before leaning forward with his cheeks glowing a rosy pink and said, "Is that even a question?" As he said this, a big grin crossed his face, and he began to laugh cheerfully. The laugh started to turn into more of a small chuckle before he fell silent and stared at his hands, as if expecting them to do something he did not expect.

"Of course...of course...I love him," Adam whispered.

"I figured as much," the fox grinned in reply. "I hope you two will be happy together, and I mean that. You're a good kid. Confused, but good, much like Lance." He smiled and sat back in his chair. "You may go now, if you wish. I imagine there's a bison outside my door who's pacing a hole through the floor."

"Mr. Tux, if you don't mind me asking, why was I not punished?"

The fox looked down into his glass for a moment before responding. "If I'm being honest, it's because I see a lot of myself in you. When I was your age, I drifted from bed to bed for years, never really knowing if what I was feeling for any given guy was actually love, or if I was just trying to convince myself of something that wasn't there. I had all but given up on the very idea of finding love, figuring that love was a lie we told ourselves to deepen the bond of what was just the carnal act of rutting one another. That is, until I met my husband." He smiled at some fond memory, but he didn't continue.

"Sir, why are you telling me all this? I mean, I like the stories, but you're being really open to someone you just met," Adam said with a chuckle as he pushed the wine glass away from him so the fox could not tempt him with more. He felt he spilled enough of his heart for today.

Mr. Tux just laughed. "Kid, I just spent the better part of the last hour sitting in a room with four practically naked men and a deer in a pretty revealing outfit, listening to said deer regale me of how he had sex with one of my bouncers and is now pursuing a romantic relationship with one of my dancers, which I just gave you my blessing to follow through with," he parried. "I daresay that telling you I had a fairly promiscuous past should hardly be surprising, considering your own past, I'd wager, though you'll forgive me if I'm assuming incorrectly."

Adam grinned and said, "Your assumption is spot on." Getting up, Adam reached out his hand and said, "It's been a pleasure, Mr. Tux, and I would like to chat again sometime, if you have the chance. However, I believe I should be leaving now."

"Go be with your man," the fox smiled, taking Adam's hand and shaking it as he stood. "Also, tell him that he can have the rest of the night off." He released the buck's hand and grinned. "Oh, and Adam? Do try not to sleep with any more of my bouncers. It just makes more trouble for everyone," Mr. Tux winked. "Have a good night, kid."

Giving a chuckle, Adam opened the door and gave a wave at Mr. Tux before turning around, and stopped with the door open, his surprise stopping him.

"Umm...Hi," a nervous-looking Lance said, standing just outside the door. He had clearly been pacing, if the scuff marks from his hooves on the floor were any indication. "Everything alright?"

Looking behind him to see Mr. Tux wave him away, Adam smirked and closed the door quickly before walking forward. He hugged Lance and said, "Everything is just fine, big guy. You are off for the night, by the way, and Mr. Tux and I had a nice, long chat about personal stuff." Adam snuggled into Lance's nearly naked chest, feeling the cool leather against his cheek as he wrapped his hands around the massive bison's back.

Lance wrapped his arms around Adam, encasing the buck in his thick muscles. "I know you didn't exactly try to, but thank you, Adam. I hadn't even considered that fighting them would jeopardize my job, but thanks to you, I still have a reliable source of income. Thank you, Adam. Are you okay, by the way? Those two aren't exactly weaklings, so I imagine you're in a great deal of pain," the bison said, probing Adam's midsection while watching his eyes for any winces of pain.

Cringing a bit as his fingers grazed over a few bruises, Adam nodded and said, "Yeah, they can throw a few good punches, but I sucked in my chest. I read somewhere online that if...urgh, ow..." Adam felt the hand immediately begin to rub his abs lovingly. "I think working out helped."

Chuckling softly as he massaged the buck's abs, Lance said, "Well these abs have taken a lot more of a pounding during my workout regimen for you, so I'm not surprised you absorbed the blows pretty well. Though, I think we should get you home and get you iced up," he suggested. "It may not hurt terribly now, but tomorrow it's gonna feel like you got stabbed in the stomach repeatedly."

Smiling up at Lance, Adam nuzzled into the massive shoulder to his left and felt the warm fur caress his face. "I agree. Thanks for backing me up, Lance. You could have just let me go, but..." Adam felt his voice shake a bit, and he said, "But you helped me. No one has ever stepped in like that for me before." Feeling his own hand brush over the bruises, Adam thought back to the anger in Dasher's eyes before the fist collided with his body.

"Hey, I care about you, Adam," Lance replied as he hugged the deer close to himself and looked down at the shorter male, smiling warmly. "Even if I did briefly have a moment of doubt in there, I refused to believe that you were anything other than the man I thought you were. No one gets to beat the hell out of my buck and get away with it!" The lights in the hallway made Lance's eyes almost shimmer as he held Adam there in a gentle hug.

Adam couldn't help but enjoy the warmth of the embrace pouring over him. As a smile creeped across his face, Adam moved his hands across the bison's broad back, feeling the muscles flex before releasing. For the first time during that whole day, he felt as if he was safe, secure, and alone with Lance. Adam grinned as he looked up at Lance, and said, "So, boyfriend, eh? I remember you specifically saying that..."

Lance's face went from smiling, to shocked, to blushing in the span of barely two seconds, the bison blushing bright red and turning his face to the side, just looking at a random spot on the wall. "W-well, the idea was to shock Dasher and Garl into letting you go, make them think I was going to utterly destroy them for laying a hand on someone I cared about...which they did." He didn't expand any further on that thought, but his blushing cheeks said volumes.

Adam smirked, and he decided to push further on the subject. "Mmmhmm, I smell a conspiracy," Adam teased as he wiggled his arms out from around the bison's back and began to trace around his muscled chest. "No one has stood up for me like that before, Lance, and I think I might be feeling something for you; something beyond your body. I like your jockish confidence, but your shy, nerdy side is what I like too. I want to spend more time with you." Feeling a lump start to form in his throat, Adam's heart began to pound in his chest as he traced his hand up Lance's neck, through the thick fur, as if he was feeling it for the first time once again. Adam could not pin down what made him nervous, as well as excited, when it came to Lance, but in this moment, he felt the intimacy and passion in his words come out so naturally. He didn't just crave Lance any longer; he needed him in a romantic way as well.

Lance looked shocked for a moment before his face settled into a happy, goofy smile. "Do you think one month has been long enough, to get a good enough feel for each other, that you really want to pursue something more with me?" Lance asked, not even slightly shy in the question. Instead, his tone was hopeful. "It's not too fast or anything, is it?"

Thinking about everything they had been through, Adam began to reminisce. He remembered first seeing Lance at the pool, the moment where he impaled him on his antlers, the frantic apologizing before repairing their issue with a smoothie, the awkward dancing moment, and then Jericho. Adam paused before a moment, shaking himself out of the nostalgic trip backwards. He did not want to think about the bull right now. Adam shook his head softly, and said, "Not too fast at all, big guy."

The bison smiled just a bit wider before he leaned down and pressed his lips to Adam's softly, holding the kiss for a long moment before slowly parting their lips, his eyes gleaming. "In that case, I'll make this official," Lance said, straightening up and adjusting his leather chaps and harness. "Shame I'm not in better attire for this, but I suppose it'll make for a funny story later," he grinned before his face took on a more business formal look, immediately breaking into a small smile anyway, betraying how happy he was. "Adam Wueller, would you do me the honor of becoming my boyfriend?"

Adam could not help but chuckle at the bison's proposal in a full getup of fetish gear before standing on the tips of his hooves and returning the kiss. His was just as long and contained the same passion. When the kiss broke, he beamed back and said, "Does that answer your question?" Although the formality of the whole situation was foreign to Adam, he did enjoy the procedure that Lance was going through. It made Adam realize just how serious Lance was about everything. The act made Adam's eyes sparkle in his giddiness.

Pausing for just a second, Lance's face burst into a full-blown, excited smile as he picked Adam up off the ground, one large hand under the buck's rump and the other around the middle of his back, and he pulled Adam tightly against him as he planted another, even more passionate kiss on the other male's lips. He held the kiss for what felt like an eternity, the moment frozen in time as they just basked in each other's scent and passion. Time slowly sped back up, and Lance broke the kiss, smiling like a fool. "It was the exact answer I was hoping for, Adam," he smiled brightly. "No one has ever made me as happy as you have made me this past month in a very, very long time, and I'm excited to see where things will go between us."

Adam took a gasp of air and replied back, "I agree. I...I love you, Lance." As if the words surprised him, Adam jumped in Lance's grasp, but smiled. "I love you," he whispered a little quieter. He did not know if the words came from the passion of what happened only moments ago, or if they were building up and suddenly came pouring out, but the sentence was sincere and needy. The buck wiggled his way as close as he could to Lance, never wanting to leave his embrace, but knowing full well that he would have to step away at some point. The leather against his body felt cool, and combined with the warmth that radiated off of Lance, it made for an interesting combination of sensations. He was kind of glad it was leather night.

Lance couldn't help but blush at the words he hadn't expected to hear at that moment, but his reply came out before his mind could catch up to his heart. "I love you too, Adam," he smiled, slowly setting the buck back down onto his own two hooves. "I can't explain it, but you've gotten under my skin like no one else has before, and I know, without a doubt, that I love spending time with you, and just being around you makes me happy, so I know that I...have definitely fallen for you," he added with a shy smile.

Smirking, Adam said, "I'm glad to hear that." Giving a wince as he felt his tender chest throb dully, Adam nuzzled against Lance's chest once again. "So, you mentioned something about icing my bruises? Can we get to that? I love when you hug me, but it hurts a bit right now." The deer gave a weak chuckle as he began feel across Lance's pecs as he felt them flex involuntarily underneath his grip.

Lance, however, looked horrified with himself. "Oh crap! I'm so sorry! I hadn't even thought about the bruises when I hugged you! I'm sorry!" he apologized vigorously, kneeling to rub Adam's chest and stomach softly, as if that would ease the pain.

"Ow, ow, Lance, as much as I appreciate you on your knees before me, we should probably head to the bar and grab some ice from there, or..." Adam paused for a moment as a mischievous smirk crossed his face when he looked at the bison in all leather and imagined him prostrating himself before him. "We can head to one of our homes and get some privacy."

The bison thought that one over for a moment. "Well, I can think of far more romantic places than at the bar at a gay strip and dance club to get my new boyfriend some ice for his bruises, and I DO have a perfectly functional freezer with ice cube trays and freezer packs back at my place," Lance replied with a grin, followed by a wink as a he stood back up, offering Adam his hand.

Feeling the large hand wrap around his smaller one, Adam grinned and said, "I would like nothing more than that. If you want, you can keep on the leather while we walk out of here. I think it suits you." Sticking his tongue out, Adam felt his weight being lifted up off the ground as if he was the lightest thing in the world.

"Ask me nicely, and I'll carry you to the car, but I'm going to change first. I like these clothes, but in case you've forgotten, Fall isn't exactly the warmest season, even if I do have thick fur," Lance chuckled with a roll of his eyes before setting Adam back down. "My clothes are in the dressing rooms behind the stage. Technically, you're not allowed back there, but I think tonight's an exception to the rules."

Adam felt his heart begin to race again as he said in a very deep voice, "Oh my," in a fairly good attempt at mimicking George Takei's trademark line. He chuckled at Lance's reaction, which was another eye roll. Wrapping his arm around Lance's midsection, and the bison easily encompassing the buck's shoulders with his own arm, the two made their way down to the dressing room, cracking small jokes and making lewd comments at one another in a casual manner. "So, still offering me a tour of your dressing area, stud?" Adam joked with a smirk as he pawed at the X harness around Lance's chest.

Lance just laughed. "It's just a tour, and it's really just mirrors and chairs and racks of clothes for various theme nights. It's not like you're walking into a sex dungeon or anything," the bison smirked as they got to the bottom of the stairs, turned left towards the stage, and walked towards the door that was practically hidden against the wall to the left of the stage, Lance seemingly ignoring the incredibly erotic display Dasher and Garl were putting on on the stage, which had the entire audience's attention, no one paying them any mind as Lance opened the hidden door for Adam, all eyes busy being glued to the two hunks on stage practically making out and having sex with each other in a slow, sensual dance, despite clothes still being on.

"Oh, why thank you, Lance," Adam said with a grin as he walked inside. Lance followed, his hooves clopping on the floor as he ducked underneath the doorway.

Once inside, Adam could see the dressing room in all its glory. Well, not so much glory, but it was clear that four males used this space, and housekeeping really wasn't too keen on picking up after them. The room spanned the entire length of the wall behind the stage, and it was divided into multiple little cubicles, each only having short dividing walls which were about four feet tall, though only four of the six were in use, the remaining two appearing to be entirely storage for clothes and props.

They walked past the first cubicle on the left, the space in front of the lighted mirror filled with pieces of leather and what looked like feral animal teeth and bits of leather string. Adam thought of the panther that had stalked him around the club. He guessed that the cubicle was for Fang, and he wished he had paper to write a note to thank him. Although the panther could be obnoxious and got him in trouble by calling security and Mr. Tux in to bail him and Lance out, if it was not for Fang, the guys could have hurt one another a lot worse than simply a few bruises.

Continuing past Fang's dressing area, they passed the second cubicle which had underwear scattered about, but folded neatly. A few wallets, watches, and other paraphernalia were around, as well as a picture of a smiling Dasher with his arms around a hulking red dragon, Garl, looking up at a camera. They were smiling, and the sunlight that shined down on them made their eyes twinkle. Jewelry of different shapes and sizes were littered around the table, and most of it looked fake, or at least easy to apply to a non-pierced area. Horn polish also sat on the table to the side, the canister open, and the lid pushed to the side.

The third area clearly belonged to Dasher, and even a blind man could figure that out. The cubicle was absolutely littered with Christmas stuff, ranging from Christmas stockings to strands of garland, to a full Santa Suit which hung next to a small, fake Christmas tree, fully decorated. On the shelf in front of the mirror was a different picture of himself and Garl, but in this picture Garl was wearing a Santa suit and looking just a little menacing, since Santa had huge red wings and a mouth full of sharp teeth, and Dasher stood next to him with his arms crossed, decked out in harnesses and bells to make him look like a reindeer who was pulling Santa's sleigh. To top it all off, his nose was painted red.

Adam giggled at the picture, but his ribs hurt in the process. Although Garl and Dasher were difficult to deal with, they did take ridiculous pictures that were humorous, and it was almost heartwarming to see the two smiling like that, like they really loved each other and weren't always the angry, gruff guys the buck had come to know.

Adam could take a guess as they rounded the final cubicle that it belonged to the guy in front of him. Unsurprisingly, Lance's cubicle had various Western-style clothes strewn about, and there was a handcrafted coat rack with numerous cowboy hats on it as well as his whip and lasso. "My home away from home," Lance chuckled as he walked into the small space and grabbed his clothes off the chair in front of his mirror. "If you, um, don't mind, could you turn around for a minute?" the bison blushed.

Adam grinned, and said, "Of course." Adam faced the opposite direction, his heart fluttering as he heard Lance rustling about. His mind tried focusing on other things, but he kept wandering back to Lance with every sound that came from behind him. "You doing okay back there?"

"Yeah, just a second," Lance said as he pulled up his jeans. "We're good. You can turn around now," the bison added as he picked up his flannel shirt and slid it on, still barechested for the moment, until he began buttoning it up.

Looking back, Adam noticed the harness was set on top of the table, and the chaps were laid over a bench. Lance stood smiling at Adam from ear to ear, the bison's tail flicking. "I like seeing you in flannel. It makes you look older and mature," Adam mentioned as he watched Lance's fingers work with the buttons. "Not that you aren't mature to begin with!" Adam added quickly as he sauntered forward to Lance and straightened the bottom of his shirt over his jeans.

Lance snorted, laughing softly. "I'll take that as a compliment, even though I feel I should be slightly offended that it apparently makes me look older than twenty-six. Then again, in that outfit, you look like you're nineteen or something," he winked.

Adam chuckled at the remark, and said, "Thanks. I guess I do kind of look like a college freshman trying to fit in again. If you ask me to roleplay that, I'll have to say 'dude' and 'bro' a lot. My roommate was a frat guy, and I tried to play it cool with him. We ended up being good friends, and the booze was nice, but I was really...cliche."

"I can't even imagine you acting the part of a frat bro," Lance laughed. "You always struck me as the guy who would be too proper and a little stuck up at a party, who would need three beers in him before he actually relaxed."

"That's because I grew out of it, I guess," Adam mentioned with a grin at Lance's deep, masculine laugh. "College was a different time for me, and I tried to fit in so bad freshman year. I guess I just changed. Now, I got a stud that rubs ice on my boo boos." Giggling, Adam gave Lance's stomach a playful hit. Like always, he felt the hard, unyielding muscle underneath his clenched fist.

Lance's eyes widened slightly as he sped up buttoning his shirt. "Right, sorry, we really should hurry back to my place so we can ice you up!" He quickly grabbed his keys and wallet, shoved them in his pockets, along with his cellphone, and turned off the light above his mirror. "Shall we?"

"Of course. Lead the way, Lance," Adam said with a reassuring smile. Lance walked out of his area, and Adam followed the bison's heavy hooves close behind. When they made it back out of the hidden door, Adam noticed that the stage was empty. Garl and Dasher seemed to have finished their routine and taken a lucky patron up the stairs. The dance floor still had furs grinding and rubbing up against one another, and the DJ kept the atmosphere perky. It was as if nothing changed after the fight between Adam and the three dancers and the aftermath that followed.

Lance waved to Toby on their way out, the otter cocking his head and looking confused for a moment before smiling and waving back at them. Continuing past, the bison held the door open for Adam with a smile.

Adam walked through the door with a small blush, thinking about what the night had in store for them. When the deer made it outside, he noticed that the sweet heat of a summer's night had been replaced with a cool autumn breeze. Lightning struck in the distance, the heated energy being released in a beautiful display across the sky. Stretching, Adam felt his abs strain as he did so, and he gave a huff when he felt the muscle lock up, the bruises beginning to throb painfully. A line was still leading up to the front door, and Jericho was busy checking people in. Dan sat close by Jericho, smiling up at the bull happily and looking a bit more sober. The white bovine looked cheerful as he checked people in, leaning over to the dragon to whisper something in his ear before Dan was left giggling.

"That's cute. Guess the big guy has another person interested in him already," Lance chuckled, pausing to watch the display.

Adam watched the duo with a smile on his face. It was nice to see times changing. A small leaf fell from above and landed in between Adam's feet, the green color replaced by a bright yellow. Looking behind him, Adam noticed that a leaf was stuck to Lance's fur, the bison seemingly unaware of it being there, and the buck chuckled as he walked forward towards the parking lot. Parting, the crowd moved out of the way of the large bison and his lover. Some winked, and others gawked at the massive male. Adam felt like Lance looked like his bodyguard as his hooves moved from the concrete of the sidewalk and onto the hard asphalt.

The bison just smiled and waved at people, many being regulars who recognized him, and once they were out of view of the line, Lance smiled at Adam. "Almost like you're dating a celebrity or something, huh?" he chuckled.

Adam grinned as he dodged a hulking bull in full leather who was bound to a leash by a snow-white fox. The bull smiled slightly but said nothing, blushing as he looked to his right, towards the fox. The fox blew a kiss towards the bison, and Adam felt a tinge of jealousy, but he just shook it off. Lance was his; he had to trust him. He couldn't have doubts on their first day. He didn't want to spoil the moment.

"Yeah, you kind of ARE one," Adam chuckled as he watched the two walk away. The fox had his left hand on the bull's exposed rump that was only clothed in a bright white jockstrap.

Lance's gaze lingered on the bull's rear perhaps a little longer than would be appropriate, but he quickly snapped his gaze back to Adam. "I don't know that I'd call me that, though. I mean, a minor celebrity at best, and even then, it's only here, among the gay community," he shrugged. "The club is popular enough that pretty much any gay male in the city has come here at least once, so I guess there's some fame to be had, at least to a degree."

Adam smiled at the modesty Lance had, and said, "Well, I can understand why you are so popular." Giving a wink, Adam continued, "Anyway, do you want me to follow you back to your place in my car?" Looking out at the parking lot, Adam noticed there were more cars coming in than going. It seemed it was going to be a busy night for the employees at the Lounge.

"Yeah, just follow me back. Then again, you know the address and how to get there pretty well by now," the bison grinned as they approached the first row of spaces which were reserved for the dancers and staff, Lance's pickup truck being closest to them.

Walking to his own car, Adam unlocked and opened the door and leaned on his car door, his arms laying on the top of the door as he looked over at the bison. "I know the way like the back of my hand. I bet you won't be able to keep up, because I may floor it there," the buck joked as he pulled out his keys and began to fiddle with them. The metal between his fingers was cold against his skin.

Lance just laughed. "If you get pulled over, I'm not paying your ticket! I'll race you, but drive the speed limit," he winked, opening his own car door. Adam laughed audibly as he got into his car and put the key into the ignition.

"I'll see you back at your place, stud!"

The door of Lance's house opened to show the duo smiling in their giddiness as they made their way inside. "That cop almost saw me going a bit faster than I was supposed to. I was kind of glad he went the other way," Adam joked as he walked by the towering male beside him.

The house seemed to be exactly as Adam remembered from his previous visit; everything was organized and clean. The house still smelled like fresh pine, and the living room lamp was on as if to give them a warm welcome. Adam nearly forgot about the main reason that they arrived until he felt a sharp pain in his abs. His eye twitched in the pain, and he moved his hand to nurse the bruises.

"Sit on the couch, and I'll go get you some ice, okay?" Lance smiled, kissing Adam on the forehead and ruffling his hair.

Nodding and taking Lance's advice, Adam walked to the couch and sat down to feel the leather caress his tired body. His back sunk into the seat, and he sighed as he felt fully relaxed for the first time in his life. No one wanted to punch him, no one needed comforted, and he was here with his boyfriend who was getting him ice. For some odd reason, he felt overjoyed that events worked out so strangely to have him sit where he is, looking out of the window to watch the tree outside sway in the breeze.

Grabbing the bottom of his fishnet shirt, the buck began to peel it off, wincing as the fabric brushed against his tender body. Throwing it off to the side, he began to inspect the damage. Although the bruises looked a nasty purple, he'd had worse in the past. The purple seemed to stretch around his lower abs and stomach. He 'tsked' as he looked at his body, reaching out to feel the muscle underneath, and he smirked as he continued to trace his hand across the muscle. The seasons were changing, and even he was changing. Sitting back and thinking about all the events that led up to this moment; from Jericho to Lance, he sighed as he watched a leaf fall from the tree outside the window.

Lance returned a moment later, his steps faltering once he saw Adam sitting there, shirtless on the couch, but he picked up the pace to make it not as obvious that he had stopped to stare for a moment. He walked over to the fireplace and flicked on the gas, a clicking sound following a moment later as the fire sprang to live in the hearth, just long enough for Lance to hide the blush. "I'd make a comment about how you're looking pretty damn sexy tonight, but those bruises look like hell," he laughed as he kneeled in front of the couch and placed one of the three cold packs in his hands against Adam's ribs and the remaining two on his abs and chest a little awkwardly. "Not that you aren't attractive, of course," Lance added with a wink as he looked up at the buck.

Adam smiled at Lance until he felt the cold, numb feeling of the ice packs on his bruises. "Hey, thanks for getting ice packs for me. Also, glad I impress you, even in my less-than-presentable state." Reaching up, Adam stroked Lance's right cheek. "If you don't mind me saying this, I found you extremely sexy in leather tonight. However, that flannel looks hot on you right now too," Adam grinned before letting out a hiss as he adjusted his body and felt the cold pack on a warmer part of his chest.

"You never cease to impress me, buck," Lance smiled as he nuzzled into Adam's hand. "You've really filled out since we started working out together, and these muscles look damn good on you." He shifted the ice pack on Adam's ribs slightly. "I'm glad you liked the leather. That's one of my favorite theme night outfits, honestly, though lumberjack night is right up my alley too!" The larger male paused, grinning. "There is no lumberjack night, but there's never a shortage of wood at the Lounge for any who might wander in."

Adam looked at the bison strangely before the joke clicked, and he chuckled, wincing slightly, before giving Lance's shoulder a small shove and saying, "Oh my! I thought I was supposed to be the perverted one around here!" He beamed, the dirty joke being a pleasant surprise for Adam who was used to Lance being a bit shy when Adam made raunchy jokes.

Blushing softly, Lance looked up into Adam's eyes. "You are still the perverted one around here, and this is coming from a guy who made close to five-hundred bucks from dancing and showing off his body tonight for all of a half hour or so," he winked. "Guess the crowd really liked me tonight. Not that they don't always love me, but that much in one night is absurd, much less one dance. Was it really that good? I mean, you were watching me, right?"

Adam giggled and said, "You were excellent. I should get you to dance for me privately sometime, and this time with your clothes off...or maybe buy another saddle with a wooden horse like that one time..." Reminiscing, Adam felt his face go red as he remembered the threat from so long ago, "And I've got cleaning supplies with your name all over them, if you fuck up my saddle."

Adam couldn't stop himself before he repeated the words in a deep, low voice to mock Lance's.

Lance laughed deeply, clutching his stomach. "That was a pretty good impression of me! But, yeah, I think I could be persuaded to do something like that for you, at some point. You know, since we're legitimately dating now," he winked. "Speaking of which," Lance continued, leaning up and gently pulling Adam's face towards his own, his lips meeting the bison's in a soft kiss for just a moment. "Yep, still love doing that to you!"

Feeling his heart leap in his chest as he watched the bison's lips curl into a smile, Adam whispered, "Do it again, please." Rubbing Lance's chest, Adam felt a bit embarrassed at how needy he sounded, but he did not care; he wanted the man in front of him more than he could even comprehend.

Smiling a little more brightly, Lance leaned up once more and planted his lips a bit more firmly on Adam's own, wrapping his arms gently around the buck's lower back and ignoring the ice pack that was pressing against the inside of his right arm, sending small shivers up its length.

To Adam, the body that enveloped him was warm and inviting. The muscles which flexed against him sent a need through him which he did not know existed, and he sighed contently into the kiss as it continued. The soft lips of Lance's mouth against his own made him feel loved, and the arms that wrapped around him made him feel secure and safe. Adam's lips smacked against Lance's own, his own passion taking over his body as he felt up the bison's chest where he pleased.

The bulging pectorals bounced and flexed slightly under Adam's hands, and Lance made a soft, happy noise as he felt those hands exploring his chest, the bison clearly loving the feeling of holding Adam like this while the hands explored him. After about ten minutes of this passionate kissing, Lance slowly moved backwards, looking into Adam's eyes and smiling contentedly. "I love you, Adam," Lance said after a long moment of silence, the light from the lit fireplace making his eyes appear like shimmering emeralds in a sea of white.

"I love you too, Lance," Adam stated extraordinarily easily, and the words felt like a warm pressure on his heart. The words were simple, but they were pleasing on an emotional level. It was as if the words were a secret promise; to never leave one another, to protect one another, and to support one another. Adam knew that he wasn't perfect, but those words made him feel like he was perfect enough for the man looking into his eyes at that moment. The bruises felt as though they were completely healed as his heartbeat began to slow, and Adam began to relax. Reaching around, Adam groped around Lance's body until he found the bison's hand and squeezed it with his own.

Lance smiled as he slowly stood up and sat himself down on the couch next to Adam, putting his left arm around the buck and holding him gently to his body. "Good thing, or else me saying 'I love you' would have been super awkward," the bison grinned playfully.

Adam was comfortable enough with the position that he found the optimal place for his head to lay in seconds; between the bison's shoulder and neck, nuzzling into the thick, warm fur, but making sure to keep his antlers away from anywhere that could be poked. Rubbing the bison's abs through his flannel and feeling the muscles underneath flex at his touch, Adam smiled, and said, "Remember when I stabbed you with my antlers like two months ago? Did that really hurt with all that muscle? I mean, you're built like a tank. I can't see anything getting past this." As if to emphasize his point, Adam rapped his knuckles gently against Lance's abs, as if they were metal.

The bison chuckled, his abs flexing under Adam's palm. "Well, you got me in the chest, if you remember, but yeah, it did hurt like a bitch. Would have probably been a lot worse if you were just a bit more to the side, because I think the thick fur right where you got me stopped a lot of the worst damage. If you hit the shorter fur on the outer parts of my chest, rather than the inside part, you would have probably stabbed straight through the muscle. The chlorine in the water probably didn't help the pain either. I'm built like a tank, sure, but I'm still mortal!"

Feeling a bit guilty once again, Adam chuckled nervously before saying, "Yeah...good thing I dig scars." Grinning a bit at his joke, Adam huddled close before yawning. Checking his phone in his pocket, he noticed it was a little past midnight. He shrugged and snuggled close to his lover, making sure to close the distance as much as possible. As he felt the muscle underneath his hands move and relax, he could not help but feel something stir underneath his consciousness; something primal. He had to adjust his crotch area accordingly, so he wouldn't keep poking Lance in the leg. The heat of Lance's fur didn't help stifle his arousal. Inhaling deeply, Adam could smell the musk on the bison's fur, and he smiled contently to himself.

"It did scar a little, but as long as I don't go trimming that fur off, you'd never even know it was there, unless you parted the fur and went looking for it," Lance shrugged, gently rubbing Adam's cheek with the hand that wasn't wrapped around the buck. He looked down at Adam for a second. "Feeling sleepy?"

Nodding, Adam said, "Yeah, I did not sleep too great last night, and pair that with nearly getting the crap beaten out of me, I am exhausted, but I will stay up as long as you do." Giving off another yawn, the buck added, "Are you getting tired?" The buck began to close his eyes, waiting for Lance's response.

Lance just laughed softly. "You forget that I'm used to being completely awake until like six in the morning, due to my profession. It's practically three in the afternoon for me right now!" He teased, tickling Adam's left arm softly with the tips of his thick fingers.

"Yeah," Adam added in an almost drone-like fashion as he purred when Lance's fingers moved across his arm. His tail flicked, and he felt the heat of Lance's body begin to whisk him away. The trees outside began to blow in the night wind, and paired with Lance's breathing, the buck had plenty of white noise to drown out his own mind. The warm breath that caressed his face gave him a sense that he was being guarded, as if he was a precious jewel. Feeling himself being dragged further and further into a deep slumber, Adam felt his body begin to relax and his mind slow along with his heartrate. Although his arousal still throbbed in his pants, he ignored it as his dreams began to take him away.

A moment of silence passed, and Lance soon heard Adam snoring softly in his arms. The huge bison couldn't suppress the warm smile that crossed his face, holding Adam just a little more tightly. He leaned a little to the right to reach for the remote to his television, flicked it on, lowered the volume, and started flipping through the channels. There was almost never anything good on this late at night, but he didn't want to wake Adam up either.

He settled on watching a terrible direct-to-DVD movie that happened to be on, some kind of action movie where a gazelle was trying to outrun zombie Nazis, or something to that effect, and as the credits rolled at the end, Lance turned the tv off and picked Adam up gently. The bison turned off the fireplace with a careful hoof, balancing awkwardly with Adam in his arms as he stood on one leg, before walking out of the living room with him, turning off the lights as he did so. The rest of the walk he decided to do in the dark, knowing the house like the back of his hand, but he turned the lights on when he got to his bedroom.

Gently setting Adam down on the bed, Lance stripped out of his shirt and pants, replacing the pants with comfortable sleeping pants, flannel like his shirt. He stood there, barechested, looking at the sleeping buck he had just asked to become his boyfriend a few hours prior, and he couldn't help but smile softly. The courteous thing to do would probably be to help Adam out of his clothes, but that would surely wake him up, so Lance lifted the buck back up, pulled down the covers, and slid Adam into the bed, pulling the covers over him, up to his shoulders. Satisfied with his job, Lance slipped into bed beside his new boyfriend after turning the lights off, the moonlight filtering in through the windows and casting the other male in a soft white light, making him appear majestic in an oddly heavenly way. Lance smiled and took a mental picture of that before laying back on the pillow and falling asleep barely a minute later.