FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Drake calmly listened to the litany of slurs and curses Mr. Waterbuck hurled at him over the phone. Nothing the folf hadn't heard before, but listening to them all at once and strung together creatively was a little jarring.

'Uh huh," Drake nodded as he turned onto the main road, "I'm sure I'm all that and more, but if you'd like to focus on the more important point I was trying to make: Argonne. Accident. Hospital." Drake took the phone away from his ear to let his words sink through the cloud of profanity.

"Nice guy, your dad," he smiled at Argonne. "I think he likes me."

The fox clutched his side, moaning in pain.

Drake reached over to the passenger seat and gave Argonne a reassuring pat on his shoulder. "Hang in there. We're almost to the hospital."

He raised the phone back to his ear. "Saint Medici hospital is where I'm taking Argonne," he cut into the elder Waterbuck's tirade. "I- ... Wow, I don't think I'm that flexible but if you want try- No, I'm not being smart- Hello?" Drake set Argonne's phone on the van's dash and whistled.

"S-sorry 'bout that," Argonne groaned.

Drake laughed. "Don't worry about it. Just hang on." He reached back over and kept a hand on the fox's arm.

Saint Medici hospital was not the worst place to receive medical attention in the city, but it was far from the best. What it did offer was convenience. Drake made a sharp turn into the awning covered drop off point in front of the emergency room. He slammed on the horn and jumped out out, running to meet the two orderlies that came out of the sliding doors.

Drake helped them get Argonne into a wheelchair, promising the fox he would be right back after parking the van.

Once the van was parked, Drake rushed in through the entrance, where he found Argonne being checked in. Hurrying over, the folf placed a hand on the fox's shoulder just as the doctor came out.

Coming over, the doctor, a lion in a white coat said, "Mr. Waterbuck? I'll be taking you back now. Your father called in and told us you'd be here. Who are you?"

The question was directed to Drake, who replied, "I'm Drake Holloway, Argonne's boyfriend. If you think you can separate us, be my guest and try."

Argonne grinned weakly at that. "Heh, please, just let him come back with me.... I'd rather have him here with me."

The doctor nodded at that, then motioned for them to come. "Alright then, Mr. Holloway. If you'd please bring Mr. Waterbuck back, we'll get him a room and have you stay in it while we take him in for X-Ray"

Drake nodded at that, getting behind the wheelchair and following the doctor into the back.

The doctor ushered them into a room. After running through a brief checklist to assess Argonne's condition, he stood to leave. "One moment and I will send a nurse to bring Mr. Waterbuck over to radiology. While you're waiting," he reached into one of the drawers built into the exam room, "would you mind filling out these forms to the best of your ability?"

Drake took the offered paperwork. "Uh," he mumbled, but before he could find his words the doctor was gone. Argonne was still in the wheelchair so the folf helped himself to the padded table and scanned the forms.

"Wow, this looks pretty thorough," Drake laughed nervously. "Uh, where to start... are you allergic to latex?"

Argonne stopped his groaning and looked up with a raised eyebrow. "Is that you asking, or is that actually in there?"

Drake's eyes widened, "I swear, it's right here."

Argonne managed a short laugh. "You don't have to do that. I'm sure my dad will show up with an army of secretaries and personal assistants."

Drake grinned and let the papers fall to the floor. "If you insist." He hopped off the table and moved closer to the fox. "Can I get you anything? I mean, water or... a pillow? Anything?"

Argonne again cracked a smile. "You've done more than enough, darling."

The door opened and a cheetah in RN scrubs came in to take Argonne to get x-rayed. Drake started to follow despite the nurse's assurance they would only be gone for a few moments.

"Drake," the fox squeezed his hand. "My dad should be here any time now, why don't you make sure he knows I'm alright. You know how hospitals are about giving out information, and I'd rather not have him cause a scene."

The folf laid back his ears at that, but nodded softly and stayed in the room. He settled down in one of the chairs, his hands clenching and unclenching. He would never had admitted it, but he had been scared shitless the entire time. Drake had done his best to hide it, just tried to keep on his laid back act, but on the inside he had been scared out of his mind. Taking a deep breath, he leaned back and tried to relax.

Several hours later, shouts startled him out of his sleep. The folf sat up, looking to the bed to see that Argonne was sitting up and looking to the door. Drake must've dozed off. Several moments later, the door burst open and an older fox wearing an expensive looking suit came barging in with a vixen trailing behind him. The older fox went over to the side of the bed with the vixen.

Argonne smiled softly. "Dad, Mom, I was hoping you'd be here soon"

Harley Waterbuck nodded at that. "We came as soon as we had heard--"

"Are you okay darling? Is everything alright? What's broken? Mommy's here to make it better!" Argonne's mother hugged him tight, and he wheezed in pain.

Harley Waterbuck cleared his throat, then said, "You won't have to worry about paying for anything on the car, I have it covered son. I've also already sent for a replacement, though, something that's not as fast as what you had. Now what happened?"

Argonne rubbed his side, which was covered in bandages, "I was going too fast around a corner and a deer popped out of nowhere. I swerved away from it, and went right through the guard rail."

His father growled at that. "Blasted lazy city workers. I'll be lodging a complaint to the City Council and sueing for not having properly installed guard rails! Rolf!!"

At that moment, a grey wolf in a black and grey suit came into the room. He stopped by the counter where the paperwork was, then grabbed the paperwork and settled down in a chair by the door and started filling it out. "I'm right here sir, I'm working on the medical papers"

Harley nodded at that, "Good. Once we're finished here, I'm heading right to City Council, then to the courthouse."

At that moment, the older fox finally noticed Drake, and stared at him blankly for a moment. "Who are you?"

Argonne coughed at that, then cleared his throat. "Dad, mom, this is Drake. He saved me from the wreckage, and he's also my new boyfriend."

The room erupted with Harley's anger. The fox yelled at his son for his bad taste, the vixen began to shout in defense and Argonne added his own voice.

Drake sighed. He was used to noise and the conflict actually helped to take his mind off the terrifying thoughts of all the things that could have been. The roar continued to ring in his ears for a few minutes after a doctor and several orderlies threatened to have the Waterbuck's escorted out.

Drake finally broke the tension by offering his hand, which Harley promptly ignored.

"Is this another one of your little acts of rebellion?" Harley growled at Argonne.

"No, dad! This is my boyfriend," Argonne said firmly.

Drake could feel the simmering tension and knew there was a long history that would take a trained psychiatrist and several decades to sort out.

"The name's Drake," he smiled and again thrust his hand at the older fox.

Harley again ignored the folf. "Argonne, I think it's time you stop acting like a spoiled hippie and get back-"

"Honey," the vixen quieted Harley with a soft touch to his arm. "Our boy's had nightmare of a day. Might you table this old topic for another time?"

"I would," Harley growled, "but it's hard to ignore that... that... that fur, standing right in the room!"

Drake's grin never faltered. "I believe you had much more imaginative names for me when we spoke on the phone."

The vixen gave her husband a cold look. Drake saw his opening.

"Let's try this again," he held out his hand. "I'm the heroic folf who charmed your son's heart, and managed to save his life, all in less than a week."

A few minutes of awkward silence and another harsh look from Argonne's mom had Harley finally accepting the offered hand... and squeezing it with all his might.

The folf kept grinning, squeezing the fox's hand back just as tight. Once they let go of each other, Harley made it a point to go into the bathroom and wash his hands while Argonne's mother turned to the folf.

"Please, excuse Harley's behavior. He only wants the absolute best for Argonne, and this hospital trip already has him on edge. I'm Petunia, Petunia Waterbuck."

She offered her hand at that, and Drake smiled softly, before taking it and kissing the back of her hand. "I'm Drake Holloway ma'am."

Petunia blushed softly at that. "Well, it certainly does seem as you have some manners. On our way in here, we met with the doctor who took care of Argonne. He had told us that Argonne wouldn't be able to be home alone, so I was hoping that perhaps... you could watch him for us?"

Argonne's ears perked at that, and at that moment his father came out of the bathroom to hear the second part of what Petunia was saying, "It is rather nice to finally know that Argonne is in good hands, and I do believe that it would be best if you could take him in until he fully recovers."

Harley spoke up at that. "Petunia, we can't have this oaf watch our son! I'll book a hotel here for a few weeks so that Argonne can recover with us and--"

"Harley, drop it. I trust Drake to take care of our little darling for us. Besides, you have that meeting on Saturday that you absolutely cannot miss, and you know how the dogs are while we're away!"

Harley hesitated for a moment at that, then sighed heavily before growling. "Fine. But I am going to stay here for at least one night. Argonne's new car will be coming in this afternoon, and I need to make sure it arrives in the right place."

***

Drake, the Waterbucks and Harley's assistant sat in Argonne's room in a tense and awkward silence until the doctor made another appearance to inform the small crowd that visiting hours were drawing to a close.

Drake walked to the side of Argonne's bed and leaned in to kiss the fox goodbye only to have his foot stomped on by Harley.

"Oh my," the fox said flatly, "my deepest apologies." He stepped in to block the folf from another try.

Drake growled but limped back, letting the fox win the round. "I'll come by tomorrow morning, Argonne."

Harley glared and without taking his eyes off the folf added, "So will we. Rolf!"

The wolf sprang to life, having nodded off. "Yes, Sir! I've made hotel arrangements and rescheduled tomorrow's meetings."

Argonne sighed theatrically. "Could you hold off the fighting until I'm not under medical observation?"

***

In the parking garage Drake reflected on the day, deciding he needed a drink. Naturally his first instinct was to call Danny and Austin. He took out his phone and froze.

"Crap!" his yelp echoed in the empty building.

Thirty-seven missed calls. Not just from his band mates, but from Club Malibu.

Quickly, the folf dialed the club's number. After a few moments, Morty picked up.

"Where. Have. You. Been?"

Drake gulped at that, "N-Now Morty, let me explain. There was an accident and--"

"There's nothing that you can say that will get you out of this Holloway. I guess the lesson I had my boys give you yesterday wasn't enough to get through that thick skull of yours. You can expect a visit tonight, and from that visit you'll learn not to cross me like this again. It's no use trying to run and hide either."

Drake genuinely began to panic at that. "Wait please! It's Argonne, I didn't come by today because of him! He got into an accident and he's at the hospital--"

Morty cut him off again. "Argonne's at the hospital?"

"Yes sir! He called me, and asked him to come and help, so I came and drove him to the hospital, I've been with him ever since!"

There was a pause at that. "I'll be having a chat with his father then. You can expect to have a visit from one of my boys later tonight."

"No no wait--" The line went dead.

Drake clenched the phone, screaming at it, "You godfather wannabe asshole!" A labrador who was just getting out of his car overheard the folf screaming, and quietly ducked back into his vehicle as quickly as possible.

He fumed, pacing back and forth. This was not good and the folf knew it. His ears went back in thought. Going back to his apartment was out of the question, but he did know one place he could find an empty bed. He grinned and ran to his van.

***

The streetlight in front of Argonne's apartment building was burned out. Drake circled the block twice, assuring himself that no one was watching the place. Then parking where he did the first night he'd spent there, he jumped out and moved under the cover of darkness.

When he reached Argonne's door he casually put his back to it, humming to himself and making sure the hallway was clear before raising his leg and kicking in the flimsy lock. He ducked in and slammed the door.

Drake felt for the the light switch, blinking as the harsh florescent kicked in. Finally he allowed himself a deep breath.

After propping a chair against the broken door the folf took his time, helping himself to the strongest drink he could find. Orange juice.

"Blagh! Ary, when's the last time you went shopping?" he poured the questionably fresh juice down the sink. As he looked for a place to toss the carton his eyes caught sight of something painfully familiar.

A grin spread across his face when he reached into the trash and came out with Argonne's discarded pepper spray.

All of a sudden, there came a knock at the door. The folf perked his ears, then gripped the can of spray tighter before heading for the door. "Who is it?"

There was silence. Taking a deep breath, the folf went over to the door and slowly opened it, his ears laying back when he saw the large german shepherd there in the hallway. He was just as big as the dobermans at the club.

The large fur stood there, his paws held behind his back. When Drake didn't open the door more, he raised an eyebrow. "Might I come in?"

The folf stared up at him at that, before opening the door some more. The german shepherd saw the can of pepper spray in the folf's hand, then snorted in amusement.

"Did you plan on using that? Really it wouldn't have had any effect on me, for one, I'm wearing contacts to protect my eyes, and for two I've been pepper sprayed far more times than I can count, so please," All of a sudden the canine lunged with lightning fast speed and grabbed the can of spray, snapping off the nozzle in his hands before shoving Drake back, "Now, enough games."

The german shepherd came into the apartment, shutting the door behind him. Drake growled, getting back up to his feet and putting his fists up. "Come on! Come at me then!"

The large dog snorted, then simply sat down on the couch, looking to the surprised Drake with an amused grin. "I'm not here to beat the shit out of you. Well I could, but that doesn't mean I have to, unless you give me a reason or if you want to fight me of course. I just want to talk."

Drake blinked in surprise at that. "Talk?"

"Yeah. Talk," the german shepard reached into his jacket pocket and tossed a wallet to the startled folf.

Drake caught it and his jaw dropped. "Th-this is a badge."

"My, you are a bright one."

Drake took a step back. "Look, I have permission to be here! That lock was broken when I showed up!"

"Do you know what the penalty is for lying to a detective?"

Drake tossed the badge back. "I'm betting it's a lot lighter then whatever the penalty for breaking and entering is."

The german shepard rolled his eyes. "I'm not really here about that."

"Glad to hear," Drake scratched the back of his neck, nervously fidgeting. "You're not here to kick my ass, and you're not here to arrest me... I'm gonna guess you aren't a punk rock fan... so..."

"Mortimer Claston."

Drake raised an eyebrow. "Morty? My boss?"

"Bingo." The german shepherd motioned to the chair across from him. "I've been watching him for quite a while now. But he's slipperier than a stripclub pole at happy hour. Never been able to get the dirt I needed to put him away. And you are in a position to help me get what I need."

Drake held his hands up. "Wait, wait, wait. This sounds like the kind of thing that gets me a date with a blowtorch. Why should I stick my neck out? I actually have a reason to live."

The german shepherd took out his phone. "I'm not asking you to do anything dangerous. Just keep your eyes and ears open. Maybe you come across something, maybe you don't. I don't know. All I'm saying is that it would be a shame for me to open this file," he turned the phone toward the folf, "downtown sent me, marked: active warrants, Drake Holloway."

Drake swallowed. "Uh, y-yeah. Wouldn't want that." His ears flattened again. "B-but I think I'm in trouble with Morty. I mean, he's sending his 'boys' to look for me."

The german shepard laughed. "Trust me, I listened in on that call, and if anything, he's gonna treat you to a juicy steak dinner. You saved his boss's kid. Morty's been using the Waterbuck's as cover. He wants them to stay nice and happy, and -most importantly- well away from what they think is successful by the books nightclub."

The folf thought for a moment at that, then grinned widely. "Alright. I'll help, but only on one condition."

The canine raised an eyebrow, "And what condition is that?"

Drake pointed at the phone, then said, "That all of my previous criminal history is wiped clean."

The german shepherd stared at him for a long moment, before sighing heavily. "Fine. I'll talk it over with the people down at the station. No guarantees, but we'll see what happens. You get me the dirt on Mortimer Claston, and I'll do everything I can to get your history wiped."

"No, that's not good enough."

"Fine, fine. If you help, I'll make sure you're slate is wiped clean, even if I have to do it myself."

With a huge grin, Drake stepped forward with his hand held out. The german shepherd rolled his eyes, then shook hands with the folf, before handing him a card.

"This is my number, contact or email me if you find anything useful. Now, I need to get going."

With that, the german shepherd got up, and left the apartment, shutting the door behind him.

Drake typed the contact onto his phone, listing it under Aunt Mary, before getting rid of the incriminating card. He borrowed some of Argonne's furcare products to freshen up then dialed Danny. His friend answered on the first ring.

"Drake?"

"Are there a couple of dobermans asking for me?" Drake asked with a smile.

"As a matter of there are. They sliced open your bean bag chair when they went through the place looking for you. Right now they are sitting on the couch, watching tele-"

Drake could hear Danny's phone being ripped from his hand followed by a very angry Austin. "Get your ass over here now! Or I swear to God I will skin you alive and wear as a hat!"

"Aus, calm down," Drake coughed to cover his laughter. "They aren't there to kill anyone. Turns out they want to reward me."

"What?"

"Look, tell them I'm on my way and I'll be there in ten minutes... also, casually ask if they're gonna pay for the chair. But don't make it sound like I'm asking, ok?"

Predictably, Drake had to hang up before Austin was finished yelling at him. He shook his head, wondering how getting threatened had become such a habit.

With a small sigh, he headed over to the front door and opened it up, before hesitating. Was he just supposed to leave the apartment with a broken lock? He looked around for a moment before shrugging. There wasn't anything in there that Argonne couldn't replace. So with that, the folf left the apartment and headed back down to his van.

Once he was back in the driver's seat, he started up the engine and pulled out onto the road. It didn't take him long to get back to his place, and once he entered the living room, he saw the dobermans sitting on the couch, with Austin and Danny off to the side, whispering amongst themselves. Austin and Danny stopped talking, then looked to Drake, while one of the dobermans shut off the TV as the other rose to his feet.

The one that was already standing came over, and growled as he shoved an envelope towards the folf. "The Boss says that he'll pay you as if you had been up on the stage playing today. Says he owes you a lot for saving Argonne like you did."

As Drake took the envelope, the other doberman spoke up. "He also wants to know what Argonne's condition is."

The folf flicked an ear at that, then replied, "He wasn't banged up too bad, turns out he's going to be staying with me to recover, so he'll be living here."

The two canines exchanged glances at that. "We'll let the Boss know about that. In the meantime, enjoy your reward."

One of the dobermans shoved past Drake, leaving his home, while the other hesitated, looking back to..... Austin? Drake narrowed his eyes a little as the hyena blushed, and gave the big canine a small wave. The doberman grinned a little, before turning and heading out after the other dog.

Once the door shut, the folf turned and eyed Austin. "Alright, it seems like we both have some explaining to do. What the hell was that?"

Austin rolled his eyes, "Come on, once you get to know him a little, Boris isn't too bad!"

"Boris?" Drake tilted his head.

Austin growled. "Can we not do this?"

Danny folded his arms. "In his defense, when he feels scared, he gets slutty."

The hyena snarled at the wolf. "Three words: Auto. Parts. Store."

"Oh, throw that in my face why don't you!" Danny shouted. "You had a hard on the second he cracked his knuckles."

"Boris is interesting! He's taking online classes to be a chemist, he can cook a souffle, he's got depth."

"You're saying I don't?"

"No, that's not-"

Drake whistled sharply, getting his friends attention. "Hold the lovers quarrel until later. I've got a favor to ask, but you need to promise me that you won't ask any questions, alright?"

"Nope," Danny said firmly. "This visit from the thugs kinda used up any favors for a while."

"I thought I was going to die!" Austin growled again.

Danny snorted. "You thought you were gonna score is more like it."

"Dudes!" Drake ran his fingers through his hair as the two furs glared at each other. "Here, split my cut of the pay between you, just give me this one favor..." he waited for his friends to begrudgingly take the envelope.

"What do you need?" Danny sighed.

Drake grinned. "Remember, no questions." He put his arms around their shoulders, "I need Aus to stay friendly with Boris. Just for a little while!" He smiled reassuringly at the wolf with the newly bared fangs and neon hair.

"Now why the hell would I be okay with that?!" Danny crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly.

Austin raised an eyebrow while Drake cleared his throat. "Look, you don't have to be okay with it if you don't want to be, but it needs to happen! Also, Argonne is going to be staying over here for awhile."

Thankfully, his attempt to change the topic worked. Austin perked up at that, his eyes wide. "He's staying over HERE?!? This place looks like a dump! Danny, help me clean!"

Before the wolf could protest, Austin grabbed him and dragged him away. Drake chuckled to himself at that, then headed into his room. Once inside, he began cleaning up. He wanted it to look good enough for Argonne to call home, and the folf was also hoping that the fox would allow him to share the bed with him. Being honest with himself, Drake knew that the thought of sex was still on his mind, but all he wanted to do was hold the vulpine while he slept.

He told Argonne that they would wait until the time was right for them to make love, as no doubt the fox referred it as that, and the folf was intent on keeping his word. Once all of his clothes were put away, he stared down at his dirty carpet, letting loose a sigh as he went to grab the vacuum. As he grabbed it, his phone began going off in his pocket.

Taking it out, he answered hesitantly, not recognizing the number. "Yo, this is Drake Holloway speaking."

The purring voice on the other end was unmistakable. "Hey hun, how's it going?"

Drake smiled widely, leaning against the wall. "Oh I'm doing great, just getting our room all cleaned up for when I come and pick you up."

There was a long pause at that, then in a soft voice, Argonne asked, "Our room?"

Drake felt his heartbeat speed up a bit. "Uh, yeah! You're going to be staying with me until you're fully recovered, and I was hoping that we'd be able to share my room and sleep in the same bed together. Is.... Is that alright?"

Another long pause, "Uh.... I-I just--"

"Argonne, it's okay. I already gave you my word that I wouldn't try anything sexual until you're ready, didn't I? I'm not going to go back on my word."

After a moment, there came the sound of the fox taking a deep breath. Once he exhaled, he said, "Well.... I guess it'll be alright then. Uhm, doc says that I'll be ready for discharge by tomorrow morning, he just wants to run a few more tests to make sure there isn't anything wrong with me that he might've missed. Can you be here when I get discharged?"

"Of course, I'll finish getting things ready over here and be over there first thing in the morning, okay?"

"O-Okay" There was yet another pause, before the line went dead.

Drake sighed softly, then took the vacuum back into his room. He stayed up late cleaning, before collapsing onto his bed and falling fast asleep in exhaustion.

***

The following morning, Drake woke up and quickly got himself ready. Making his way out the front door, he stopped and stared in dismay when he saw that a tow truck was towing the van away.

"No no no no no! Come back!"

He chased after it for about a block, before coming to a stop and sighing heavily, then taking out his cellphone. About ten minutes later, a taxi pulled up and he got in.

The driver looked back to him. "Where ya headin?"

"Saint Medici Hospital"

The driver nodded, and pulled back out onto the main road. After a while, Drake found himself getting out of the cab at the hospital entrance, about to go inside when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hold it right there."

Turning, the folf saw that it was Harley Waterbuck. The older fox walked right up to him, then crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared at him. "What are your intentions with my son? What is it you're after? Money?"

Drake sighed, and shook his head. "Mr. Waterbuck, I can assure you that my intentions with your son are purely sincere. I love him very much, and I'd do anything for him."

The vulpine growled, then took out a checkbook. "Ten million dollars, and you'll leave my son alone," Drake's eyes widened as the fox wrote out the check and held it out to him.

The folf stared at it for a moment, before narrowing his eyes and swatting it out of Harley Waterbuck's hand. "I don't want your charity! I just want to be able to live happily with your son!"

Harley glared at him for a long moment, before snarling softly, then picking up the check and shredding it. After tossing the pieces of paper in the garbage, the fox took out a set of keys and roughly tossed them at the folf, who juggled them for a moment before managing to firmly get ahold of them.

"Argonne's car arrived earlier than I expected it to. Seeing how you just pulled up in a cab, and my son can't drive at the moment, you're going to have to drive him around to the places he needs to go. I've talked things over with Morty, and he's willing to give you both some off time until Argonne recovers, then it's back to work."

The older vulpine turned a little and pointed out the black and red sports car sitting in the nearest parking space. Drake's jaw practically dropped when he saw that the sports car was in fact, a Jaguar XK 2015 edition.

Drake quickly closed his mouth when Harley Waterbuck looked back at him and crossed his arms over his chest again. "You put one scratch on it, and I'll sue you for everything you have."

The folf opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, the fox continued, "I'm still going to be staying here in the city for the night, and taking a flight out tomorrow morning. Tell my son that I love him."

With that, Harley spun about and stormed off.

Drake twirled the keys around his finger as he strolled toward the front desk. He leaned on the counter and grinned to the lioness who was busy painting her claws a blood red.

"I'm here to pick up on Argonne Waterbuck.He out yet?"

The lioness sighed. "One moment."

Drake started to whistle a tune while the clacking of a keyboard keys pounded out of rhythm.

"Ok, I'm seeing that he's being processed. He should be down in just a few minutes. Why don't you take a seat?"

The waiting room was as bland as could be. Drake sat down next to the most interesting fur there, an otter holding an icepack wrapped in a towel to his head, The folf smiled at him.

"Looks like you're having a good time."

The otter glared at him.

"Well, I just turned down ten mil. So you can probably guess how my day is going."

The otter gave no response. But Drake pressed on. "Love, y'know? Does crazy things to you."

"Yeah," the otter finally spoke, "love came at me with a baseball bat and left me with double vision."

"Ah, a lover's quarrel," Drake laughed. "My sweetheart kneed me in the nuts and maced an entire cafe. Stay persistent and don't take no for an answer."

The lioness at the front desk cleared her throat. "Mr. Waterbuck is in the elevator, he should be down in a few moments."

Drake jumped to his feet and smoothed out his tight Metallica shirt, preparing to greet Argonne.

Moments after that, the elevator doors opened up and out came Argonne. The fox was back in his regular clothes, holding his side as he stopped to look around for a second before spotting Drake.

Before he could make his way over, his mother came out of the elevator and took something from him. Petunia escorted Argonne over to Drake, whereupon the vulpine hugged him tight and nuzzled him softly.

Drake blinked in surprise, but only grinned and nuzzled him back. Petunia cleared her throat, "I'm going to take care of Argonne's medication. Can you text me your address Drake? My number should be in Argonne's phone."

As she held out a phone, which Drake guessed was Argonne's, the fox suddenly murred and kissed him on the lips.

Taken by surprise, the folf just barely managed to not drop the phone before enjoying the kiss. Then a thought occurred to him. Breaking the kiss quickly, he looked into Argonne's eyes.

"What's the matter? This isn't like you to be forward like this." Petunia cleared her throat and Drake looked to her.

"The doctor gave him some strong pain medication, stronger than he was prescribed that way he wouldn't have to feel any of the pain from his cracked ribs until he gets his prescription. He's not going to be himself for awhile, so can I trust you to not take advantage of my son while he's like this?"

The folf nodded at that, looking to the vixen as Argonne giggled loudly. "You can trust me Ma'am, I won't take any advantage of him. Argonne is in good hands"

Petunia smiled at that, giving him a nod before turning and leaving. Drake gently grabbed Argonne and lead him out of the hospital and out to the parking lot.

Upon reaching the car, the fox's eyes widened. "I-Is this your car?"

Drake snorted softly in amusement at that. "No, it's yours, your dad bought it for you"

As the folf took out the keys, Argonne suddenly tried reaching out and grabbing them. Quickly, Drake held them out of his reach.

The fox frowned, then tried to reach them again before stumbling slightly. Drake caught him, then shook his head. "You can't be driving, not like this. I'm gonna drive you to my place."

It took a bit of a struggle to get the fox into the passenger seat, and several more minutes fending off the suddenly gropey vulpine paws to get him buckled. It took all of Drake's self control not to let the fox have his way, but sex in the hospital parking lot was hardly the magical first time he wanted to give Argonne.

He revved the car, laughing to himself as the frame vibrated. ""Your folks have good taste," Drake gunned the engine.

Argonne was fast asleep already, slumped over with a trickle of drool running out the corner of his mouth.

"Cute," Drake smirked and pinched the fox's mouth closed.

***

The high end jag came to a sudden stop in the lot at the back of Drake's apartment. He parked it between the dumpsters hoping it would hide it from potential thieves.

"Honey, we're home," Drake hummed.

Argonne's eyes fluttered. "Wake me when we get to the bedroom." His eyes shut again. Drake sighed and carried his boyfriend to his apartment.

As he slung the fox over his shoulder and pushed the door open he was greeted with the sight of Danny and Austin angrily making out. There was a fine line between a fight and foreplay with them.

"Oh, God," Austin looked up. "He's drugged and kidnapped him."

Danny burst into laughter.

"Screw you both," Drake growled and took Argonne into his bedroom.

Laying the fox down on the bed, and covering him up with a blanket, Drake then turned around before laying back his ears in irritation when he saw Austin and Danny poking their heads in.

"Tucking the missus in?" Danny teased.

The wolf got a smack upside the head from Austin at that. "Shut up! Come on, just look at him, he looks adorable all tucked in like that!"

Danny snorted out a poorly muffled laugh, and Drake growled again. "Get out, both of you! Out out out OUT"

The folf stormed forward, grabbing both of them and practically dragging them away from the bedroom door before going back and shutting the door as quietly as he could.

Turning back around to face his band mates, he reached up and rubbed the side of his head. "I know this is hard to ask, but since Argonne is going to be living with us for a bit, I need you two to keep the sex down to a minimum."

Austin stared openly at him at that, and Danny stared as well. "Dude, asking us to keep the sex to a minimum is like trying to shove a guitar into a muffler, it's not going to work out!"

Austin raised an eyebrow and gave the wolf a look. "Shove a guitar into a muffler? Where in the hell did you get that?"

Danny shrugged. "Dunno, just made it up on the spot!"

The hyena rolled his eyes at that, "Figured"

Drake sighed heavily, rubbing his temple now. "Look, I'm not asking you to just stop entirely, I mean, you two can do it still, but just not as often... or as loud..."

"Be reasonable," Danny whined. "You're pimping Aus out to that doberman, you gotta at least let me remind him who's boss around here."

The hyena's fur bristled. "That's it! I'm topping next time."

Danny grinned. "You don't know how-"

"Guys!" Drake shouted. "This is what I'm talking about. I'm kinda in love, and I'd really like it if you could avoid fucking things up for me."

"Fine," Danny threw his hands up. "We'll be good. But you owe us."

"A lot," Austin added firmly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now go disappear, I want to be in bed with Argonne when he wakes up."

"Subtle," Austin rolled his eyes.

***

Drake closed the bedroom door, still muttering angrily to himself.

Argonne was still completely out of it. Drake slid gently into bed, turning on his side and watching the fox sleep. Eventually he draped an arm over Argonne and closed his eyes.

It was the best nap he ever had in his life. When he woke up, Drake found that Argonne had turned over, and was now snuggling into him, his face buried into the folf's neck fur.

With a wide smile, he squeezed the fox a little, trying to resist the urge to grind against the vulpine, since there already was a considerable bulge in the folf's pants.

Luckily, his stirring woke Argonne, and the temptation subsided... kinda.

Argonne opened his eyes, looking right into Drake's for a long moment before the fox smiled softly.

"It doesn't surprise me that we're like this. Uh, we didn't... do anything right?"

Drake shook his head at that. "I wouldn't take advantage of you like that, not now, not ever."

The vulpine purred softly, then gave him a smooch on the lips. All of a sudden, the folf felt the fox's stomach growl.

Just like that, he was up and out of the bed. "I'll get you some food to eat, uh, you allergic to anything hun?"

When Argonne shook his head no, the folf turned and quickly left the room. As he made his way over towards the kitchen, a thought reached his head. Hurrying over to where he had left Argonne's phone, he turned it on and went into Contacts, then scrolling down until he reached the word, Mom. Pressing it, the folf quickly shot her the address using the messaging app, then turned and headed into the kitchen.

Drake opened up the fridge, going through everything until he came upon some leftover meatballs and spaghetti that Austin had made. Warming it up in the microwave, he then took it to Argonne, who sat up in bed and took the food from him.

"Thanks, I'm going to need the energy for when I go back to work."

Drake chuckled softly at that. "Luckily you won't have to, and neither will I. Your dad talked to Morty and told him what's happening, he's given us the time off until you're fully recovered"

Argonne blinked at that in surprise.

"What?" Drake asked.

"I... This sounds like another one of his attempts to control me."

Drake raised an eyebrow and repeated himself. "What?"

"He went behind my back talking to Morty. It'll be like I owe him now."

"Ary, I think you're overanalyzing. When I was waiting for you, he told me to tell you he loves you."

"Yeah, he does, but he also wants to control me like one of his businesses. I have to go in tomorrow."

Drake shook his head. "You were in a pretty bad accident, you need a couple of days."

"It's just a couple of bruised ribs."

Drake began to wonder if now would be the time to introduce Argonne to handcuffs. He sighed. "I won't let you go alone."

"You don't play on Tuesdays."

"Doesn't matter. You can't drive with you're on those painkillers. And I have to be there for when you come to your senses and need a ride home."

"Home..." Argonne smiled softly at the word.

Drake blushed and changed the subject. "I- I'd prefer it if you didn't, but if you're deadset on going back to the club-"

"You're going to the club?" Austin entered the room. "Great, I'll see if Boris will be there!"

Argonne looked at Drake for an explanation.

The folf shrugged. "Long story."

Argonne nodded at that, thankfully not pursuing the subject. The fox stared down at his plate for a long moment, before looking back up.

Drake shifted uncomfortably for a second. "Uh, do you not like spaghetti and meatballs?"

"Meatballs and spaghetti," Austin corrected him, "And he probably wants a fork" The hyena brandished a fork, before coming over and handing it to Argonne.

The fox perked up at that and smiled. "Thank you, uh...."

The hyena held out his hand, "I'm Austin, my friends call me Aus!"

Argonne shook his hand. "I'm Argonne, friends call me Ary."

Austin raised an eyebrow at that. "Ever been called Argy before?"

"Uhm, no not really..."

"You mind?" The hyena gave him a toothy grin.

The fox grinned back, though not as toothily, and shook his head. "No, I don't mind at all!"

Austin's grin became wider. "Then it's settled! It was nice meeting you in person, but now I have a certain someone to attend to," He turned to Drake, "We need to talk"

They hyena grabbed the folf and dragged him out of the room, shutting the door behind them. Taking him to the living room, Austin then turned to face him.

"So, about Boris. What exactly do you want me to do?"

"Just do what you always do."

The hyena crossed his arms at that. "Danny is seriously bothered by me doing what I usually do with other guys. I mean, I can totally get that big hunk of a dog into bed, but then what?"

The folf only smirked and winked at Austin, who flipped him off.

"Yeah yeah, alright I'll see what I can do." With that, Austin headed into the kitchen.

Drake followed after him to find Danny introducing himself to Argonne. When the wolf spotted Drake returning his smile faded. Without a word he motioned back into the bedroom.

Drake groaned and turned back around.

The wolf closed the door and glared. "What did he say to you?"

"Who, Aus? He just asked what I wanted him to do with Boris."

Danny raised his eyebrows. "What do you want?"

"I said, no questions."

"And I'm changing that. You tell me why you've got my 'yena jumping on a dog's bone, or I'll find out myself."

Drake opened his mouth, but he realized Danny was serious and there was no telling what the wolf might try. "Alright. But you can't say anything to Aus or Ary, for their own safety."

Danny sighed. "What have you gotten us into?"

"Nothing! I had a run in with a cop the other night. He's kinda got me by the balls and wants me to help him find some dirt on Morty."

Danny was quiet for a moment. "How bad is it?"

Drake folded his arms nervously. "You know that warrant I picked up down south?"

"The arson one?" Danny's eyes widened.

"He had a file on me. If I do this for him, he'll take care of everything."

"You're putting Aus' ass on the line?" Danny growled.

"No!" Drake baked away. "I didn't tell him anything, I swear. I'm just going to see if he happens upon anything useful... We'll both be keeping an eye on him... You're not going to say anything, are you?"

The wolf hesitated for a moment, before sighing heavily. "Alright alright.... I won't say a word."

Drake coughed at that, then grinned at him. "Y'know, if you just asked him out this wouldn't be an issue. I'm not really sure if you can call him yours until he agrees to it"

Danny raised an eyebrow at that. "This coming from the folf who did the exact same thing?"

The folf laid back his ears at that. "Man come on, I learned my lesson from that! Just... after this, go and tell him how you feel! If you don't tell him, sooner or later some guy is gonna come by and sweep him off his feet, leaving you in the dust."

The wolf rubbed the back of his head at that. "Uh.... yeah I s'pose you're right.... I guess I'll do it after this thing with the doberman then..."

The folf nodded at that, then patted the wolf on the shoulder before turning and leaving the room.

Once the day came around to coming to a close, Drake and Argonne again found themselves in the bedroom, staring at each other from across the bed. Drake's ears were laid back. He could see the fox's hesitancy.

"I don't have to sleep in here, you know."

Argonne looked down. "No... I just..."

"Want your first time to be special," Drake finished for him. "I understand. And I can wait."

Argonne smiled and they climbed under the covers. In the dark Drake slowly moved his hand, searching for the fox's. Argonne jerked at the first touch but let the folf hold him.

Even in the dark the two furs knew the other was smiling, satisfied to hold hands while falling asleep.

***

"Where's the van?" Danny looked at the nearly empty lot.

"Oh, uh," Drake tried to laugh, "it sorta got towed yesterday." In the course of the day while trying to talk Argonne into taking up Morty's offer of an extended vacation, it had completely slipped folf's mind.

"Cab's on me," he said, not wanting to let his annoying friends see the luxurious sports car he and Argonne would be taking.

Once Danny and Austin had left in a cab, Drake led Argonne back to the car, unlocking it and helping the fox inside.

Argonne's mother had stopped by as they were all getting ready to go, giving Drake Argonne's painkillers and having him be in charge of them. So naturally, the fox couldn't drive.

In the jaguar, it didn't take long at all to get to the club, and once they went in through the employee entrance, they found Austin and Danny there waiting in the employee lounge.

Austin got up, "So I suppose that I'll be heading over to get Boris then?"

Drake nodded while Danny huffed loudly. "Yeah, he should be--"

At that moment the door to the lounge opened, and in came the two dobermans. They could see that Boris was all dressed up, while the other doberman wore his usual attire of a tight black shirt and a pair of blue jeans.

Boris smiled at Austin, coming over and offering his hand. "I went ahead and booked an evening at Zen's."

The hyena's eyes widened at that. "Y-You did?? That's one of the most expensive restaurant in town!"

The doberman's smile grew warmer, acquiring more charm. "I know. I hope I'm not overdoing it."

At that Danny turned to the hyena. "How can you two already have something set up?"

Austin's face turned a little red, and he rubbed his arm. "Uh... Boris and I... actually already scheduled something for today. It was supposed to be later on, but since we were heading over here I went ahead and texted him, telling him I was coming..."

The wolf growled at that, opening his mouth to say something before the other doberman interrupted him.

"What are you two doing here?" The question had been directed to Drake and Argonne, "You're supposed to be at home, recovering."

The folf laid back his ears. "Argonne wanted to come. He still wants to work!"

The canine growled, then crossed his arms over his chest. "Then I'll have to take you to see the boss. Boris, good luck on your date."

With that the large dog led them out of the lounge, while Boris turned his attention back to Austin.

"After we're finished at the restaurant, I have a trip to the beach planned out."

Austin grinned ear to ear at that, leaning up with his tail swishing back and forth. Boris met him halfway, giving him a soft peck on the lips, then taking him by the hand and leading the hyena out of the lounge and into the parking lot.

Danny watched them go, his fists clenching. Once they were gone, the wolf snarled loudly and stormed out of the lounge and out into the patron area.

***

Drake moved to run after his friend but the remaining Doberman made it clear that the meeting with Morty was not optional. The folf growled as he was pulled along towards Morty's private office.

It was little more than a backroom, the walls lined with shelves of paperwork and the wolverine was nowhere to be seen.

"Have a seat," the Doberman said. "I'll tell the boss you guys are here."

The door slammed shut and Drake grinned. "Watch the door," he whispered and sprinted behind the desk.

"What are you doing?" Argonne tensed. "If Morty catches you going through his desk--"

"He won't catch me if you listen for him at the door," Drake said harshly.

The papers the folf thumbed through didn't seem like much. Mostly payroll and order forms. Drake cursed and slammed the desk drawer. He looked at the walls. There wasn't enough time to search everything. He chewed his lips and grabbed a manila folder at random, stuffing it under his shirt just as the door handle started to turn.

Drake darted back into his chair, his heart racing. The door opened, and Morty came into the room. He went around to the other side of the desk and sat down.

"Alright you two. What are you doing here?"

Argonne coughed a little, then said, "I want to work."

The wolverine raised an eyebrow at that. "I can't have you working. Your mother contacted me and said that you'd be on painkillers, so I can't have you out tending the bar."

The fox laid back his ears at that, "Come on Morty, please? I can still do my--"

"Argonne, I said no. There'll be an inspector here anytime now, and if he catches you here on painkillers he can shut down the club. Mr. Holloway," Drake stiffened slightly, "Take Argonne home, no questions, no exceptions."

The folf nodded quickly at that, standing up and taking the fox by the hand. "Come on Argonne, I'm sorry, but I'll have to take you home."

The vulpine lowered his ears at that, sighing heavily but nodding softly. He let the folf take him out of the office, whereupon the doberman waiting outside led them into the public area of the club, then left them there.

Drake looked around quickly, then took out the file and opened it, making sure his back was to the nearby camera. Looking over the file, he saw nothing that really made any sense to him, at least not until Argonne leaned over.

"That's..... a lot of money coming in. There's no way the club can make that much profit!"

Drake nodded at that, "The guy I'll be handing this over to will be able to trace wherever this money is coming from, hopefully..."

At that moment, Argonne tapped the folf's arm. "Hey look"

Drake looked to where the fox was pointing, then saw Danny sitting by himself at a table in the corner.

"Oh boy.... come on, let's go see how he's doing." Argonne nodded at that, then followed Drake over to where Danny was sitting.

***

Soft violin music played unobtrusively in the background. A live quartet, not a recording. Overhead a crystal chandelier glistened. Austin suppressed the urge to whistle. Zen's was every bit as swanky as he'd heard. He was glad he wore his finest collar, a rhinestone bejeweled strip of black leather that could pass as a necklace.

Boris wore a suit that was clearly tailored to accentuate his muscular form. He knew an evening here would cost him at least two weeks pay, but the hyena on his arm made it worth it. Boris wasn't the type of fur to splurge on a one night stand, especially since quickies were one of the fringe benefits of his job. Some nights he could get over a dozen offers from furs looking to get in Club Malibu or avoid a beating. But Austin was different. The moment Boris and his partner burst into the shabby apartment there was a connection.

"Impressed?" the doberman asked.

"Yeah," Austin said quietly. "You?"

"Yes." Boris watched the maitre d' glide towards them. He could feel himself being assessed, practiced eyes gauging how much he had in his wallet.

"Hello," said the raccoon with a liquid accent, "how may I be of service?"

The doberman glanced down at Austin, who met his gaze with a small grin, then looked back to the raccoon. "Yes, I have a reservation here. Under the name of Boris."

The raccoon checked the books, then nodded and grabbed a couple of menus. "I have your reservation right here sir, you called for the privacy booth?"

"Yes, and did you get the Petrus, Pomerol, 2008 red wine that I requested?"

Austin's ears perked at that, and he looked up at the doberman with wide eyes. "Petrus? Th-That cost around $4,000! You shouldn't have..."

Boris only grinned down at the hyena, "To have it specially ordered for this occasion, and in such short amount of time, it cost triple that. I was more than happy to pay that much for a single bottle of wine for you."

Austin blushed madly at that, then grabbed hold of the doberman's arm and held it tight as he tried hiding his blush. Boris murred softly at the sight, leaning down and softly pressing his lips between the hyena's ears, before looking back to the raccoon. "It did arrive, didn't it?"

The raccoon nodded at that. "Of course sir, It is waiting for you at the booth as you had requested. Now please, do follow me."

As the fur turned and led them into the restaurant, Austin couldn't help but think about what sort of situation Boris had himself entangled in. Drake wanted him to get information from the large canine, and he meant to do so. But now, he was beginning to feel this warmth towards the doberman. If someone was willing to sacrifice that much money just for him on a first date....

The hyena shook his head at that, growling inwardly. If Drake wanted information from Boris, then he was going to have to agree that whatever he was doing, he'd leave Boris out of it.

It didn't take long for the raccoon to lead them to their booth. Austin saw that it really was a private booth, private to the point where no one around them could see into it unless they were standing right next to it. Boris helped him sit down, gently guiding him down until he was seated, then sat across the table from him.

At the center of the table, was two wine glasses and a bucket full of ice, which held the wine that the doberman had ordered for this occasion. The raccoon softly cleared his throat, then set a menu down in front of Austin, and one in front of Boris.

"Here are your menus sirs, a waiter will come when you pull on the cord over there. Have a lovely afternoon" With that he left them alone.

The menu was a single page, written in what Austin assumed to be french, and no prices were listed. Clearly Zen's was the kind of place where if you needed to see the cost, you could not afford it.

"Uh," Austin stared at the words with so many accent marks, "what do you recommend?"

Boris stared equally uncomprehending at the calligraphic menu. "This is my first time here. What is it that they say, red wine goes with meat and white wine goes with fish?"

Austin shrugged. "I guess." His last meal had been a microwave burrito.

Boris set down his menu and pulled the chilling bottle from the ice. The cork was pre-popped, letting the expensive drink breathe.

Austin watched his glass fill. It looked so good. A momentary wave of guilt washed over him. He gave Drake a hard time over playing mainstream songs, yet here he was now in the most bourgeois restaurant in the city. His eyes caught Boris's and he bashfully looked down at his menu. Truffles, he recognized that word, mushrooms he thought.

"I- I think I'm going to have this," he turned the menu so Boris could see.

"Braised lamb with truffle gnocchi," he smiled. "Sounds good. I think I will have the same." He glanced at the hanging cord.

Austin nodded and the waiter was summoned. He lifted his glass, sniffing at it, something he'd seen done in the movies. "S-so," he stuttered with his nerves on edge, "you struck me as such a fascinating fur, w-why are you working for Morty- I mean, the club," he coughed, speaking faster to steer the subject away from the wolverine Drake was interested in. "You don't seem the type to be satisfied in such a boring job. Don't you get bored?"

Boris hesitated at that, tapping the table for a moment before sighing softly. "Well, lying on a first date wouldn't be very good, so I'll be honest with you. The job doesn't ever really get that boring, only when there is nothing to do. Other times I have to.... reinforce the rules, and carry out the boss' orders"

Austin perked up a little at that. "'Carry out the boss' orders'? Boris to me it sounds like your boss is running some kind of secret crime ring or something!"

Boris coughed at that, and the hyena widened his eyes. "Can we.... change the subject please?"

Austin nodded quickly at that, looking around for a moment, before perking his ears and looking back across at Boris. "So, other than your job, what else do you like to do? Do you like having fun?"

The doberman snorted and grinned softly at that. "All furs love having fun, I'm no different. For fun I enjoy going to the beach and looking out to the ocean, there are certain spots where I can even surf!"

"Wait, you can surf?"

"Yes, I'm pretty good at it too." The doberman perked at the sudden interest from Austin.

The hyena forced a cough, then asked, "Could you teach me how sometime?"

With a smile, Boris reached over and gently took Austin's hand into his own. "Of course, I would love to teach you to surf."

The hyena nodded with a grin at that, then suddenly blurted out, "How are you in bed?"

Just at that moment, the waiter came. The waiter, a lanky otter, stopped and eyed them both, before clearing his throat and saying, "You rang sirs?"

Boris looked up from Austin's massive blush. "Uh, yes. We'd like to order now."

As the waiter nodded, while taking out a small notepad and a pen, Austin was mentally reprimanding himself for asking such a question. Boris ordered their meal, and once the waiter was gone he looked to the hyena with a wide grin.

"How am I in bed? Well, from the words of others, I'm amazing. Though they're subject to their own opinion as I am to mine."

"A-And?" Austin's ears were beginning to slowly perk back up now.

Boris chuckled, then replied, "I think I'm rather good."

"Not to brag or anything, but I'm not bad myself," Austin grinned, smoothing back his platinum hair.

"That is," Boris sipped his wine, "good to know."

"Yeah, next to music I guess you could say it's my passion."

The doberman nodded. "Good to have passion in your life." He drummed his fingers over the table. "You make a good living with your music?"

Austin blinked.

"Sorry," Boris held up his hands, "that was rude to ask."

"No, it's alright. I guess I don't. Not yet anyways." The wine was strong, going straight to his head on an empty stomach. "I plan on making it big. The sex, the drugs, the groupies," he giggled. "Everyone loves the drummer."

"I took drum lessons in high school," Boris said. He reached to pour Austin another glass.

They talked amiably, waiting on their food. For the second time that evening the hyena felt a surge of guilt. Boris really was as interesting as he thought back in his apartment. They had a lot in common, but seeing the way the red wine sparkled made him think of Danny's hair. It changed often, but Austin had vivid memories of times it was red and the fun they'd had.

He bit his lip. He and the wolf were just friends. Fuck buddies. Neither one made the move to take things to another level. So why, he wondered, was he racked with guilt.

"You alright?" Boris asked, startling the hyena out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," Austin smiled. "I'm great."

He set aside the thoughts of Danny as much as he could as the food finally arrived. They both stared down at their plates, wondering how a restaurant could be so expensive when they put so little food on their plates.

Their waiter bowed, then said, "Bon appetite," before turning and leaving.

Austin picked up a fork, then prodded at his food for a moment before looking up at Boris. "Uhm.... this is just the appetizer, right?"

The doberman eyed his plate for a long moment, before shaking his head. "I'm afraid not... what would you say to going out somewhere else for food after this? Let's say.... Chuck's Burgers?"

The hyena's heart skipped a beat at that. Danny hated Chuck's burgers, he always said that Ralph's was better, but Austin didn't think so. Chuck's burgers was one of his favorite places to eat, and he was awfully surprised to hear Boris suggest it. "Uh, do you like Chuck's Burgers?"

The doberman grinned ear to ear at that. "You kidding? It's one of the best burger joints in town! We could grab something.... more filling there before heading out to the beach. I'll be able to teach you a little bit about surfing while we're there since the Surfboard Shack doesn't close until around six."

Austin smiled, then nodded eagerly at that. As they dug in, he couldn't help but have that guilty feeling again. Growling to himself, he then decided that if Danny really did want to have something special with him, then he should have asked sooner. Boris was a wonderful fur, and the hyena would be an idiot to turn down an opportunity like this! He knew it was rather cold of him, closing the curtains on whatever he and Danny had, but at the same time he thought about Drake, and how he chose to settle down with Argonne.

They finished off the bottle by the end of the meal. Austin knew he'd drunk too much, but everything with Boris felt so right.

The doberman watched the hyena leaning against the wall in the corner of the booth, a toothy grin and half lidded eyes directed at him. The meal wasn't enough to come near to filling him, but it was well worth it to connect with this hyena.

"I'll call a car to take us to Chuck's if you're ready."

Austin picked up his empty cup, tilting his head back and letting the few remaining drops drip into his obscenely wide mouth. Boris gripped the edge of the table, imagining exploring that maw.

"'K," Austin chirped.

Boris cleared his throat and thumbed a message to the club. Another fringe benefit was use of some of Club Malibu's VIP services, including a complimentary car service. He paid their bill and stood. As Austin slid out of the booth he staggered right into Boris's thick arms.

"Oh," Austin blushed. He'd wanted to feel those arms the first time he'd seen the doberman. "You're strong!"

Boris laughed while Austin's ears fell back in embarrassment. "One of the requirements of my job."

Austin's ears shot back up. Drake said to pay attention to any work talk. "Ish that so?" he slurred, finding his footing again.

"Yes," Boris wrapped one of his muscular arms around the hyena's waist. "I bet you're pretty strong too."

Austin blinked, his tipsy brain searching for the meaning. "Oh! Cuz I'm a drummer. Nah, that's all in the forearms," he giggled, flexing. "It doesn't exactly show, does it?"

With a chuckle, Boris led the hyena to where they had checked in. The raccoon was there, looking to them as they approached. Seeing Austin, the fur reached under the desk and pulled out a small bottle, before offering it to Boris. The doberman took the bottle and eyed it.

"What's this for?"

The raccoon bowed slightly, then said, "It's for your date sir, once he drinks it, he'll find that he'll be able to think a lot clearer"

"Ah, thank you" The raccoon inclined his head before they turned and exited the restaurant.

Outside, a car was waiting for them. The driver opened up the back door, and Boris helped Austin climb in before sitting next to him. The hyena murred, pressing himself against the doberman, his hand rubbing the bigger canine's thigh.

Boris bit his lip at that, considering just taking the hyena home and into bed then leaving the following morning. As much as he liked the idea, he shook his head then opened the bottle. "Austin, here drink this. It'll make you feel better for the rest of our night together."

The hyena took the bottle, not even asking before putting it to his lips and chugging it. Moments later, Austin brought his hand up to his head after downing the drink and began rubbing it.

"Nnn.... what is this stuff?" Boris chuckled softly.

"It helps negate the effects of overdrinking"

Austin sat upright at that, staring down at the bottle. "You mean they actually make stuff like this?"

The hyena could feel the haze of being buzzed from the wine going away already, and that's when he realized where his hand was. He froze, staring down at his hand which rested on the doberman's large thigh.

"U-Uhh...."

Boris chuckled again, reaching to the hyena's hand and taking it into his own, squeezing softly. "It's alright. Are you ready to head to Chuck's now?"

Austin beamed up at his date, nodding enthusiastically. "Hell yeah!"

The doberman laughed at that, then motioned for the driver to go.

***

Chuck's was a throwback to the days when food mattered more than aesthetics. Several of the flashing bulbs on the sign were burned out, the booths were upholstered on a cracking vinyl that was as old as the yellowed formica table tops. A waitress, far less pretentious than their server at Zen's, stepped up them.

"What'll ya be havin'?" asked the porcupine.

Boris and Austin looked at each other, answering in unison. "Chuck Burger."

The waitress hurried off to fulfill their order.

"I liked Zen's," Austin grinned, "but this is the kind of place that'll get me out of my pants."

Boris raised his eyebrows. "Good to know."

The hyena laughed. "How about you? What gets you going?"

"Uh," Boris could feel his face starting to warm. It wasn't unusual for him to deal with forward furs, but with this one, he had every intention of waking up next to him. "I guess you'll have to find out."

Austin smiled. "Don't be coy. Drake and Danny are into some real kinky shit, I can handle whatever you got."

Boris loosened the top button of his shirt, it was time to see if they were on the same page. "I guess you could say I'm a little old fashioned. Monogamy, breakfast after sex, that kind of thing."

Austin nodded. "You're trying to ask me if we're exclusive."

"In my own way, yes," Boris smirked.

""Yeah, I'm not gonna sleep around on you. I like you, Boris."

The doberman tried to hide his growing joy, the burgers arrived just in time. "Fantastic!"

Austin giggled at that, and it was Boris' turn to blush now. "Was that to the food arriving, or is that just your enthusiasm for my answer?"

The doberman rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of an answer. "Uhm, both?"

The hyena giggled again. "Good enough for me! Now let's eat, some real food that is!"

They both had a good laugh before digging into their burgers. As they ate, Austin had a chance to glance across at the large canine as he devoured his burger. The hyena grinned widely, unable to keep his tail from thumping on the seat before tearing into his burger again. He could see himself settling down with the big dog in their own house, which got him to thinking.

Swallowing the food in his mouth, he wiped his lips with a napkin then asked, "So Boris," The doberman stopped in mid bite and stared across at him, which he found adorable, "Do you have your own place?"

The canine stayed as he was for a moment, unsure whether to just take the bite or not, before finally deciding to just do it. Once the bite was swallowed, he wiped his mouth and answered, "Actually I do. It's not really in the main part of the city, but I do have a small house of my own."

"How small exactly?"

Boris though for a moment, then looked around the restaurant before saying, it's about as big as this dining area is, the entire house that is. There's one bedroom, a bathroom, a closet, a kitchen, a small laundry room, and then the living room and that's it. I have a king size bed in the bedroom, which takes up almost all of the space so I keep my clothes in the closet."

Austin nodded at that with a wide smile, "Ever thought about taking someone in to live with you?"

The doberman knew exactly where this was heading the moment Austin asked. "Uh, no not really. There is plenty of room for another, so long as they don't mind sharing the bed with me. Are you asking me if you can move in with me?"

The hyena flicked one of his ears at that. "Wow, you caught onto that already? I was being super subtle too!"

Boris laughed at that. "Your eyes and posture gave it away."

Austin giggled, but then nodded. "In answer to your question then, yes I was asking if I could move in."

The apartment he shared with his bandmates was rather small. He'd been sharing a bed with Danny since they moved in, and Boris made it clear that that would no longer be an option.

"I would like that," the doberman nodded.

"Really," Austin was a little surprised. "I thought you'd need at least some convincing, this being our first date and all"

"Why? We're getting on great and I don't relish the thought of you still sleeping with that wolf."

Austin laughed nervously. He'd forgotten the doberman made a thorough search of his home when he was looking for Drake. "You're pretty observant, you know?"

Boris smiled. "Another requirement of my job. Morty hates to write anything down and hates to repeat himself even more."

Austin's ears twitched again. This was an opening, he knew it, but beyond Drake's cryptic mission Austin had real feelings for Boris. He started to gnaw at his thumbnail, weighing his loyalty against his heart. He owed it to his friend to at least see what came up in casual conversation. But he would have to consider if he repeated anything he learned.

"Hates to write anything down? H-how exactly does he keep track of everything? I mean, Club Malibu is one of the hottest clubs right now.

Boris swallowed a mouthful of burger. "He's got a private server... but... some of what he does is strictly off the books."

"Interesting. I can barely get my phone to work, and Morty's some kind of computer genius," Austin forced a laugh and took a bite of his food.

"Hardly," Boris reached for a napkin. "Remember I was telling you about those online classes I've been taking? Well, I sort of help Morty out with-" he shook his head, "I can help you with your phone if you want?"

"My phone? Oh! Yeah, thanks," Austin forced another laugh. "Next time I have trouble I'll come to you." He grinned. "Brains and brawn. You really are a catch."

Boris only grinned at that, holding out his hand. Austin blinked, but then understood and took out his phone before handing it to the doberman. It took only a moment for Boris to say, "You have a weak password, it only took me a couple tries to guess it."

Austin stared at that, then coughed before speaking up. "So uh, what is it you help Morty out with then?"

The large canine stopped what he was doing, then sighed softly before looking across to the hyena. "Austin.... I know what it is you're trying to do. I took you for the curious sort and now I know for certain that I'm right. Please, do not pursue trying to get me to talk about my work with Morty"

Austin allowed his ears to sag at that, "B-But--"

The doberman reached over and gently took hold of Austin's hand, squeezing it tight. "Austin please, drop it. I don't want to see you get hurt, as it would tear my heart to shreds if that does happen."

The hyena felt a pang in his heart at that, then let loose a soft whimper, before nodding slowly, "A-Alright, I'll drop it Boris..."

The large canine grinned softly at that, leaning forward and landing a light peck on the hyena's lips. "Thank you."

In truth, Austin didn't want to see Boris get hurt either. He knew how obsessive Drake could be once he got his mind stuck on something. With or without Austin's help, the folf would find what he was after. But if Austin found it first, maybe he could protect Boris.

"I-" he started before deciding to leave it for the time being. "Wanna go to the beach now?"

Boris pushed away his empty plate. "Yes. I would like that."

***

It was starting to get dark when they arrived at the shore. They took a set of steep steps down to the sand. Already a group of furs had a bonfire blazing. Austin took hold of Boris's hand, leading the doberman towards the sound of a blaring radio.

Boris spiked a beach ball that sailed towards them. He knew some of the furs and they could lend them a towel, maybe even watch their stuff when they moved on to a more secluded stretch of sand for more intimate activities.

"Hey, Boris!" shouted a ferret.

"Paul," Boris nodded and introduced Austin.

The ferret smiled broadly. "You didn't get all dressed up for me, didja?"

Boris chuckled. "I was hoping you had a couple of spare boards, maybe some shorts. Aus here wants to learn to surf."

The ferret looked to Austin for a moment, before grinning widely and nodding. "Yeah I got those, stay right here and I'll be back!"

Paul then turned and headed towards a group of furs converging near the bonfire. While the ferret was gone, Austin looked up to the doberman. "So, who's he?"

Boris grinned softly at the question. "I first met Paul at the club, he offered to blow me if I'd let him in. It was a V.I.P only night, so none of the regular customers were allowed inside."

The hyena shuffled his feet for a moment. "And.... did you take him up on his offer?"

The large canine looked back down to Austin. "I'd be lying to you if I told you that I didn't. In truth, I let him take me around to the dark side of the club and blow me. I wasn't feeling very well, having a headache that night so I didn't want to deal with the begging and pleading most customers did when they tried getting in on invited guests only events. I remember coming twice that night."

The hyena rubbed his arm for a moment, before looking up at Boris with a smirk. "Only twice? I'll be that I can make you come twice as much as that!"

The doberman laughed, just as Paul returned with two surfboards and two pairs of shorts. "Alright, here you go you two! You can change off that way a little, there isn't as much light from the fire. Say Bori, after you're finished with him ya want some company?"

Boris glanced to Austin, before shaking his head. "Sorry Paul, I'm a taken fur now. So you're gonna have to come up with some other way of bribing your way into the club from now on."

The hyena blushed as the ferret nodded at that. "Pity, you had the biggest piece of meat I've seen on a dog in a long time. Oh well, guess I'll see you around then!"

Once Paul was gone, Boris led Austin away from the bonfire. Unable to resist, the hyena began opening his mouth, before the doberman beat him to it. "If you're wondering, or about to ask, I'm 14 inches, including my knot."

Austin blinked at that, then smirked. "How'd you know I was going to ask?"

"Heh, I had a hunch."

The hyena gave him a playful punch in the arm at that, before waiting a couple seconds before asking, "How big is your knot? Width wise anyway."

Boris snorted, then chuckled heartily before replying, "About the size of a softball when fully swollen."

Austin nodded at that, not saying anything else until they came to a stop. "Uh, do you want me to turn around or anything?"

The doberman eyed him, then smiled. "I know that you're going to secretly sneak a peek anyway, so you might as well just watch. I'll even change first."

Before Austin could say anything, the canine faced him then began taking off his clothes. He watched in an almost trance-like state as Boris' upper body was bared. He gasped, his eyes taking in the doberman's muscular form. Then it got to the good part, as the big dog took off his pants. As he expected, Boris was wearing a pair of boxer briefs, but he didn't expect them to be so tight. He stared openly at the canine's bulge, noting how big it was.

Boris raised an eyebrow as he paused for a moment. "You like?"

"W-Wow...." was all Austin managed to utter.

Boris hooked his thumbs into his boxers. "Ready for the main event?" he laughed.

Austin tried to laugh too but was only able to manage a choked "Ghunugh..." and a jerky nod. He gawked at each new inch of the doberman. His legs suddenly felt weak. The next thing he knew he was kneeling in the sand.

Boris laughed again. "Let's save the fun for after the surfing." Slipping on the too-tight shorts, he reached down and lifted the kneeling hyena.

Austin was back on unsteady feet. "Heh, I, uh, I usually have better control of myself." He pulled off his own shirt. No flair, but a practiced fluid movement of a fur used to casual flings in the back of a van.

Boris kept himself together in a much more dignified manner. "Are those nipple rings?"

"Yes," Austin grinned. "Give them a tug if you don't believe me."

"Let's save that for later, I need a clear head if we're going night surfing."

Austin looked up at the darkening sky. "Promise you'll save me if I start to drown?" He tied the drawstring on his borrowed shorts.

Boris smiled. "I'll be sure to give you mouth to mouth, whether or not you need it."

The hyena murred softly at the sound of that, finishing with his drawstring then picking up a surfboard. "Alright Chief, what do we do first?"

Boris snorted softly, picking up his surfboard then beginning to head out towards the water. "Well first we have to get out onto the water!"

"And?" Austin prompted him on.

"And, then we learn about balance. You need balance to surf, cause without it you'll just keep falling off. You know how to swim right?"

Austin nodded at that. "I'm a pretty good swimmer, though not a very big fan of the cold." The doberman grinned widely at that as they reached the water's edge.

"Well, the ocean is a very cold place, so if you're not a fan of the cold, then perhaps surfing isn't really for you if you can't handle it--"

"Whoa whoa whoa, I can handle it!" At that moment the hyena began wading out to the deeper water, a sudden chill creeping up his spine as the coldness of the water soaked through the fur on his legs.

Doing his best not to shiver, he managed to say, "N-Not cold at all! P-Perfectly fine!"

When he looked to Boris, he blinked when he saw the doberman sitting on his surfboard, floating on the water. "Well, come on, try doing what I'm doing. Balance on the board, but don't let your feet touch the ground."

Once Austin got a feel for that, they paddled out to wait for a wave. Boris told the hyena what to look for and how to stand once the board was in the current.

On his first attempt Austin fell into the water. Boris watched, ready to dive in if the hyena needed rescuing, but moments later a wet cursing Austin burst to the surface, scrambling back onto his board. Boris began to laugh hysterically until an errant wave toppled him. He surfaced to hear the hyena's cackling laughter.

Soon they were both having a great time. The waves weren't as big as they were when the tide comes in but it was perfect for a beginner like Austin. They stayed out for almost an hour before the doberman paddled over to Austin.

"What do you say we go warm up now?"

"I'd like that," Austin grinned, "I can think of a few ways we could warm up."

Boris looked at Austin's hard nipples, the silver rings glistening in the moonlight. "I think that would be smart. We wouldn't want to catch a cold, would we?" The two furs made their way back to the beach.

Once out of the cold water, there was nothing else for Austin to really focus on. As soon as the cold breeze hit, he yelped then made a run for the bonfire, leaving his board behind. Boris chuckled, picking up the board and following close behind.

Once the doberman reached the bonfire, he found the hyena sitting as close to the flames as possible. Several furs who were around the fire stopped what they were doing and stared openly at the muscular wet doberman, but Boris ignored them. He went over, setting the boards down then sitting next to Austin.

"The fire doing it's work?" The smaller fur looked to him and grinned sadly.

"Unfortunately yes.."

Boris chuckled at that. "We can still keep each other warm tonight. When would you want to move in?"

"Well...." Austin thought for a moment, "As soon as possible really. I just need to talk to Drake real fast about something, then get all my stuff packed before calling a cab or something."

"There's no need for that, I can come and pick you up instead, it'll be easier that way"

Austin nodded softly at that. "Well, if you insist then that's how we'll do it. I can have everything packed by tomorrow."

"Alright," Boris nodded and sat next to the wet hyena.

Austin leaned into him and rested his head against his arm. "I could still spend the night at your place. I don't want things to get weird with Danny tonight."

Boris nodded again. "That would be fine. I... I don't want to pry, but what is the deal with you and Danny?"

"Just good friends that found a common interest in music. But it never got serious. Just sex." Austin shrugged.

"I don't want to be responsible for splitting up your band or anything."

Austin laughed, loudly. "Don't worry. That wolf is resilient. He'll be back on his feet before our next session." It was more of a hope than a certainty. Austin had been the one to hope Danny would take things to a more serious level, but that didn't mean the wolf wasn't emotionally invested in whatever it was that they had had.

The music from the radio and the drunken shouts from the other furs were becoming intrusive. Boris had more intimate plans for their first date. "Do you want to stop by your place and get anything? Otherwise we could just head back to mine and..."

"And?" the hyena turned his head to grin at Boris.

"And see where the evening takes us."

Austin's grin became even wider at that. "I may have an idea as to where it'll take us~"

The doberman chuckled at the small seductive tone that had crept into the hyena's voice. "Is it safe for me to guess that you'll be slowly working up towards that idea?"

Austin giggled softly at that. "Maybe~"

With another soft chuckle, Boris leaned over and planted a soft kiss between Austin's ears. "Perhaps we shall go now so that your scheming may commence"

The hyena pressed against the large canine even more at that, murring loudly. "And what delicate scheming it'll be~"

With that, Boris took him by the hand and rose to his feet, bringing Austin up with him. "We'll get warmer while we're fully dressed."

The hyena nodded, then followed the doberman out to where they left their things. Finding everything still there, they promptly began to change, though Austin changed much slower, watching as Boris slid his shorts off. The hyena's eyes became glued onto the dog's fat sheath and plump balls, at least until Boris cleared his throat.

"Enjoying the show are we?"

Austin blushed madly, glad that his fur hid most of the blush, while the dark hid the rest. "Uh, well, naturally! I'm just thinking about how I'm going to charm you out of your clothes big guy"

Boris chuckled at that, pulling on his boxer-briefs and hiding his package from sight. "You underestimate the challenge in that, Austin"

Austin giggled, then took off his shorts and began putting his clothes back on. Once they were both fully dressed, the hyena checked his phone, lowering his ears when he saw all the notifications. Opening it up, he checked one of the messages. It was from Drake, asking him where he was.

With a sigh, the hyena texted the folf back, telling him that he was going to be staying the night with Boris. Also in the message, he told him that whatever it was that he had gotten himself into, that he needed to leave Boris out of it. After that he shut off his phone and put it away.

"Everything ok?" Boris asked.

"Yeah," Austin forced a smile. "Why do you ask?"

"You look a little worried." Boris shook his head after a moment. "Nevermind."

Austin hurried to put the doberman's mind at ease. "It was just Drake, he's talking about band stuff. But I turned off my phone. No more distractions tonight." He slid closer, wrapping his arms around the big fur's waist, squeezing his rock hard ass.

Boris licked his lips. "I- I should call us a ride."

***

Boris lived in a modest ranch style Just outside of downtown in a neighborhood of nearly identical homes. Austin frowned at the uniformity, wondering if he could handle living in such a dull area. Then he looked at Boris, the doberman watching him with a faint smile, and he knew it would be worth it.

"Here we are," Boris said softly as he opened the door.

Austin could hear the whirl of an air conditioner, something neither of them needed after their time in the cold water. "Nice place," Austin said as Boris turned on the light.

"Do you really think so? I saw how your neighborhood was while I was over there, doesn't this seem a bit.... drab to you?"

Austin turned about to face the doberman with his arms crossed over his chest. "Oh, so you think I'm just some fur that likes to party everyday and get drunk all the time? Is that it?"

Boris widened his eyes a little at that and laid his ears back. "N-No! Not at all, I was just worried that you might get bored--"

The large canine stopped when Austin found he couldn't hold a straight face anymore. He snrked loudly, then burst out laughing. "You.... You should have seen your face! Oh that was priceless!"

Boris growled when he realized that he had been tricked, then shut the door behind him and locked it, before grabbing the hyena and pulling him tightly into his arms. Austin eeped at that, and began to squirm. "Trying to pull a fast one on me huh? I should teach you a little lesson~"

The hyena mewled loudly, pretending to struggle against the doberman. "Lemme go you big meanie!"

Boris only growled again, then leaned down and pressed his lips firmly to Austin's. The hyena ceased struggling at that, then went limp, melting like butter in the big dog's embrace.

Austin gave no resistance when he found himself being slung over the doberman's shoulder and carried off to the bedroom. He was suddenly dropped on the bed, bouncing with a surprised yelp.

"Oops!" Boris pursed his lips. "I should have warned you."

Austin growled, "Don't apologize. I like it a little rough."

Boris's eyes widened. "Oh." He was always used to being cautious with his lovers. His muscular frame could be intimidating.

Austin pulled off his shirt, his hands stopping as they fumbled with his belt. "Feel free to join in," he winked.

"Oh!" Boris laughed and hurried to take off his own shirt. Austin was down to his briefs before the doberman could even start at his pants.

"Let me," Austin crawled to the edge of the bed and pushed Boris's hands away. It felt like he was unwrapping a Christmas present, yanking greedily at the big fur's fly. "Hello," he hummed once Boris's pants were down. His fingers gently caressed the bulging package.

Boris groaned. He put his hands behind his head, resisting the urge grab onto the delectable hyena kneeling on his bed.

Austin started to slowly pull down the doberman's boxers. His skilled hands continuing to coax life into the thick sheath. He started to rub at the swollen balls and looked up, an eager, hungry glint in his eyes.

Boris chuckled softly at that, then murred gently as he gazed down into the hyena's eyes. A soft moan escaped his mouth as Austin grinned up at him, before leaning forward and pushing his tongue down into the doberman's fat sheath.

The large canine closed his eyes, inhaling sharply as he felt the hyena's tongue swirling around inside his sheath. His shaft began growing even faster, and it wasn't long before it was fully erect in all it's glory.

Austin licked his lips as he pulled back a little, reaching up and gently grasping the large piece of swollen meat, which twitched slightly at his touch. "My my, you weren't kidding when you said that you were big~"

The doberman grinned, then looked down at Austin. "Of course, why would I lie to you?"

Austin giggled, then sized the massive cock up for a moment, before slowly running his tongue up it's underside. "Mmm, I'll bet that I can fit this whole thing down my throat, it'll just take some getting used to"

Boris blinked, then quickly said, "Now there's no need to overdo it, you don't have to---" He bit his lip, then groaned, "Mmmmmfff...."

Cause at that moment, the hyena had slid him into his muzzle, taking him deeper and deeper into his warm, wet mouth.

"Oh, god!" Boris moaned as Austin leaned back, letting the doberman's length slid out of hot grasp of hyena's well trained throat.

"Told ya I could fit it," Austin licked his lips. His eyes flitted about the room, searching.

"What?"

"Tunes, dude. I want this to be all romantic like," Austin smirked.

"Phone dock's hooked up to some speakers, but-" before the big fur could explain the pressing matter of canine urges Austin was diving off the bed and searching his pockets for his phone.

"Aha!" Austin had his phone and was searching through through his copious amounts of pirated music for a suitable soundtrack for the oral gymnastics he was about to perform. Anti-Nowhere League. Perfect.

Boris gave himself a fist pump. He could feel the slimy drool Austin left behind. Suddenly the hyena's arms wrapped around his waist and he was yanked off balance, falling onto his bed.

Austin's wide grin stretched his lips as he scuttled over Boris, straddling his rippled abs. He couldn't resist grinding against them while he bent forward, licking the side of Boris's face. The music grew louder and he could feel his pulse beginning to pound.

"Kiss me now, Boris. I'm about to get my mouth really dirty."

The doberman murred at that, before pressing his lips to the hyena's. They stayed like that for a long moment, Boris taking the opportunity to push his tongue as deep into Austin's mouth as he could.

After the moment passed, Austin broke the kiss, then moved down the front of the canine until he reached his prize.

Taking the thick piece of dog meat with both hands, the hyena began rubbing it up and down.

Boris closed his eyes and groaned at that, reaching down and firmly grasping the hyena's head.

Austin took this opportunity to slide the large canine's cock into his muzzle, and down into his throat with ease.

Boris gripped the sheets. His claws tearing the poly-cotton blend.

Austin stretched his mouth wider, his tongue slid out to snake over the doberman's tightening sack.

Boris moaned as the hyena's impressively long and flexible muscle caressed and cupped him. His fingers lost their hold on the mangled bedding and moved instinctively for Austin's head.

Austin pulled back, leaving Boris's cock between his lips. "Ooh can ee rough," he mumbled with a wink.

That was all Boris needed to hear. He went from combing through Austin's thick hair, to taking a commanding grip and guiding him back down the shaft. Austin brought out his own claws, taking hold of Boris. The doberman growled in a swirl of pain and ecstasy. He pumped the hyena, face fucking him with an intensity he hadn't felt in quite some time.

Austin knew his nails were going to leave the bigger fur feeling sore in the morning, but as he raked down Boris' side he knew the dog wouldn't be complaining.

Boris gripped the hyena's head even tighter as he began face fucking him at an even faster pace.

His balls became tighter and tighter, until he knew he could no longer resist. Letting his instincts take over, the doberman began thrusting into Austin's mouth with sheer abandon.

Finally, as he began going over the edge, his claws came out, digging into Austin's head fur as he let loose a howl of ecstasy.

The doberman's seed gushed down Austin's throat and down into his stomach, splurt after splurt of thick creamy deliciousness filled him. The hyena mentally counted the seconds as they ticked by, reaching forty-five by the time the canine finished.

Austin felt the doberman's hold slacken. He lifted his head, taking in a deep breath. "Wow," he grinned, "I think all that expensive wine really added to your rich flavoring."

Boris laughed. "Don't get used to it. That stuff cost me more than I care to admit."

Austin laughed and scrambled up to cuddle.

Boris hum with contentment while the hyena clung to him. He could still smell himself on Austin's breath. "You were incredible."

"Yes, I know," Austin's infectious grin warmed his words.

"And so modest too," Boris moved his head to give the hyena a peck on the nose. He tugged at what was left of the sheet, wrapping them together then let his hand wander south.

"Oh?" Austin licked his lips as he felt the big fur's hand close around his dick. His question was answered with Boris giving him a teasing stroke.

The hyena squirmed visibly at that, closing his eyes and whining loudly. Boris only murred deeply, then continued stroking him.

It wasn't long before Austin was thrusting into the doberman's hand, panting heavily.

With a particularly loud squeak, Austin slammed his hips up against Boris' hand, his balls tightening before finally letting loose.

The hyena's load splattered all over the doberman's hand in thick globs of seed.

Once Austin finished, he went a little limp, before Boris grabbed him and pulled him up onto him that is.

The hyena then snuggled down onto the doberman, murring softly as he did.

After a moment, Boris said softly as he wrapped an arm around the smaller fur, "Mmm... just wait until you move in, you'll be getting another part of your body used to my cock"

Austin blinked at that, "You mean I have to wait until I'm settled in for you to fuck me?" There was a bit of a whine to his voice.

The doberman nodded at that, running his hand over Austin's fur. "I prefer to call it, making love, because that is what I plan to do. And yes, you have to wait until you're settled."

***

"Could you put that phone away?" The red fox growled and draped his arm across his eyes.

"Just sleep, Ary. Then you won't notice it." Drake thumbed down the brightness but putting it away was out of the question. He'd sent his friend and drummer into a potentially deadly situation and now the idiot wasn't answering his calls or texts.

"C'mon, Drake," Argonne sighed. "I almost died yesterday."

The charcoal folf rolled his eyes. "It was the day before yesterday. And how long are you going to be milking that?" He felt the fox shifting to pull a pillow over his head.

They arrived home from the club around midnight. Danny had gotten completely drunk and Drake had to half carry, half drag the big wolf from the van to the elevator and then into the bathroom where Danny proceed to lament his poor decisions in between bouts of projectile vomiting. The entire time Drake's attention was kept on his phone, waiting for updates from Austin.

Since a cryptic conversation about leaving Boris out of Drake's plans, there was no further contact. Drake stopped short of asking Argonne if he knew the doberman's address. The fewer of his friends he involved in the cloak and dagger mess, the better.

Argonne sighed loudly.

"Do you want another pain pill?" Drake asked. "You seem to be in some sort of discomfort."

Argonne moved the pillow away from his head. "So rather than put the phone away, you'd drug me?"

Drake opened his mouth, wanting more than anything to bring up the laxative incident, but he closed his mouth, smiled, and thumbed off his phone.

"Happy?" the folf asked in the darkness.

"Yes, thank you"

Drake snorted softly, before rolling over and wrapping his arms around the fox, pulling him against him. He felt Argonne grow tense at that.

"Uhm... Drake?"

"Don't worry, I'm just cuddling. You don't consider cuddling to be a sexual thing, do you?" It was Argonne's turn to snort as he did his best to relax.

"So long as you don't get too into it it's not."

The folf grinned at that, then nuzzled his fox before getting comfortable. Argonne pressed back against him after a long moment of hesitation, bringing a wide smile to Drake's face.

"Goodnight Drake"

"Goodnight Argonne, love you" There was a moment of silence, in that moment the folf felt his heartbeat pick up a little.

Finally, he heard the fox softly say, "I love you too"

Drake murred softly, then closed his eyes and soon fell asleep. Argonne laid there in his boyfriend's arms for a moment, his eyes wide open as he thought about what he had said.

All of this was entirely new to the fox, he had never told anyone that was family that he loved them, but now here he was telling this folf. He really did consider Drake a boyfriend now, but the truth behind the words that he had just said didn't register until he uttered them.

With a small tired sigh, the vulpine closed his eyes and began drifting off to sleep. These were thoughts for another day.

***

Drake woke up to the sounds of shouting in the living room, and he quickly rolled out of bed and hurried to see what was the problem. The folf skidded to a stop when he saw that Austin was back, with Boris at the front door. Danny was there too, snarling at the hyena.

"What do you fucking mean you're moving out to live with him?! You live here, with me!"

Austin huffed loudly as he closed a cardboard box that was on the couch. "I already told you Danny, this is my decision! I'm going to be with Boris and that's final!"

"B-But... But I love you!!"

Everyone froze at that, and Austin slowly turned to look at the wolf. "Then you should have told me sooner."

Danny took a step back at that, his eyes threatening to gush tears at any moment. "H-How could you be so cold? Aus, please, don't leave me to be with that.... that.... that stiff!"

Boris tensed at that, clearing his throat and coming forward. "I think I've heard enough. Austin is there anything else that you need to grab?"

"Uh, there's another box in my room with my clothes in it. It's not completely packed yet though, I haven't been able to clear out my dresser completely."

The doberman nodded, before walking past Danny and into the bedroom, whereupon the wolf saw that Drake was up. Leaping over the couch, Danny grabbed Drake by the shirt.

"T-Tell him he can't go Drake! Help me out here man, you can't possibly be okay with this!!"

The folf looked to Austin, then back to Drake. At that moment, the text that the hyena sent him last night came to mind, and it made sense. He growled, then shoved Danny away before jerking his thumb towards the front door. "Aus, we need to talk."

The hyena huffed and rolled his eyes, before following him out. Once they were outside, Drake spun about and drilled into the hyena. "What the hell man?? Why are you moving out to live with him?"

The hyena crossed his arms over his chest at that. "Boris and I are going to start a relationship with each other. There's chemistry between us, and we're going to see where it takes us. That means I can't be living here anymore, and most definitely not have sex with Danny."

The folf rubbed his temple. "That's why you sent me that text. You want me to make sure Boris walks free don't you? And what about Danny? That guy isn't going to be the same without you!"

"It's Danny's fault for not coming clean with me before all this happened," Austin suddenly jabbed a finger into Drake's chest, "And it's your fucking fault for dragging us into this mess in the first place! So you owe me Drake, big time."

The folf growled at that. "I don't owe you anything!"

Austin shrugged. "Alright then, have it your way. If you don't get Boris out of this mess, then I'll tell him that you're up to something. That means he'll report it to Morty, who'll put a 24/7 watch on your ass!"

Drake narrowed his eyes, "You wouldn't."

"I can play hardball just as easily as everyone else. I don't want to rat you out, but if you don't do this for me, then I'll have no choice. Come on Drake, work with me"

The folf sighed heavily at that, rubbing his temple again. "Alright, fine. I'll talk to the detective about clearing Boris' name"

Austin's eyes widened a little. "Detective? The fuck have you gotten yourself into?"

Drake just shook his head at that then motioned for the hyena to follow. "Come on, let's get back inside and sort this mess out before Danny decides to try and challenge Boris to a fight or something."

Drake and Austin were seconds too late. They opened the door just in time to see Danny throw a right fist into Boris's jaw. The doberman staggered back but kept his feet until the wolf leapt at him, driving them both into Drake's duct taped beanbag chair. A shower of foam peanuts obscured the fighting furs for a moment.

Drake and Austin ran to pull the two furs apart. The shouting and crashing brought Argonne out of the bedroom to add his own shrieks to the mayhem.

"Get off me!" Danny roared at Drake. The folf had his arms wrapped around the bigger fur's chest, trying desperately to drag him away from a now thoroughly pissed doberman.

"Let it go, Dann-" Darke's jaw was closed when the wolf's elbow rocketed back, freeing the enraged wolf and sending Drake to the floor.

Austin was pushing Boris toward the door when the big dog spun. Austin screamed as the neon ball of rage that was Danny charged across the living room. Boris' training kicked in. One well placed punch to the side of Danny's head and the fight was over.

Austin stood in mute horror. The apartment had been trashed again, there was a red fox shrieking about calling the cops, his ex-lover was lying motionless, and Drake was spitting out blood as he shakily held the wall for support. This was not what Austin had planned.

The first thing Drake did was hurry over to Argonne, moving him back into the bedroom while Austin checked on Danny. The wolf was still breathing, thankfully. Not wanting to just leave him there, the hyena tried hauling Danny up but found that the wolf had become a dead weight.

He jumped a little when he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder, then looked up to see Boris there. "Let me help"

The hyena nodded at that, moving back as the doberman lifted up the unconscious wolf off the floor. "Uh.... l-let's get him to the bed..."

Boris was already on his way. Once the big dog was in the bedroom, he carefully laid the wolf down on the bed then stepped back as Austin came in. The hyena sighed as he touched Danny on the arm, then looked to Boris.

"What happened?"

The doberman looked to him at that, giving Austin a look that seemed to be asking for forgiveness. "I finished packing your clothes and I came out with the box and set it on the couch. Danny was pacing back and forth, growling and muttering to himself. He called me some rather... obscene names before beginning to insult me. I.... I lost my temper when he called you a name in front of me..."

Austin blinked at that. "Uh, what did he call me?"

"He... called you a slut..."

The hyena snorted at that, then reached over and rubbed the doberman's arm. "It's alright, he calls me that all the time whenever we bickered. I didn't think that it'd be a problem, but then again I didn't think you'd be so protective of me... is he going to be alright?"

Boris nodded at that. "He'll be fine. When he wakes up he'll have a headache, but no concussion."

"How did you do that? End it so quickly?"

"I used to serve in the military. Once I retired I continued to train myself."

Austin eyed him curiously at that. "How old are you exactly?"

"Tell me your age, and I'll tell you mine" The hyena grinned softly at that, then led Boris out of the room.

"I'm 23"

"And I'm 28"

"How do you retire at 28 years old?" The doberman chuckled at that.

"Ever heard of the purple heart?"

The hyena widened his eyes at that. "You were injured and got the purple heart? But where? I didn't see any kind of injury last night!"

Letting loose another chuckle, Boris replied, "The wonders of today's technology."

With that Austin began feeling about the large canine's body, everywhere. "Where was it? You must have a scar somewhere, come on tell me!"

The doberman coughed when the hyena suddenly took the opportunity to grope him, then very gently pushed him away. "It was in a rather private area, so the scarring is hidden well..." He stopped for a moment, then rubbed the back of his head. "Austin.... I'm sorry about all this, I didn't mean to cause this much trouble."

The hyena blinked at that, then waved it off with a grin. "No it's fine. I wasn't expecting things to go like this, but they did"

Drake and Argonne interrupted Austin's intimate moment.

"You alright?" the hyena asked.

Drake moved the tissue from his nose just long enough to snarl sarcastically.

"He'll be fine," Argonne answered for him. "Are you two ok?"

Austin looked at Boris. The doberman rubbed the side of his muzzle where Danny hit him. "I've had worse."

Argonne nodded. "Maybe you guys should leave before he wakes up."

Austin's ears flattened. "Drake... when Danny wakes up... tell him I'm sorry it ended like this."

The folf grunted affirmatively.

"A-and maybe give me a call when he's calmed down, ok?"

"Yeah." Drake took the bloody tissue away and looked down at the wolf. "I, for one, am dreading our next practice."

Austin crossed his arms and looked at the floor, backing towards the door. "Is there still a band?"

Drake's ears flicked. "Of course there is!" There had to be he thought. His access to Morty depended on it. "Don't you want there to be?"

"Of course," Austin looked up. "The band is my life... But what if Danny quits? It wouldn't be the same without him."

"I'll handle Danny," Drake said. "Just don't shut off your phone until you hear from me." He glanced at Boris. The doberman moved to the living room to pick up Austin's boxes. "And for fuck's sake, don't tell him anything."

Austin sighed.

"I mean it!" Drake hissed. "Not until I find out whose side he's on and what he knows."

Austin narrowed his eyes. "Drake, you and I are going to have a long talk once things settle down."

The folf grinned.

Austin then turned and headed over to where Boris was trying to pick up the second box. The hyena took it from him, which earned a grin from the doberman, and they both left.

Drake stared after them for a long moment, before turning to Argonne while still holding the tissue to his nose. "Again, I'm sorry that this chaos woke you up.... I'm going to have to do some serious damage control when Danny wakes up"

The fox nodded at that. "It's fine, I should be awake by now anyway. By damage control, what do you mean? The chances of Danny leaving the band because of this is extremely high. A broken heart isn't an easy thing to fix without the love of another."

Drake blinked at that. "So you mean...?"

"Get him a boyfriend, one that he can connect with!"

The folf rubbed his arm at that. "Uhm.... I'm not really good at the relationship advice thing. Last time I tried hooking someone up, they ended up on the most wanted list!"

Argonne stared at him. Drake shrugged then gave the fox the sweetest smile he could muster, getting a snort from the vulpine. "Oh stow it you big lug. I know someone who is fantastic at relationship advice, my friend Tylar."

"You mean the stripper?"

Argonne slapped him on the arm at that. "He's not a stripper! He's a pole dancer, and a private entertainer."

"What does that mean anyway? Does he go into those booths and jerk furs off or something?"

The fox sighed softly at that, then shook his head. "No, it means that he does private dancing, like lap dances and that sort of thing."

"Riiiight" That earned him another slap.

At that moment, the folf's phone began going off, and he answered it without a thought. "Y'ello?"

He recognized the voice on the other end. "Mr. Holloway, this is Detective McKenzie. Are you free by any chance?"

"Detective! What can I do ya for?"

"We need to meet. I'll be coming over to your home in just a few minutes. Did you get anything on Mortimer?"

"Uh yeah, bout that, I knicked a file from his office that I think you should take a look at, and also I have a favor to ask."

There was a moment of silence, before the detective spoke up. "And what is it?"

"You know one of Morty's bodyguards, Boris? I'm going to need you to let him walk."

"Boris? Mortimer has two main bodyguards, Owen and Grady. There is no Boris"

Drake felt a cold chill run through him at that. Moments later, the detective's voice came again. "Let's see here.... Boris.... funny. I looked up his name Mr. Holloway, and it appears that this Boris, isn't entirely what he seems. His files read classified, and his full name is Darwin 'Boris' McGavery. It says here that he joined up with Mortimer only a few weeks ago. Everything else is locked down by the FBI."

"So..... he's a Fed?? Wait, why are you sharing this with me anyway? You're not going to kill me now are you?" Argonne's eyes widened at that.

There came a snort on the other side of the line. "No I'm not going to kill you Mr. Holloway. I'm telling you this because my department allowed me to. It does appear that this 'Boris' you speak of is involved with the FBI, but other than that I can't confirm or deny. Now, would you mind opening the door?"

Right on que, there was a knock on the front door.

Drake put down his phone and looked at Argonne. He pointed to his room and mouthed, "Go." Argonne stood with his hands on his hips, not at all pleased.

Another knock. "Let's go, Holloway, we're burning daylight here."

Argonne rolled his eyes and retreated to the bedroom. Drake touched his nose, wincing but finding the bleeding had stopped. He tossed the tissue and sprinted to the door before the detective could knock again.

"Detective," Drake flung the door open and grinned.

McKenzie stared at the apartment. "What the hell happened?"

Drake turned around. "Beanbag chair exploded. It happens more often than you'd think, but that's not important. Here, let me get you the file I took."

McKenzie followed the folf as he dropped to the ground and felt under the couch for the papers. He took the folder and instead of leaving, took a seat.

Drake bit his lip. "Now really isn't the best time for-"

"Sit."

Drake's shoulders sagged and he righted a table that was knocked over during the fight to use as a chair. He watched the german shepherd flip through the pages. "Did I do good?" he smiled expectantly.

McKenzie glanced up. "Looks like Morty's buying the club's shrimp from a less than reputable wholesaler."

"What?"

"You stole me a seafood inventory form and records pertaining to the past quarter."

Drake tilted his head. "So... not the info you were looking for?"

"No. But I'd avoid the shrimp cocktail if I were you." He tossed the folder down. "Let me give a tip, Holloway," he leaned forward. "Don't steal anything unless you know what it is. Furs who rob Morty rarely get a second chance." He moved his thumb across his neck in a cutting motion.

Drake swallowed. "Understood."

The german shepherd then set the file aside, before leaning back. Now, before we get into anything serious, let's talk about this... 'Boris'. How do you know him?"

Drake rubbed the back of his head for a moment, then said, "Well, I first met Boris after I signed the contract. He's the one who punched me in the gut. Now, I'm trying to get information from him, through a friend... though things have gotten complicated."

"Complicated as in...?"

"Complicated as in my friend is sorta in love with him now, and Boris feels the same way... I think."

The detective nodded at that. "Well, you won't need to worry about convictions, because Darwin is with the FBI. Much more about it I can't say, else I really will have to kill you."

The folf gulped at that, then nodded quickly. "R-Right."

"Your phone has been tapped Mr. Holloway, though not by me. This home is under constant surveillance by undercover police, since you're our shoe-in, I should say, to getting dirt on Mortimer. Now that we know there is an inside fur working with the FBI, this has become a joint case."

"Uhm.... what does that mean for me?"

"It means that there will be an undercover agent moving in who's working with the FBI. His codename is X'Trap, and anything else about him he will have to tell you. Treat him as you would treat Danny or Austin," Drake blinked when the canine mentioned them, "And make him a part of your... band. It's part of his cover."

"Who whoa whoa, now the band is a very touchy subject! I can't just take in any random fur who--"

"He can play a number of instruments, including a guitar."

Drake stopped at that and stared for a long moment. "Uhm.... can he play bass? Danny is great and all, but I've always wanted an additional bass player around"

The detective snorted at that, and nodded "Yes, he can play bass."

Drake scratched his chin. "I think I can work with that."

"See that you do. I plan on making an arrest one way or the other, and I'd hate to take a look at some of those outstanding warrants."

"I get it!" Drake growled. "We'll take on your mole-"

"Fennec."

"Whatever. Have him meet me in the building's basement around seven. I'll take it from there."

McKenzie stared at Drake just long enough to make the folf uncomfortable then he stood. "I'll be in touch."

"Of course," Drake sighed and saw the detective to the door. Once the footsteps receded, Drake leaned against the wall and put his head in his hands trying to wrap his mind around everything.

"Can I come out now?" Argonne's muffled voice sounded from the bedroom.

"No," Drake called back. He wanted a few minutes of peace before the inevitable barrage of questions started.

***

Austin tapped his fingers to the drumbeat of the radio. He turned up the volume loud enough to put off any conversation until he could compose himself. Boris caught on and didn't try to force smalltalk, but as he pulled up in front of his house, he knew he'd have to say something.

The engine shut off and Austin started before Boris had a chance. "He said he loved me," he whispered.

Boris reached over and put his arm around the shaking hyena.

"I can't believe I'm saying this Austin but.... if you want to go back to him--"

The hyena cut the doberman off at that. "No. I chose you before he ever said those words. I've never gone back on any decision, and I'm not going to start now!"

With that he turned and pressed his lips ferociously to Boris'. The canine let out a muffled... sound he guessed? Whatever it was, it had gotten caught in his mouth during the kiss and made incomprehensible.

Once the kiss was broken, the doberman said softly, "I'm going to be here for you hun, you can count on that."

Austin blushed a little, then grinned softly and nodded. "Thank you Boris... let's get my things inside..."

The big dog hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said, "Darwin"

The hyena stopped in the middle of unbuckling, and looked to him. "What?"

"My name, it's Darwin. Boris is my middle name, I was named after my uncle"

Austin stared at him for a moment, then grinned widely. "I like Darwin"

The doberman blushed at that and grinned back. Once they were out of the car, they carried the boxes to the front door of the house, where Darwin, unlocked and opened it for Austin.

Inside, the doberman led the hyena into the bedroom, where they began putting away the clothes. The box that Austin had been carrying was set on the bed, and he was just going through it.

Darwin paused at what he was doing, then looked to the hyena. "What's all that?"

"Oh just random stuff. My sex toys, vibrators, handcuffs, those kinds of things" The doberman chuckled softly at that.

***

"Are you sure?" Argonne asked skeptically.

"Yes," Drake nodded. "When he comes too he might feel like hitting someone so it's just safer this way. Go to the kitchen and mix up a couple of screwdrivers."

Argonne left Danny's bedroom. Drake looked at the walls, splattered in fluorescent paint and plastered with posters and stolen street signs. He sighed knowing the place would need to be redone. Too many reminders of Austin.

Not long after the wolf began to stir.

"Danny," Drake leaned over him. "Can you hear me?"

Danny's eyes opened. Drake braced for a surprise punch but the wolf didn't move. "He's gone, Drake, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Drake said softly.

"I really fucked it up, didn't I?"

"No." Drake sat down on the bed. "No one fucked up. The timing was off and it just wasn't meant to be."

Danny snorted. "That's bullshit and you know it... But thanks for saying it anyways."

Drake patted the wolf on the arm. "Can you walk?"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Probably. I don't see the point, though."

"Well, there's alcohol in the kitchen-" that was all Drake had to say before the wolf was getting out of bed.

"Good. I need to drown myself here until the bars open."

"Danny," Drake sighed. "Moderation, dude. Getting drunk won't solve anything."

"You're right, but it'll sure as hell help." Danny left the room.

Drake hurried after him, wondering what to tell him first, that they were getting a new band member or that Argonne's stripper friend might be able to hook him up with someone new.

Once in the kitchen, Danny grabbed the alcohol from the fridge, eyeing Argonne for a long moment before snorting and turning away. The fox had pressed himself back against the counter, his eyes never leaving the wolf until he turned his back, as this was when Drake came into view.

"It's okay hun, Danny's just feeling down.... really down, so he's going to.... get drunk probably."

The vulpine rolled his eyes at that. "Not a very good idea. Did you tell him about the new band member?"

Drake opened his mouth to say something, before Danny beat him to the punch. "What new band member?"

Argonne quickly shrank behind Drake as the folf coughed a little, then turned to face the wolf who was glaring at him. "Uh, well we're going to be getting a new band member... uh tonight.... at seven.... Now he's not here to replace you or anything, it's only a part of this whole thing with Morty--"

The beer can getting crushed in the wolf's hand made Drake flinch in surprise. Danny pointed at him and growled. "You. If you had just kept us out of this whole fucking mess this never would've happened! This is your fault!"

The wolf then approached Drake, and grabbed him by the front of the shirt, snarling as he did. Drake quickly put his hands up. "Whoa Danny! Come on man, just chill!"

Danny snarled, and swung. Drake had only a second to think about dodging, but then he remembered that Argonne was right behind him, so he stayed where he was. Danny's fist connected with his cheek, sending to off to the side and against the counter. The folf grabbed his cheek and held it as he used the counter to support himself.

Danny then turned his attention to Argonne, who laid back his ears and cowered back. "And you! This is your fault too!" The wolf stepped forward.

Drake's protective instincts kicked in right when the wolf stepped over that line, and he launched himself from the counter and tackled the wolf to the ground. They rolled a couple times, before the folf ended up on top of Danny.

"Calm the fuck down Danny!"

The wolf snarled up at him. "Get off me!"

Drake growled at that, then put his full weight down on him as he straddled and sat on Danny's stomach, pinning him. "Not until you calm down!"

"I am calm!" Danny roared.

"If you need to blame someone, blame me," Drake yelled back. "Leave Argonne out of it. I'm the one who got us the job and it's my obsessive nature that brought Boris here."

"Boris," Danny snarled with enough hate to melt iron.

"If I let you up, do you promise not to do anything stupid?"

Danny's eyes narrowed.

"Ok," Drake sighed. "Can you at least promise to only hit me if you need to punch someone?"

"I won't hit you. Or anyone," the wolf grumbled.

Drake felt the struggling stop. He slowly got off. He watched Danny's fist tighten then release. Keeping himself between Danny and Argonne, Drake motioned for them all to have a seat.

Danny put pushed a box of cereal out of his way and put his head down on the cool tabletop.

Drake let out a deep breath. "I've got some other news... Better news this time."

"Great," Danny said in a disinterested monotone.

"Argonne's stripper friend might be able to find you some company tonight." Drake smiled hopefully.

Danny shrugged. "I think I'd rather be alone."

"No you wouldn't," Drake insisted. "Let's at least see what the fox has to offer."

Argonne rolled his eyes. "He's not a stripper and he's certainly not a pimp, but yeah, Tylar knows a lot of furs. He'll find you someone that'll help you get over Aus."

The wolf was silent for a long moment, before finally sighing heavily and sitting up a little. "Alright.... fine. I'll give the fox a try... But I'd like to meet the new band member first."

Drake laid his ears back at that. "Uhm, yeah... He should be here in about...." He quickly checked his phone. "Four hours. He's going to meet me in the basement of the building where we practice."

Danny blinked at that, "There's a basement?"

Drake rolled his eyes before replying, "You know that room we've been practicing in for the past few years? That's the basement. The guy's nickname is X'Trap and he'll be living with us."

The wolf sat up a little straighter at that. "You mean here? I guess I'll go and clear out some stuff in the room, wouldn't want him sleeping on the couch now would we? Could you bring the garbage can?"

With that the wolf got up and headed into the room.

Argonne sat nervously on the couch, wincing at the loud banging and tearing coming from Danny's room. He looked over at Drake when the wolf let out a particularly enthusiastic bout of expletives.

"Let him vent," Drake shrugged and went back to re-duct taping his beanbag chair. "Hope Aus got everything he wanted to keep. I don't think Danny's packing with care."

The door swung open and Danny poked his head out. His hair was a mess and he had an ever so manic glint in his eyes.

"You guys got any lighter fluid?"

The folf and fox exchanged looks.

"Don't hold out on me," Danny huffed. "I know you smoke, Drake."

"Danny," Drake said softly, "why don't you let me finish cleaning out Aus' stuff?"

Danny gave the folf a hard glare before growling as if to himself then coming out of the room. Drake looked to Argonne at that, "Hun, just stay out here alright? You should be safe enough now that Danny has had time to cool down. If he tries anything, uh, just scream like you did when him and Boris were fighting!"

Argonne narrowed his eyes slightly at that. Drake coughed then quickly went into the room.

Danny growled again, then went over and sat down on the couch next to the fox. Argonne surreptitiously scooted farther away until he was pressed against the other arm of the couch.

After a moment, the wolf eyed him. "So this Tylar guy.... you think he'll do it?"

The fox blinked at that. "Do what?"

"Get me hooked up of course!"

The vulpine nodded quickly at that. "Uh, yeah I'm pretty sure he can"

"Yeah, I'll have you talk to him after I meet the new band member"

Argonne raised an eyebrow at that. "Uh, I don't really know you too well, but when you say meet..."

Danny gave him a look that told him all he need to know.

***

Drake looked at the overflowing trash can. It was stuffed with crumpled posters, stolen street signs, and a few shirts Austin missed. The walles were now bare save for the fluorescent spray paint splotches. The folf sat on the edge of the bed and and sighed. Danny wasn't just getting rid of anything left by Austin, he was getting rid of anything that had memories attached to them.

Drake poked around in the pile of items Danny had tossed on the bed. He found a leather ball gag, and judging from the amount of noise the two always made, he was doubtful it was ever used. Drake grinned and stuffed it in his pocket before finishing his cleaning.

Ten minutes later and he was almost done. He peeked out the door and saw Danny and Argonne awkwardly sitting together, each playing with their phones. Drake backed away and quietly shut the door.

He took out his own phone and sent a text to Austin. "Are you alone? Need to tell you something."

Seconds later and the phone pinged with the response, "Yeah. Is Danny ok?"

Drake sighed and sent back, "he will be. But about Boris: stop looking into him. Enjoy your relationship, but don't ask questions. And don't say I said anything."

"What? Why?"

Drake growled. He hated to do it, but guilt drove him on. "Boris is FBI."

Several minutes went by before Austin texted back. "Well, I've always wanted to date a cop"

The folf rolled his eyes at that, then began cleaning up the rest of the mess on the floor and bed. That's when a thought hit him. Going over to the door, he opened it and called to Danny.

"Hey Dan, I got a question for you."

"Burn it."

Drake sighed at that. "No it's not like that, I'm just wanting to know where X'Trap will be sleeping. It doesn't seem as if there's another bed in here, and you did kinda hint that he'd be sleeping in the room with you"

Danny hesitated, but then looked up from his phone. "We'll be sharing the bed"

"It's only a twin-size" The wolf huffed at the statement.

"We'll still share the bed. By the way, where do you keep your lighters?"

Drake rolled his eyes again before shutting the door and continuing to clean up the room. Once he deemed it clean enough, he grabbed the trash can and took it out. "I'll be dumping this now."

***

Austin watched the reflection of himself in the dark phone screen. He'd known the doberman was holding back. When he said his name was really Darwin, there was a hesitancy like he wanted to say more. Austin thought he was just being paranoid, but now it made sense.

The hyena put the phone down on the nightstand. He knew Darwin would have to be the one to come clean. He nodded to himself, deciding he would pretend he never got the text.

"Need any help?" Darwin knocked on the open door. "I've got the steaks on and they need to cook for a bit."

Austin smiled. "I've got everything put away. I was just sitting here thinking."

"Oh," Darwin's ears laid back.

Austin laughed. "No second thoughts, silly. Just, you know, how life can take some unexpected turns." He got up and wrapped his arms around the big fur reassuringly.

"Mmm..." Darwin planted a kiss between the hyena's ears while murring softly.

The doberman's ears perked when he heard the sound of the steaks beginning to sizzle, and he turned and led Austin into the kitchen. "So how good are you at cooking?"

The hyena shrugged at that. "Meh, really. I can cook, but no one has ever really given me an opinion on it" He watched the large canine flip the steaks and press down on them with the spatula. "Can I give it a try?"

Darwin chuckled, then nodded and stepped back. As Austin picked up the spatula, he looked up at the big dog and asked, Alright so what do I do?"

"When you hear it start to sizzle, let it sit for a bit before flipping both steaks over. Now, what I like to do is press down on the steaks for several seconds before letting them sit again, then flip them over and repeat. Go ahead and try it"

The hyena nodded at that, looking back to the steaks and beginning to try his luck. Darwin watched over him, giving him little pointers here and there until finally, the steaks were finished. Austin couldn't help but feel the warmth in his chest as they sat down to eat. Never before has he connected with anyone like he was with the doberman.

As they ate, Darwin commented on the flavor, telling him that it was well done and that the next time the doberman went shopping he'd take Austin along to pick out some seasoning.

***

The building's basement was mostly storage lockers for the tenants. But deep in there was a large room that was left empty when the building switched from a coal furnace to a gas one back in the 1920's. Drake worked out a deal where he and his band could use it for a small fee and a promise to keep the rock and roll shenanigans to a minimum.

Tacked to the ceiling and walls were noise dampening strips of packing foam. A few amps and some instruments were hooked up to a tangle of extension cords. The floor was littered in takeout bags and empty cans.

Danny stared at the drum kit in the corner. Austin would be showing up to the practice too.

Drake saw the wolf's pain and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about him. We're all professionals."

Danny wasn't fooled and raised an eyebrow.

"You won't even notice him," Drake forced a smile. "Because you, my virile friend, will be busy fighting off our supporting bassist once he gets a look at you."

"You really think?" Danny asked.

"Absolutely. You are a fucking rock god." Drake looked over at Argonne. "Tell him I'm right."

The red fox laid back his ears at that, looking from Drake to Danny then back again. "Uhm..... well you certainly have that sorta... air about you!"

Danny raised an eyebrow at that while Drake pretended to cough before taking out his phone and checking the time. It was a quarter to seven, and Austin still hadn't shown up--

At that moment they heard the sound of a door opening and closing, all three furs looking to see the hyena walking down the set of stairs. "Hey guys, we all ready for practice?"

Danny growled quietly to himself, earning a punch in the arm from Drake before the folf said, "Actually no not really, we're waiting on our fourth member"

Austin slowed down a bit before making his way to his drum set. "Fourth member? I didn't hear anything about a fourth member."

Drake glanced to Danny, before looking back to Austin. "Uh, I sent you a text about him, didn't you get it?"

The hyena took out his phone and was silent for a moment before shaking his head, "Nope, no text"

The folf frowned, taking out his own phone and heading into messages. "Oh.... well maybe it's because I forgot to send it...."

Danny snorted at that, picking up a drumstick that was by his foot. "So long as a certain name doesn't get mentioned here, I think we'll be fine."

"Who?" Drake looked to the wolf, "Boris?"

The drumstick suddenly was snapped in half, and the wolf glared murderously at him. Drake gulped at that, laying back his ears. "Er, I mean.... no idea what you're talking about!"

Drake clapped his hands. "Let's tune up with some Violent Femmes until X'Trap gets here."

"X'Trap?" Austin rolled his eyes. "I thought we agreed, no stage names. Sounds so amateurish."

"Ooh!" Danny raised his hand. "If we're doing stage names, I want to be Thunder-Cock!"

Drake growled. "We're not doing stage names! X'Trap is his nickname from what I've been told."

Austin picked up a set of drumsticks. "Nothing says 'punk' like insisting on nicknames."

"I thought you were on my side!" Drake hissed.

Austin shrugged. "I forgot."

Drake rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Whatever. Danny-"

"Thunder-Cock," the wolf grinned.

"Danny," Drake growled, "Halfway through the song I want you to switch guitars. You know our sound so I want you to tune the one X'Trap will use."

"Is the band still called Vivisection?" Austin asked.

Drake tilted his head. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Well, I thought if we're letting in strangers with stage names the floor might be open to a change. I always thought vasectomy would make a cool band name."

"Austin," Drake pointed angrily. "Do not stress me today. I will not hesitate to shove this guitar right up your-"

"Hey?" Argonne shouted from the stool by the door. "I-I was just curious if you guys ever actually play music during your practices, or just fight?"

Drake flashed a grin and Argonne. "Right, heh."

He nodded to Danny and the wolf started strumming the opening notes to Blister in the Sun.

Argonne curled his tail about himself and watched quietly as the band began to play, his ears flicking every now and then.

The fox was content enough to simply sit there and listen, as he didn't quite trust himself to not get nosy and look through Drake's things in the room.

The band played through several songs, before the sound of the door opening and closing drew Argonne's attention.

Looking up the stairs, he saw a young handsome fennec coming down the steps. Getting up, he met the other fox halfway.

"Hey there, I'm Argonne! Drake mentioned that he was getting a new band mate"

The fennec shook the red fox's hand, laying back his ears a little. "Uh.. Y-Yeah, I'm X'Trap."

Argonne raised an eyebrow and grinned. "X'Trap huh? Well what's your real name?"

The fennec hesitated, before giving him a shy grin. "Finius, but friends call me Fin."

"Alright Fin, you eager to meet the band?"

The smaller fox's grin turned sheepish. "Well, I'm rather nervous about it..."

"An undercover agent nervous?"

The fennec tensed at that, his eyes widening. "H-How did you--?"

The red fox reached up and tapped his ears. "I may not have been in the same room when Drake and the detective were talking, but even you should know that us foxes have excellent hearing."

Finius nodded softly at that, before rubbing his arm. "Technically I'm not 'with' the FBI.... I'm really just an ordinary guy, I work down in records. I'm not an agent or anything..."

"So you're not wired?"

The fennec splayed his ears. "I-I never said that..."

Argonne smiled, then motioned for the fox to follow. "Come on, let's introduce you to the band"

Argonne waved his arms, getting Drake's attention first. The band came to a jerky stop.

"Hey everyone," Argonne smiled, "this is X'Trap. X'Trap, that's Drake."

"'Sup," Drake nodded cautiously.

Argonne pointed to the hyena. "Austin."

Austin narrowed his eyes. "How exactly did you meet Drake?"

"W-what?" the fennec was taken off guard.

Argonne could tell the fennec was new to the deception game. He also wondered what the FBI was using his family's substantial amount of tax dollars for if they were sending out untrained agents like Finius who looked like he couldn't bluff his way out of paper bag much less a criminal enterprise.

"And that strapping wolf with the bright hair, matched only by his beaming personality, is Danny," Argonne hurried to introduce.

Danny took a bow. "Actually we might be going with my stage name, Thun-"

"Danny!" Drake snarled.

"Danny's fine," the wolf laughed. "So, they tell me you play bass?"

Finius nodded at that with a grin. "Uh, yeah I do! I can play a lot of instruments. Like drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, I can even play the violin! I used to be a part of a band actually, my role was the violin."

Drake raised an eyebrow at that, but before he could say anything, Austin beat him to it. "Violin? What kind of band were you a part of? One of the ones that play at country clubs?"

The fennec frowned a little at that, a bit confused. But after a moment he grinned widely and replied, "Actually it was a rock band. We also did some soft metal like that one band, Skillet?"

Danny perked up a little at that. "You're telling me that you can play a violin like that? What was the name of the song.... Uhh..."

"Awake!" The small fox chirped.

The wolf snapped his fingers and pointed at him. "Yeah that's the one! Hey Drake, what do you think huh? Think we can have him play the violin?"

The folf rubbed the back of his head at that. "I dunno, I was really hoping that he'd be playing bass. Besides, none of our songs include that instrument."

"Oh the song doesn't need to, not for me at least. I usually just sorta, weave my notes around yours as we go, sorta make stuff up on the spot"

The folf hesitated for a moment, before shaking his head. "Nah, I'll just have you stick with the bass, at least for now alright? We have a spare bass guitar over there, it needs tuning but other than that it works fine. Danny here used to smash his guitar after a day of practice, a rockstar sorta thing"

The wolf shrugged at that while grinning widely, his eyes seeming glued on the fennec.

Argonne eased his way back to the stool, watching the interplay as they worked out a playlist for the next gig. He could see the fennec concentrating, observing The others whenever he thought they weren't looking. And to Argonne's ears, the fennec sounded like he really was a talented musician. He started to guess that Finius was chosen not for his skills as an agent, but for the simple fact that he could blend in with the band.

It was still hard to believe that Morty, a friend of the family almost as long as the fox could remember, was involved with anything illegal. Sure the fur was bit of an asshole, but a criminal?

Drake waved his hand in front of Argonne's face, startling the fox. "Earth to Ary? I asked how that sounded."

"Oh," Argonne smiled apologetically. "I liked it..."

Drake shrugged and turned to the band. "Yeah, I thought it was pretty good too. Let's run through the songs one more time jus-"

"Drake," Danny whined. "We got it. Let's not beat a dead horse." He set down his guitar, purposefully being gential as he worked on impressing the fennec. "Besides, I was kind of hoping for a little one on one time with the new guy."

"I bet you were," Austin snorted under his breath.

Danny ignored his former lover, focusing on Drake and sauntering toward him. "I think you know how important it is that we get our cues down." His lips curled into a silent threatening snarl once he was close enough to the folf so that the others couldn't see.

Drake's ears flicked and he took a step back. "R-right. You two should definitely make sure you're on the same page. Why don't I take Ary and Aus upstairs. You two can join us for a little post practice refreshments later, when you're done... i-if you want."

Danny's snarl vanished. "Thank's bud." He turned his attention toward Finius, grinning hungrily.

Austin folded his arms and snorted again. "Drake, we've gotta talk."

The folf sighed. "Aus, we'll talk upstairs, but the less you know the better off we'll all be."

Argonne tugged at Drake's arm.

"What?" the folf's patience was wearing thin.

Argonne leaned in, whispering. "Danny's been a little unstable. Do you think it's safe to, you know, leave him alone with-"

Drake pressed his lips to Argonne's ear. "I assure you, the fennec couldn't be in safer hands. We on the other hand, are encroaching on very territorial wolf and I think I've been punched enough for one day." He gently started pushing the fox out the door, calling over his shoulder, "C'mon, Aus!"

The hyena sighed, before eyeing Danny again then getting up and following them upstairs. Once there, Austin bore into Drake. "Alright so what the hell? Who is this guy, where did you find him?"

Drake looked to Argonne, who gave him a harsh look. "The truth is easier to get out sooner than later."

The folf sighed, then slumped back against the wall, his ears pressed back against his skull. "I'm going to be honest with both of you... I'm in a pretty tight spot, tighter than you could ever imagine," Austin rolled his eyes at the word choice, "Look, when we got signed onto this gig with the club... well, I should say when I got signed onto it--"

"Hold it right there," Drake stopped when Austin interrupted him. "What do you mean when you got signed on? I thought we were all in on this!"

The folf shook his head at that. "Morty made me sign a contract, he said that you and Danny were disposable basically"

The hyena growled at that, but Argonne spoke up, "Please continue Drake"

Nodding, Drake did just that. The FBI and the local police department have their sights set on Morty, or Mortimus as is his name. They all seem to believe that the wolverine is the head of some kind of crime syndicate I guess, a kingpin I suppose. I got all wrapped up in this because a detective somehow found out that I just got in on a contract with Morty, and he's using my criminal past against me to dig up dirt on Morty. Either Morty goes down, or I go down, either one is just fine with the detective."

Austin and Argonne were both silent for a long moment, and when that moment was over Argonne spoke up. "I know one thing is for certain: I don't want to lose you Drake. I'm.... I'm going to speak with my father, ask him for his help...."

The folf blinked at that, "Ask for your father's help? What can he possibly do?" He knew it wasn't like Argonne to ask for help, especially from his father.

The red fox rubbed his arm for a moment, then looked Drake in the eye. "He has lots of connections within the law, I can ask him to help you get your record wiped clean. I have the money to do it, but I don't have the connections needed."

"You'd do that for me?" Drake's ears stayed flat and his eyes widened, misty and full of love.

"Wait!" Austin put his hands up. "Now forgive me for being just an ignorant pawn in all this, but if daddy fox goes shooting his mouth off and pulling your ass out of the fire," he jabbed a finger into the folf's chest, "won't that tip off Morty?"

"So?" Argonne put an arm around Drake's waist, suddenly feeling very protective.

"So," hissed the hyena, "an angry mobster is not the kind of fucker you want to let know you were trying to rat on!"

Argonne's ears joined Drake's in flattening.

Drake cleared his thought. "He... kinda has a point. Morty will have it out for me, for you," he glanced at Argonne, "for your father after he blows his cover at the club, Boris-"

"Darwin," Austin chimed in. "His real name is Darwin."

Drake rolled his eyes. "Darwin. And X'Trap-"

"Finius," Argonne said with a loving squeeze.

"Like it matters," Drake huffed. "The point Aus was making is that we've got a potential bloodbath on our hands if we don't handle this right."

Austin nodded. "We all stand to lose someone... I want in. Tell me everything. No more of that keeping me in the dark for my own safety crap. You need to tell me everything."

Drake looked at Argonne for support but the fox's brows were knitted in determination. "Me too. I want to help, and if money won't do it... then tell me what will."

The folf hesitated for a moment, before sighing heavily and running his hand over the side of his neck. "I.... I just need some dirt on Morty, something that'll lead the police and the FBI right to his doorstep so to speak. This is the first time I've done this kind of thing, for something this serious that is."

Argonne thought for a moment, then grinned. "Well, I work at the bar, so when I get back there I can keep an ear out for anything, also whenever we go in to visit I can maybe snoop around a little?"

Austin nodded at that. "I can do that as well"

"You sure you guys want to do this?"

Both furs exchanged looks, then said in unison, "Yes!"

***

"So do you live around town anywhere?"

Danny was leaning against Austin's drumset, laying his charm down on the fennec. Finius, as his name turned out to be, rubbed the back of his head. "Uhhh... well yes, I do... I have my own apartment a couple blocks away from here actually, though I'm supposed to live with you guys now."

"Yup, you're gonna be staying with me in my room. There's only one bed, so I hope you don't mind sharing a twin?"

Finius perked his ears a little at that, but immediately put them back down. Danny caught onto this. "Uh, well no I really wouldn't mind... I was in the same situation with my brother once so I'd be used to it!"

The wolf grinned widely at that. "That's good to know"

"Yeah..." Finius tweaked a cord on the guitar balanced against his leg. "I've got a bag out in my car."

Danny grinned. "You are moving quick."

"It's just a few changes of clothes and some essentials for the duration of the mission."

"Mission?"

The fennec's eyes widened. "Th-the band! The mission of making it big with the band," he laughed nervously.

Danny shrugged. "Ok. Gotta let you know, I'm not sure if Drake told you, we have a rule around the apartment... no clothes after nine."

Finius's laugh grew a little less nervous. "Has that line ever worked?"

"Hell yeah. I used to bring home groupies all the time. None of them objected to the rule."

Finius looked over Danny, openly checking him out. "Might be something I could get used too." His tail flicked. "Let's get my bag and you can show me where the apartment is."

Danny motioned to the door, following after the fennec and pumping his fist in victory.

As the two headed up to where the others were, Danny patted Drake on the back. "I'm thinking you made the right choice in bringing the fennec in for a fourth member there bud."

"Bud?" Drake raised an eyebrow, "Tell you two didn't just have a quickie down there."

That made Finius freeze in his tracks and stared wide-eyed at both of them. Danny growled and hit the folf on the arm. "No, we didn't!"

At that moment Argonne came up, grabbed Finius by the arm, and pulled him off to the side out of earshot of the others. The smaller fox eeped loudly as he was pulled away, but then didn't object as Argonne cornered him. "So what's your plan?"

Finius laid back his ears. "W-With what?"

"With the band. Are you going to try and actually be a part of it? Or will you jump ship as soon as your little thing with the FBI is over?"

The fennec didn't answer for a long moment, and when he did his voice was cautious. "I.... I'll have to think about it. I already have a steady paying job.... What will I do for money?"

"You'll get money by doing.... gigs, with the band"

Finius' ears drooped at that. "You know I need something more solid than that...."

The red fox rolled his eyes, then said, "I'll give you some money so you won't have to worry about your financial situation. I've got a bank account with five million in there, just name your number, and you'll have it"

Finius eyed him for a moment, then asked slowly, "Is... this a bribe?"

Argonne shook his head at that. "My boyfriend is the head of the band. We take care of our own"

"Our own what?" They both looked to see that Drake had come over.

The red fox smiled at him, then said, "Members"

"Oh! Well yeah of course we do. I go to great lengths to make sure my boys are alright!"

"So," Argonne looked to the fennec. "You in?"

Finius was silent for a long moment, before nodding softly. "Uh.... y-yeah, I'm in."

***

Austin watched his bandmates from the kitchen. They clustered around the new fur and Argonne. They hyena felt out of place without Darwin. He drained the last of his beer and leaned his chair back against the counter.

His thoughts drifted to Drake's problem. How the folf got himself into this deep of a hole was beyond him, but seeing as it gave the hyena a chance to meet the doberman, he was willing to cut his friend some slack. But offering anything more proactive than just keeping his eyes and ears out for anything Morty could do to incriminate himself was proving difficult.

Austin reached into the fridge, tilting his chair precariously. He opened another can and started to chug it.

"Want any food?" Drake surprised the hyena. "We've got chips."

Austin coughed out a mouthful of foam and flailed his arms to keep his chair from tipping. "What the fuck? A little warning before you sneak up on me!"

"Sorry." Drake's ears flattened.

Austin wiped his chin. "And I know about the chips. I bought them."

"Heh, yeah... Guess it feels like you've been gone longer than a night."

Austin smirked. "I can't tell if it's sweet that I've left such a void in your life, or if you never even noticed me when I was here."

Drake's ears flattened even more at that. "Come on Aus, I knew you were here.... it's just that now that you've moved out and all.... well... it makes me realize exactly how much you make an impact on the life of the band. Now that you've moved out, it seems there is less than an impact."

The hyena eyed him at that. "What's with the pretty little speech Drake? Are you trying to tell me something?"

The folf blinked at that, then looked confused at first, then a little dumbfounded, before he finally laughed a little. "Well, now that I think about it, no not really!"

Austin rolled his eyes at that, then looked around for a quick moment before leaning a little closer and saying softly. "So, you think Danny is gonna get hooked up with the fennec?"

The folf looked around quickly as well, seeing that neither Finius nor Danny were in the room anymore. "Uh, well I'm not really sure. Danny looks to be interested in him, though I guess we won't really know until later. He does work rather fast when it comes to this stuff."

"Yeah. I know," Austin narrowed his eyes.

Drake wince. "Wow, I am really saying some stupid shit tonight."

"Nah," Austin took another drink. "You've been doing that for years."

Drake rolled his eyes, thinking up a worthy retort when Argonne sauntered in. The fox sniffed the air and looked at Austin's drink.

"Yuk," Argonne stuck his tongue out.

"Really?" Austin blinked. "You're a bartender and you're bothered by the smell of beer?"

"Domestic beer, darling," Argonne pulled out a chair for himself. "I can't bear the scent of an inferior product."

"And yet..." Austin glanced at Drake.

Drake stuck his middle finger up at the now laughing hyena.

As Austin took another drink, Argonne looked to Drake for a moment, a thought spinning up in his head. Though he shook his head after that moment passed, then moved to open the fridge. An explosion of pain lanced up his side as he pulled open the refrigerator door and he let out a sharp yelp.

That caught Austin off guard, and he felt the legs of the chair slip out from under him as he jerked in surprise. Drake was instantly at the fox's side, pulling him away from the fridge.

"Alright, alright," He said as he ushered Argonne away, leaving the hyena sprawled on the ground, "Time for you to take your medication"

Austin huffed loudly, then got up and picked up the chair. When he fell his beer had spilled everywhere, so while he was up he also went to go get a towel. Once the mess on the floor was cleaned up, he put the towel away then sat back down in the chair. He was tempted to grab another beer, but he ultimately decided not to.

***

"Argonne, you need to try and fight the side effects!"

It had only been fifteen minutes since Drake gave Argonne his medicine, and already the fox was getting grabby. The vulpine murred, then reached down and groped the folf right through his pants.

Drake flattened his ears, shuddering as he panted a little, before quickly getting ahold of himself and gently, but firmly, pushing the fox away. "Argonne, no grabbing."

The vulpine huffed, then went in for a kiss and another grab, whereupon the folf quickly grabbed him first. By the wrist. "Alright, let's get you to bed--oof!"

Argonne had practically leaped up into Drake's arms at that. The folf rolled his eyes, then got a better grip before carrying the drugged fur back to their bedroom, where he laid him down and covered him up.

The red fox made a pouting face as he looked up at Drake. "Y-You're not going to join me?"

The folf resisted the urge to adjust his pants at that. "Er, no I'll be out in the living room, it'll be better for both of us that way"

Argonne huffed again, then rolled over with his back facing the folf. With a small sigh, Drake turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Drake made his way back to the kitchen. Austin had his shirt off, rinsing off the beer in the sink.

The hyena turned around. "I did not expect you back so soon... Can I assume you're having intimacy issues?"

"No, you can't, asshole. Ary's stoned on painkillers and I don't want him to have any regrets when we finally do it."

Austin shut off the faucet. "You're classy for a fur who can't take 'no' for an answer. A rare combination."

Drake laughed in agreement. "I'll get you a shirt before you leave. Wouldn't want Boris thinking you're just over here drinking, would we?"

Austin raised an eyebrow. "What do you think he'd assume if I came home wearing one of your shirts?"

Drake shrugged. "Would he notice?"

"He might. I mean, he's the type of fur that would." Austin got a dreamy look in his eyes. "He's so attentive. And considerate... And generous. An-"

"Yeah, yeah," Drake waved a hand. "He's a hell of a guy, I'm sure. Why don't you bring him to the next practice?"

Austin blinked. "Uh, I don't know. Things are tense with Danny."

"Don't worry about Danny," Drake scoffed. "Besides, Argonne could use the company."

Austin looked at the floor, tapping his fingers against the sink. "I'll give it some thought." He did miss the doberman, but the thought of tangling his love life with his band life again gave him a feeling of unease.

After a moment, the hyena looked back to Drake. "Well, is practice over for the day?"

The folf blinked at that. "Over? Aus you know we practice until ten!"

Austin nodded at that. "I know we do, but I'm feeling rather tired right now, don't think I'll be able to push out the right notes and everything, you know?"

"No, I don't know. Aus you play the drums, there aren't any notes! You just stick to the beat and rhythm"

"I know that, but it's just that my rhythm isn't going to be very good, there's a lot on my mind at the moment and I don't think I'll be of much use right now. I think I'll head home early, just for this one time if it's okay with you"

Drake rubbed his neck at that, thinking about what the hyena said. After a minute, he looked back to his drummer and finally nodded. "Yeah it's fine, just be sure to be here on time for the next practice, and bring your A game!"

Austin nodded with a grin at that, taking out his phone and texting Darwin to come and pick him up. As he did, Danny and Finius returned from outside, the wolf was carrying the fennec's suitcase. "I'll show you the room, it got cleaned up recently so there isn't any garbage on the floor or anything. Say, you like the scent of lavender?"

The fennec nodded eagerly at that. "I love lavender! It smells so nice. Do you have those Glade things that freshen up the room? I forget what they were called..."

Danny grinned widely. "Not in the room right now, but I know we have some stored away in the living room closet, I just gotta find them is all!"

Austin watched as the two went into the bedroom, then rolled his eyes and looked over towards Argonne. Danny was putting on that classic charm, and from what he saw it was working. "Hey Ary, you gonna be here for the next practice?"

The red fox perked his ears at that, then nodded. "Of course, when is it?"

"Well, since you and Drake are on work leave, I was thinking the day after tomorrow?"

Drake butted in at that moment, "Say, wasn't that a movie?"

Aus stared at him, "What?"

"Day after Tomorrow? Dunno, it sounds super familiar to me... wasn't it about some kind of end of the world shit?"

Argonne rolled his eyes at that and shook his head. "In answer to your inquiry Austin, I think the day after tomorrow sounds fantastic! Why do you ask if I'll be there?"

"Well, bozo over there--" He jerked his thumb at Drake.

"Hey!"

"--wants me to bring Darwin along to keep you company while we practice. I figured that if you weren't gonna show up then there'd be no point in bringing my handsome hunk along--"

Drake made a face at that, which earned him a reprimanding glare from Argonne.

"--But since you'll be here I'll ask him what his schedule looks like for 7:00 pm day after tomorrow." The hyena's phone plinged and he glanced down at it.

It was a text from Darwin, telling him that he'll be there in five. Putting his phone away, Austin grinned at the fox and folf.

"Well, I best be on my way then. Darwin will be here in a few minutes, and I hate keeping him waiting! We're supposed to go shopping for seasoning today, so I'll see y'all later alright?"

With a wave, the hyena turned and headed for the front door. Once he was gone, Argonne turned and crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at his boyfriend.

Drake laid back his ears at that. "Wh-What? I wasn't doing anything, I swear!"

Argonne sighed, then said, "How come you don't ever take me shopping?"

The folf blinked at that, then silently cursed Austin for bringing the subject up before giving the waiting vulpine his reply. "Uh, we've only been together for a few days sweetie, and half the time you've been on painkillers! There just hasn't been anytime"

The red fox huffed at that, then made his way back to their room. "We don't have anything to do tomorrow, so we're going shopping! I need some new clothes to keep up with the latest fashion!"

"But honey, you look amazing in the clothes you have on now!"

Argonne stopped at the bedroom door, then glared at Drake. "Flattery isn't going to get you anywhere mister!" He then slipped into the room.

Drake huffed in exasperation at that, rubbing his temple. "Oui...."

****END OF PART TWO****