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Hello everyone, and welcome to the first chapter of the second half of the second season of my ongoing series, "I'm Still With the Hockey Hunk" ! It's been an interesting few weeks between chapters, I've been writing huge amount of stuff, and now I feel very refreshed when it comes to Rory's adventures, and feel that I have a lot to write about him.

This chapter will be the first section of a multi-part special to launch the second half of the season, so don't forget to stay tuned on Wednesday, 26th to catch the continuation to this fresh off!

As always, all comments are most welcome, and I am very curious to hear how you like the return to the world of Rory! All feedback is helpful, and amuses me a great deal as well, so do not hesitate! Everyone's contribution is most helpful, and I appreciate it.

Also remember that all votes, faves and watches will help others to find these stories to enjoy as well!

Have a fun read everyone!

Gruffy

*

Of course it was Victor who spoke first.

The wonderful, handsome, sweaty, hunky, smiling, curious-looking Dobie called Victor Holden spoke first, while I just stood there, muzzle partial open with shock and terror.

"You guys know each other?" Victor's tall ears flicked as he looked from Haakon to me, from the eagerly smiling sweaty lynx to me, the lion being grilled by those two pairs of eyes who all seemed to be very curious of me.

"Sure!" Haakon spoke before I managed to blurt out any kind of a desperate statement in regards to the subject. "Rory-dude here works at my friend's bookshop, the...Albrecht Brothers, yes?"

Damn silky voice and damn faux British accent.

"Yep," I whispered, tightly.

Haakon just smiled, broadly.

"Isn't that what you say...it's a small world after all?" the lynx grinned, and patted Victor's shoulder, loud enough for it to be heard by me, even in my breathless, oddly listless state where I could do very little but stare at the pair of furs in front of me, exchanging curious looks with each other.

"So it seems," Victor grinned. "Wow...I'd never imagined."

"Neither would I!" Haakon beamed. "But I think it's great! How do you two know each other, anyway?"

There we go.

My tail practically tied itself to a knot as I stood there, almost frozen, almost ready to run, almost...so many things. I knew that I should say something, come up with a reasonable explanation for it and be off with it, something not suspicious...because I knew that if Victor was going to blurt out that we were...kind of...seeing each other, then Haakon would surely tell Mason, and then the wolf would...

Oh crap...

I know it's not anyone else's business, that I'm gay and like to spend evenings in bed with a Victor Holden, but then again, why was it so much of a secret anyway? Who in Albrecht Brothers would give a bad word for me having that kind of a private relationship? It didn't affect my capability to work the till or anything...well maybe except when I was dreaming of Dobie butt, but Marge dreamed of Goggy-butt in equal measures, so it wasn't in any way different from that.

I know that I'm not as brave as some people who pretty much greet others saying something like, "Hi, I'm Rory, I'm a practicing homosexual, by the way, I really like what you've done with your hair!" and kind of a project a protective aura of absolute gayness to make sure that you either deal with it or not. I never projected any auras around me as far as I know, well...maybe my beret-vest-glasses-make-up-spots-combo from college counted as a bit of a GAY gay behavior besides the butt-loving part, but right now I was pretty happy as being just the Rory I was, and that didn't include anything outwardly gay, and I liked things that way.

Nobody had any bad word to say. Nobody would give me a weird look. I would not be teased about every hot guy walking into the shop by Marge and Crystal. I was just the tall lion guy behind the counter, straight until proven guilty, the way of the world, and I didn't really want to change anyone's perception on that. I'd seen enough furs get picked at for it, often in subtle ways, that I didn't really want to try my luck with it, and that was how I was, and now it seemed that my cover as the asexual Rory might be coming to an end, should either of us say something discriminating.

"College!" I lied with surprising ease, even though my voice wasn't really too normal, I sounded too bright, too enthusiastic over such a single detail.

I saw Victor's brow darken a little as he looked at me, ears flicking a little, and Haakon looked at me as well, but his ears were flicking out of healthy curiosity, more than anything else, I hope.

"Oh, really?" the lynx inquired.

"Yes," I put a happy-happy-happy smile up. "We both went to Taylor here, didn't we, Victor? Met at that...get-to-know party for new students, and hit it off because we talked about JAG and both liked the TV show and then began to hang around pretty often!"

I pleaded with him, quietly, with my eyes, hoping that the surprisingly smoothly flowing lies I based on Victor's Facebook profile would convince Haakon, and that Victor would not hate me for being such a coward.

The Dobie gave me a long look, really long, it felt like seconds passed as we stared at each other, while Haakon still looked on, earnest and friendly and gentle, and boyish, curious of the two of us, and hopefully not suspicious, I hoped from the bottom of my heart, as we stood off there on the edge of the ice hockey rink.

Victor's smile seemed extremely forced to me, when it spread over his lips, and he turned to look at Haakon.

"Yep," he nodded, tall ears flicking and all. "Kinda hit it off and been buddies ever since, me and Rory."

"Hey, that's great!" Haakon beamed. "No wonder they say that the friends you make in college are the ones to last."

"That's right," I tried smiling again, while my heart ached from the amount of shit this was going to get me into, from Victor, from Haakon, from myself, and possibly from Mason.

There was no way that the wolf was not going to hear about this, we were already weird enough because of the upcoming date for next Thursday (which I hadn't told about to Victor, nonetheless), and now this...what would he think...what would Haakon thing...what is Victor thinking????

At least he had picked up the lie, and I tried to smile to him, and make sure that he understood what was going on, but there was no way of making it more clear, not now that the lynx was still latched on the two of us, still looking at us with what could only be described as cat-like curiosity.

"Well it's really cool, weird, but cool," Haakon continued.

I breathed deeply and kept my brave face up.

"And I seriously had no idea that you two knew each other...how did you meet Victor?" I tried to distract all three of us, to keep Haakon talking about anything that wasn't me and Victor, and hopefully I'd get rid of him so that I could explain this whole business to Victor and we could still salvage the night.

Haakon almost purred.

"Well, I joined the local student hockey team at Taylor, and we've been going out to play and practice here, and sometimes we play against USC..."

"USC?" I sounded so very interested, my eyes practically gleaming.

My claws were practically digging holes to the side of the penalty box, from the nervous energy that I spent clutching onto it, trying to keep from shaking with my shock.

"United Stationery Company," Victor replied, hollowly. "My workplace, we have our team, with a few other guys as well who play for our team, but we're the majority so we call ourselves USC."

"That's right!" Haakon tapped the ice with his hockey stick as he smiled, his tail looping behind him broadly, behind that currently padded lynx butt that might be the maker of many dreams, if not in this horrible situation.

"And Victor here's always nice and chats with everyone and encourages everyone to do better, and we've talked a bit and went out for a drink a few times and that's how I know Victor, I suppose," Haakon elaborated eagerly.

I felt an odd sensation in my stomach for those words, odd in the sense that I was supposed to be the guy who goes out for a drink with Victor, not Haakon! Was it envy? Jealousy? What was it? I wasn't quite sure, but I was a bit of a mess at the time to begin with, and didn't really have wits left to analyze it further. I just wanted to get out of this situation and deal with it privately, hopefully with Victor.

"That's Victor," at least that wasn't a bunch of lies coming out of my muzzle this time, when I gave him a smile, hoping that it would soothe the blow later on, when it was sure to come, judging by those tense ear flicks from Victor.

Haakon grinned.

"So, you guys wanna come over to Bart's for a drink? Everyone's coming," Haakon sounded as excited as ever as he stared at us.

Please please please Victor, tell him that you're busy...please...

_ _

"Sure," Victor replied, putting up another smile. "I think it'll do everyone good after a good game, right, Rory?"

That look...

*sigh*

"Yeah, of course," I smiled.

Haakon tapped the ice with his stick again, elated.

"Great! I'll see you around there then, gotta hit the shower before that, though," the lynx gave us one final smile before he kicked himself off the side of the rink and began a leisurely skating trek towards the locker rooms on the other side of the field.

As soon as his back was turned to me, my ears fell flat, and my entire face seemed to melt down a little as the smile disappeared and was replaced by my guilty expression, and I barely dared to meet Victor's eyes.

The broad, padded-up Dobie watched me with a quirked brow, not smiling, not scowling, not really, not showing his teeth, glowed paws clutching onto his own big hockey stick while he leaned on it a little, staring at me, the guiltiest lion you ever saw, really.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, making sure that the lynx couldn't hear us, even if he was already at some distance, you never knew.

Victor's tall ear flicked down, audibly, and he let out a breath.

"You...you're not out at work?" he stated what he had understood to be the reason of my lies, which I soon affirmed with a quick nod.

"No," I chuffed.

Victor snorted.

"Shit."

I looked at him directly.

"I'm sorry, I should've told you before, this wouldn't have happened if..."

Victor grunted.

"How the hell would've I known that you know the random lynx kid!" Victor hissed.

My ears remained flat, both from the shock and the stress, and that tone from the usually soft-spoken big Dobie.

"I don't even really know him," I pleaded, quickly, "he just kind of knows me through his friend and has met me before, we're not really friends!"

Victor rubbed the side of his muzzle.

"This is weird," he said.

"I know," I tried to smile ,but failed, my lips simply wouldn't budge. "I'm sorry."

Victor snorted.

"This is a bit fucked up," the Dobie cursed, "But I think I really need that drink now, to sort my mind out."

I didn't really like the sound of that, him needing sorting out...but then again, I did feel like I would've needed some sorting out as well, so perhaps I should allow that to him as well.

"Yeah," I breathed out.

"Do you drive?"

"Huh?" I asked, my ears perking just a little.

"Can you drive?"

"Sure," I replied.

"Good, then I can have two," Victor replied, and gave me another look, one I couldn't really name what it as all about. "But you're the driver."

"Okay," I replied meekly.

"Get around to the parking lot, I'll see you out there in fifteen minutes, okay?" Victor said.

"Yeah," I said.

"Okay."

I didn't have time for another sorry before Victor was already on the move, across the pearly white ice.

I sighed.

*

I walked out of the building clutching to my sides, to battle the chill that now seemed all too greater than before, even with my good jacket on and all. My tail hang limply between my legs and made a trail on the ground while I walked on numb footpaws, across the front of the Hoffman Winter Sports Indoors Pavilion, circling the building towards the back where the huge associated parking lot was located. My ears remained flat and I cursed myself quietly under my breath.

I had really done it this time again, hadn't I? Not only I had insulted Victor by lying, I had also lied to Haakon, and to myself, just to keep my own web of lies, for my own selfish reasons. Or perhaps it would best be called the web of silence, the...careful omission of any detail regarding my life that might tip of anyone in regards to the nature of my most private life. It wasn't anyone's business, I can't say that enough times, my life is mine, but...I know it's not just a closed box, the Life of Rory Gliese, I have to come out of that box and interact with the world, and sometimes the fact that I'm gay just happens to matter. And as it happens, most often it matters only when it shouldn't matter, and that's what I don't like about it at all, but that's how it is, and now...fuck...now it was all out there in the open.

I don't know how touchy Victor is about it all, being out and all that, but I also knew that I had hurt him with the lies, because I had pulled him into them and forced him to lie along, for my selfish purposes. Now I knew that I was going to have to pay a price for my selfishness.

I really didn't want to fuck things up with Victor, he was great, we had had good times together, in bed, and chatting online. We had been waiting for Cobb to leave home so that we might actually see each other without the danger of running into Victor's wayward brother...but now I had made things decisively less rosy between us, with my outburst of lies. Would he be really mad at me? Would he no want to see me for a while? Ever again? Would this night be ruined? I had too much in my mind as I walked along the side of the building and then entered the car park, and realized that I still didn't know what Victor's car looked like!

I frowned to myself, stuffed my paws in my pockets and began to pace around, hoping to keep myself warm enough until Victor showed up and led the way to this place he called Bart's. Maybe we'd really just have a couple of drinks, and then fled the place, and maybe we still had time to catch some private time, to talk and to...

Rory Jr. twitched a little in my pants as a reminder of the fact that only a bit over an hour ago, Victor had been treating me to some awesome fun in the locker room, going down on me...

"Can I go down on you?"

_ _

How the hell did he manage to be so sexy? I felt a bit blushed for it, even, for the intensity that had passed between us, and for the knowledge that Victor had probably channeled his sexual frustrations into the aggressiveness of his game, tackling down those furs on skates as a substitute for....other kinds of aggressive physical contact sports. I didn't have much hope for a rematch tonight, but the memory kept me warm, and it was something better to think about than the actual argument we had.

"Rory!" a voice called, and I looked up from my pacing, but I already knew that it wasn't Victor, but none other than Haakon, who had appeared out of a nearby door on the grey concrete side of the oversized box of a building, and he was walking towards me, effortlessly carrying a big hockey bag and a hockey stick in one paw.

I tried to smile as politely as I knew as he approaches, and gave him an ear flick, and a quick wave.

"Hi, Haakon,"I didn't really sound like he was the best thing in the world, but I was a moody Rory now, I could be allowed to be a bit subdued as well.

I didn't want to be too happyhappy...happyhappy can turn gaygay all too fast if you don't control it, and that wasn't me.

"Hi, Rory," the deodorant-scented hockey hunk greeted me with a purr. "You all ready to go?"

"Just waiting for Victor," I snuffled, my tail flicking behind me, slowly.

"Oh, he was just finishing showering up when I left, he ought to be here soon," the lynx explained.

Again, a strange feeling of jealousy washed over me, and this time it definitely was because it sounded like Haakon had had the chance to get a look at a very naked Victor Holden taking a very thorough shower, and it wasn't me who got that pleasure! Damn straight boys and the viewing opportunities they got instead of me...

"That's great," I said, "it's a bit cold here, after all."

Weather, old classic, hopefully Haakon had something to complain about it as well.

The lynx's whiskers wobbled as he took a deep breath through his nose.

"Ahh, but it just reminds me of home!" the lynx grinned, flicky-tailed and with lively ears to go with that. "Though the air isn't as fresh here."

"City and all," I offered, vaguely.

"It's not quite the fjord but I don't mind!" Haakon grinned. "It's really nice here, though, this is a fun little city to live in, not really too big, and I like that."

"It's got its own charm I suppose," I offered.

"I like it," Haakon smiled companionably. "And especially since it's so easy to get to know other furs, and not just at the university."

I wanted to tell him that he was a bit too good at making friendships as well, but bit my bitter comment back lest I'd upset the lynx who really was quite the innocent party in this mess that I was solely responsible for.

"Well you're lucky to have met Mason," I could say that with honestly, I didn't know him too well, but the wolf seemed like a dependable kind of a guy, a nice, easy-going wolf who you could trust as a friend, I thought.

"And everyone else at the university, and you, and Victor and all the guys from the hockey team...it's pretty awesome!" the lynx grinned.

"Well it's supposed to be the best years of your life," I sounded so old when I said that it made my furs bristle instead of the cold upon my coat.

"I'm feeling like that," the lynx flashed his teeth at me, in his cheerful smile.

I'm sure he was...I wasn't really feeling it at the moment, but I played along, and gave him a smile, too.

The awkward conversation reached an awkward climax when that same metal door on the side of the building opened and Victor appeared, hauling his own equipment with him and not looking extremely pleased with himself, or more likely, me, as he came over. He was wearing his glasses, too, that made him look really cute despite the fact that his face wasn't the most amused on at the moment. My heart leaped nonetheless.

"You ready, Rory?" Victor called as he walked up to me.

"Yeah," I replied, trying to put a brave face, for Victor's sake.

Haakon smiled broadly.

"Victor, can I ride on your car to Bart's?" he asked, to my horror.

Victor gave him a nod.

"Sure, let's go."

The broad-shouldered Dobie marched on, leaving the two of us stand there as he went on his way, and my muzzle fell open in quiet shock, at yet another turn into this...evening of doom for me, it seemed.

"Yay!" Haakon exclaimed.

*

Here we go! First gruffhanger in the making! What do you think, everyone? Does the story still has the same old allure? You'll be the judge!

Cheers for your comments, and thank you for reading!