Long, Lost, Gone; Prequel
"Hey Soren?" The fox asked, leaning his head back into the lap of the wolf he called his lover. "Let's stay like this forever, okay?" He smiled softly, and squirmed around as Soren bopped his nose. "Hey! Stop that!" He cried, as the action was repeated, over and over, pulling away, trying to stand up, only to have Soren grab his legs and pull him down to the ground. "You silly wolf!" He shouted, right before a fit of giggles came over him. "What exactly do you think you're doing?"
"I'm having fun." The tone, monotonous. The face, serious. The eyes... twinkling with laughter. Laughter only Sira was used to seeing. "Can't you tell?" The wolf advanced on him slowly, with a "menacing" growl, building in his throat. Sira pretended to cower, and then, at the last second, started to return the treatment he had recieved earlier. The canine he called his boyfriend yelped in surprise, but stopped him, before he could accomplish his mission, wrapping him tightly in his arms, and laying down. "I suggest you stop that..." Soren said softly... "Or I might just have to get rough with you..." His muzzle came closer and closer, to Sira's smiling one, their lips locking together and-
* * *
Sira sat up, gasping for air like a drowning man, his body coated in a thin sheen of sweat. "What the fuck..." He said, just barely remembering to keep his voice low. He quietly slid out of the bed, paws gently hitting the floor with soft pats for every step he took, as he made his way to the window, the sun just barely peeking over the horizon. "Soren..." He said softly, as he spread the curtains just a little more, tail tucked as he looked skyward, shutting his eyes against his confusion. "Why?"
"Huh, babe?" Sira turned around rapidly, and plastered a smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes, as he looked to the lion sliding his way from the bed, the blankets sliding off of him like water. "What's up?" The feline walked over to him, and taller than he was, easily draped an arm around his shoulders. "You know..." He said, a very playful tone in his voice, "When we lions wake up this early, its more than likely we're gonna be a little cranky... unless we find some way to..." The lion trailed off, as Sira pulled away from his arm. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Leo... just a dream." Sira said, shaking his head, trying to clear it from the fog, of his morning daze. "Anything I can get for you?" He asked, as he moved to the doorway, and looked over his shoulder, at the semi-nude lion, who was clad only in his very tight black briefs. The sun shone through the window, illuminating the lion in such a way, that Sira couldn't help but stare. The sunlight seemed to embrace the lion, and accent every amazing feature about him.
"Coffee, black, thanks..." The lion said quietly, as he stared at Sira, following him to the kitchen. "You wanna talk about it?" The lion asked, the tone and concern in his voice, leaving no doubt to the dream in question.
"I'm fine." Sira growled. "Please just leave it at that." As he set about with making the coffee. Why had he dreamed about Soren... that hadn't happened for a while... "So, I've been calling you Leo all night. Dare I ask what your name is?" He said, turning to the lion, and leaning back against the counter, offering a coffee cup, to the lion he had picked up in the local club. "Not to be rude or anything, I think you probably told me but..."
"In the midst of everything, you forgot. Don't worry about it." The lion chuckled. "I'd like to say my name is something fancy, like Atlas, or the like, but nah. I'm just plain old Michael."
"Michael, huh?" Sira said, chuckling, as he turned to make his own coffee Irish, if you know what I mean, "Well, I wouldn't say that that's a bad name at all." He took a large swig from his coffee, trying to use booze to cure his hangover and grimaced. "Bah, these things are the worst."
"Coffee?"
"Sort of."
"Ah."
"Yeah." Sira shrugged and laughed, as he and the lion joked around. For a few hours, they messed around, talking about everyday things, as well as some of the antics of last night that had him blushing more than a little. And yet all through it, the dream, and especially Soren's face, was fresh in his mind. So when the time came for the lion to go, he was in no small hurry to get him out the door.
"Well, maybe I'll see you again soon." Michael said, playfully, but with a question in his statement.
"Maybe." Sira said back, albeit playfully. "I sure wouldn't mind that... in fact..." He chuckled and slipped a slip of paper into the lion's paw. "Gimme a call if you ever wanna... have fun, again."
"Or maybe I'll take you on a date next time first."
"Maybe." Here Sira shut the door, and turned his back to it, as soon as it was, sliding down, until he was sitting against it. "Gods..." He shook his head, violently, while rubbing his face and eyes. "What the hell Soren... Why are you haunting me?" He went to the cupboard, where his stash of alcohol was stored... sure it was a little early... but these were special circumstances right? He reached for the bottle of Jager and flinched, as a thought passed through his mind...
"What would he say, if he knew what I was doing?" He grabbed the bottle of Jager and moved around the house, staring across the furniture, and out the windows. He felt a dull throb of pain that elicited a grown from his muzzle, and raised the bottle to his head. The smell of the lion still lingered in his bedroom, and that was where he went.
As he sat on the bed, he stared at the bottle in his hands, bringing it down so that he could view the entire thing. the label and the mind numbing alcohol inside the glass. He gazed around him. the bed ruffled, the blankets tossed every which way. The pillows had thankfully maintained the position... but the bed wasn't exactly what he was searching for.
8:29. He sighed, as he stared at his alarm clock, set to go off in a minute. He laid the bottle down on the bed and rubbed his temples. "Work..." He stood up, and walked over to the window. The sun had turned from its beautiful soothing sunrise, to its harsh glare. How had it come to this?
The alarm started blaring, and he winced... Time to start the day.