During a night at the club, River, a hotly genet, gets into it with his boyfriend, an aloof skunk named Victor, they're forced to reevaluate what's most important in their relationship.

Today’s story is “You Can Watch Me Dance” by Dirt Coyote, who, when he isn't causing all sorts of trouble on Twitter, works on various writing projects including a novel, a novella, and short erotic furry fiction. Follow him at DirtCoyote on Twitter for future updates.

Read for you by Khaki, your faithful fireside companion.

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You’re listening to The Voice of Dog.

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I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,

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and Today’s story is

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“You Can Watch Me Dance”

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by Dirt Coyote, who,

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when he isn't causing all sorts of trouble on Twitter,

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works on various writing projects including a novel,

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a novella, and short erotic furry fiction.

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Follow him at DirtCoyote on Twitter

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for future updates.

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“You Can Watch Me Dance”

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by Dirt Coyote For My Partner

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It’d been months,

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months, since River had gone out!

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Not, like, going out to the movies or snagging a cup of froyo walking home from grocery shopping.

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Real going out like he used to when he was a kid,

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not that he still wasn’t one.

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Late twenties were the same as early twenties and if anyone asked, the genet was still twenty-two anyways.

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The black markings on his sharp short muzzle,

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as well as the spots on his arms and neck had been plucked of any stray grey furs.

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Only the bouncer and bartender needed to see his ID

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and if any of his friends had anything different to say about it,

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he’d have one less friend to contradict him.

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Not that River had to worry about anyone speaking up about anything nowadays though.

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All of the genet’s friends had partnered up and were done joining him and his late night escapades.

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Now, they were more interested

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in tending vegetable gardens and

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noisy cubs rather than hangovers and mysterious bruises.

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Actually, being honest, the only reason why he’d not gone out in so long was because he didn’t like to go out on his own.

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Thankfully, out of the goodness of his soul,

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his boyfriend decided to give up his Friday night Dungeons & Dorkons session

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so they could do stuff with fairies and queens that didn’t involve a constitution check.

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Victor stood next to him in line

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with his smartphone just short of making contact with his glasses.

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The skunk had on the same beige slacks

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and light blue oxford shirt

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he’d worn to work that morning.

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His modest vanilla cardigan only tagged along on his shoulder

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after River asked him if he wanted to try and spice it up just a little bit for him.

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That was the best he was gonna get.

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At least he went all out on his outfit tonight.

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As soon as he finished scrubbing the last dish at Peppered Patty’s,

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he flew by his manager and raced home to clean out the detergent and grease from his fur.

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Though his yellow tank top didn’t hang quite as well as when he bought it a few years back,

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it still covered up his belly so long as he didn’t stretch his arms high above his head.

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The pair of skinny jeans he’d laid out on the bed

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were still in that exact position even now.

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After half an hour trying to make them fit,

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Victor threatened to stay inside if he had to wait much longer. A loose

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pair of white cargo shorts substituted.

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Not a major setback!

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Actually, he thought that the cargo shorts felt just as sexy if not even more sexy than the jeans were.

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River’s legs were his real money makers,

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besides his pristine smile and piercing yellow eyes, of course.

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If he’d worn his jeans,

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no one could have admired the pattern of his chocolate spots wrapped around his tan legs.

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They started just above his black socks and travelled alllllllll the way up before teasingly disappearing beneath his shorts.

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“Babe,” River whispered,

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giving a cough and nudge to the skunk at his side.

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Victor pulled the phone away from his nose

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and looked around startled.

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Furrowing his brow,

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he cocked his head at genet before turning back to his phone.

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That earned him another nudge,

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one hard enough to nearly set him off-balance

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and out of the line altogether.

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“What?” he spurted,

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pointing towards the stallions in front

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of them. “We’re not at the front yet.”

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“They’ll be inside in a second,”

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River whined, pointing just past the horses to the wolverine standing next to the door.

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“The bouncer doesn’t wanna see you playing a game on your phone.”

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Contradictory to River’s panicking, the wolverine was engaged in a relatively friendly conversation with the two stallions.

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Smiling and boisterous,

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the doorman’s entire upper body bobbed around as he talked just as much with his paws as his words.

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Annoyed but cordial,

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Victor stuffed his phone into his pocket,

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but not without getting the last word in.

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“Babe, I think his job is to just charge us and make sure we’re presentable.”

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At the mention of being presentable,

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River sneaked a peek to his partner’s feet.

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Even though he knew for certain that he’d made sure that the skunk didn’t trade for his more comfortable tennis shoes,

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he couldn’t double check enough times.

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Thankfully, he really was wearing the slick leather loafers River had bought for him when he’d had his first interview out of college.

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It might have been a little

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dressy for a start-up,

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but they were appropriate here in front of the BlackSky nightclub.

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Victor rhythmically patted at his slacks, not quite sure what to do with his paws when there wasn’t a phone in them.

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Stroking his own tail soothingly,

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River wasn’t much better at that himself,

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though at least he could keep it quiet.

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They’d already gone over their days and there wasn’t a show that they didn’t watch together.

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Several times he felt flustered trying to even think of something remotely interesting

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and just before he was going to tell Victor that he

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could have his phone out just to stop the patting,

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a large group came roaring out of the club with laughter.

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The bouncer turned his head to the group, letting them through the door before nodding the stallions inside.

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“Cash or card?” he asked River with one paw extended while the other curled a tablet.

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“Card,” River said as he reached back

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and pulled out his wallet.

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He slid his credit card out and thumbed between him and Victor to signal they were together.

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At the doorman’s glance between the two of them,

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Victor smiled a polite smile and waved a waist high paw to confirm they were together.

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Something about the modestly dressed six foot tall nerdy skunk

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with the five foot nothing slutty genet wasn’t clicking immediately but he shrugged it off.

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The wolverine took the card

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and nodded as he swiped it

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but before he could return the card to River,

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the genet had his ID out for him to check.

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“Hmm?” the wolverine questioned, not quite sure what he was being handed until he caught River’s face on the card.

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“Oh, right!” he exclaimed a little too loudly, pretending to glance at the date of birth before trying to hand the card back again.

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“Went through. You two can head in.”

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he said without even humoring the idea of checking to see if the skunk was of age.

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His smile remained polite

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even though River’s was pointedly plastic and flippant for him to see.

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“Bitch,” River muttered

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as they walked past the coat check, but Victor ignored it rather than engage with his pettiness.

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Inside was considerably more comfortable than the cramped line outside.

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Victor was working his way towards the tabled area,

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spotting one that was tall and had seats.

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Despite the fact they waited longer in line than it took them to walk to the BlackSky,

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there were several tables open and plenty of space between them.

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In fact, everybody in that line could barge inside right now and River wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

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Grumbling, the short genet had to practically scale the chair to sit in its seat

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while his boyfriend flumped in his chair,

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looking exhausted already.

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Waiting in line took a little bit out of him,

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but River still couldn’t hold back his excitement,

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his tail lashing about like a cub at an amusement park.

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Crystalline bulbs hung from black panels made the ceiling look like the stars they couldn’t see

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in the light radiated city.

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Dim blue fluorescent tubes

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lined the walls to soften in a soothing dusk all around them.

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Just under a large but muted incandescent sphere

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meant to be the moon

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was the bar glowing in a kaleidoscope of patterns and colors.

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Surrounding the bar were kids just like himself

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scrambling to get a drink.

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There was a menagerie of lifted tails.

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Foxes, huskies, wolves, cheetahs, skunks, ermines, foxes, tigers, lions, stallions,

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leopards, ferrets, bunnies, and foxes bent over to flirt with the bartenders

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while also presenting the goods to anyone bold enough to stare.

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Those not drinking

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were past the bar and tables

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shaking what they had out towards the back.

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Base blasting from the speakers near the stage were strong enough

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to vibrate the table, but the music itself was distant while

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in the seating area.

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“I’m gonna get a drink,”

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Victor said, not quite as captured by the atmosphere.

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He stood slowly, still sore from work and the line,

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but when he tried to turn to the bar, River coughed blatantly and cleared his throat.

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“What? I mean- ugh, I was implying I was going to get us both drinks.

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Corona light with lime, right?” “Corona?”

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River nearly shouted,

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his head cocked in disbelief.

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Confused, Victor’s muzzle twisted

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and he pointed back at the bar.

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“You always drink Coronas on Friday.

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With the little key lime wedg—”

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“—on D&D night!

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And that’s just because the last time that I drank too much, you killed my character.

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We’re out and about inside of a night club!”

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River practically threw his arms into the air,

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ducking them back down as soon as he felt cold air against the fur on his tummy and backside.

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“I want a Tokyo Iced

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Tea.” “A Tokyo Tea? Seriously?”

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Victor laughed while folding his arms.

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Nodding his head up and down excitedly,

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he explained, “That’s a long island with an added shot of Midori.”

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“No, I—, mmm, I know what that is. I’m,”

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the words fumble for a second,

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now realizing River’s request was serious.

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“We’re having breakfast with your parents tomorrow.

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They’d be happier if you weren’t

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hungover and after that, you still have a closing shift.”

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River thumbed his chin,

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thinking about it for a second before coming to a conclusion. “Eh,

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Mom and Dad’ll be fine.

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We’ll go out somewhere that has Bloody Marys.

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If I still feel hungover,

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I’ll call off work.

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They’ll survive without me for a night.”

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“That’s not very responsible.”

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Before Victor can add anymore,

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River’s out of his seat, leaning over the table with a dangerous expression on his muzzle

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and a finger waving.

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“I. Want. A. Tokyo. Iced. Tea,” the genet demands,

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elongating the last word before punctuating with,

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“Please.” Victor knew well enough then to fight him,

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but only his tail acknowledged him as he spun around so fast that the chair got knocked back, almost tipping it over entirely.

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A worrying thought of his boyfriend coming back with two beers came to mind.

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The skunk was always doing things that he thought best for him without acknowledging his own wants.

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It would be endearing if it wasn’t so fucking condesending.

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He was supposed to be having fun.

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Trying to take his mind off of the argument, he distracted himself with the only thing he loved more than Tokyo Tea and dancing:

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boys. Closest to him were two dobermans standing over a table without chairs.

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River took in the short black and brown fur, trailing it with his mind as easily as his fingers

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through their fishnet shirts and shorts they wore.

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With only their jockstraps to cover them, one red and one yellow,

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he didn’t have to fantasize what they’d look like in bed.

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Too late did he realize that he was staring and not before Yellow had noticed.

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He slapped Red’s arm,

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pointing at the genet with a wide smile on his face.

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River, a little abashed that he’d gotten caught staring, turned his attention towards the rest of the crowd.

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A fox wearing almost the exact same outfit he wore

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was splitting his attention between the clydesdale and mustang he walked in with.

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Two frat boys, a dalmatian and a husky, on the other hand

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competed for a lithe wolf,

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neither interested in sharing the twink.

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Before River could even fully develop jealousy for attention,

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a paw slid down the back of his shorts.

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Naturally, he lifted himself off the seat so he could be cupped easier.

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When he turned his head though, instead of an

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unusually spontaneous skunk,

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it was Red licking over his cocky grin.

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The canine locked his stare,

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an eyebrow arched daring him to tell him to stop.

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A pinch forced a squeak from River

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and all he could do was mumble while pressing into the grope.

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Leaning over, Red let out a low growl,

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bristling River’s fur in shivers before the dog whispered,

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“I like my kitties with some meat to sink into.”

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Okay, first, not a feline and kind of annoying to hear it all the time.

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Second, what meat are you talking about?

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Those were things River wished he could say, but it’d been so long since he’d had the sensation of a stranger’s unsolicited touch

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that all he could do was whimper.

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His long tail wrapped around the doberman’s wrist

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and he pushed back against his claws.

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It hurt a little bit that the dog was pinching him so roughly,

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but also excited him far beyond the dull monotony of what he was used to.

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“Can you believe it?

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Twenty fucking dollars for your Tokyo Iced Tea!”

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Victor complained as he settled into his seat,

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oblivious to the panicked genet.

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In one paw was the Tea he promised to bring

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and in the other, to River’s surprise,

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was what he assumed was a screwdriver.

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That, or it could have just been a glass of orange juice.

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“What’s the point of even paying the entrance fee if they’re going to gouge us for the drinks anyways?”

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Some tea slushed over the brim of the glass

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as the skunk practically slammed it down in front of him.

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River picked up the glass, giving it a stir before wrapping his lips around the straw

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and sipping it while he continued to be fondled right in front of his boyfriend.

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In fact, clueless Victor just continued along with his rant.

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“And of course, I’m the tallest guy standing around and the bartender serves just about everyone else before even taking my order.

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Still tipped him a five.”

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Knowing that Victor was not going to realize what was up without his help,

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River cleared his throat and glanced towards the doberman.

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All the while Red seemed to know something was up

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and was just getting excited about it.

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At no point did he stop but he refrained from any quick movements to conceal what he was doing right in front of the skunk.

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River couldn’t help but enjoy it to some extent,

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but also was starting to feel guilty for liking it this much, so he coughed for Victor’s attention again.

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Almost getting the clue,

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he reached across the table,

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extending a paw and introducing himself,

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“Hi. Victor. Nice shirt.”

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He waited for a paw

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and the doberman was caught thinking what to do.

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Wanting to continue kneading the genet’s ass, he reached up with his left paw and awkwardly tried to shake upside down.

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The skunk took it with a confused glance,

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holding onto it while he checked to see why he didn’t just shake him with his dominant arm.

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“Oh...Oh! Um, that’s my boyfriend you’re groping right now.”

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Seeming not to care,

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he left his paw exactly where it had been.

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Infact, he even pressed his pointer finger through River’s crack, tickling him enough to get a squirm.

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“Well, it appears he likes it,”

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Red said slyly,

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his grin facing Victor to challenge him.

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“Did he say he liked it?”

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he asked, though his words lacked any bite.

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Keeping himself cool,

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Victor brought his drink to his lips

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and took a quick sip before setting it down and waiting for the doberman to make a move.

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There was some tension, even if the skunk didn’t seem like he wanted a fight.

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The doberman stopped rubbing into his fur

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and when River looked to him, he could see that Red was waiting for him to give him

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agreed approval. When it was clear he wasn’t,

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the dog got the full picture and slid his paw out of River’s shorts. “Tch,

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fuckin’ tease,” he said soured,

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already walking back to his friend. “Ugh,

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that was rude,” Victor chimed,

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rolling his eyes and grabbing his drink for another sip.

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Absent a paw, his rear felt unnaturally cold and so did his mood.

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“That’s it? That’s all you’re gonna say?”

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“What?” Victor pulled back in his seat confused.

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“It looked like you liked it, to be frank.”

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Taking a long sip of his drink,

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River tried to cool himself down but he was still frazzled from the groping.

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“It doesn’t matter if I enjoyed it or not. You’re the one that’s supposed to be mad.”

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“Mad? Like, at him?” Victor asked,

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pointing a finger to the doberman, already completely over them.

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“He’s just some horny asshole. You’re the one playing mind games.”

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With that, he pulled out his phone again

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and switched it on, scrolling where he’d left off in the line.

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Pursing his lips together so tightly that they began to turn white,

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River glared at his boyfriend in frustration.

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Claws dug into his own palms as he balled his fists tightly.

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Victor was too invested into the phone to even notice the quiet rage across the table.

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Trying not to ruin his own night,

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he took a slow long sip of his straw until he felt steadied.

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“Forget it, babe. Can we just dance already?”

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River tried to be as disarming as he could,

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and even worked a smile up for him.

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Still too invested in his phone,

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Victor missed the smile and flipped through tabs instead.

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Without looking, he dismissed him with a raised paw.

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“Start without me.

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Today’s been a day and I’m not sure if I’m up for dancing,” he said,

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grabbing his glass and taking the tiniest sip.

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Astonished, River let his maw gape a second before asking,

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“We are out and you don’t want to dance?”

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Victor’s eyes flicked up over his screen a second

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to make eye contact as he spoke,

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“You know I don’t really like to dance. You can do it without me. I’m still here.”

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Eyes back to the phone.

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“Can you at least watch me dance?”

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River’s lips quivered,

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a sob choked back in his throat.

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“When I finish up, I’ll look for you.”

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River waited patiently for him to sit his glass down

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before slamming both fists hard enough against the table to rattle the drinks.

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Neither tipped, but they bounced about dangerously and Victor was forced to put down his phone just to save the drinks.

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Victor, furious, looked about ready to give his own mind about the genet’s outburst, but River didn’t even let him get a word in before he had a finger right up to his nose.

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“You can either watch me dance,”

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River barked, his finger shifting to the dance floor.

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“Or you can watch me leave,”

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he finished, pointing to the exit.

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What the fuck? What the flying fuck was that about?

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Victor’s mind raced as fast as the genet raced over to stage,

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tail whipping anyone unfortunate enough to be standing near his path.

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Admittingly, part of him wanted to just pull his phone again and make sure he could see him using it

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instead of watching him flounder like a fish.

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All night, River had been acting like a bitch while he was purchasing a surprise flight for him and both their parents to vacation overseas.

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Ticket prices fluctuate day to day,

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and though he’d seen them lower, they were pretty low right now and no guarantee they’d ever get cheaper.

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He could pick up the phone sitting in front of him,

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but he couldn’t figure out what River meant.

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Leave? Like, he was going to leave the club and he’d see him back home?

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No, that would be nice,

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and tonight has been anything but.

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What was he so pissed off about?

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Did River really think that he was going to get into a brawl with some himbo wearing fishnets?

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Last time he scuffled, it came with detention and video games stripped for a week.

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Victor’s paw went underneath the table,

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dragging fresh new lines through the wood with his thick claws.

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Some destruction settled him down enough

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not to just walk out of the club on his own.

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Though his muzzle was pointed to his boyfriend,

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the genet was completely out of his focus.

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Rather, him dancing was out of focus.

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Everything else was getting held to a magnifying glass.

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They had bills, their apartment, their friends, their car,

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and seven years worth of furniture that weren’t easily divisible.

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River couldn’t even afford to live on his own with his shitty little fast food job.

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He wasn’t even supposed to be working for Peppered Patty’s anymore.

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The money had helped the last year of college,

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but they’d agreed that River would quit minimum wage and pursue something real when Victor got out.

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Four years later and he was still scrubbing dishes, frying fries, and flipping burgers.

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Victor should have known that River was going to ruin the plans he laid out for him.

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Tomorrow was supposed to be more than just breakfast with the genet’s parents.

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After almost a year straight of talking about their son’s potential,

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he’d managed to break through.

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Talking with them,

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they’d promised to help convince him to go back to school.

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As a thank you, Victor would announce to all of them about the travel plans he’d cover.

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It should have been perfect.

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Now, while he was unsure if he’d have a boyfriend by night’s end,

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he was a little glad that he was just short of pressing the “buy now” button.

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Wanting something a little harder than the screwdriver, he grabbed the Tokyo Tea

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and finished the portion that was left.

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It was sweet, sharing no hints of its dangerous nature. Victor

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knew better though, having rescued River enough times when he forgot his limits capped at two drinks.

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Ice clicked against his front teeth as he tipped the glass all the way back until the last drop dribbled down onto his tongue.

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It really was good,

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maybe even worth the twenty dollars he paid for it.

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It mellowed him out enough to actually focus on River across the club.

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For a second, his heart kept still,

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unable to find the yellow tank top that he used to mark him.

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Only until he saw the opening on the dance floor did he realize that it was his boyfriend

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with a paw up swinging the tank top around in circles over his head. Embarrassing

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and childish as it was,

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Victor couldn’t keep back a small smile creeping up the side of his muzzle.

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It took a bit of effort to squash it down and remind himself that he was supposed to be mad at him.

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That silliness was the sort of thing that he brought into D&D and completely took over the game.

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Sometimes it was annoying enough that he would lie about certain rolls

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to prevent River from causing anymore damage to the carefully crafted story.

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Thinking about it though,

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before his boyfriend curiously participated time from time,

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Victor was about to hang it all up himself.

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Everything had become number crunching,

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designed fun, min/max decision making, and boring ass characters.

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When River’s curiosity transformed to mocking half-presence,

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and eventually full on mountain dew drinking member of the crew,

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it reignited his love for the game.

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Heck, some of the best nights with his friend group was when River was right there by his side making everything fun.

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Covering his spots again, he must have gotten self-conscious of what he was doing

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and put his tank top back on.

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Arms flying left and right though,

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he looked to be really going at it.

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Leaning in, Victor searched the genet for something familiar about the way he moved.

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His dance was more frantic than feverish.

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Instead of the music flowing through him like water,

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it jerked his body around like he was over hot coals.

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Victor remembered this,

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letting himself get taken back to that first night he caught his eye.

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A little skinnier, and little less grey specks hidden in his tan,

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Victor watched the genet swinging around on a near empty dance floor an hour before last call.

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Eyes closed and just vibing with the music, he thrashed about while everyone else was

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taking their time with their partners.

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Couples took heed to step away from him if he’d gotten too close.

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Something about the way he moved lied so well.

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All of the energy erupted from River like a plasma ball sending currents to the glass.

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While his moves might have seemed

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intentional to those who were more focused on someone tangible,

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nothing slipped past Victor.

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Alone at the club himself,

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he thought he understood that the genet’s dance was only for himself.

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It was his way of shaking off everything he was feeling

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when he didn’t have an outlet to express it.

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Though he never met him

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or even said a word to him,

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he could see all the warning signs:

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ears flattened, tail lashing, fist balled,

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bit lip, and eyes squeezed so tight to hold inside everything that threatened to pour out.

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Standing from his chair,

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Victor walked over and grabbed the other boy by his wrists without even thinking about it.

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The genet allowed himself to be led,

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fighting the tears more than the stranger.

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Sparing him embarrassment of becoming a mess right there in front of everyone,

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he took him to the side to calm him down

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while the genet introduced himself as River though sobs.

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Again, without thinking or even realizing he was doing it until they were safely towards a secluded corner of the room,

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Victor had led his genet,

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seven years older and still overflowing with raw emotions,

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off of the dance floor.

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Just like he did the first time,

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River stayed as strong as he could,

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holding back long enough until he was safely out of sight to start a quiet sob.

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“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m so stupid,”

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he let out between bawling.

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“Shhh, there’s no need for that. You’re fine.

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You’re not stupid.

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Not the slightest bit,”

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Victor reassured him.

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Every sentence was followed with strokes

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running down his nape and spine.

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They kept tight, close enough to look like they were in the middle of a slow dance.

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Cradling him back and forth, he kept their movements in relative time to the music to avoid a scene.

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A billion apologies came pouring into Victor’s chest, soaking buttons and fabric in tears and snot.

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Apologies for shoving him in the line,

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allowing the doberman to grope him,

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slamming his fists on the table,

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forgetting to grab the mail, and getting mad when Victor brought home the wrong pudding cups almost two weeks earlier.

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Though he didn’t feel like he was the one that needed apologies,

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they felt nice that he was getting them anyways.

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Victor just moved to pecks between the ears,

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listening while River worked everything out of his system.

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Through his dance,

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his lonesome wild fit,

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Victor knew the true things that he hadn’t said.

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It’d been months,

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months, since anyone had taken River out.

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All of his old friends, now saddled with responsibilities,

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didn’t have time or energy to keep up with the wired genet.

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The only people that he had left were Victor’s nerdy D&D friends,

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their parents, and the skunk himself.

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As much as Victor fantasized about nothing more than curling on the couch with his boyfriend and a streaming service,

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it all became just as monotonous as D&D felt before River showed up.

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It all felt as tedious as work, bills, chores, and visits to parents.

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River wasn’t any of those things

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and now the skunk felt like a wet blanket over everything fun.

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All the while, his boyfriend, the one who’s night was being ruined,

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was apologizing to him. “Shoosh,

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shoosh, shoosh,” Victor whispered,

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caressing him as best he could.

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A few more kisses were enough to get him to calm down

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so he could pull him away from his stomach.

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Despite being through the worst of the tears,

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River didn’t lift his head to look into his eyes.

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He just kept his head down like a scolded cub,

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but Victor just lifted his muzzle with his paw

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until they could see each other.

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“I’m sorry I ruined tonight,” River said,

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the waterworks starting up again.

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“We can just go home and do something else.”

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“Babe, babe, hun. The night’s just started.

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Nothing’s ruined,”

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Victor said planting another kiss right on the bridge of his muzzle.

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He knew he had a million apologies of his own he owed for making this night so difficult, but for now,

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he wanted to focus on turning the night around.

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“Like, right off the top of my head, there’s two things I can think of already.

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You can either watch me dance, or,”

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trailing for a second, the skunk pointed back towards the table area and followed with a shrug,

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“Or, you can watch me kick the shit out of that doberman asshole.”

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That earned him a snort, and a shove,

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and a hug, before River shoved him playfully once more

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and sniffled up anything left in his snout.

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Wiping against his own arm for good measure,

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he cleaned himself up before leading Victor back into the center of the dance floor.

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“How ‘bout both of us just dance right now,

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and if we have any energy left,

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we’ll jump him in the bathroom?”

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Sliding his paw where the doberman’s had been,

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Victor intimidated him before leaning in to murmur,

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“Maybe, but for now,

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I’d really love that dance.”

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This was “You Can Watch Me Dance” by Dirt Coyote,

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read for you by Khaki, your faithful fireside companion.

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You can find more stories on the web

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at thevoice.dog,

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or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

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Thank you for listening

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to The Voice of Dog