When Feral had gotten downstairs, he collected the deadly watch from his officer then checked with Felina on the hunt for Hard Drive. The techno thief had managed to slip away. Sighing in frustration, he told her to return to headquarters.
Walking briskly down the city hall steps, he crossed the road and went through the park to where he'd left his chopper. In less than ten minutes, he was soaring over the city toward Enforcer Headquarters. Back at his office, he sat down at his desk and wrote up the report on the incident then proceeded to clear his desk of the other work that had accumulated while he was gone. The whole time, he forcibly kept what had happened between himself and T-Bone far away from his active mind.
Meanwhile, a very disturbed SWAT Kat flew the Turbokat home. They had heard over their radio Felina's report that Hard Drive had not been found.
"Great! That's all we need is that creep on the loose," he growled, irritation darkening his tone.
"Yeah. Though, it might be a while before he shows himself again," Razor sighed in resignation.
T-Bone just grunted in annoyance. He flew the jet into their hangar, shut the engines and waited until they were raised to the main level. Changing clothes, the two of them returned to their garage full of work they'd left when the emergency had sounded.
He didn't tell Jake about what had happened with Feral, not wanting to admit the truth of what he'd discovered. That night they went to bed very tired, still needing a vacation and not seeing any opportunity to escape for one any time soon.
To Chance's annoyance and distress, the erotic dreams returned with a vengeance, wiping out his time with the lovely she-herm. He didn't think another round of time spent with her was going to fix this now. Irritable, he came downstairs the next morning with a scowl on his face.
Jake looked up and stared unhappily at his partner. Trouble was brewing, he could see it all over his partner's face.
"Don't say it!" Chance snapped as he got a glass of milk and a slice of leftover pizza from the fridge then sat down heavily at the table. He concentrated on his food and kept his attention on the surface of the table. When he had washed his meal down with the milk and slammed the glass to the table only then did he look up at his friend.
"You were right!"
Jake frowned at him in confusion. "Right about what?"
Chance scowled and slammed a fist on the table making the glass and Jake's bowl bounce.
"That Feral and I are mates!"
Jake's face fell. 'Oh God!' He thought. 'Now what do we do?' "I...I don't know what to tell you buddy. I know you can ignore the fact and put it out of your mind by being with others but I also know, when you do that, you're usually never very happy. It happened to a cousin of mine." He said helplessly.
"It wouldn't be such a big deal if it weren't Feral!" Chance snarled.
"Yeah, I know." His friend murmured sympathetically.
Chance raised his paws up and put his face in them. "I don't know what to do! The dreams are back and just as intense as before."
"That would have been because Feral had you pressed against the tower wall, wouldn't it?"
"That and when we stood on the balcony."
"Uh...gee...wonder why Feral hasn't shown any sign of being disturbed too?"
"Oh he feels it alright! I could tell! But he's obviously decided to ignore it."
Silence fell as they each thought about the problem.
Jake finally sighed and leaned forward, putting his paws on the table and spreading them out toward his friend.
"I can think of only two solutions here, buddy. One, you break the deadlock and push Feral to acknowledge the fact you're mates and bond or two, you find a way to ignore the feelings and push on without him, finding someone else to take his place."
Chance just looked at his friend in askance. "No matter which I choose, it's a no winner from where I sit. Thanks anyway!" He got up from his seat, put his glass in the sink and vanished back upstairs.
They had no work, at present, in the garage but Jake had wanted to reload the jet. Sighing, he decided on doing it alone and leaving his partner to wrestle with his serious problem. Whatever Chance decided it would have lasting consequences on their partnership. He got up slowly from the table, put his bowl in the sink and went down to the hangar.
Feral wasn't having an easy time of it either. This second close encounter with T-Bone had weakened his resolve to not take a mate. Though he was not in heat, his dreams began to plague him with intense desire. The harder he tried to push it away the more his subconscious refused to give it up.
He grew more annoyed and irritable. It began to reflect on his behavior at work much to Felina's dismay. Even Feral's assistant, Sgt Fallon was at a loss to explain why the Commander was being so touchy. No more enemies crawled from the woodwork for some weeks but still the Chief Enforcer acted as if he had burrs under his fur. It made for a strained workplace for his officers causing them to avoid their superior whenever they could.
Chance had done his best to ignore his problem and be the partner he needed to be for Jake, but his friend could see how much of a toll this was having on the tabby. Something had to give and soon.
To get away from his demons, Chance begun to frequent a rather tough, badass club that catered to clientele that liked their sex rougher than the ordinary Kat enjoyed it. But it was no use. Though it relieved his bodily needs, he still came away feeling incomplete somehow and unsatisfied.
One night as he walked away from the club to catch a bus back to the salvage yard, (he'd hadn't wanted to bring the tow truck in this area) he found himself just walking and brooding. He had no idea how far he'd traveled until he was accosted by some unsavory figures hiding in an alley he was passing.
They thought he was easy pickings and tried to drag him into the alley to rob him. Furious and needing the release a good fight could give him, he threw good sense to the wind, and lit into the poor hoods who had no clue who they had tried to hassle that night. Their struggle carried them further out on the sidewalk.
Feral was tired and it was late. He'd worked at his desk until he'd finally cleared the backlog that seemed to haunt him for weeks. Feeling a sense of accomplishment, he headed home letting his mind go on autopilot.
Despite his seeming inattention, his enforcer instincts were on alert and an altercation on a sidewalk he was just beginning to drive past caught his eye, forcing him to put on the brakes swiftly. Hissing in annoyance, he immediately flipped on his police lights but no siren before putting his rig in park...not caring he was now double parked in the roadway.
He jumped out of his vehicle, pulled out his pistol and moved swiftly toward the melee. On closer inspection, he noted it was a simple brawl involving some punks. Putting away his gun, he reached down and easily pulled one of the thugs off their apparent victim.
He'd done it so smoothly, the punk was completely shocked, allowing Feral to yank the guy's arms back brutally, pawcuffed him then shoved his body to a seated position on the ground.
"Stay put!" He warned the punk who could only gape at the Chief Enforcer in stunned surprise and fear.
Feral ignored him, turning back to the fight and studying it with a critical eye. He couldn't make out who the victim was yet but the male was easily holding his own.
The male landed a solid punch on a thug that was trying to help his buddy the 'victim' had in a head lock. The thug went down like a sack of cement and didn't move. Feral decided to end the conflict by announcing his presence.
"Alright, that's enough! Let him go, the enforcers are here!" He barked sternly.
The victim startled, releasing his prisoner who rolled away quickly. Now Feral could see who the unknown male was, the identity leaving him speechless and stunned. They stared at each other for a moment before he recalled his duty, quickly stretching a long arm out and snatching the punk the victim had released, preventing him from attempting to crawl away.
Blinking away his stunned surprise at Feral's presence, Chance scrambled to his feet and assisted the dark tom in corralling his prisoners.
"What the heck are you doing here?" He demanded in a not too friendly voice.
"I was driving home when I saw the altercation. Of course, I'm going to stop," Feral snapped in annoyance at Chance's tone.
Chance blushed but didn't respond, silently helping Feral guard the thugs until the enforcer could call a patrol to collect them. Less than five minutes later (they must have been nearby), a patrol car arrived to take possession of the two males.
After answering the officers stuffed the two thugs into their car, one of them questioned Feral and Chance, taking their statements for their report then releasing them to go their separate ways while the cruiser took off with their prisoners to book them at headquarters.
The two were left standing alone on the dark empty street.
Feral gave Chance a thorough once over and couldn't help but wince, sighing mentally. The tabby had suffered a bloody lip, a bruise was just beginning on one cheek, scraped knuckles on both paws, and multiple scratches that were bleeding freely from rents in his shirt over his shoulders, across one pectoral and one arm. Thankfully, other than the lip and cheek, his face managed to avoid too much damage.
"Where's your vehicle? You should go home and clean up," he suggested gruffly.
Chance didn't look at the dark tom when he rumbled back in a surly tone, "didn't drive...took the bus...was going home the same way before I was waylaid."
Feral shook his head, growling in frustration at the mulish behavior of his mate. "Looking like that, they won't let you aboard," he said flatly. "Come on!" Turning away from the tabby, he walked back to his vehicle but realized after a moment that Chance wasn't following. The tabby stared at him in wary suspicion.
'Why the heck was Feral trying to be nice to him?'
"Don't be an idiot Chance, get in the damn car and I'll run you home," Feral growled impatiently, already beginning to regret his decision.
But the tabby shook his head. "Why would you do that? I can clean up back at the club then catch the bus home or call Jake," Chance continued belligerently.
Feral hissed in annoyance. "You were always too stubborn for your own good, Furlong!"
"Oh that's rich! Coming from the king of stubbornness!" The tabby snorted.
More annoyed and frustrated than the situation called for, Feral lost his patience, went back to the tabby and got aggressively into the tom's personal space using his chest to shove Chance back against the building.
"Why is it always so hard for you to just do as you're asked without arguing." He snarled, pressing his body tightly against the other male.
Which was an unfortunate mistake. His hormones, already excited by being near his mate, were now jumping for joy, causing his face and other more sensitive areas to rise with heat.
Chance was angry but it turned to something else as Feral's heavier body pressed him hard setting off heat and desire which only made him madder. He didn't want this! This was the reason he was downtown in the first place. He started to push the bigger male off.
That only made it worse for Feral. Now past his comfort zone and into the hot zone that his body demanded he do something about, Feral lost control completely. It was just too much temptation and desire too long denied for him to pull back now.
"Aw fuck, Chance! I can't keep this up any longer! You make it impossible for me to stay away or ignore you!" He groaned helplessly then leaned down and caught Chance's bleeding lip with his own and licked it tenderly.
Chance froze, his whole body shuddering at that one intimate touch. His sudden indrawn breath caught the scent of arousal from the Feral and tore away all his reasons for fighting.
The taste of his mate pushed Feral to stake his claim, no longer desiring to deny his feelings. After licking the blood off, he kissed gently so he wouldn't cause more pain. The tabby's surrender was sweet music to his ear as Chance returned the kiss with heat of his own.
'Oh my God!' Chance panted, 'how could a kiss be so powerful?' He thought deliriously, totally swept away by an intense rush of desire. 'He tastes like heaven!'
They kissed passionately for several long minutes, forgetting they were in the open and Feral's car was blocking traffic. A horn blasted suddenly, startling them both and causing them to jump apart, eyes searching the street wildly for the culprit but whoever had honked was gone in the night.
They stood there panting and shaking from jangled nerves besides being still heated from their more intimate activity.
Turning his attention back to Chance, Feral stood indecisively. Did he want to continue this? It meant he finally crossed the line he swore he wouldn't but it had felt so good letting go at last, did he really want to continue being unhappy and uncomfortable?
While Feral struggled with his confused feelings, Chance was just as dismayed. 'What now?' He thought in a daze. 'I should leave...not let this go any further.' But he couldn't move.
Feral came to a decision, he grabbed his mate's arm and tugged him toward his car. Chance almost pulled back but seeing the determination on Feral's face and still being conflicted himself, he relented and climbed into the vehicle without further protest.
They drove in silence as Feral headed for his apartment. The silence continued as he pulled into the underground parking lot beneath his apartment and cut the engine. They climbed out and with Chance following closely, Feral led the way to the elevator and pressed the button for his floor. At the top, they decanted and walked down a very nicely appointed hallway until they reached the last door nearest the stairs leading to the roof.
Unlocking his door, Feral gestured for Chance to precede him. The tabby paused, still uncertain if this was the right decision but after staring into the big tom's eyes for a minute, he stepped forward over the threshold and on into the living area.
Feral followed, pulling the door closed behind him then locking it. Standing in the entranceway, he watched Chance look around while he flipped on a small lamp for better light then tugged his coat and holster off, stowing them in the closet nearby. By the time he was done, Chance had finished sizing up the place and was now standing staring at Feral questioningly.
Staring back, Feral thought, 'Okay, here we are at last. So what do I say to him?'