This erotic story features anthropomorphic (furry) characters, intelligent humanoid beings with both animal and human characteristics.
"Muscular Mules"
SHORT STORY
"Do you have money?"
"Yeah. Enough for the bar."
"Save it for when you're on your own. I'll pay for drinks before I drop you in the deep end."
Sid reluctantly accepted his friend Aaron's plan. The cat rifled through his wallet one more time before leaving his room. Staring at the small fold of bills -- all minor denominations -- he let out an exasperated sigh. "You don't have to do this for me," he said, returning his gaze to Aaron.
"But I'm doing it anyway." The dwarfish pony didn't cut the same figure as most equines, but he made up for his height in other ways. Chief of which right now was his devotion to the bro code. He was Sid's wingman for today, and he took to this time-honoured tradition with the focus and discipline it deserved.
They had been room-mates for a long time. Learning the ins and outs of their friend's taste in romantic partners came naturally, as through the course of conversation and drama they discerned the specifics of each other's predilections. Sid was 100% gay, and played up his effeminate qualities a little more when liquid lubrication was supplied. To lustful eyes he was a cute
femboy
who liked to dress in clothes that were predominantly male-coded, and very ordinary, but always had something tender and feminine to them that caused one to second-guess their sexuality. Thus his intent in donning them: a slight tease. Maybe it was the shorts that clung very noticeably to his soft bottom whilst exposing a dash of bulge, or the tendency to wear t-shirts that exposed his furry midriff in an almost sneaky fashion -- weather-permitting, of course. There were a few ways he tended to display his sexuality yet never go too far, as the shyness that pervaded his social life since his school days always blocked the excessive.
Today, however, he was able to stay his awkwardness thanks to beautiful weather and his friend backing him up. Lots of people were going about town in short, breezy clothing. Exposed arms and legs were the norm. A high-cut paradise. Sid could dissolve right into the crowd. Today, he dressed in Summer casual -- beach-going but equally valid downtown. His short-sleeve t-shirt was of the right length that if he raised his arms, the covering of his midriff would be undone -- granting a peek at his little kitty-cat belly. Just the way he liked it! His shorts were his usual, and Sid opted to forgo any footwear, as the streets were kept clear for the anthro denizens of the city at all times. He could already feel the sun-seared side-walk beneath his pads.
Aaron, by contrast, was the straight man of the pair. In more ways than one! Well...apart from occasional 'experimentation'. The brown-furred equine stomped impatiently as he waited for Sid to quit dilly-dallying. His own attire was plain, not intending to draw attention away from the guy he was wingman to. His dark colours brightened Sid's hazel and white fur, complimenting it.
This was the first time he'd managed to corral Sid into going to a bar with the express intention of hooking up with someone. Sid didn't know who, but Aaron did -- and kept that information in reserve, chuckling internally. One glance around the cat's room told you plenty about what kind of guy he was into. Pin-ups of rough, tough, buff dudes lined his bed, with space graciously left available for a handful of movie posters that fought desperately for relevance on the steamy tableau of Sid's wall. Aaron was a good friend, and even supplied him with magazines and websites to fuel his friend's passion. Maybe that was a sign they'd been
roomies
too long. Did people usually start encouraging others' sexual interests for no reason other than being a bro to them? Aaron didn't want to know the answer to that question, even if it fell in his favour.
Sid had a particular fondness for a series of pin-ups entitled 'Muscular Mules'. A spin-off of a raunchy all-male publishing house's popular 'Stallion' series, 'Mules' had something about it that captivated Sid. The models, perhaps? Their build, their workmanlike demeanour, their...particularly bulky sex appeal? Whosoever was splayed in a sensual pose across a centrefold, or happened to represent the month in a sexy calendar, possessed a certain...magnetism...
Aaron had always wanted to drag Sid out of fantasy and into the real world. To get out more, have more fun. But the cat's nervousness about hookup culture had held plans back. Sid wouldn't just date someone, or fuck someone in a one-night stand -- he had to be encouraged. Corralled. Well, that was Aaron's job anyway, so...
"C'mon Sid. Quit staring at your wallet and let's go."
"Hold on, wait," came the reply from the cat, "I need to check I've got enough for rent this month."
"Jesus dude! I'll comp you if you end up spending too much. Come on!"
* * *
The taxi ride downtown was uneventful. Sid had a touch of the nerves -- nothing a little pep talk from his friend couldn't salve. Aaron laid out his game plan:
"I've set you up with a friend of mine. Guy I know from running track down by the sports centre."
"T-thanks," came Sid's timid reply.
Aaron looked over at him. "Relax -- it's not a date-date. Not if you don't want it to be. You can just talk. He's chill with it."
"If you say so."
"I do say so. Sid, listen...don't let your nerves get to you, eh? You're just going to meet up with someone to hang out with, that's all. Like you would any friend."
As they arrived outside the bar Aaron gave the cat an elbow-nudge and a charismatic smile.
"You'll have a great time, trust me! I know your type."
* * *
The pair entered the bar. It was classy -- nowhere near the kind of dive Sid had thought his friend would drag him along to. Well-lit. Reasonable clientele. Then again, Aaron was putting his best foot forward -- perhaps he was making sure the vibes were right for first impressions, and in doing so stepping out of his comfort zone as well?
"C'mon, should be down this way," said the pony as he led his friend around.
Sid and Aaron walked through a busy crowd and found themselves at the far end of the building. Function rooms and private tables dwelt this way, fenced off by velvet ropes, with fewer open barstools for the plebs to avail of. Anthros of various stripes flitted about. They slipped through the commotion and came at last to the planned rendezvous at the end of the main bar.
Up ahead, Aaron spied their prize. A tall, dark-furred anthro sat at the bar. Of similar equine build but a fair bit larger than Sid's pony friend. A deep chestnut brown mane flowed freely, groomed to perfection. His ears flicked idly as he looked side-to-side -- obviously waiting for someone.
That someone gulped as he began his approach.
Aaron kept back and to the side, his wingman-ly duties paramount. Sid walked forward a few paces, still directly behind (and therefore out-of-view) of his prospective date. Small shivers consumed him and butterflies played havoc with his innards. But he kept going, spurred on by Aaron's advice and good-natured encouragement:
"C'mon dude, take it easy! I'm right here...so relax..."
Sid calmed. His friends words were more than welcome. This would be one of the few times he went out dating -- even if it just resulted in making a new friend. His shyness was a tough opponent, willing to pull out all the stops to keep him single. Now, however, it didn't feel as bad.
Just like Aaron said, it's not really a date-date. Not if I don't want it to be. We're just chatting.
As if on cue, Aaron shattered Sid's calm composure by throwing his arm up in the air, waving wildly, and calling out: "YO! Ben! Behind ya!"
The tall equine cross-breed at the bar turned around. Sid's eyes went wide, and all his fears of social interaction came surging back to him. Then, suddenly, a thought occurred:
That face! This 'Ben'?
No...it couldn't be...
Holy shit!
...
It is!
...
Sid realised who he had been set up to meet as images flashed across his mind's eye:
A countryside idyll...bathed in setting sunlight...golden hues cast across a red barn nestled among rolling hills that were blanketed by wildflowers. Ben stood at the entrance, chocolate-brown fur darkened by the door-frame overhead. Shirtless. Only a pair of faded jeans hugging his powerful legs. His mane...cascading down his back, over his shoulders. Slightly dishevelled. A thick leather belt wrapped around his waistline. Dirt clung to his hooves.
FLASH!!!
The scene had transformed: Ben was up close, leaning against the barn door, arms crossed...the faint sheen of sweat captured in time by the photographer's retro-style flash-bulb. A smirk played on his lips as he gazed out toward the horizon...
FLASH!!!
Another manly vista: Ben sat on a hay-bale in a relaxed pose, hands resting casually on his thighs...
FLASH!!!
He was now inside the barn, one arm raised -- leaning against the top of the door-frame. Backlit by the warm light of the fading sun...body cloaked in shadow...his silhouette revealing every curve and contour of his muscled body. And his body -- bare, his clothes long discarded. A black outline hinting at a scandalous, sensual physique...
...
Sid gulped. Time seemed to stop as he was barraged by visions of his prospective date in other environs:
Behind the doors of a neon-drenched clubhouse in a rainswept city street, its clientele indistinguishable from the urban noir background...Ben, reclining...his gaze inviting...his shirt open, tight leather pants bulging with maleness...
FLASH!!!
An axe fell, splitting wood set upon a chopping-block...a hearty grunt heralded a second swing...Ben, his muscled form flexing, almost bursting what little clothes he wore at the seams...as the green woods behind him wafted in a Summer breeze...
