Fucking Her Boyfriend's Boyfriend

The sergal tilted her head to the side, tail swaying uncertainly.

"What do you mean?"

"I..." Terian shook his head. "We shouldn't be doing this here. It's not right."

As he moved to stand, Rhythm's paw snaked out, coiling around his wrist in a vice-like grip. Thus trapped, Terian tried to jerk his paw away but found her hold too strong to break in the moment. Terian shrank back under her gaze.

"You're not getting out of this." Her eyes burned. "Tell me. Now."

Terian gulped.

"I have a mate."

Rhythm blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"I have a mate," Terian repeated, loud enough for neighbouring tables to turn their heads.

Silence fell between them, Rhythm looking anywhere but directly at the fur that she had considered her partner, if only casually. Shock sank into her bones and she sat bolt upright, releasing Terian's wrist with a flick of her paw. Her paws rested one on top of the other on the table, painted nails glimmering. She shuddered. She had painted them black for him, black like the dominant colour of his fur.

"Good evening." The feline waiter greeted them with a smile, mini notebook and pen in paw. "May I take the lady's drink order for this evening, or would you like a little more time to decide?"

Rhythm's glare nearly sent the cat scrambling backwards in shock. In any other situation, Terian may have found her sudden animosity funny, but was well aware that she would turn it upon him at a moment's notice.

"A few minutes would be wonderful, please."

While her words may have been warm alone, their tone was not for the waiter. Jagged with ice, they conveyed vicious hostility.

Swallowing his nerves, Terian sat up and crossed his arms over his chest, creasing his shirt. He would not admit to doing anything wrong. Silas was okay with everything. Rhythm would be too. He was sure of it. Maybe.

As the waiter beat a hasty retreat, Rhythm lifted her headphones back to their usual place on top of her head and fixed her gaze upon Terian.

"That can't be true." Rhythm licked her lips, showing a flash of sharp, sergal teeth. "Why would you go out with me otherwise?"

Terian slid his eyes away, as cold as if he had been doused with a bucket of freezing water.

"We...have an agreement. It was something my partner and I decided on a long while ago. It is better than simply staying with one fur and one fur alone."

He paused, collecting his thoughts. The sergal stared flatly.

"It lets us have everything we want," he said finally. "It lets us be happy. We want you to be happy with us."

Terian smiled and reached out to take her paw, but the sergal yanked it away. Her expression darkened with a scowl.

"And you didn't think you needed to tell me this before?" She snapped. "This is ridiculous. I should never have trusted a guitarist."

She looked him up and down distastefully, a sound of derision bubbling up from her throat.

"Did you think you could string me along, Terian?"

"I - no! Not at all!" Flustered, Terian scrambled for words but it was too late, far too late. "Rhythm, please listen to me! We wanted -"

"I do not care what you wanted, Terian."

"Please listen to me..."

He trailed off, paws outstretched on the table as if to clasp hers within his own. The sergal was not forthcoming. She shook her head, raising her eyes to the sky as if praying to a deity she did not believe in to offer their guidance.

"Leave me alone, Terian."

Rhythm thrust her chair away from the table, scraping the feet horribly on the hard floor. The noise drew the attention of the waiter, who had been approaching for a second time with fear in his eyes and his fur standing on end in the typical manner of a fearful feline.

Rhythm locked her gaze with Terian, the only one she wanted. Pain twisted in her chest as she watched his green eyes lose their gleam, falling a shade darker with the failing of hope.

"I need to think."

*

Pain tore through Rhythm's chest like the blade of a knife, digging deeper as every day passed. Stretched out on her bed with a pillow hugged to her chest, the sergal strove to lose herself in the world of music, headphones seated comfortably over her ears to block out reality. If heartbreak could be attributed to a muscular ache, it was as if she had strained her heart in the exercise she had put it through. Everything had been for naught. Another musician had taken her for a ride and what was she left with? Nothing, absolutely nothing.

Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she ignored the prick of tears. She would not cry over that cheating imbecile. Though who had he really cheated on? She could only suppose that she was the one that had been cheated on, if he truly had such an agreement with his partner. Her mobile phone buzzed, vibrating on the duvet as its green light for messages blinked insistently. Despite countless text messages, she had not replied to a single one and did her best to not read them either. It would only make things worse.

Light faded outside, the inevitable crawl of evening darkening her waking world. Night was always the worst time with nothing more than music to distract her. She wished her flatmate was there to distract her, though they had never really been on the same page when it came to love. That thought did not work and she dismissed, it flitting to the next. Who could mend the ache in her soul? She had friends, yet was not open with them, not enough to have them be there for her. Could she open up to them, maybe Jezz or Tina? She considered briefly, but something within the sergal clamped shut, locking away the notion.

No, that was not who she was. She did not run to her friends for help. They had not even known about Terian, so well had she kept her secret. She was strong and she would fight the pain. She was there for her friends and they needed her to be strong for them. It was not that she believed they would think less of her for a moment of weakness - everyone struggled after a break up, she was sure of it - but she would rather be there for Sera, Hayley, Jo and the rest of the crowd than have then look after her. What if they needed help while she so rudely demanded attention in her own misery? The thought did not bear thinking about.

The buzzer caught her attention, a harsh note echoing through the flat. Slowly, she slipped her headset from her ears, pushing it back around her neck as the music continued to play - a new band that had recently been on her radio show. They weren't half bad. One of the members had even asked her out on a date, a courteous lad. However, she had no love for musicians at the moment, maybe never again. Her musing was superfluous and she shook herself back to reality, pushing herself up to a sitting position, feet hanging over the end of the bed. The buzzer had rang and there it was again, some fur insistently pressing it several times in quick succession. She had not ordered anything, but she settled upon the possibility that she had post that would not fit in her mailbox downstairs. She had not emptied it in days, after all.

Yes, it had to be the postal worker. She should answer.

Dragging herself up, she padded to the main door, which permitted entry into the body of her flat, and hit the intercom button. Her paw trembled lightly: she would have to eat something soon, lest she fall prey to exhaustion. Sleep would be appreciated also, if it did not dart from her fingertips so elusively.

"Yes?" She queried, voice dull and flat. "Who is it?"

"Guess."

Rhythm froze. Time seemed to slow and then rapidly speed up, sending the beating of her heart into a stomach-churning frenzy. Nausea flirted with dizziness and she rested a paw on the wall to keep herself upright.

"And what the hell do you want?"

Her voice held the edge of a snarl and she imagined Terian at the downstairs door shuffling from hind paw to paw, a musician made awkward by the wrath of a female. It was empowering to consider having such an effect on him. Rhythm drew herself up tall and awaited his response.

"Rhythm." Terian paused. "I need to talk to you."

"Oh, do you now?" She laughed. "I don't want to talk to you, Terian."

"Why are you speaking with me now then?"

Yanking her paw away from the intercom as if she had been stung, the sergal frowned. The sound of his voice had both eased and exaggerated the pain in her heart, as disgustingly romantic as that sounded. Though she wanted nothing more to do with the dragon-tailed twat, all she craved was him. Was he really that bad? Did she deserve more of an explanation that what he had already given her? Did he deserve the chance? Rhythm's lips pressed into a thin line.

Sighing, she hit the button to the side, unlocking the downstairs door without a further word. She would kick him out if he tried anything on with her - she had that right.

Terian knocked on the door, just two raps of his knuckles, and entered when the door swung inwards, eyes downcast. He had the attitude of a kicked puppy as he slunk into her flat, invading her private space. Though she had seen him there so many times before, it was as if he had become an alien and was abruptly out of place, a book on the shelf where CDs belonged. She shivered. It just wasn't right, not right at all. Rhythm swallowed hard, trying to clear her whirling thoughts. Oh, how she wished she could hug him.

She wondered how his partner was doing.

Her eyes hardened and she nodded towards the breakfast bar, tucked away in the kitchen, directing him to sit down. She was not yet sure she could speak, lungs tight with suppressed emotion that she could not name. In her chest, her heart pounded as if to the beat of a drum.

Terian took a seat, lifting the small chair with a gap in the back so that it would not scrape across the floor. Rhythm hated that he was suddenly being considerate. He should stick with being an arsehole.

"Coffee?"

He shook his head, eyes meeting hers for the first time since he had entered. They were as green and intense as she remembered.

"I came to ask you something, Rhythm," he said, unwilling to beat around the bush this time. "It's rather extreme, so I don't expect an answer right away."

"What is it?"

She looked away, affecting disinterest. What did she owe him? Her time? Her attention? Or nothing?

"I came to ask..." He hesitated. "I want you to meet Silas. I miss you. Things aren't right without you."

He twisted his paws together. Stunned by his statement, Rhythm blinked, lips parting and then closing again. How could he ever expect her to get on with his mate when he had strung her along so? But...what if it was a relationship that could work? Under an agreement? She toyed with the notion, struggling to imagine. His voice was music to her ears.

"I mean, I would like to do more than just have the two of you meet," Terian continued, gaze sliding to the left. "I want to have...fun...with both of you. I care for you and Silas, both equally."

He fidgeted.

Fun? Rhythm took a second to comprehend, pulling the headset down to fiddle briefly before returning it to its rightful place around her head, the comfort helping her sort through her understanding.

"Do you understand what I mean?"

And then she did.

Rhythm stared blankly, shock clouding her vision. He could not possibly mean such a thing! Whereas few and far between ever dared anger the sergal, Terian quailed beneath her narrowing glare as her paws curled into twin fists, shaking with suppressed rage.

"Why would I ever have a threesome with you and your partner?"

Rhythm rolled her eyes. It had to be some kind of joke. It just had to be. He would not ask such a thing of her. Did he still actually care for her? Had he ever? Her head battled with her heart, each side arguing its case as passionately as the other. There was no way to win the battle. Terian sighed, all the breath leaving his body in one great exhalation. It was only now that Rhythm noticed the unnaturally dark half-moons beneath his eyes.

"Rhythm...please, I care for you," Terian pleaded, dropping his head into his paws. "I can't settle without you, it's like something is missing."

Though Rhythm scoffed, waving fingers tipped with chipped nail polish, his words struck a chord within her, a chord that she would much rather remain buried too deep for anyone to ever discover it. The room spun sickeningly around her and she lifted a paw to her head, trying to steady herself. It was too much. She wanted him but was he even hers to want? Terian watched her with concern lining his delicate muzzle, half-rising from his chair as if to comfort or support her. He was only stopped by the sergal holding up her paw in a clear signal to him to halt.

"I can't deal with this right now."

Rhythm took a step back, crossed her arms across her chest and jerked her head towards the door, which was set ajar.

"Leave."

Terian's breath caught in his throat and he looked up at the sergal, who had remained standing throughout, refusing to meet him at eye level.

"Will you be in touch?" Terian pleaded, slowly doing as she directed. "Please call me Rhythm. It's so good to hear your voice again, to see you and speak with you. Please call me."

Oh, it was good to hear his voice too, like a drop of rain after a drought. Though Rhythm did not know how she would proceed as yet. It would require time. Licking her lips, the sergal stepped behind Terian and swung the door closed, mouthing her last words of the exchange so softly that he only barely caught them.

"I'll think about it."

*

She was being stupid. Very, very stupid.

Rhythm did not know exactly what brought her to the door of the house shared between Terian and Silas, but she found herself there all the same, whim to her fluttering heart. Wearing only her casual jeans, a pair of black boots and a baby blue shirt with slices cut out of the back, she was presented in her best light. Despite her mind arguing that she was acting the part of an insane romantic - not her style by far - she had decided to give Terian's idea a shot. If nothing came of their relationship, with Silas involved, all she had to do was give her thanks and walk right back out the door. No one would stop her and it was entirely her choice how far she took things. Not much of a risk taker, this was one chance that Rhythm told herself she would take.

Raising a trembling paw, she knocked three times and waited, shifting her weight from hind paw to paw. From inside came a commotion that she could not accurately discern and someone fumbled with the lock, handle jerking as if grasped all of a sudden.

"Rhythm!"

Terian launched himself at her, yanking the sergal into a tight, rib-crushing hug. After a second, Rhythm returned it more gently, releasing a breath that she had not known she held. In her heart, she knew that she was doing the right thing by taking a chance with Terian. Maybe she would even get to like Silas too. She had to be positive.

Giving Terian a squeeze, she stepped back and then entered his home, her eyes speculative. For a detached house, it was clean enough. Clearly, between the two of them, they earned enough for a cleaner, as Terian had always moaned about any form of cleaning or housekeeping. Either that or Silas was good to have about the house. A flicker of movement announced the arrival of Terian's partner, the lion stepping into view as Terian closed the door behind Rhythm with a soft 'click'.

The lion, as Terian had told her earlier, had no mane. Trimmed short, right down to his natural, tawny fur, he appeared as feminine as Terian said, his body almost displaying ladylike curves, if one was not looking directly at him. His blue eyes caught hers and she noted that his tail curled about his thigh, unnaturally still for a cat, even if he was a lion. She wondered why he had removed his mane.

"Hello, Silas," Rhythm greeted him cautiously.

What reception would she receive? To her surprise, the lion greeted her with a friendly enough smile, though his eyes retained a wary, feline gleam.

"Good evening, Rhythm," he said politely. "I've heard much about you. Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, please," she smiled tentatively. "I'm parched."

She followed the lion into the kitchen, which was simply fitted, taking a seat at the broad, wooden table that dominated the room. The sergal relaxed into the padded chair. She had always thought a kitchen-diner much more practical.

"What would you like?" Silas gestured around the kitchen. "There's pretty much everything here."

"Um..."

Rhythm drew a blank. She hated when others gave her a choice without telling her what the choices were. She grasped at straws, cheeks colouring in her flustered state.

"A glass of water would be great, if you don't mind."

"Not at all."

Terian dropped into a seat beside Rhythm and stroked her arm, a lazy grin upon his muzzle. To him, all was right with the world again. He had the two furs he cared most about in the same room as each other and they seemed to be getting along. Though who could tell at such an early stage?

"So, how come I didn't hear about you earlier, Silas?" Rhythm chanced the question as she accepted the brimming glass of water. "

"It's best to keep things under the radar if at all possible," he answered amiably, seating himself beside Terian so that the musician was 'trapped' in the middle. "It's better for Terian's career, though views are changing now. We may very well be okay in public."

Rhythm nodded. She had heard of and spoken with many in the music scene that had struggled after any relationships that deviated from the accepted norm were made public. It was not right at all but it was a fact that many were working to change, attitudes and perceptions adjusting day by day.

"I understand that Terian didn't say anything about me from the beginning?"

"Hey, that's not -"

"Shush." Silas rested his paw on Terian's back, stroking him back into silence; it was not his time to speak. "Did you know, Rhythm?"

"No," she shook her head. "I did not. I didn't even have an inkling of it. It was quite a shock to me. This isn't something I've considered before."

"Please let me assure you that we have an agreement and nothing untoward is going on," Silas touched her paw briefly, where it rested upon the table. "This is only so that we may both love and enjoy life as we believe we should. Terian cares for you very much, I can see that. He's...not been himself since you separated."

"I've been just fine," Terian muttered, eyes fixed upon the grain of the table. "Don't say things like that if they're not true, it's not fair."

Meeting Rhythm's eyes, Silas gave the tiniest shake of his head, confirming her suspicions. She could not deny that the lion was nice enough and he was pretty in a masculine way - if there was such a thing - but she still did not know where she stood going forward. She would only know once she took the leap.

"I'm sorry for the rocky start here, Rhythm. Would you still like to give this a try?" Silas invited her, offering his paw. "I'd like to get to know you better and the best way for me to do that is in the bedroom. It lets me truly know a fur."

So soon? The lion moved quickly! But she knew why she had come to their house in the first place. His paw looked terribly large in comparison to her dainty one, yet she took it all the same, wordlessly accepting. Her mouth was dry despite the glass of water and excitement welled within her as she stood, body flushing with warmth.

Terian slipped beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist as they carefully made their way up the stairs, laughing as if they were tipsy and how their clutching of one another hindered progress. Yet they were unusually unwilling to release one another, holding on as if to a lifeline.

In the bedroom - dominated by a king size bed made up neatly with forest green sheets and matching duvet - Terian hugged Rhythm from behind and kissed the back of her neck. It had been too long. She leaned into his touch and allowed him to slip his paw beneath her shirt, stroking across her lower stomach in a way that sent shivers down her spine. Silas stripped himself of his shirt, revealing a narrow but toned chest that could have almost been akin to the sergal's, considering her lack of breasts, and licked his lips eagerly.