Guarded: Neon Sunset Ep. 02

"Understood," Max spoke out quietly.

"Yeah yeah, I get it," Leo grumbled the words before turning back to the mirror to look over his makeup.

"Glad we're all on the same page then." Tracey moved back over to her bags and took a knee, opening one and digging around in it. She withdrew a protein bar and a small black tube. She tore the wrapper off the bar and started eating it before tossing the tube underhanded to Max.

The rat squeaked and fumbled to catch the small black tube before peering at it curiously. "What's this?"

Tracey swallowed the bite she was working on before answering. "It's pepper spray. Uncap it and its got a spray nozzle. Works like hairspray or any other aerosol type device, but comes out in a stream."

"Why would I need this?!" The manager squeaked out the words, looking afraid of the tube of spray more than anything else.

With a sigh, she snapped down the rest of her bar before tossing the wrapper into the nearby trash can. She took a few moments to finish chewing before continuing. "Because you're his fucking manager, there may come a time someone targets you as well, and since there's not two of me, it's a safety measure."

"I think I would blow my brains out if there were more than one of you," Leo said mockingly while touching up his lipstick.

"You would be an expert at blowing things, huh sheep?" The wolf quipped back, her voice calm and dry.

"Okay, look you bitch! Are you trying to start a fight? This is how you pick a fight!" Leo stomped over to her once more, in her face again.

That same bored look and an eye roll from the dog. "You actually chimed in while I was talking to Max. So, I'm pretty sure you started this one, sheep." Tracey gently placed her hand on Leo's chest and casually shoved him out of her personal space. The taller male stumbled back several paces from the force of her shove. "Also, please don't threaten to fight me, I would destroy you in a matter of seconds, Leo."

He blinked at her hand to his chest before grunting and stumbling back, she was smaller than him but the shove she made felt like a guy twice his size made it, and it looked effortless for her. Leo thrust a finger out and opened his mouth, but Tracey just gave him another look and snorted through her nose. "Also, if you're going to threaten to fire me, stick to it this time. Next time you levy that threat, I won't come back."

The ram scowled at her and folded his arms over his chest looking away in thought. "Fuck, you better be worth all this trouble!"

Tracey shrugged a shoulder and zipped her duffle bag up. "All a matter of perception. I might go a month just standing around, but when that time comes you need me. You're gonna be glad you have me here."

Max was busy fumbling around with the vial of spray as if it were a grenade. Tracey drooped her ears and growled at him, "Fuck, Maximillian! Treat it like a can of hairspray! It's not a fucking bomb, just put it in your back pocket and forget about it. Nothing else, practice spraying it a few times outside later!"

"O-oh, right... S-sorry." Max quickly tucked the small tube into his back pocket and took out a handkerchief to wipe his brow and face. "S-so, we should probably get ready to go Leo, baby. The opening act will be wrapping up soon!"

"Right..." Leo put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath, then gave her an awkward glance, his cheeks growing obviously dark, even through the makeup.

Tracey gave him a confused and annoyed look. "The fuck is it? You falling in love or something, Casanova?"

"No! I just... I have to get in the right mindset, I've only ever done this with Max around." Leo spoke the words awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head.

Tracey snorted and put her hands on her hips giving the idol a level stare. "Well, you better get used to me being around. Pretty much unless you're taking a shit, or banging a groupie, I'm gonna be nearby. So unless your pre-show ritual is jerking each other off, get over it and move it along."

Leo snarled at the words but jerked his head back and put his hands on his hips, closing his eyes before taking in a deep controlled breath. A few moments passed while he stood there in silent concentration. Tracey stared at him in obvious confusion wondering what this was all about. It wasn't unlike how a martial artist would focus before an important match.

Leo opened his eyes wide, the emerald in them shining and looking bright before giving the mirror a wide bright grin. "Alright! Let's do this!"

"Yeah!" Max cheered and raised his fist. The ram and rat fist-bumped like best bros. "Time to make some magic, baby!"

"You said it, Max! Time to fulfill hopes and dreams!" Leo looked over at Tracey and gave her a point and a wide bright smile. "C'mon my foxy bodyguard, it's showtime!"

"Who the fuck is foxy?! I'm a fucking wolf you half-wit!" Tracey snapped the words, glaring at Leo, or Electric Blue as it were, the whole scene looking ridiculous and simply irritating her further.

"Don't be that way, babe! We've got some magic to put on!" Blue sauntered up to Tracey and gracefully took her hand, bringing it to his face to place a soft kiss on the top of it. "Keep me safe won't you?" He gave her a playful wink.

She barked out her disapproval, her cheeks flushing at the entire encounter, and jerked her hand away, ears perked up. "T-the fuck is your problem?! L-let's just go if it gets me out of this dressing room with you weirdos!" Tracey huffed out and pushed the door open, noticing the faint blue lipstick prints on her hand and feeling her cheeks grow warmer as she stormed out into the backstage area, tail rapidly thrashing about.

The opening act finished and after a few minutes, Leo's group was set up behind the curtain and ready to go. He seemed to be dripping with charisma and energy, going to each band member one by one with excited words of encouragement. It was always things like, 'Think of our fans' and 'Do your best!'

Max had changed too. The timid little rat now seemed to have an air of command and confidence about him, deftly directing stagehands to prepare and guiding the whole crew as a cohesive unit. "Let's go darlings, I want those curtains up in thirty seconds!"

Tracey checked the feedback on her earpiece knowing she wouldn't get the chance later. Pulling out some fingerless leather gloves she slid them on, testing the grip. She always wore gloves like this during work; the grip of them feeling familiar and bolstering her confidence.

A loud dramatic intro of synthesizers and lasers came forth, then the current rose up. Blue was simply standing there with a dazzling grin and pointing out over the audience of several thousand. The whole concert hall just became an uncontrollable wave of cheers and screams. The sheer volume of the roars made it feel like the building would come down on itself at any moment.

Blue simply stood there pointing, letting the fans scream and roar their love for him. Several seconds passed of him just standing there like a statue. Finally, he simply called out. "I love all of you too!" The place went crazy after that and the show began with the keyboardist opening with the lead-in to the first song.

Tracey stalked the outer rim of the stage behind the curtains, keeping an eye on the mass of dancing and cheering fans. Most of them were younger women as was to be expected. The venue security seemed to be doing a reasonable job keeping the mass away from the fringes of the stage.

Tracey moved behind the band to circle around to the other side of the stage and found Max there. Max was wiggling his hips and whipping his tail about, dancing along to the song as if he were one of the fans down in the front. He looked up at Tracey with a wide smile, looking like a little kid, and gave her a grin.

With an eye roll Tracey focused on the crowd again, the music didn't seem to do anything for her, her tail not even moving in time with the beat. Tracey felt a thrum of tension when one girl tried to clamber on stage but was quickly snatched down and pulled away by one of the security staff.

One song passed, then another. Blue broke from the singing and dancing to talk at the crowd a little, mostly cheering them on and lavishing them with adoration. The crowd of course returned the gesture a thousandfold and seemed to grow more charged and excited with every word he spoke.

"Is he always this different?" Tracey called out as she leaned in and spoke loudly directly next to Max's ear.

Max leaned up to yell out into her ear. "Yeah! Blue loves his fans more than anything else! It's not about the money, it's about them!"

Tracey snorted at the words and stood back up, putting her hands on her hips while continuing to watch things. Another song passed, then another and another. The show went on for the better part of an hour with no incident.

By now the ram was covered in a sheen of sweat from the singing and dancing under the hot stage lights. They were hot even from the side of the stage, so Tracey could only imagine being directly under them. She stood there on the opposite side of the stage from Max again, arms crossed and looking bored but focused.

Her eyes drifted back to Blue and she looked him over again, his whole outfit was clinging to him now; the tight faux leather of his jeans left nothing to the imagination, clearly showing the definition of his legs and backside. His tight jacket was zipped down to just below his navel and showed the strongly defined muscles, also covered in a sheen of sweat that made them look shiny under the light.

She could smell him and he smelled good, the sweat and natural adrenaline from being on stage had gotten his own musk going, giving him a heady masculine smell. Tracey found herself chewing on her lower lip for a moment, her stomach twisting in a knot at the sensation, her body happy to remind her how long it had been since she had been with someone and how lovely this ram was looking right now. It was one thing to see it in a picture or from a distance, but another to smell and see it live and just feet away from you.

Blue finished his current song with a pant before he called out to the audience, "Thank you!" The crowd roared to life, still full of energy. The idol ran his fingers through his bangs that were dripping with sweat, and made a quick look at the wolf, seeing her admiring him. He shot a playful finger gun and gave a wink to her. Tracey felt her face burn and scowled at him before giving him a different finger gesture and stalking off behind stage to change sides.

It had been almost two hours now and the concert was starting to reach its climax. Everyone lost their minds when the band started up his number one hit, 'Neon Sunset'. Tracey had positioned herself next to Max once more, arms crossed over her stomach, tail lazily wagging while she watched the crowd.

"This will be the last number!" Max yelled out to Tracey. She gave a nod to him and resumed scanning the front.

Tracey gave a lazy yawn and then blinked a few times before lifting her ears up and putting a hand to her earpiece. "Section three, you got that handled on the stage?" A young woman was trying to climb onto the stage on the other side opposite Tracey and Max.

"Got what handled?" Was the reply that came back. Tracey growled to herself, she had already started walking behind the band to get to the other side but that response made her pick up the pace to a quick run. She sidestepped a stagehand and came out on the other side of the stage behind the curtain.

Tracey quickly sized the girl up, she was already on the stage and running along it towards Blue. A dog... probably had some greyhound in her given the speed she was getting and the tone of her legs. Didn't seem to be armed, probably early twenties so highly unlikely to have sufficient martial training. She ran the details in her head in a split second deduction as she flexed her hands and felt her whole body tense.

Blue saw the girl rushing towards him screaming in adoration as he tried to carry the high note of the song and keep his cool. The second she took a step past the curtain his bodyguard had grabbed the young woman's arm and dragged her behind the curtain in a vicious tug. Predictably the security team had only just started taking note of the whole thing.

"Are you stupid or just insane!?" Tracey snarled the words as she whipped the girl around, dragged her right arm behind her back and wrenched it up, making the younger canine yelp out in pain.

"Fuck you bitch! Let me go! He loves me!" The dog snarled the words then let out another yip as she jerked up and intensified the pressure of the hold.

"Sure he does, girl. Keep walking..." Tracey growled in a calm voice, pushing the dog forward, walking her forcefully through the backstage area while various stagehands and roadies looked on in confusion.

"Let me go you whor- Guh! I'm gonna fucking sue you!" The dog barked out and squirmed as the grip got tighter and Tracey kept her walking, feeling like her whole shoulder was going to pull out of the socket.

"Wish I had a dollar for every time I hear that. " The wolf huffed out as she kept the younger dog walking towards the backstage exit. "Blue doesn't love you or give two fucks about you lady, get over it."

"How would you know?! Like an old mutt like you would ever understand our love or have a chance with my Blue!" The dog sneered and looked back at her, teeth grit.

Tracey flicked an ear at the words and let out a controlled huff before responding pointedly. "That's funny considering the last thing he did before going on stage tonight was kiss me."

With a shaken glare the younger dog began to thrash before Tracey gave another reprimanding grip on her arm eliciting another yelp and more swearing. "You're lying! You're fucking lying! He only loves me!"

"Sorry sweetie, I don't lie or bluff. You can believe what you want." She reached the door and bumped it open with her hip. The bouncer gave her another shocked look as she dragged the young girl out by the arm and proceeded to shove her forward. The dog yelped and stumbled before flopping into the gravel outside of the building. Tracey gave the bouncer a nod before walking back in and pulling the door closed.

Max was already scurrying up to Tracey when she walked back in. "Tracey! I-Is everything okay?!"

Tracey gave a shrug. "What? That? That was nothing." She huffed the words and started walking back to the stage, the rat giving chase right next to her.

"I was terrified for a second there! You saved the whole performance, not to mention protected Blue!" Max squeaked the words happily, his tail whipping about.

"It's no big thing, Max, just doing my job." She continued to walk, the sound of the performance growing louder and drowning out any hope of further discussion on the matter.

The show finally came to an end and the thousands began shuffling out of the concert hall to their cars to face the inevitable late-night gridlock. Blue kept his pep going the whole time, thanking each musician that played with him and the various stagehands on his way back to the dressing room. Tracey followed behind him at a distance, letting him do his meet and greets all the while.

Leo stepped into his dressing room and flopped into his chair with a deep heavy sigh of exhaustion. Tracey stood there, arms folded across her stomach, leaning against the wall while he relaxed. His whole body was drenched in sweat and his scent was intensified by the smaller room. His smooth sculpted muscles rose and fell with his heavy breathing, his outfit tight and clinging all over. The tight wet pants clung in all the right places, showcasing the large bulge in them and would probably have showcased the ram's rear quite nicely had he not been sitting. She felt her stomach twist and cast her azure eyes away from him to not stare, feeling her heart rate elevate rapidly.

"I've got to admit, I thought you might have been all talk..." Leo finally called out in a soft pant of a breath.

Tracey flicked her pierced ear and shifted her gaze back to Leo who was sitting up in his chair looking winded but relaxed. "Sorry to have disappointed you."

He let out a laugh and gave the wolf a small grin. "You're joking right? This is one time I'm happy to be wrong. You were pretty cool out there tonight!" His blazing green eyes met her icy blue ones, the look he had in them was cocky and full of confidence like he knew she had been admiring.

Tracey felt her cheeks heat up and looked away. She was used to working with higher-ups in the government. People that just expected this and had no reason to thank her for doing her job. No one had thanked her since Helen. "It's... it's my job, no big deal."

"I still appreciate you. Not just over the last part. You were there watching me all night." Leo gave a smile and rubbed the back of his head, feeling how soaked through with sweat his hair was. "It made me feel... safe."

She felt her tail wag a little at the compliment. "Ah... again, it's my job... Leo."

"No sheep commentary?" The ram asked with a playful grin.

Tracey snorted through her nose and blushed, his scent was getting to her quickly. "Stupid fucking sheep! Stop trying to flirt with me and get cleaned up, you stink!" She barked and stomped to the exit of the dressing room.

"Tracey, wait a sec!" Leo called out to her as she had her hand resting on the door.

"What, asshole?" She growled back, showing her teeth and blushing.

"You're a bitch... but thanks, I mean it. I appreciate you tonight and hope you will stick around."

Tracey blushed harder at the words and then shot him a glare. "Y-you're an idiot. I will think about it!" She barked and stomped out, slamming the door behind her.

Tracey leaned against the door of the dressing room, standing in the cool open backstage area, thankful for the fresh air and feeling her heart throbbing in a heavy violent pound. She could still feel her cheeks were hot while looking down at the ground thinking to herself with the faintest pant on her lips, 'You dumb dog... get it together... still, he smelled so...'

"Great job tonight, Tracey!" Max called out to her in a cheerful voice.

The wolf nearly jumped out of her boots with a loud yip and shifted into a fighting stance. "I will fucking murder you!!... uh... S-sorry..." She huffed and relaxed her stance, looking away awkwardly.

The rat had already hopped back away from her looking like he was ready to run away. "Sorry if I spooked you..."

"No, I'm fine. Sorry, just... tired I think." Tracey growled as she rubbed at her face, trying to pull her brain from the gutter.

Max seemed to register the words and put a finger to his chin in thought. "Now that I consider it, we've not set up sleeping arrangements for you."

"Wouldn't I just take a bunk on the tour bus? That's what I assumed would happen." Tracey folded her arms under her breasts, leaning against the door, a boot propped on it.

Max averted his eyes politely while she unintentionally shoved her chest forward. Being an older male, he had clued in that it was obviously a regular stance of hers and she had no idea just what she was doing. "Y-yes normally. However, the bus is in the shop for routine work while we are here for the weekend."

Tracey gave a shrug, "No big. I live in this town, after all, I can just catch a cab home and be back here tomorrow."

"Oh good! I'm glad that works out then." Max spoke cheerfully and flicked his tail about.

Tracey heard the door handle turn and pushed off the door, sidestepping from it as it opened and the idol stepped out. "It's not good and it doesn't work out. What good is my bodyguard if she's halfway across town?"

"Leo, baby... we don't have anything in the budget of the tour for extra room accommodations and that's if the hotel has anything open!" Max spoke out apologetically to him.