Love & Lattes - Group Therapy Ep. 04

"Fucker!" Isaac barked, seeing the glint of steel as he sidestepped and jerked his torso away. The blade flashed out cutting into his shirt in a wide arc just missing the wolf's throat as he jerked his head up and away, the tip of the blade biting into his cheek faintly.

Joseph had already positioned and readied the snap kick by the time the blade had swept. Harvey knew the other dog wouldn't just sit there and had already been expecting something, but not a kick of all things. The cat threw his free arm up in a haphazard block saving his skull from the blow.

The impact to his arm made the lynx reel back and stumble before regaining his balance and shifting into a low crouching stance, knife at the ready, his left arm feeling numb from the hit. "Fucking mutts!" Harvey hissed out.

The fox had produced his own butterfly knife as Harvey reeled back, brandishing it in an underhanded stance, his right knee bent slightly, all his weight on the front of his footpaws in a traditional Muay Thai stance. "Trying to hurt my fucking wolf?! Don't worry about going back to jail, I will put you six feet under instead!" Joseph snarled the words out furiously, his sharp canines showing, his ears perked straight up and tail whipping about.

"Your wolf?!" The lynx hissed out as he raised his knife and grinned. "You think I'm going to let a couple of fa-"

"That's enough, both of you!" Isaac barked the words out between the two of them. The wolf had already drawn his baretta and had it trained on Harvey's chest, a thin line of blood rolling down his cheek fur and over his throat. "You know what they say about bringing a knife to a gunfight, Harvey..."

The cat hissed at the wolf and hesitated. "Hiding behind a gun? At least your boyfriend was man enough to face me equally."

"Yes, he is a paragon of fair play, now drop the knife before I give you a few extra holes to breathe out of!" The wolf snarled the orders, his aim not wavering from the lynx's chest.

"Fucking dogs..." Harvey snarled the words and opened his handpaw, letting the knife tumble to the parking lot. By now they had drawn half a dozen spectators, a few already on their phones, contacting the police no doubt.

"Good boy, paws on your head, then on the ground," Isaac growled the words in commandment.

"Of course, you would want me on the ground... want me to bring my pants down first too?" The cat hissed the words mockingly before dropping to his knees and moving to his chest, paws still on his head.

"Piece of shit!" Joseph snarled as he flicked his knife closed and pocketed it.

"Joseph!" Isaac called out angrily. The fox perked his ears and looked over at the wolf. "Be cool, you're a liability to me if you lose your damn head over this idiot's words!"

Joseph clenched his teeth at the reprimand but said nothing. The cat spoke out in a chuckle, "Oh a lovers quarrel, how touching."

"Shut up already." Isaac groaned the words as he moved over to the downed cat and jerked his handpaws behind his back, placing the plastic wrist cuffs on him. "Man, the chatty ones are the worst." The wolf growled and hauled the lynx to his footpaws, walking him to the car.

"Are you okay?" Joseph asked in a worried tone.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Isaac called out, looking confused.

"I dunno, because you're fucking bleeding!?" The fox fired back, annoyance in his voice.

"Oh, am I?" Isaac looked himself over, realizing his shirt was gashed open and seeing the faintest signs of blood on his collar. The wolf looked at himself in the reflection of the passenger side window in the car seeing the blood along his cheek and throat. "Huh... guess I am. Not bad you sneaky damn cat."

"Maybe you're getting too old for this game, dog." The lynx purred the words with a grin.

Isaac rolled his eyes and looked bored. "Look... I've had a hundred smart-mouthed guys in this work, you're not going to say anything any of them didn't say. If I hear one more irritating thing from you, you're going to spend the five-hour ride back, gagged. We clear?"

The cat rolled his eyes but eased the tension in his arms. "Yes sir."

"Good boy." The wolf moved the cat into the back seat, then looked over at the trunk of the car that had been raised. Joseph was already in the back with the first aid kit.

"Idiot... how could you not feel that?!" The fox barked as he swabbed the wounds clean.

Isaac hissed at the sting of the disinfectant and rolled his eyes. "Fuck, I think this hurts worse than the cut did... Anyway, I guess I just didn't feel it because of the adrenaline."

The police had already come and gone after Isaac explained the situation. Presenting them with the proper credentials and extradition warrants was enough to make them shove off. He had to toe around the facts a little to avoid explaining Joseph, but the small-town cops didn't seem too worried about the details, happier to wash their paws of it and avoid any report writing.

"You had me sick with worry, I wasn't sure what I would do if something happened to you!" Joseph muttered the words under his breath while applying a gauze to the small knife wound.

"Well, most likely on your way to prison if you had acted on your words." The wolf grinned as he spoke, happy to be done with all the stinging and burning of the wound treatment.

"Fair enough. I would end anyone that hurt you or the girls, without hesitation." Joseph growled while putting the first aid kit back into the trunk of his car.

"Wow, that's really sweet, in a homicidal kind of way..." Isaac chuckled as he gave the fox a wide grin.

Joseph blushed under his cheek fur at the words and shook his head. "I guess that does sound kind of crazy, it's not like I sit around thinking about it, or plotting, or something."

The wolf laughed out and ruffled the fox's ears, "Relax, I'm picking on you. That level of anger is perfectly normal." Isaac grinned and rubbed one of Joseph's ears then huffed out, "Thanks for the warning, it might have been bad otherwise..."

"I-I'm sure you would have been fine... Me barking out like that might have just thrown you off, you might not have even been injured had I not said anything and distracted you."

"Silly dog, just take my gratitude and stop overthinking it." The wolf grabbed the fox's collar and jerked him closer, his muzzle brushing against Joseph's before pushing into a hungry kiss.

The fox's eyes widened at the kiss, the emotions and adrenaline from the whole thing coming to bear, the fear of losing him, and the knife standoff. The terror, excitement, fury, and relief. It all rushed forth.

The fox let out a little grunt and gripped the wolf's own collar. Isaac recognized the response from when Karen got high on adrenaline and wasn't surprised when the fox pushed harder and more aggressively into the kiss. Joseph's tongue shoved into his maw and the wolf eagerly met it with his own, tilting his head so the kiss could grow deeper.

The two dogs kissed heatedly for several moments, Joseph's handpaws tugging at the cut-open shirt as if he would tear it off right here behind the car in the parking lot in front of everyone.

Isaac let the kiss linger for a few more heartbeats before breaking away and huffing into the fox's face, his paw moving to rub at Joseph's flicking ears. "Ha... down boy... save it for later..."

Joseph shuddered as he tried to calm himself, his heart pounding, his knees feeling weak as he felt the effects of adrenaline and desire tearing through his body. He gave a quick few nods and leaned into Isaac with a soft pant on his breath. "Y-yeah... sorry..."

"It's fine my fox, happens to the bunny all the time," Isaac growled softly while petting and stroking the young dog's head.

"Is that right?" Joseph asked with a grin, gently pulling from the larger dog's chest, still feeling his strong paws rubbing at his ears.

"Of course, one of the reasons we do this is for the adrenaline kick." The wolf grinned as he spoke the words, pulling his handpaws from Joseph's head and shrugging out of his duster, placing it in the trunk of the car.

"I bet the sex is pretty wild," The fox mused the words, wagging his tail as he thought about Karen all wound up and eager to go.

"You have no idea..." Isaac hummed, his gaze looking distant, showing he was thinking about the same thing. A moment later the wolf shook his head and grabbed at his cut-open shirt, peeling it off and tossing it into the trunk, showing the strong broad muscles of his back to the younger dog.

Joseph looked Isaac over, his tail wagging a bit more eagerly as he moved his fingertips over the wolf's back, huffing out softly as he raked his claws through the thin crimson fur. "How about you? Does it get you keyed up too?"

Isaac smiled as he unzipped his duffle bag to withdraw a new t-shirt, feeling Joseph's paws rubbing along his shoulders. "Wanna find out when we get home tonight?" The wolf grinned before pulling from the fox's paws and tugging on his fresh shirt.

"Damn right I do! Why wait until tonight? We've still got a few hours left on our room, let's go now and leave this bozo in the car!" The fox spoke the words excitedly, his tail furiously wagging now.

Isaac grinned and rolled his eyes, "You sound so much like Karen right now. Rein it in and let's hit the road."

Joseph fussed at the response but nodded as he moved to climb into the driver's seat and start the car up. "Fine... ugh."

"You guys are actually kind of cute," Harvey spoke from the back seat, lounging back against the door with his paws bound.

The fox snorted through his nose and grumbled, "Who asked you?!"

"Now now, it's a long ride. We might as well be civil and try to make it pleasant for all of us," Isaac spoke the words gently as he slid into the passenger's seat and buckled himself in.

The lynx huffed out lightly, "That's right, fox. Listen to your mate like a good dog."

"Eat me!" The fox hastily replied with a growl in his voice.

"That's enough you two." Isaac groaned the words, the frustration showing in his voice already. "Joe, stop getting so riled up and keep your cool. Harv, stop being a pest or I'm throwing you in the trunk."

"Harv?" The lynx snorted in response and rolled his eyes. "Anyway... fine, I will knock it off."

"Thank you," Isaac spoke out gently, then turned to look at Joseph who had grown silent while driving. The fox cut his eyes towards Isaac and then refocused on the road, not saying anything.

A silence settled onto the cabin of the vehicle for several minutes. Finally, Isaac spoke out once more to Joseph, "You okay man?"

"I'm not a child you know," The fox spat the words back sharply, it was plainly obvious he had them on his tongue waiting to say them.

"I never said you were, Joe," Isaac spoke gently as he looked from the passenger window to his lover.

"You sure act like it, giving me orders and talking like I'm a kid." The young fox growled, his knuckles popping as he gripped the wheel hard.

"Look, we were in a high-stress situation and it was new for you..." The wolf sighed and ran his padded-fingertips through his red hair, the faintest signs of white showing at the roots. "As far as I was concerned, you were a baby in this run. You had zero experience, so I-"

"I mean after the fact, in the car a few minutes ago," Joseph shot back.

Isaac looked away and grew silent for a few moments, he had no excuses for that. "Sorry... I just didn't want you getting baited into petty bickering. I apologize if it seemed I was trying to boss you around."

Joseph felt his shoulders loosen up and his grip ease at his lover's words and flicked an ear, "It's... it's no big deal."

"You guys new to this or something?" Harvey called out from the back seat, an amused grin on his face.

"Shut up." Both dogs said in unison, then perked their ears up at one another speaking in time.

"Jinx! You guys owe me a soda," The lynx called out from the backseat playfully. Isaac looked at him and snorted through his nose in irritation. Harvey gave him a toothy grin and flicked one of his ears. "Seriously though, you guys act like you're just starting to date instead of like a married couple."

Joseph choked out before snapping back sharply, "Who said we were married, asshole?!"

"You two are obviously together and both wearing wedding bands. I just assumed as much?" The cat spoke the words curiously in response to the fox's defensive statement.

Isaac nodded his head having already put it together before Joseph's response. "Yeah, we are newlyweds, it's been a constant struggle over who should be the dominant lead of the relationship, so it gets a little crazy sometimes..."

Joseph's ears shot up at the wolf's words, his cheeks growing hot as he barked out in protest, "What the fuck?" Isaac gave Joseph a wide grin in response.

Harvey grinned and flopped over onto his side, laying across the back seat. "So that's it huh? Well, I worked all day so I'm going to nap, you two love birds try not to argue too loudly, eh?"

Joseph grumbled to himself, "You sure are chill for a guy being dragged back off to jail."

The lynx had his eyes closed now as he responded with a half yawn, "I expected it to happen every day I was on the run, it's kind of a relief to have it finally over and done with."

Isaac nodded at the statement. "I hear that a lot actually, a lot of perps just panic and run, then find themselves painted in a corner with nothing they can do but wait."

Joseph looked out the windshield while driving, thinking about the whole affair. "It's funny how some decisions can have such major ramifications on our lives..."

"How scholarly of you," Isaac growled the words teasingly, giving the fox a playful smile. "Are you referring to recent decisions? Feeling any regrets now?"

Joseph cut his eyes to the wolf and gave a grin before he returned his attention to the road and focused on his driving. "Not at all. You guys... all three of you, are the best thing that ever happened to me."

—♥—

Karen downed what felt like her hundredth glass of water and gave a ragged sigh before glaring at Ivory. The cat looked equally fussed and tired as the rabbit snarled, "We've been at this all day... my throat is killing me!"

Ivory crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from the annoyed bunny, huffing out gently. "Y-yeah, I know. I'm sorry, okay?!"

"Joe said it would be a few hours tops, and that was at the height of it. it's been over seven, on the first day!" Karen snapped out, the edge of frustration and anger showing in her tone.

Ivory closed her eyes and let the rabbit finish before opening them and looking back at her. "Yeah I didn't expect her to go full tilt, it's probably my fault since I'm already trained up. So blame me okay?!" The words came out sharp and irritated as Ivory's tail snapped about and flicked.

Karen frowned at the look on the cat's face and let out a soft sigh before stepping over and moving a paw to rest gently on Ivory's hip, leaning closer to her and speaking softly into her perked ears. "Sorry... I'm not trying to be a bitch to you..."

Ivory felt her tension ease slightly as Karen touched her. "No, I get it. I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

"You didn't drag me into anything, love. I still want to do this with you..." Karen spoke the words gently and pushed her forehead to the cat's, her lips brushing Ivory's softly.

The two started to kiss when Bianca's voice rang out from across the studio. "You two are very close for married girls, is this the sort of relationship I'm working with during this training?" The cow bellowed the words cheerfully as she walked in both paws on her wide hips, grinning with amusement.

Ivory jerked away from Karen with a blush under she cheek fur and snapped back at the cow sharply. "Fuck, Bianca! I thought you were on a conference call?!" Karen just looked away awkwardly.

"The call was quick, the company wanted to know if we started to record yet. I reminded them you were still on vacation and this was extra training out of your own pocket," The cow huffed the words and looked over at Karen who was turned away from both of them. "This little coniglia, I had suspicious thoughts, but you and her?"

Karen felt her stomach twist at the words, feeling fear and doubt wash over her at the response Ivory would give to a stranger, would she deny it and try to hide it, or make excuses for it.

"Yeah, we are together, have been for a while now." The cat spoke the words matter-of-factly, without hesitation, then rested a handpaw on her hip. "Is that going to be an issue with the training?" Karen felt her heart leap at the affirmation of their relationship.

"So long as you keep it professional in my studio and keep your infidelity away from my name, no, we will be good." The cow spoke the words flicking her tail as she crossed her arms over her chest looking the two over.

"I-it's not like that, we aren't cheating or anything!" Karen spoke the words out quickly, blushing under her fur at the awkward exchange as she tried to explain.

"If that is what you think, it is no business of mine. I do not judge, but your husband's might if it got out, yes? Is it different since it is not another man?" The cow spoke the words curiously, flicking an ear up as she turned to look at Ivory.

Ivory hissed through her teeth and rubbed the back of her head, she hadn't wanted this to go so far, she had wanted to keep it professional to the letter but here they were. The cat sighed and shook her head before looking to her instructor. "Short version; They know, they are on board, it's a mutual thing between us all. Can we let it go now?"

Bianca processed the words for a moment then nodded, "Oh! Ho ho... so you are living wildly my little gattina. I also did such exciting things in my youth, though not so... openly."

Karen caught the tone in her voice and spoke up right away, "Do you think it would cause her problems if it got out? I don't want to damage Ivory's career!" The concern in her voice was obvious.

The larger woman rubbed her chin in thought and gave a shrug, "In my day, such things would be the death of one's career, especially in my home country. These days though? People are more open-minded, the young are more free-thinking, yes?"

Ivory leaned against the glass wall and huffed out in fatigue. "We can cross that bridge when we come to it, I won't hide my love even if it costs me my career. More importantly... Are we done yet? I'm dead and so is Karen."

Bianca gave a wide grin and looked at the clock on the wall. "Ah, are we done? You two still have an hour left, you know?"

The cat gave the cow a flat look, "What... do you mean, are we?"

The bovine woman withdrew her phone and looked it over. "Your manager Joseph, he booked me for the whole eight-hour day. He said, 'Work with them until they tell you they are done for the day.'"

Karen lifted her ears at the words. "You mean..."

"Are you telling me we could have bailed from this torture session hours ago!?" Ivory hissed the words, stomping her footpaw. "Why didn't you say something sooner, you... bitch!"

Bianca huffed through her nose and gave a casual shrug, "You didn't ask, I am paid for eight hours, I came to work for eight hours." The cow looked to Karen and gave a knowing grin. "You had a rough time my little coniglia, but you made good progress for your first day. I hope you will not give up on this ambition of yours."

"Uh... thank you." Karen spoke the words with a bit of shock in her voice, feeling her warm up at the praise.

"So we are calling it a wrap then?" Bianca said cheerfully.

"Yes!" Ivory snapped out immediately.

"So we meet again tomorrow then?" The cow asked curiously, giving the cat a wry smile.

"Are you insane?" Ivory hissed out, her fists clenched.