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“Stepping Out for a Breath of Fresh Air” by Dralen Dragonfox (part 2 of 2)
Keith meets an intriguing stranger at a bar, and learns a bit about himself, about letting go, and maybe a bit about what he wants.
Today’s story is the second and final part of “Stepping Out for a Breath of Fresh Air” by Dralen Dragonfox, who loves being a narrator for The Voice of Dog, and wanted to throw some of his own words into the mix. You can find his (mostly Beastars) fanfiction on AO3.
Last time, Keith felt ditched by his friend at a bar, and ended up in a very interesting conversation with an intriguing stranger. Some truths came out, and Keith suspected that this slightly older gentleman may have even been flirting with him. What else will be revealed over a couple of cocktails?
Read for you by Khaki, your faithful fireside companion.
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https://thevoice.dog/episode/stepping-out-for-a-breath-of-fresh-air-by-dralen-dragonfox-part-2-of-2
Transcript
You’re listening to The Voice of Dog. I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,
Speaker:and Today’s story is the second and final part of
Speaker:“Stepping Out for a Breath of Fresh Air”
Speaker:by Dralen Dragonfox,
Speaker:who loves being a narrator for The Voice of Dog,
Speaker:and wanted to throw some of his own words into the mix.
Speaker:You can find his (mostly Beastars) fanfiction on AO3.
Speaker:Last time, Keith felt ditched by his friend at a bar,
Speaker:and ended up in a very interesting conversation with an intriguing stranger.
Speaker:Some truths came out,
Speaker:and Keith suspected that this slightly older gentleman
Speaker:may have even been flirting with him.
Speaker:What else will be revealed over a couple of cocktails?
Speaker:Please enjoy “Stepping Out For A Breath Of Fresh Air”
Speaker:by Dralen Dragonfox
Speaker:Part 2 of 2 Alan smiled warmly at the llama,
Speaker:and slid his hand up and down his back, gently.
Speaker:“Listen, Keith. You’re an attractive young man, and yes, I’ve been coming on to you a little,
Speaker:but just because I’m attracted to you
Speaker:and bought you a drink doesn’t mean you owe me anything at all.
Speaker:I definitely don’t want you to feel that way.
Speaker:Besides, you’re the most interesting new person I’ve met in a long time.”
Speaker:Keith chuckled a little, and took another sip of his drink,
Speaker:then leaned a little into Alan’s touch.
Speaker:“Well, maybe I want to flirt back, but I’m just terrible at it.”
Speaker:Alan scanned the room quickly.
Speaker:He picked this table because he knew it was private.
Speaker:He could see Jonah at the bar,
Speaker:but none of the other patrons,
Speaker:and he knew Jonah wouldn’t interrupt anything.
Speaker:He looked back down at Keith,
Speaker:into those big expressive eyes,
Speaker:and lifted his other hand to gently run the back of his fingers along Keith’s cheek.
Speaker:“Well, why don’t you let me take the lead, then?
Speaker:You just need to tell me no
Speaker:if I take anything too far,
Speaker:okay?” Keith looked deep into Alan’s eyes, and nodded,
Speaker:his heart beating fast.
Speaker:He felt nervous, but he couldn’t resist the thrill that ran up his back.
Speaker:He hadn’t felt brave enough to try to flirt with guys before,
Speaker:so he had just kept his secret to himself,
Speaker:and now here was someone who had seen right through him,
Speaker:and was reaching out.
Speaker:Keith guessed that Alan
Speaker:was probably about ten years older than he was-
Speaker:-somewhere in his early or mid 30’s.
Speaker:And he was a carnivore.
Speaker:Keith had always been a little nervous around big carnivores that he didn’t already know well.
Speaker:But Alan certainly didn’t exude malice or anything.
Speaker:He leaned his cheek into the lion’s gentle touch.
Speaker:Alan sidled a little closer to Keith,
Speaker:the hand on his back slipping around him,
Speaker:and gently coaxing him closer.
Speaker:The llama was obviously nervous,
Speaker:but genuinely curious about what the lion was about to do.
Speaker:Alan slid his fingertip
Speaker:under Keith’s chin
Speaker:and tilted his muzzle up just a little,
Speaker:and pressed his lips to the llama’s
Speaker:for a gentle kiss.
Speaker:Keith’s mind was reeling.
Speaker:He’d kissed girls before.
Speaker:Back in high school and in his first year at University.
Speaker:But they’d all been herbivores.
Speaker:And girls! Now he felt the heat
Speaker:and strength of this lion pressed against him, and those warm, soft lips
Speaker:hiding sharp and vicious teeth.
Speaker:He could taste the whiskey Alan had been drinking,
Speaker:and he could smell the scent of cigarettes from the lion’s fur and clothes.
Speaker:Keith sighed softly and reached up
Speaker:to gently tangle his fingers in Alan’s mane,
Speaker:and pressed his lips back against the lion’s, closing his eyes.
Speaker:Alan closed his eyes,
Speaker:hugging Keith close,
Speaker:feeling his slight frame pressed against his chest
Speaker:as they softly and gently made out in their seat.
Speaker:He pulled back after a moment, tracing his fingertips softly down the lines of Keith’s neck.
Speaker:Keith panted a little as Alan broke the kiss.
Speaker:He was reeling from the feeling of his instincts telling him to flee while at the same time his body was telling him
Speaker:that he rather wanted more of that.
Speaker:He ruffled his fingers through Alan’s mane under his chin and sighed.
Speaker:“So… how well do you know the bartender exactly,
Speaker:and is there a back room in this place?”
Speaker:Alan grinned craftily down at Keith.
Speaker:“Join me where the washrooms are in two minutes.”
Speaker:Jonah grinned at Alan.
Speaker:“I mean sure, it’s super quiet tonight.
Speaker:Good thing you didn’t bring him here last night, we were hopping.
Speaker:Just use the employee washroom, and make sure you lock the door.”
Speaker:Alan grinned back.
Speaker:“Thanks, Jonah. You’re the best.”
Speaker:Jonah chuckled. “Look at you, making out with cute boys in the bathroom like a teenager.”
Speaker:Alan scowled playfully and growled,
Speaker:“Listen here, you little shit.”
Speaker:They both laughed, and Alan said softly,
Speaker:“He’s… not out yet.
Speaker:Going to try to keep this discreet is all. Also, don’t want to get you in trouble for the optics of a big carnivore making out with a smaller herbivore in the back of the bar.”
Speaker:Jonah shrugged. “Meh,
Speaker:no trouble on my end.
Speaker:They don’t pay me enough to be a bouncer anyway.
Speaker:But speaking of trouble,
Speaker:here it comes.” Alan turned around to see Keith walking confidently up to the bar.
Speaker:The lion took a moment to get a better look at the llama.
Speaker:He wasn’t tall, but his slim build made him seem taller than he was.
Speaker:The long, slim neck helped,
Speaker:too. He was dressed sharply, but casually.
Speaker:A plain green pastel dress shirt tucked into casual khakis.
Speaker:Keith walked up and leaned on the bar.
Speaker:“You mix a hell of a drink, um, Jonah was it?”
Speaker:Jonah beamed at Keith.
Speaker:“That’s me! Glad you liked it.”
Speaker:He leaned in to Alan’s ear and whispered softly,
Speaker:“This one seems like trouble.
Speaker:Good trouble, though.”
Speaker:Alan chuckled and looked down at the bar for a second,
Speaker:and smoothed his tie down his chest.
Speaker:He had to admit, he felt about as nervous as a teenager right now.
Speaker:He looked at Keith again,
Speaker:and the llama looked back at him.
Speaker:Nervously? Expectantly?
Speaker:Was it anticipation he saw in those beautiful eyes? He cleared
Speaker:his throat and invited Keith to follow him,
Speaker:and led him towards the staff bathroom behind the two doors indicating the public ones.
Speaker:He flicked on the light and pulled the door shut,
Speaker:turning the lock on the door handle before turning back to Keith.
Speaker:Now that he was here,
Speaker:Keith felt nervous.
Speaker:He swallowed and realized that he had allowed himself to get into rather a precarious position.
Speaker:Alone in a locked room with a big carnivore.
Speaker:He looked up at Alan who was smiling at him kindly.
Speaker:Once again, he saw no malice or dark intent in that honest face.
Speaker:The expression was beguiling.
Speaker:He took a step forward and put his hand gently on Alan’s chest.
Speaker:“You bring guys here often?”
Speaker:Alan huffed and brought his hand up to softly stroke his fingertips along Keith’s cheek.
Speaker:“To the bar? Yes. To the back room?
Speaker:No.” Keith nuzzled his cheek into the lion’s touch as he took another half step closer.
Speaker:“So what makes me so special?”
Speaker:Alan leaned down to Keith.
Speaker:He could feel the llama’s warmth, and the smell of liquor and fruit on his breath.
Speaker:“I don’t know, yet.
Speaker:But I’m interested to find out.”
Speaker:and he pressed his lips to Keith’s again.
Speaker:He felt the llama’s body melt against his,
Speaker:his slim chest pressed against his own.
Speaker:Alan growled quietly into the kiss,
Speaker:and slid his tongue against Keith’s lips,
Speaker:and was rewarded with the herbivore’s tongue playfully dancing with his own.
Speaker:Keith felt the fur on the back of his neck stand up from the sound of that growl.
Speaker:It sent a tingle down his back that was thrilling,
Speaker:exotic. Instincts be damned, he loved it.
Speaker:He reached up to wrap his fingers up in the thick mane at the back of Alan’s head,
Speaker:gripping the thick and soft fur as they kissed.
Speaker:He felt Alan’s hands
Speaker:slide down his back and pull him closer against his muscular frame,
Speaker:and Keith didn’t resist,
Speaker:letting the bigger animal guide him.
Speaker:Alan panted through his nose.
Speaker:He could barely believe he was doing this.
Speaker:He growled again, feeling Keith’s body shiver a little,
Speaker:accompanied by a quiet moan that let him know he was
Speaker:doing something right.
Speaker:He cupped the back of Keith’s head
Speaker:in one of his big hands,
Speaker:and then turned cautiously,
Speaker:pressing the llama against the wall.
Speaker:The back of Keith’s head bumped inelegantly against the corner of a shelf.
Speaker:Alan pulled out of the kiss for a second,
Speaker:still panting, and said, “S
Speaker:-sorry about that.”
Speaker:But Keith was having none of it.
Speaker:He grabbed Alan’s tie and tugged him back into the kiss.
Speaker:He had never let
Speaker:go like this before in his life, and it was liberating.
Speaker:For just a moment to feel like he’s not in control.
Speaker:To let this big carnivore lead him for a while.
Speaker:Keith had never felt more free.
Speaker:Alan shrugged himself out of his suit jacket
Speaker:and managed to hang it, one-handed, on the hook on the back of the bathroom door.
Speaker:He growled softly again as Keith started to tug his tie off.
Speaker:The lion slid his hands up Keith’s chest
Speaker:and started to unbutton his shirt, while Keith did the same to him,
Speaker:tossing his tie onto a shelf over the sink.
Speaker:Their lips barely parted for the entire operation.
Speaker:Soon, both of their shirts were open, and Alan’s big broad hands ran over Keith’s chest
Speaker:while Keith’s delicate fingers
Speaker:tangled in the lion’s thick, soft fur.
Speaker:Alan pulled back a little to look down at the smaller animal,
Speaker:the beautiful thick soft wool over his chest and belly,
Speaker:his lithe and slim frame.
Speaker:The llama was so pretty,
Speaker:and Alan huffed quietly.
Speaker:Keith looked up at Alan, still panting, and smiled.
Speaker:He leaned his head forward and nuzzled gently against the lion’s chest.
Speaker:He kissed the warm, soft fur
Speaker:and let it slide against his cheek.
Speaker:It was a luxurious sensation.
Speaker:Keith realized he’d come out of this absolutely stinking of lion,
Speaker:but he was well past caring at this point.
Speaker:He felt Alan’s broad hands sliding over his shoulders
Speaker:and along the curve of his slim neck,
Speaker:and he responded by sliding his fingers through the lion’s fluffy belly
Speaker:fur. Keith’s tongue teased softly at one of Alan’s nipples, and the lion gave a quiet gasp,
Speaker:followed by a moan as Keith gave it a gentle nibble. Alan clenched his
Speaker:teeth as Keith teased him.
Speaker:He arched his back a little
Speaker:and hissed through his teeth at the gentle pressure of herbivore teeth around his nipple.
Speaker:He gripped Keith’s shoulder tighter, trying his best to be careful of his claws,
Speaker:and gave a low growl in his chest.
Speaker:Keith shivered once again with that growl.
Speaker:He pressed his chest against the thick fluff of Alan’s belly,
Speaker:feeling the lion’s muscles through the fur.
Speaker:He gently kissed at Alan’s chest again,
Speaker:then was caught by surprise when the lion slipped his hands under Keith’s arms,
Speaker:and lifted him effortlessly to sit him on the counter next to the sink.
Speaker:Alan took a half-step back,
Speaker:looking at the breathless llama in front of him.
Speaker:His wool was ruffled and his shirt was hanging open,
Speaker:half-off of one shoulder.
Speaker:He leaned in again to press his lips to Keith’s,
Speaker:and his big paws drifted down to Keith’s thighs.
Speaker:It may not have been predatory instincts,
Speaker:but something was certainly awakening within Alan.
Speaker:He slid his hands up to Keith’s waist
Speaker:and started to fumble with the llama’s
Speaker:belt. Keith panted and pulled back. “W
Speaker:-wait… no, wait…” Alan’s hands froze,
Speaker:and he stepped back.
Speaker:He was also still panting a little. “S
Speaker:-sorry… that was too far.”
Speaker:Alan took a deep, steadying breath
Speaker:and ran his fingers down his own chest,
Speaker:smoothing out his ruffled fur a little.
Speaker:Keith looked down into his lap,
Speaker:and folded his hands together. “I
Speaker:-I… I don’t want to break the mood or anything,
Speaker:but… I don’t know if I’m ready for…”
Speaker:Alan cut him off.
Speaker:“No, please, no do not feel bad about stopping things. Breaking the mood is better than me breaking a boundary that I shouldn’t.
Speaker:Trust me, I’ve… um…
Speaker:I’ve been where you are.
Speaker:I wish I’d had the confidence then to do what you just did.”
Speaker:Keith looked up at Alan,
Speaker:staring into the lion’s eyes.
Speaker:“I’m sorry.” Alan smiled, his lips curling up.
Speaker:Those two words said so many things.
Speaker:“It was a long time ago.”
Speaker:Keith took a deep breath
Speaker:and looked down at himself.
Speaker:“So what now?” “Well,
Speaker:I hope you’ll give me your number so we can stay in touch.
Speaker:As friends at least.”
Speaker:Keith grinned in response.
Speaker:“Worried what dating an herbivore might do to your image as king of the beasts?”
Speaker:Alan scowled and muttered,
Speaker:“Ugh, how I hate that phrase.”
Speaker:Keith put his hands up.
Speaker:“Sorry! Sorry, I didn’t know it was a sore point.”
Speaker:“But no, I’m not worried about my image. You are definitely the most interesting animal I’ve met in a long long time.”
Speaker:“Well, then you’d better give me your phone,”
Speaker:said Keith, holding his hand out.
Speaker:The two animals exchanged numbers and did their best to get straightened out and dressed.
Speaker:Happily, nothing had been torn during their escapades.
Speaker:Alan stuffed his tie into the inside pocket of his suit jacket
Speaker:and slipped it back on,
Speaker:then opened the door for Keith
Speaker:and they returned to the bar.
Speaker:Jonah couldn’t hide a grin as they came back to the bar.
Speaker:He held up a bottle of bourbon and asked,
Speaker:“Shots?” Alan laughed,
Speaker:and Keith shrugged.
Speaker:“Sure, why not.” They llama and lion clinked glasses and took their drinks.
Speaker:Keith was less used to the harsh liquor,
Speaker:and coughed once as he put the shot glass down on the bar.
Speaker:Jonah cleared the glasses away.
Speaker:“You didn’t leave a mess for me to clean up back there, did you?”
Speaker:Alan laughed. “No,
Speaker:nothing. Though it might smell like llama back there for a few days.”
Speaker:“I’ll just spray the air freshener stuff.
Speaker:Another drink for you two?”
Speaker:Keith pulled out his phone and checked the time.
Speaker:“Oof. It’s late. Thanks, but no,
Speaker:I really need to be getting home.”
Speaker:He walked up to Alan
Speaker:and leaned up to place a gentle kiss on the lion’s cheek.
Speaker:“Stay in touch now, okay?”
Speaker:Alan smiled. “You bet I will.
Speaker:It has been my pleasure meeting you, Keith.
Speaker:I hope I’ll see you again soon.”
Speaker:“Me too. Have a good night, Alan.
Speaker:You too, Jonah. Hope to see you soon.”
Speaker:Keith was smiling as he walked out of the bar,
Speaker:and grinned all the way back to his dorm.
Speaker:Keith’s phone woke him up the next morning.
Speaker:He groaned a little and sat up in bed.
Speaker:No hangover that he could detect,
Speaker:but he wished he hadn’t felt too sleepy to take a shower last night.
Speaker:He could still smell Alan all over himself.
Speaker:He smacked his lips a couple of times and dragged himself out of bed to get ready for his morning classes.
Speaker:Even after a shower and a fresh set of clothes,
Speaker:he felt a little nervous walking the hallway to his first class.
Speaker:Could people still smell lion on him?
Speaker:He had scrubbed himself well in the shower,
Speaker:so hopefully not.
Speaker:He still felt a bit like a rebellious teenager,
Speaker:hooking up with carnivores in back rooms.
Speaker:Keith shrugged to himself and pulled out his phone.
Speaker:It hadn’t even been twelve hours,
Speaker:he wasn’t expecting to hear back from Alan, yet.
Speaker:He entered his first class of the day,
Speaker:and took a seat in the lecture hall off to the side near the front.
Speaker:He was occupied getting his notebook out when the professor walked in,
Speaker:and started introducing himself.
Speaker:“Good morning, class.
Speaker:Welcome to a new semester at Galdona.”
Speaker:Keith blinked and froze.
Speaker:He put his notebook on the desk in front of him
Speaker:and looked up at his new professor.
Speaker:His new lion professor.
Speaker:“You have got to be kidding me,”
Speaker:he said softly to himself.
Speaker:Alan took care of a few housekeeping items at the top of the class,
Speaker:and then delved into his lecture.
Speaker:He spent most of his time at the boards,
Speaker:his eyes only ever briefly sweeping across the lecture hall,
Speaker:but not really looking.
Speaker:After he’d laid out the broad strokes of the material they would be covering in the class,
Speaker:he turned finally to face the students.
Speaker:“Any questions?” A few hands shot up, and he addressed them.
Speaker:He looked off to the side where a tiger had a question about exam timetables,
Speaker:and Alan started an answer but became distracted about halfway through.
Speaker:Two rows behind the tiger
Speaker:was a familiar face.
Speaker:Alan cleared his throat as he thought to himself,
Speaker:“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Speaker:As class ended and everyone filed out of the room,
Speaker:a few students came up to the front with some last questions for their new prof.
Speaker:Alan could see Keith hovering around the edge of the group,
Speaker:and stayed as it thinned out,
Speaker:until they were alone in the huge lecture hall.
Speaker:Alan cleared his throat.
Speaker:“Well, this is awkward.”
Speaker:Keith laughed a little.
Speaker:“Is it? I hadn’t noticed.
Speaker:Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I had planned to move to the evening lecture on this course anyway.”
Speaker:Alan cocked an eyebrow, and Keith laughed.
Speaker:“Not because of you.
Speaker:I had planned to before to balance my schedule a little, and I was dragging my feet, but now I’ll definitely get it done.”
Speaker:Alan grinned and handed Keith a card.
Speaker:“Well, if you ever need some help with the material,
Speaker:here are my office hours.”
Speaker:Keith took the card, letting his fingertips brush the back of Alan’s hand.
Speaker:“Thank you. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
Speaker:He paused for a moment,
Speaker:looking up at Alan,
Speaker:then cleared his throat and said,
Speaker:“So, what are you up to on Friday?
Speaker:I’m thinking of going to grab a cocktail.
Speaker:I recently found this great little spot.”
Speaker:Alan grinned wider and replied,
Speaker:“Sounds great. I wouldn’t dream of missing it.”
Speaker:This was the second and final part of
Speaker:“Stepping Out for a Breath of Fresh Air” by Dralen Dragonfox,
Speaker:read for you by Khaki,
Speaker:your faithful fireside companion.
Speaker:As always, you can find more stories on the web
Speaker:at thevoice.dog, or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker:Thank you for listening
Speaker:to The Voice of Dog.
