Unlikely Angel

"So giving a blowjob in an alley was an option?"

Nick raised an eyebrow and grinned, bringing a finger to his lips to wickedly 'shush' the buck.

"It can be, upon occasion," he said evasively, "with the right individual."

He didn't reckon he was about to obtain any straight answers from the zebra, Nick, so he didn't waste his time. Shrugging, the buck half-turned towards his dorm and the beckoning light that he knew still flickered within in the adjoining hallway. It would be a side warmer than outside and the buck shivered, hugging his torso for a scrap of warmth.

Nick stepped closer, muzzle tilted curiously.

"Come on." The zebra extended a paw, smile warming his blue eyes. "Let me buy you a drink. You can't have been going anywhere other than Stoat's Den at this hour, let alone on Christmas Eve."

Cody sighed.

"I can't drink, I'm eighteen. Worked too hard to get here to risk that now. You should know that. Some don't care but I fricking do."

"Who's going to book you on Christmas Eve?" Nick cajoled, ears drooping in faux sadness. "You'd leave a poor zebra out in the cold all alone?"

Cody chuckled unwillingly at his antics. He was a character, it had to be said.

"If a drink was all it was - and you were buying - then it wouldn't matter, but I'm not getting past anyone with half a brain. There's no ID and no wallet on me."

Nick ran a finger down the flat of his muzzle as he considered. Cody tried not to think of what that muzzle had been doing only a short time ago, putting his resulting shiver down to the cold and not the unwelcome warmth coursing through his abdomen.

Behave...

"I'll get you in and buy you a drink," the zebra said after an elongated pause. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm twenty-one, so of the legal age in your country. I forget that it's not eighteen over here sometimes."

He hesitated, rubbing his forearm through the thick, grey coat.

"Sound okay?"

Digesting this and wondering over the zebra's accent, the buck nodded, Nick already walking away with a swish in his tail. By the time he returned absolutely to his senses, he felt he had no choice but to follow and did so with a dipped muzzle, trotting to catch up and speculating what exactly he had gotten himself into.

They strode through campus in companionable silence, heading towards the outskirts where Cody knew the bar Nick had mentioned was not far. Alcohol was not served at the present time on this campus as it was too great a temptation for underage students, though venues outside were less scrupulous, or so he had heard. Cody hadn't drank alcohol for a long time and even the thought of having a friendly drink bought for him was warming.

"I wasn't going to the bar, you know," Cody said as he walked alongside the zebra. "I really don't have my wallet on me."

"Oh? Then what were you out at this time for?"

"Laundry." Cody chuckled. The notion of doing laundry and becoming so frustrated now seemed absurd with this companionship. "Was all locked up though."

"Mm, that's not a surprise, though I'm sure it would have been useful."

The zebra tilted his head, expensive hoof-boots treading down hard packed snow.

"You never told me what your name was, you know."

"It's Cody," the buck admitted as if parting with a great secret.

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" Nick grinned and bumped the buck's shoulder with his, juddering Cody off balance. "Not going to get into your national insurance or anything, don't worry."

"National insurance?" Cody's brow furrowed. "What's that?"

"Ah, I'm sorry - I forget the terms sometimes," Nick slid his gaze away thoughtfully. "I think it's similar to your social security... I can't remember. I'd have to look it up."

"You're definitely not from here then?" Cody prodded tentatively.

"Nope! British." The zebra chuffed. "You didn't get the accent?"

"I'm not too good with accents," the buck chuckled shyly, a blush colouring his cheeks. "Hope I didn't offend."

"Not at all."

Following the zebra's lead, Cody allowed himself to be led further and further from his dorm, eventually leaving the bounds of campus. Stoat's Den was down a side street, ideally placed for sly students, with an illuminated, tacky neon sign outside depicting the name. All but one neon pink dot surrounding the yellow place name was burned out, leaving it appearing forgotten amongst the silently falling snow.

The flakes were smaller now and Nick stepped ahead of Cody to hold the door open, muzzle bowed gracefully as the buck stepped past him into the stuffy interior. Resting his paw on the buck's arm, Nick guided him with the lightest of touches through the near empty bar, strewn with beaten up tables and chairs and a stoat - as the name implied - behind the bar with a distrustful look in his eye. Heart pounding, Cody nodded his thanks, eyes carefully averted.

Collapsing into a secluded booth, Nick shrugged out of his coat and tossed it back, watching as Cody slid into the place opposite him. At the back end of the bar, it was quiet enough that they could not discern what the few other patrons were saying, which put Cody at greater ease. The zebra winked.

"What's your poison then?"

Cody scratched his neck.

"I wouldn't know, I don't drink all that much. Rarely. I'll have whatever you're having," Cody fumbled with his words.

"Sure thing."

Sliding easily out of his seat, Nick padded to the bar, clip-clop hooves oddly muted by the boots. Cody leaned out of the booth to get a better look at them, briefly envious of the money behind them. He crossed his cold ankles over one another underneath the round table, rubbing his forearms to warm up as the zebra smoothly collected two pints of beer from the stoat at the bar and returned to the booth.

"Did you miss me?"

Cody raised an eyebrow, making no verbal comment as he leaned back in the booth. He reached for his drink and took an experimental sip, the 'wheaty' taste on his tongue familiar from earlier years when he had been all too keen to down a bottle. He cringed at the memory and took a heftier gulp, soothing his throat.

"Thanks for the drink," he said awkwardly, lifting his paw up from the table as if to make a gesture of thanks that fell short. "It's...nice of you."

"No problem," Nick said, taking a draught of his beer so that a froth of white coated his upper lip. "What actually brings you out on a night like this? I can hardly believe that you traipsed through the snow purely for clean clothes. It's hardly a student requirement."

Cody hesitated. What the hell did he think he was doing? Nick was a stranger, for god's sake. He couldn't fricking say what first came into his mind - it would be lunacy! To occupy himself and buy some time, he drank deeply, the level of liquid in the glass disappearing more swiftly than was sensible.

"What did you mean when you said you wouldn't see that panther again?" Cody dodged the question, pouncing instead on a far more tempting topic. "Are you a one night stand kind of guy?"

"Why, you interested?"

"Nope," Cody snorted, though his eyes gleamed. "I prefer guys with a little more muscle than you."

"Muscle?" The zebra's nostrils flared. "Are you saying I'm skinny? I'll show you muscle!"

Before Cody could correct his ill-timed joke, Nick yanked his t-shirt, emblazoned with a band that the buck didn't recognise, up over his head, muscles flexing. Light glanced off a gleaming striped coat, black and white patterning elegantly over bulging muscle and a rock hard six-pack. Cody stared slack-jawed at the ripped zebra as the proud equine ostentatiously flexed, paws curled into fists so that the hoofed fingertips dug into his palms. Ducking his muzzle provocatively to the side, the zebra smiled so seductively that Cody's breath caught in his throat.

Then a coarse shout interrupted his stare.

"Hey!" The stoat leaned over the bar with a dish cloth in one paw, lips twisted distastefully. "Clothes on in the bar! I don't care what you're on!"

Nick jumped and lunged for his shirt, unable to keep the grin from his lips as he pulled the red fabric back over his head, ears popping out, and shoved his arms into the sleeves. Cody shrank back into the booth, torn between laughter and pretending that he no longer existed and was not embarrassed by being shouted at in a bar.

"Sorry!" Nick whinnied, amusement colouring his tone.

The stoat retreated, muttering about 'kids these days', as Cody and Nick collapsed into stifled giggles, leaning in close like two schoolboys caught at mischief. When laughter retreated, Cody drained his glass, wishing he had another. The warmth of alcohol and laughter stirring his body was a forgotten treat and he shot a look to the zebra, who nonchalantly drank, glass reasonably full.

"What is it about you?" Cody blurted out, shaking his head. "Why are you...like this?"

Cocking his muzzle to the side, Nick's ears pricked up, petals swivelling to attention.

"Are you asking me why I am as I am?"

In the zebra's mouth, the words seemed silly, fawnish, and Cody splayed his paw flat on the table, lips quirking as he thought it through.

"Well, let me think..." He tried instead. "Bluntly, you were giving a cat a blowjob a bit ago. Now you're in here with me." He swallowed. "What are you trying on?"

The zebra sat up, paws resting in his lap.

"You think I'm trying to get you in bed."

"Something along those lines."

In stark contrast to their mirth, uncomfortable silence enveloped their booth, the atmosphere of the bar darkening. With alcohol buzzing through his body on an empty stomach - quick to act - Cody swore that the lights dimmed, if only marginally. Shifting his weight, he tapped the tips of his fingers together, too wound up to sit still for more than a couple of seconds at a time. Nick leaned back with his paws behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. In the quiet, his nostrils flared.

It was unbearable. Cody's heart thudded quicker and quicker, painful against his ribcage, and his breath rasped. Leaning forward as the zebra sat slightly to the side of the booth, he narrowed the distance between them, something in him disliking how Nick moved away.

"Did you follow me?"

Nick hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck, fingers grazing the zebra Mohawk of hair.

"Is it creepy to say that, yes, I did?"

Cody frowned.

"A little. Why?"

He huffed and blew warm air, nostrils flaring again. Cody wondered if it was a sign of lying or a note that he was nervous. It was impossible to tell with a fur that was still a stranger to him.

"The way you shot out of the alleyway..." Nick stroked his chin, the light bristle of hair there. "Now, I don't play around much but usually it's pretty funny to be caught, if it does happen, stupid students and all that entails. But you didn't have the same look as the others. I can't explain it."

He nipped his lower lip and rested his elbows on the table, eyes downcast as if all the life had been sucked out of his body. Nick's earlier joviality was long gone and his muscles trembled lightly as his tail thwapped the table legs, a low, repetitive beat. With the beer further warming his system, Cody found it difficult to remain on edge around the zebra, ears flicking to catch his words. He knew on a deeper level that the conversation was more serious than his fuzzy mind made it out to be, yet could not draw on caution that had once prevailed.

He really shouldn't have drunk on an empty stomach.

"I guess..." Nick spoke slowly, tasting his words before allowing them out. "I saw something of me in you, as cheesy as that sounds."

As if embarrassed, the zebra folded his arms across his wide chest, muscles bulging as he slanted his gaze away, pink tint colouring the cheekbone below his eyes. The buck struggled to take that in, caught between too many thoughts that each demanded attention, too many to keep track of or understand as they flitted by. He could not imagine anyone having as bad a time of it as him. If so...what could have happened? Cody wound his fingers together, throwing any remaining shreds of caution to the wind as he reached out to brush the back of Nick's paw with his interwoven paws for the fraction of a heartbeat. The zebra jumped at the contact and stared wide-eyed, muscles shivering beneath the skin in an equine reflex.

"It's cheesy...but in a nice way," he said, his tone soft. "If you really see yourself in me, I hope it is less and not more." Alcohol loosened his tongue. "I wouldn't wish my life upon my greatest enemy."

Studying the grain of the table, Nick reached out to take Cody's paw warmly in his own, hoofed digits trembling. The buck sat very still, fearful that if he moved even a muscle, he would scare off his new...friend, if he could be called that.

"I would say the same. Sometimes people don't realise what hard times others are going through, though that also sounds corny." The zebra grimaced. "I'm not doing a very good job of this, am I?"

He laughed, colour returning to his tone.

"Either way, I thought I should follow you. And here we are." He raised an eyebrow. "However...perhaps we should not have met while I was indulging my passions behind the student union...maybe."

Cody blinked and clapped a paw over his lips to stifle a girlish giggle - inappropriate!

"It was silly to think that you followed me to sleep with me," the buck said when he regained some control, playing his glass between his paws. "I didn't mean to overreact... I'm sure you get why I did."

"It wasn't too daft to assume," Nick chuckled. "I would never force anyone. It's hard to believe after you've walked in on me like that, but I am selective with my partners. There has to be something special there, a connection. Otherwise it's no fun at all."

His gaze locked with Cody's and the buck pulled his head back, startled by the driving force behind them. He broke the meeting with some difficulty and cleared his throat, brushing his paw across his exposed collar bones.

"Just as well you didn't want to get with me then."

Cody chuckled sheepishly, thrown off guard. He reached for his glass and then withdrew his paw, realising in the next instant that it was empty.

"I've never been with anyone, let alone a guy. If you get around, I'm sure you head for the more experienced type. Not a damn lonely virgin like me."

He licked his lips, clumsier than he would have been normally. Drumming a tune across the table top, Cody hummed to himself, little tail twitching where it could not be seen. His arm nudged the carrier bags of clothes, still waiting to be washed, though he could not find it in himself to care. Let them be unwashed. The Laundromat would open again soon and he would use his last quarters to sort himself out for another couple of weeks, fresh and clean and raring to go. Maybe he would save the dimes for another beer...

He looked up to see Nick studying him with a shy glimmer in his eye.

"Actually, I think you're pretty cute."

The buck started, jerking upright from where he had slowly slumped forward over the table, limbs looser than he would have liked.

"What?"

The zebra held up his paws.

"What do you want me to say? You are cute," he elaborated, smile widening as he gulped hard. "I thought that's a compliment."

"It is..." Cody stumbled, tongue-tied. "But why would you be interested in me?"

"Heh..." Nick clasped his paws on top of his longer muzzle, pulling it down to his chest in an overly coy motion that made Cody's heart leap wickedly. "Not just anyone gets me out of my shirt, you know. Like what I was trying to say - and badly too - I can't explain it. Can anyone? There's something about you, Cody. There's a glow to you."

Tugging at the collar of his shirt, the zebra suddenly scooted across the booth so that his hip pressed to Cody's and, with surprising delicacy, he snaked an arm around the buck's waist. His paw, which had never left Cody's, tightened in a squeeze. Like the typical deer in the headlights, the buck froze, eyes wide and half-glazed over. His mind worked overtime and he shivered, closing his eyes against the onslaught of thoughts, heart pounding and nerves tingling. How was he supposed to act?

"You're alone tonight, aren't you, Cody?"

The buck nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He did not know what he wanted - how could he possibly know what he wanted? All through his life, decisions had been thrust upon him, even the education he'd battled for personally. It had been the only option for him, the only option that let him to keep living. When had he ever had a choice to make himself? Everything was clear and sensible and normal otherwise! He focused on school and making something of himself, not other furs.

Chest tightening, Cody placed both of his paws on the opposite bicep for a comforting squeeze, half a hug. Not quite there. Every past injustice snarled from the shadows, stalking him with gleaming, red eyes. Demons were his everyday and the buck had no idea what could lie in wait on the sweeter side.

And now a zebra with kind eyes and a warm paw sat before him, inviting him closer with unspoken words. Cody trembled.

"If you want..." He hesitated, conflict battling in his eyes. "Only if you want...I could come back to your dorm with you. To talk, to keep you company...or something more."

He held up one finger, throat working as he swallowed with difficulty.

"Only if you want it. I warn you though that, as I said, I will be leaving tomorrow, very early. I don't want to disappoint you, buck."

He squeezed around Cody's waist, chin resting lightly on top of his head. Unconsciously, the buck leaned into the zebra, tilting his muzzle away so that his antlers would not give Nick an untimely clout. There would be no easier way to sour the mood. Decisions still would not come, even after buying himself time. Nausea wracked his innards and Cody steeled himself, curling his free paw into a tight fist. One decision remained untouched. He did not have to do anything. He could have company alone, if that was all he wanted. And his heart had been lonely for too long.

To hell with it...

"I'll..." Words felt thick in his mouth and Cody cleared his throat several times. "You can come back with me. I don't make any promises either. These years have been nothing but failures and promises I couldn't keep."

He grimaced. Cheesy. Nick did not mind and slipped out of the booth with an awkward hop, extending his paw to help Cody up.

"Then let us bid the bar adieu, buck, and make tracks to the place you call home, for now." He rubbed his thumb over the back of Cody's paw. "Maybe some games or a film to watch would be okay for tonight."

Cody's heart pounded as he lead the way out of the bar, cloven hooves clumsy in his haste to leave. What on earth was he doing? His palms were sweaty and he could not make eye contact with the stoat behind the bar. Snow blasted into his face and he shielded his muzzle, squinting to see what little he could. The wind picked up and it would be a trek and a half to reach his dorm, though he did not have the heart to kindly release his company now that the zebra was so willingly trotting behind, crunching through the snow.

He raced across campus without saying a word, the wind sending tears down his cheeks that froze to his short fur. Was the weather trying to work against him? Stubbornly, he hurled his body against the wind, grinding his way through step by step as his curved nostrils flared.

"Hey...easy," Nick murmured, trotting to catch up with the buck. "You don't have to run like the hounds of hell are at your hooves. I'm here. Trying to keep up with you."

The buck glanced at the snow speckled zebra.

"Maybe I'm just keen to get back," Cody said, almost too quiet to be heard over the rising howl of wind.