Painted Love

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Looking down at himself, Cas debated turning around and heading right back home. All around him were people in shinny leather and fluffy, oversized costumes, each looking more expensive than the next. His own costume, not a sleek kitty, or a rugged pup, or even a colorful dragon, looked shabby by comparison. All the pride he’d felt at making his ferret outfit evaporated.

 

This was a bad idea.

 

His costume was a patchwork collection of fur, as closely resembling the pattern of a three toned ferret as he’d been able to manage. He’d rubbed brown eye liner on his nose and ringed his eyes in it, but it looked like a little kid’s Halloween hodgepodge in comparison to so many others he saw. Judging from some of the looks people gave him, they’d noticed too, and he observed one or two of them turn their noses up at him, sneer a little and look away, like he was somehow contaminating them by being there.

 

He glanced around, hoping to see his friend, but Brandon hadn’t arrived yet and now the doors were being pulled open, welcoming everyone into the munch at Lover’s Cove. Bodies surged forward, while he tried to take a few steps back only to step on the toes of someone in lots and lots of leather.

 

“I am so sorry,” he declared, humiliation making his ears feel hot. He wanted to sidestep and get the hell out of there, but the guy just slung an arm around his shoulders and rubbed his ears.

 

“It’s all good. I was gonna visit the boot black anyway.”

 

While he talked, he ushered Cas through the doorway and into a space filled with leather, lace, and more sex toys than Cas had ever seen in one place. Vibrators, dildos, plugs of all shapes and varieties hung from hooks on the wall, reminding him of a raunchy joke his Brandon had told him about a little old lady looking for a particular toy, who asked the saleslady if she could purchase the fire extinguisher because nothing else was the size of her late husband.

 

Several of the plugs had tails streaming from the ends to add another level of legitimacy to pony costumes, others had ones that resembled kitties and pups. He knew he was staring, even as a pony pranced by wearing a long, shimmering brown one that swished every time he moved.

 

A pet play munch had seemed like a very good idea, twenty-four hours ago when he was lonely and wishing for someone to play with him, but here, in the brightly lit space, with a crimson door leading through to the back room where everyone was headed, it was starting to feel like he was playing pretend. The few times he’d dressed up and been out had been in his old city, with a large beast of a best friend who never allowed anyone else to play with him anyway. The big man, in his lion costume and fierce features, had always kept Cas insulated from the rest of the crowd. But Paul was halfway across the country now, at his new job in the twin cities, and it would be a while before they saw one another again.

 

So here he was. Alone and watching broad backs with leather stretched across them, jackets coming off, harnesses beneath them marking some as leather daddies and others as pony boys. And here he was, a ferret, stealing into their midst like the thieves of old Beastmaster movies, which was how he’d learned what a ferret was in the first place and fallen in love with them.

 

Even as a kid, they’d reminded him of himself, or maybe he reminded himself of them when he moved around the halls of yet another new school, trying to be invisible, though it wasn’t just the unseen he’d identified with. It was the collecting too. Lost pens, erasers, lighters, jacket adornments, especially the shinny ones with the names of bands on them, people dropped and lost them all day long and he was an expert at spotting them lying on the floor of the school. He’d had quite a collection of things at the end of each year, which never hurt when a trip to buy school supplies wasn’t something that happened often in his household. His hording meant his siblings had materials too, and if his mother ever suspected where he got them from, she clearly wasn’t concerned. It was one less thing she had to scrape together the cash for.

 

Sighing, he had to admit this was starting to feel a little like those school days, with the need pushing at him to find a clump of shadows and cling to them. It had always been the best way to ensure he didn’t draw the ire of some upperclassman or territorial bully who decided that a new postscript was reason enough to torture someone. His existence had been a mess of them, which was how he’d come to fall in love with his art in the first place.

 

Painting.

 

Graphite pencils and bright paint marker pens, those were his true mediums, though he’d worked on several murals throughout the city and one retaining wall beside a popular marina and restaurant down by the wharf. He might even become a local celebrity someday, if he signed his name in a way that let someone read it. Instead, he added ears and beady little eyes to his C, whiskers and a flourish that resembled a long, hunched weasel body and curving tail, and bang, there it was, Cassidy Cross. A pretty common and non-descript name, if one were to ask him.

 

Now, the smiling, brown haired man who’d escorted him in, that was someone worth knowing. Cas wished he’d gotten his name, maybe he would see him inside later and could talk to him. He’d seemed nice enough. There had been the briefest moment when Cas had thought maybe he’d picked up on his nervousness and would stay beside him, but the moment they were through the doors he’d spotted someone he knew, waved, and wandered away without another word.

 

Too many people were trickling through the door for him to make a proper retreat, or at least, not one that wouldn’t involve crashing into or stepping on someone else. He was stuck, for the moment anyway. Better follow the crowd and try to learn something. At least he could tell Brandon that he’d shown up and given it a shot. Where was Brandon anyway?

 

Damnit all, if he’d met another little twink at the coffee shop and decided to wander off on some whirlwind weekend tryst, Cas was seriously going to give him a piece of his mind. What he wouldn’t give him was a slice of the cheesecake they were supposed to share afterwards, when they compared notes about the people they’d met and the things they’d done, not that Cas expected to do anything at this point but find the door just as soon as he could conveniently and inconspicuously do so.

 

After a while, the room grew warm, and conversations grew hushed as a blond woman in a skintight cat suit stepped to the front of the room.

 

“Hello everybody.”

 

“Hellooooo Mistress Lynn.” Several people called back.

 

Well, at least he had a name to put to that face. She must be the owner of the shop Brandon had been telling him about.

 

“Now, I know you’re all here to have a good time but there are a few things we need to go over first, being as how this might be some people’s first time attending one of our munches. The faster you all focus on me, the sooner you can get to the good stuff.”

 

Silence met her words as everyone dialed into what she was saying to them.

 

“Now, for those who aren’t certain exactly what a munch is, it’s an opportunity to meet other kink minded individuals and try a kink that maybe you haven’t had the opportunity to delve into before. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, some are dressed as the pets they are, while others are dressed in street clothes and all of that’s perfectly okay. You can be a kitty in a jean jacket if that’s what works for you, but we all hope you remember one thing: this is a safe space and in it, there are rules.”

She paused, as if making sure she still had everyone’s full, undivided attention as she continued.

 

“One. You don’t touch anyone without their consent. Not a pat, not a squeeze, not a playful yank of a tail or ruffle of ears. You introduce yourself, you ask, and you make certain they are comfortable with it and not feeling overwhelmed or pressured to give into your advances. Got it.”

 

“Got it mistress,” the room chorused back. Cas found himself replying too, if only because it reminded him of being back in school where everyone was expected to participate and respond to the teachers’ words. Maybe, well, it wouldn’t hurt to see if they offered classes here, something where he could learn one on one, since observation would only teach him so much. As it was, confusion crept in when he thought of the way the brown-haired man had so casually given him a one-armed hug and rubbed his ears on the way in here. Of course, that had been outside the door, so maybe that didn’t count.

 

“Two. Whatever you practice, it needs to be safe, sane, and consensual. See how we came back around to the topic of consent. I’m double stressing it today because last munch, we had a young man in here, tattered, shredded up leathers, scuffed boots, attitude like he knew what he was doing, only the first thing he did was touch someone who wasn’t his to touch. Now, not only was that person a visitor, but they were also here with someone to observe and learn, nothing more, and the first lesson they got, was that there are knuckleheads floating around the community who don’t want to listen when they were told don’t touch. So, what won’t we be doing without asking?”

 

“Touching.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

A few people clapped. Some whistled. She let it all die down before she continued. “Now, we have disinfectant wipes and we have cleaning products, so when you are done with a piece of equipment, have respect for the space and each other and clean up after yourselves. This is your only warning. Failure to follow any of the rules will get your butt bounced right out those front doors, understood.”

 

“Yes Mistress.”

 

“Good. Now, refreshments are in the blue room in the back, there is plenty of water, so stay hydrated and have fun.”

She spun around then, walking away from the crowd and leaving them all to ease away from their chosen spots. Now was his chance to slink backwards through the red doors while everyone else started mingling.

 

Of course, that would be the moment when a buff Asian man dressed in some seriously bad ass leather strode through the door with an adorable kitty by his side. Sleek, in gray and black, with a hood and mask and even whiskers, he had bright green eyes just like a kitty-cats and a swish to his steps that made his whole body look slinky and graceful as hell. So much so that Cas couldn’t take his eyes off him.

 

He even had a bell collar that jangled and tinkled every time he moved and damn but it looked like he was dancing into the room. Cas had taken three steps in his direction before it dawned on him that he was following two perfect strangers, and yet, with the very next though he realized he didn’t care. He wanted to watch them, because out of everyone, theirs seemed to be the kind of dynamic that Cas was looking for.

 

Thoughts of leaving forgotten, Cas watched them enter the play area where a pink and black maze had been set up. The leather clad man pulled out a mouse on a dangly string, and held it over the side of the maze, encouraging his kitty to follow it through. The trim little cat wiggled his whiskers and shook his rear end back and forth to make his tail lash. While Cas watched, the kitty followed the toy on its string, batting at it playfully as he worked its way through the maze. The big man never hurried or rushed him, he just encouraged in a low, musical voice, promising kisses and treats at the end.

And wow did he deliver.

 

Cas stood as close as he dared, watching as big man peppered kitty’s face with light kisses before rubbing noses with him. He noticed, as well, that the treats came in what looked like a repurposed Pounce container, but held white fudge covered strawberry creams, the kind that melted on your tongue when you tasted it. Cas knew because he loved them too, the same as chocolate covered cherries, and he could only imagine the joy the kitty got when his person held one to his lips.

Kitty chewed daintily, as the leather clad man leaned close, nuzzled his neck, and whispered something, his lips moving but the sound was drowned out by the other noises in the room. Suddenly, so fast, Cas almost landed on his ass, those bright eyes locked with his and a brilliant smile lit up the whole of kitty’s face. Cas couldn’t look away. It held him frozen. So much so that he didn’t notice the Asian man approach until he stood right beside him and cleared his throat.

 

Cas dropped his gaze, studied the floor, and felt his cheeks heat up. “I’m sorry for staring, I’m just, I want to learn and….”

 

“Nonsense,” the man interrupted, his voice even more like honey and song now that it was directed at him. “A munch is a place to learn, and we’re not shy about sharing. Would you care to join us?”

 

Opening and closing his mouth, Cas found that not a single sound squeaked out.

 

“It’s okay if you don’t want to, I just wanted to put the offer out there in case you did.”

 

“No, I…I mean, yes, I do,” Cas stammered. “Was just surprised at the offer is all.”

 

“You shouldn’t be. We’re a friendly bunch and you must be new to the area, I’ve never seen you at one of these before, and believe me, I would have noticed.”

 

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