Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Oguma had practically begged his father to allow him to drive himself to the first business meeting that he was solely involved in. Normally, his father wouldn't care if Oguma drove himself to places. However, this business meeting was being held halfway across the country.

Oguma had never driven outside of Manhattan. He really wanted to take this trip. Mostly because he wanted to get a feeling of being by his lonesome. He also hoped to confront some feelings he had been in denial about. Occasionally, a large sized carnivore would catch his eye. Oguma was sure that he was attracted to them but never allowed himself to explore that side of him due to fear of persecution. If he were granted this trip, he could then allow himself to fool around with another man if an attractive man came his way.

His father promised to give him more control over the company as well as more freedom once he graduated from university. It's been a year, and the only thing he was given was a new car. This did cause his father slight feelings of guiltiness, which helped Oguma's case. Oguma was able to convince his father to let him take this trip. He stated how he was currently 25 years old and had never been away from home. He went over how the drive there could allow him to gain a new perspective. Maybe he would be able to think of new ideas because of this experience.

He packed his belongings and set out before the sun rose. His first stop was to a hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio. Oguma had planned on going over the contract and finding out information about the owner who is set to renew their contract. The business had recently acquired a new owner. The new owner was old-fashioned and wanted to meet everyone in person who had any relationship with his business.

Oguma didn't get as much work done as he would have liked. All the driving made him exhausted. He only stayed in Cincinnati for one night. He wanted to have plenty of time to allow himself to prepare for the meeting and to also enjoy this trip.

The next day, he had gotten off the interstate for a routine fill-up on gas. There weren't any gas stations nearby except for one in a small town that was 3 miles off the interstate. However, when he was a mile away from the town, he felt his car become wobbly. He hoped he would make it to the gas station, and he did. When he turned into the gas station parking lot, he got out of his car and saw the problem. One of his tires had gone nearly flat.

There was a large screw that had punctured it. Oguma stood next to the flat tire, dumbfounded. He was never taught how to change a tire. The feeling of dread grew. He could call roadside assistance, but he really didn't have the time to wait around all day for them to show up. Oguma also didn't want word to get back to his father about this incident. While a flat tire was out of his control, he didn't want to cause his father any concern. That could result in him being flown back to Manhattan immediately.

An older white pickup truck with a red streak on both sides pulled up to the gas station, and two lions got out. Oguma figured it wouldn't hurt to ask them for help. He then walked over to them, noting that one lion had his mane slicked up and a scar over one of his eyes, while the other had more of a gentle presence, with soft eyes accompanied by black wire framed glasses. Both looked like they were from the country. They wore flannel that they tucked into their jeans, a belt buckle, and cowboy boots. Looking at the two lions, Oguma asked, “Hi, can I ask for some help?"

The lion with glasses spoke first. "Sure, what do you need?"

Oguma glanced over to his car, feeling a little embarrassed. "My car has a flat tire. I don't know much about cars. Do you know how to replace it?"

The lion with the scarred eye started laughing. "Can you even drive? That's such an easy thing to do." He clutched over, holding his stomach, laughing louder.

Oguma's slight embarrassment turned into feeling completely inadequate. He tried hiding his feelings, but a flick of his ear escaped him before he could stop it. Oguma rarely felt this way, mostly because he was in control of most of his interactions and environment. This time, he felt extremely vulnerable, being in an unfamiliar state while experiencing a new situation. He had not expected to be humiliated when asking for help, but here he was feeling such a way.

Before he could defend himself, the lion with glasses spoke up. "Don't you think you're being a bit much, Free?"

"You're only saying that cause he's," Free moved around to make sure only Ibuki could see him and winked obnoxiously at him. Ibuki felt heat rise up in his face. He knew Free wasn't entirely wrong in his implications, however, Ibuki was the type of man to lend a hand whenever he could.

Ibuki glared at Free. "You know, I heard Miguel's been needing help inspecting all those beans in his field."

"Oh, I see." Free said smugly. Making sure Oguma still couldn't see, he made a circle with his index finger and thumb with one hand and used his other index finger to go in and out of the circle. Free laughed as he did this, while Ibuki rushed to grab Free's hands, stopping him. When Ibuki loosened his grip, Free brought his hands away from Ibuki.

"Later, Ibuki." Feeling satisfied, Free finally left. He walked past the gas station and went out of sight.

Ibuki was nearly red from what Free was suggesting. Though, with Free gone, he felt a sense of relief, no longer fearing he'd be teased. He hoped Oguma wouldn't be able to notice him feeling off due to Free's teasing. "Sorry about that. He can be very expressive."

"It's fine. You don't have to help me if you don't want to." Oguma was still feeling embarrassed from his own interaction with Free.

Ibuki shook his head. "No, I want to. Just need to grab a few things." He walked towards his truck and took out a car jack as well as a lug wrench from the bed of his truck. He started to work on Oguma's car. Having a task to focus on helped Ibuki's nerves calm down.

This sight was new to Oguma. He had never bothered to watch anyone work on a car before. Anytime work needed to be done on one of his family's cars, a servant would drive it to the shop. In fact, he had never even so much as opened his car's hood. Before this trip he had only filled up his own tank of gas once. As Ibuki worked away on his car, he came to admire what this lion was knowledgeable about for what Oguma was so ignorant towards.

"Do you need me to help?" He asked, hoping to be somewhat useful. The feeling of inadequacy still lingered for Oguma.

"Nah, it's easy. Just gonna need you to pay to have this patched. That'll be cheap. Gonna have to take it to Jinma's. I recently ran out of tire plugs." Ibuki finished cranking up the car jack to a good height, allowing enough space between the tire and the ground.

"And Jinma is?" Oguma inquired.

Ibuki paused his movements to set his full attention on Oguma. He replied, "Owns the mechanic shop in town."

Ibuki began to resume his work on Oguma's car. Oguma curiously watched Ibuki. After taking off the hubcaps, he started to use the lug wrench. Ibuki had to put all his muscle into it, causing his body to sweat a little. Oguma began wishing he could see the lion without that stupid flannel shirt on. He couldn't imagine how this lion was able to wear a long-sleeve flannel shirt in the later month of May.

His mind wandered to how sweaty he must be. He stopped that thought in its tracks. Oguma was wanting to use this trip to forget about the pressure society places on one's sexuality and explore that side of him. However, a lion from a rural town wouldn't be the brightest idea for a hookup or a date. Besides, the way he dressed screamed homophobia. Oguma knew that last judgment was purely based on biases, but biases had to exist for a reason, right?

Ibuki pulled the tire away from the car once all the lug nuts were off. He asked if Oguma wanted a lift to the shop. Oguma accepted, although a little hesitant due to his previous inappropriate thoughts. Ibuki placed the flat tire inside his truck bed before getting in his truck.

"Ibuki," Ibuki said while holding out his hand.

Oguma looked at Ibuki's hand in confusion. "Huh?"

"My name is Ibuki." Ibuki grew slightly red. Embarrassed by his own awkwardness.

"Oh, right. I heard your friend call your name earlier. I'm Oguma." They shook hands. Oguma could feel the strength of the lion in that handshake. To think Ibuki was holding back was thrilling to Oguma. He once again had to stop his thoughts from going anywhere lewd. Oguma internally scolded himself for not being able to control his mind as well as he should have.

The drive wasn't long at all. It only lasted a minute. Oguma was thankful for this. He wasn't sure how long he could last in a small space, being that close to a very attractive lion. Ibuki got out first and grabbed the tire. He waved for Oguma to follow him into the shop. Oguma took a deep breath, clearing his head before he left the truck.

Inside was a small room filled with pictures of older cars along with numerous metal bands. There was a desk with a computer and a big pile of receipts against the wall. The A/C unit provided a nice coolness Oguma didn't know he needed.

"Jinma's probably in the garage. Wait here." Ibuki opened a side door that led into the garage. He wandered to the back and found Jinma fixing a brake caliper. Jinma was fully transfixed on the task at hand.

"You've got a customer." Ibuki gently rolled the tire toward Jinma.

Jinma, noticing the tire on time, stopped the tire with his foot. "Paying customer?"

"Yeah, he's up front. Just has a screw in that tire," Ibuki said. He watched Jinma get up from his chair to grab his tire plug kit. He sat back down and started to work on the tire.

Ibuki looked around for another lion but couldn't find him. "Where's Sabu?"

Jinma smiled. He loved having any excuse that would allow him to talk about his husband. "Sabu and Agata took the trailer to get a truck. Found a 1994 Toyota pickup truck for Agata."

"You sure that's a good idea? Agata said once he gets ahold of a truck, he's gonna be tearing down the streets." Ibuki also wanted to make a comment about the stereotype around older Toyota trucks, but he stopped himself from saying anything. After all, he would fully fit that stereotype.

Jinma chuckled and shook his head. "He's all talk. Knowing him, he's gonna baby that truck. I don't think he's gonna take the thing on any low-maintenance roads. Hell, he's definitely going to try to avoid gravel roads the best he can."

"What's the point in driving if you don't drive on those roads? Nothing feels better than driving on dirt."

"You're telling me." Jinma had gotten done patching the tire. It only took him a few minutes. Ibuki took the tire and followed Jinma to the front of the shop.

Jinma went straight to the computer to start a sale. Once he finally looked at his customer, he felt some shame. "How rude of me. I didn't realize Ibuki was being serious. What brings you in town?"

"I stopped for gas, but then that happened." Oguma pointed at his tire.

"Well, that was an easy fix. Your total is twenty even."

Oguma handed Jinma $20, and Jinma gave him a receipt. Ibuki and Oguma went back to the truck. Oguma wore a confused look. With how kind Ibuki was being to him, he would hate it if Ibuki was talking about him behind his back. Though Oguma figured he should ask for some clarification, knowing he was still feeling self-conscious from the interaction he had with Free. He asked, "What did he mean by you being serious?"

"Usually when I need to pay him, I pay him with beer or whiskey." Ibuki's explanation caused Oguma to feel foolish for feeling insecure.

They drove back to the gas station. Ibuki attached the tire back to Oguma's car. Oguma let his eyes wander elsewhere so as not to stir up any similar thoughts from earlier. When Ibuki had finished, Oguma said, "Thank you for helping me."

Ibuki wiped some sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. "It's no problem. You need anything inside." Ibuki tilted his head towards the gas station.

"No, but if you do, then I'll pay for you." Oguma offered. He was hoping to buy something for Ibuki, it's the least he could do.

Ibuki shook his head. "Nah, I'm good. I only need fuel."

"I'll pay for it." Ibuki was about to decline until Oguma said, "Please."

Ibuki filled up his truck, and Oguma finally got fuel for his car. Oguma still felt he hadn't compensated Ibuki nearly enough for his help.

"Here, let me give you something more. You have been very kind to me." Oguma went into his car to search through one of his bags. Ibuki followed, feeling curious as to what Oguma was doing. He came out of his car with $500 in his hand.

Ibuki widened his eyes and took a step back. He raised his hands in protest. Ibuki's tail stayed near his leg, not wanting to draw attention. "No. Rex, no. I helped you cause I like helping when I can. Put that away before someone sees it."

Oguma placed the money back in his bag. He looked at Ibuki with a shameful look. In his strong urge to compensate Ibuki, Oguma forgot about their financial differences. "It's not much. I usually don't carry physical cash, but I was advised to have some on me in case of an emergency."

Ibuki couldn't believe what Oguma was saying. "What in the world? Not much? Where'd you come from? You realize you were just holding my month's rent?"

"Then accept it. Wasn't that what your friend was implying earlier?" Although Oguma had not seen what Free was doing, he felt it was safe to assume that they both knew Oguma came from money.

"No. He was, uh..." Ibuki looked off into the distance, suddenly feeling warm. He was very thankful it was just them in the parking lot. However, he still wished to be truthful while not coming off as perverted. Ibuki didn't want Oguma to think that Ibuki was after his wealth.

"I know lions have a lot of pride. I can place the money in your truck, and you won't have to touch it until I'm gone." Oguma made his way to his car door to grab the money again, but Ibuki held onto his wrist to stop him. Oguma noticed Ibuki's tail rapidly swishing back and forth.

Quietly Ibuki said, "Free was implying that I think you're hot. I may have a thing for stags. He doesn't know that you're loaded. I didn't either."

Oguma's ear flicked. He could feel himself becoming beet red. Never in his entire life had anyone outright told him that they thought he was hot. Unsure of what to say, Oguma muttered out, "Oh, sorry."

Ibuki let go of his wrist. He began to walk towards his truck, letting out a sigh when he sat inside his truck. The embarrassment Ibuki felt was like no other. He hoped that they both would soon forget this day. Ibuki ran both his hands through his mane. Doing so brought him some ease, but his confession to Oguma still heavily weighed on him. He felt as if he tried lifting an elephant, knowing it would crush him and yet still doing so while swiftly being crushed by the severe heaviness.

All Oguma could do was stare at Ibuki sitting in his truck. He was in disbelief that a lion as attractive as Ibuki found him hot. Oguma definitely wasn't opposed to it. Before Ibuki could drive off, Oguma ran over to his truck and hopped into the passenger seat. Ibuki was startled by this.

Oguma started to speak before Ibuki could. He feared his brief feeling of confidence would dissipate if he didn't say what he wanted right then and there. "Listen, I have a business meeting in Des Moines, but it's only going to last a few hours tomorrow. I have the rest of the week off. Would you go on a date with me if I come back here on Tuesday?"

Unable to speak, Ibuki nodded his head. Oguma asked for Ibuki's phone and added his number to his contacts. He then leaned over and gave Ibuki a peck on the cheek. Oguma quickly left the truck without saying another word.

Ibuki touched his cheek. He could feel how warm his face had gotten. Ibuki sat there in awe before immediately driving to Miguel's farm.

Chapter Text

At Miguel's farm there were three lions. Two of them were sitting on a wooden picnic table that was located inside a typical red barn. The other lion was cleaning a tractor.

"He did what?" Free asked. He wasn't sure he heard Ibuki correctly.

"That deer, Oguma, kiss me!" Ibuki said very excitedly.

"Hold on. Wait a minute. Miguel, come on over here." Free needed someone else to confirm he was hearing what Ibuki was saying. Miguel was currently in the process of wiping any grime off the tractor. He walked towards Ibuki and Free.

"You need something? I'm a little busy." Miguel's shirt was completely drenched, outlining his muscles completely.

Free was easily distracted by Miguel's appearance. "Damn Miguel! You still hitting the gym?"

"No, this is from picking up your slack, Free," Miguel jokingly replied.

"Don't bully me. Hey, I almost forgot, you gotta hear what Ibuki just said. Go on, tell him, Ibuki." Free waved for Ibuki to repeat himself.

"I told Free that a deer we met before he came over to help you had kissed me. It was only on the cheek, but he asked me to go out with him on Tuesday. On a date." Ibuki grinned. Remembering the kiss Oguma gave him made him feel fuzzy and warm.

"Hey, look at you. I told you someone would come your way." Miguel playfully punched Ibuki's arm.

"Yeah, but there's a problem with that. He had New York license plates. You could tell he's from there too. Didn't know how to change a flat tire. Just like an average New Yorker," Free said with distaste. He shook his head gently to show his disappointment.

Ibuki, remembering how Free treated Oguma earlier, said, "Dude, you have prejudice."

"With pride." Free smirked.

"You ain't ever read that book." Ibuki leaned closer to Free, staring intently at him.

"Did you ever consider that's cause I can't read?" Free tried to suppress his laughter to seem serious but was only able to do so for a few seconds.

Miguel checked his watch and interrupted Ibuki and Free, "If that's all, I'm getting back to washing. I'm wanting to get that done before dinner."

"Say, you gonna invite me to dinner? Your grandma knows how to cook a mean tuna casserole." Free was nearly drooling. Anything homemade was delicious to Free since he often ate cheap meals. This wasn't due to his finances but rather his laziness to cook for himself.

Miguel knew his grandma was always happy to cook for anybody that showed up. She must have told Free what she was making tonight. Miguel decided to allow Free to join them for dinner. "Yeah, you can stay for supper. You did help me plenty today. You gonna stay too, Ibuki?"

"No, I have some leftovers I need to eat through. I should get going." Ibuki got up, ready to leave. Truthfully, he wanted to spend the night thinking about his upcoming date. He also wanted to text Oguma to see if he made it to Des Moines just fine. Ibuki hoped he wouldn't appear clingy.

"Before you go, if you want to use this place to have your date with that buck, you can go ahead. Although you should clean the place up a tad before you have a date in here. I also got some string lights you can set up above this table," Miguel offered to Ibuki.

"I think I will take you up on that. I haven't even thought about where to take him." Ibuki was pleased to have the location figured out for his date already.

"He's probably expecting a five-star restaurant," Free said in a playful manner.

"You're one prejudiced statement away from being sent down to Dixie." Ibuki said in a frustrated tone. Unlike Free, he was not in a playful mood right now. He was slightly anxious about planning a date. A date with someone who he found himself to be infatuated with at the time being.

"I'm just trying to have fun. I don't mean no harm. I'll treat your future boyfriend with nothing but respect." Free rested his head on his hand, trying to appear relaxed. He hoped using the word 'boyfriend' would cause Ibuki to calm down.

"Boyfriend?" Ibuki was taken aback. He raised an eyebrow at Free.

"Future boyfriend." There was an emphasis on the word future. Free knew he was successful in his plan.

"Jeez, don't go filling my head with ideas. I'll see you tomorrow." Ibuki knew he had to leave before Free either started teasing him or made him feel invincible.

"See ya." Free watched Ibuki walk out of his view.

The next day, Oguma had finished the business meeting. Everything had gone how he had planned it. He secured the renewal of the contract with ease. Now that it was over, he had more free time than he knew what to do with. His vacation had officially started. The plan was to stay another night in Des Moines, but after meeting Ibuki he wasn't sure he could make it through another night.

It was getting late. If Oguma wanted to see Ibuki before midnight, he would have to leave soon. He walked back and forth in his hotel room, contemplating. He wasn't sure if he should go to Ibuki or stay for tonight. Oguma thought calling Ibuki would be his best option. He dialed up Ibuki's number and hoped the lion wasn't already asleep.

Ibuki picked up, "Oggy?"

Oguma felt his heart skip a beat. He didn't know where Ibuki got that nickname from. He definitely wanted to hear Ibuki say that nickname to him in person.

"Ibuki?"

"Yeah, it's Ibuki. How did that meeting go?"

"Good. It went just as I thought it would go. Ibuki, I called because I was wondering if you wanted to move our date to tonight. I know it's getting late, and I still have over hour's drive to get to you. Honestly, I have been constantly thinking about you. I'm sure I sound silly." Oguma could feel his heart beating rapidly. Ibuki had already agreed to go on a date, so he couldn't understand why he was so nervous.

"I don't think you sound silly. I've been the same way. I'd love to have our date tonight. I haven't gotten ready for bed yet anyway. A friend of mine offered to have our date at his barn. It's much nicer than your average barn. It's used more as a hangout spot than for storage. But we can go somewhere else if you want." Ibuki quickly added that last sentence. He silently cursed Free for putting that doubt in his head.

"Anywhere will be fine. I'll get packed up now. Just send me the location. See you soon." Oguma wasn't sure what to expect, but he was thrilled to see Ibuki again.

"See you." Ibuki hung up the call. He started hopping around in excitement while quietly shouting, "yes" a few times. It then dawned on him that he only had an hour and a half to get the barn set up for his date.

He grabbed his keys and put on his shoes. He went to Free's apartment door which, was the apartment right next to Ibuki's. Ibuki knocked on his door. Free opened the door. His TV could be heard in the background. He was only wearing boxers.

"No, you can't have any of my beer. I'm down to three cans." Free was holding a beer can in his hand.

"I don't want your beer. I need your help. Can you help, or have you been drinking all night?"

"You don't need to worry, buddy. I just started drinking. What'd you need help with?" Free finished drinking what was left in the can.

"Oguma's coming over tonight. Can you help me set some things up in Miguel's barn?" Ibuki asked with urgency.

"Ohhh, Ibuki. You sure he had a date on his mind when he called you?" Free winked and started smirking.

Ibuki became flustered. "Yes, he explicitly asked to have the date tonight. And he was fine with it being at Miguel's barn, just so you know."

Free started laughing at Ibuki's choice of words. "Things are definitely going to get explicit between the two of you. Just keep it down if you come back here. Don't wanna stay up all night hearing you two make an earthquake."

Ibuki felt his patience thinning. "Quit saying such things. Can you help me? I'll take you out to Pizza Ranch if you do."

"Why didn't you start with that? Let me get dressed." Free closed the door only to come out again a minute later. He put on shorts, slip-on shoes, and a flannel shirt that he didn't bother buttoning up.

He walked over to Ibuki's truck. "Let's take your truck. I hate using up my gas."

Ibuki drove them to Miguel's farm. He parked his truck near the barn. Both Ibuki and Free rushed out to start setting things up. Ibuki swept the floor and cleaned the table while Free hung the string lights on the poles that were by the picnic tables. They moved one of the picnic tables to the back of the barn. It took them half an hour to set it all up.

"How long until he gets here?" Free asked. All the physical work in the late night had him feeling drowsy.

Ibuki checked his phone. "Half an hour or so."

"What are you two planning to do anyway? Sit and stare at each other?"

That's when Ibuki realized he forgot that part of the date. He felt himself start to sweat. He was starting to think he fumbled this date before it even started.

"I forgot." Ibuki admitted.

"Dude, that's the most important part of a date. The event. The activity. You better hope he really likes you." Free really hoped his work hadn't gone to waste.

"What am I going to do?" Ibuki asked worriedly.

Free suddenly had an idea. "Don't worry, I got this."

Free ran out of the barn and into Miguel's house. After ten minutes, Ibuki was getting ready to head in there to see what Free was up to when Free made his return. He was carrying four plates, two cups, and a plastic bag in one hand. In the other he had a pitcher half filled with lemonade.

"What's in there?" Ibuki pointed at the bag.

"Sandwich makings." Free placed everything on the picnic table. He then laid out slices of bread, veggies, and a bowl of egg salad on a plate that was placed in the middle of the table. Free grabbed an empty plate and started to make a sandwich.

"Free, I think it would be better if Oguma and I made the sandwiches ourselves."

"Nah this one's for me. I'm gonna crash at Miguel's. I'm sure he won't mind. If you go back home, can you pick up some clothes of mine for tomorrow? I left my place unlocked." Free scarfed down his sandwich.

"Yeah, I can do that. Thanks for helping me out." Ibuki went to hug Free. Free returned the hug.

"No, thank you for a free dinner. I won't let you forget about Pizza Ranch until you take me." Free yawned and wished Ibuki good luck. He then left Ibuki alone in the barn.

Ibuki got out his phone to distract himself from his growing nervousness. After 20 minutes, Oguma texted Ibuki, letting him know that he had arrived. He then wished he had thought about changing into nicer clothes. He was wearing what he always wore, but he had some worries that Oguma might have expected him to wear something other than a flannel shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. Ibuki went outside the barn to see Oguma getting out of his car. He walked over to Ibuki. Ibuki couldn't help but notice Oguma was wearing a suit. He had no tie on, though, so Ibuki figured that had to have meant something.

"Hi, I hope it's not too late for you. I drove ten over most of the way here." Oguma tried to seem calm, but he noticed he let some of his excitement slip. He hoped he wasn't being too much for Ibuki.

"It's not that late. Besides, I don't mind staying up for you. Come inside. I set a few things up." Ibuki led Oguma inside the barn. Oguma smiled, feeling the affection Ibuki put towards making this date. The string lights provided a warm glow inside the barn. There was a wooden picnic table with a red and white checkered tablecloth over it. The door to the barn was slightly opened to let some cool summer air flow in.

Ibuki took Oguma to the picnic table. They sat across from each other. Ibuki poured lemonade into his and Oguma's cups.

"Did you do all of this?" Oguma asked in awe. Oguma was used to having dinners at high-end restaurants. Having Ibuki set up the environment felt personal and private. This was a very welcome change for him.

"Free helped me set some things up. He also brought the food. Truthfully, I forgot about getting something for us to fill the time with." Ibuki replied bashfully. He brought one of his hands onto the table and started tapping his index finger on the table. Ibuki was still feeling anxious. He hoped moving a little would calm his nerves.

"I would have been fine if we just sat here and talked. Don't get me wrong, the food is very much appreciated, but I'm sure I would have enjoyed myself just as much if there wasn't any food. It's very beautiful in here. The lights and you." Oguma had love filled eyes. He truly felt lucky to be sitting here with Ibuki.

Any nervousness Ibuki had disappeared once Oguma called him beautiful. He had never been called that before. Ibuki felt himself blush. He looked at the barn wall behind Oguma. His thoughts became a jumbled mess. "Thanks uh... did you um, Oggy I... hold on."

Oguma placed his hand on top of Ibuki's hand. Ibuki's eyes immediately looked back at Oguma's. "You are very cute, Ibuki. I would like to get to know you more."

Ibuki moved his free hand to pull his collar away from his neck. He felt like it got 30 degrees warmer inside the barn. "Slower. Let's go slower. I can't think. I haven't dated in a few years. The compliments are fine, I just need to get used to this. You're really sweet to me."

"Of course, I apologize. I simply wanted you to know how I feel about you." Oguma moved his hand off of Ibuki's.

Ibuki stared at Oguma while the deer started to make a sandwich for himself. Ibuki said, "I didn't mean that you can't hold my hand. I meant for you to slow down on the compliments. I'm not used to receiving those. You were making me warm up like crazy."

"I see. I'll only throw compliments at you when I want you to feel hot." Oguma smiled deviously.

"Sure" was all he could respond with. Ibuki's mind had gone blank. He started to make a sandwich in hopes that he would find his words.

Oguma ate his sandwich before asking, "Ibuki, I am curious as to what you do for a living.

Ibuki felt himself cool down significantly. His brain seemed to be working again as well. "I work on the farm here. Although sometimes Miguel doesn't need as much help, so I'll work at Jinma's shop. What about you?"

"My father is the CEO of Horns. It's a conglomerate. I'm expected to fully run it by the time I'm 30."

"How old are you now? I'm 22."

"I'm 25. I honestly thought you were older than me. It must be because you're bigger than me, but you are a lion."

"If I were older, my mane would look better. I'm still growing it out. Won't your antlers get bigger?"

"I can assure you, your mane looks very attractive to me. And yes, my antlers will get bigger as I age. Do you like antlers?"

"Yes, I know they're supposed to be imposing to other species, but I can't help finding them attractive. Free says I have the heart of a doe." Oguma laughed at Ibuki's joke. That made Ibuki feel more secure.

"Do you specifically go after stags?"

"No, or maybe? It's not that I go out of my way to date them. It's just that I've only found stags attractive. I feel like I should state that I'm trying to date you just because you are a deer. I want to date you because... well, I'm not fully sure of that yet, but I do know that I want to get to know you more. Yes, I do find you attractive, but if you turn out to have an awful personality, then I'll lose that attraction. I hope I'm not overwhelming you." Ibuki felt that it was important to be transparent, but he didn't want to scare off Oguma.

"No, I get it. My attraction isn't limited to lions, but when I see a carnivore with muscles, I can't help but stare. I would also love to learn more about you." Oguma smiled as he placed his hand on top of Ibuki's again. Ibuki began to slow blink at him.

Oguma asked, "Have you lived here your whole life?"

"Yeah, I've been here my entire life. There's a tight-knit community here. I saw you had New York license plates. Is that where you're from?" Ibuki replied. Oguma began to rub circles around Ibuki's hand with his thumb.

Oguma nodded, "Yes, I live in Manhattan."

They continued chatting for an hour. Tiredness started hitting the two. Ibuki gathered the dishes, walked to Miguel's house, and placed them in the sink. He returned to Oguma inside the barn.

"I realized I didn't book a hotel for the rest of the week. Do you know of any nearby?" Oguma yawned. He wasn't sure if he should even try driving in his current state.

"The closest one is half an hour away. What if you stayed at my place? I live alone. You can get my bed, and I'll sleep on my couch. I have no ulterior motives, I swear." Ibuki didn't want to come off as creepy.

Oguma didn't give Ibuki's offer much thought. He hastily responded, "If you wouldn't mind. I would prefer to not drive that far tonight."

"I wouldn't mind." Ibuki smiled at him. They went outside to their vehicles. Oguma told Ibuki to wait. He grabbed his suitcase out of his car and placed it in Ibuki's truck bed. He then got into Ibuki's truck.

Ibuki turned his head towards Oguma. "You're leaving your car here?"

"Yeah, I'm too tired to drive. Is that fine?"

"Yeah." Ibuki made a conscious note to handle Oguma's trust responsibly.

It was only a ten minute drive to Ibuki's apartment. Ibuki carried Oguma's suitcase for him. The apartment Ibuki lived in wasn't any kind of apartment Oguma was used to seeing. It looked more like a long, one-story house with multiple doors.

When they got inside, Ibuki led Oguma through the living room to his room. Oguma took notice of a bookshelf filled with books in Ibuki's living room. He planned on looking through that tomorrow. He set his suitcase next to a wall near his bed. Ibuki's bedroom consisted of one king-size bed, a nightstand, a TV, a dresser, and a closet.

"My bathroom is the door next to the kitchen. If you need anything, I'll be in the room over." Ibuki grabbed a t-shirt and shorts for sleepwear. Ibuki turned to leave.

Chapter Text

"Wait!" Oguma said with urgency. Ibuki turned back to face Oguma. Ibuki's face held a confused look.

"Maybe I have an ulterior motive." Oguma wanted to appear confident. He tried to keep eye contact but had to break it for a second to gather more confidence.

Ibuki quirked an eyebrow up. "And what would that be?"

Oguma went up to Ibuki, tugged on the collar of Ibuki's shirt, and kissed him. Ibuki wasn't sure what was making Oguma act so bold, but he wanted to keep it going. Ibuki dropped the clothes he had been holding. He moved his hands to Oguma's head. They started to share multiple kisses. Oguma placed his hand on Ibuki's stomach and moved it up his chest. He knew Ibuki was muscular, but feeling all the muscle underneath Ibuki's shirt was a different experience than just seeing it. Oguma knew he wouldn't get enough of this feeling. He undid the top button of Ibuki's flannel.

Oguma stopped kissing Ibuki and looked at his eyes. Before going any further, Oguma had to ask, "Can I keep going?"

Ibuki nodded as well as saying, "Please."

Oguma took Ibuki's hand and led him to the bed. Ibuki laid down on his back and Oguma straddled Ibuki's waist. They were making out with each other as Oguma was unbuttoning Ibuki's shirt. Ibuki wrapped his arms around Oguma's back. Once Ibuki's shirt was completely open, he tried to return the favor by unbuttoning Oguma's shirt. However, he was so hasty with unbuttoning Oguma's shirt that he ended up being clumsy. Eventually both their shirts were unbuttoned.

Oguma took off his own shirt first, then helped Ibuki take his flannel and undershirt off. He took off his and Ibuki's glasses and put them on the nightstand. Oguma ran his fingers through Ibuki's chest. He was admiring how well built Ibuki was. Ibuki was loving the attention he was receiving.

Ibuki thought they should know some things about each other before they continue. He spoke up, "We should discuss what we are into, sexually speaking."

"What do you have in mind?" Oguma wasn't fully sure what direction Ibuki was talking about.

"Top, bottom, verse, side?" Ibuki asked.

Oguma was familiar with some gay slang, but he hadn't heard of side before. Oguma asked, "What would side imply?"

"Frotting, blowjobs, handjobs, that sort of thing. I'm really into frotting if you want to do that for now," Ibuki said. He was eager to know what Oguma wanted. Ibuki couldn't help himself and started to grind upwards at Oguma, aiming to get their dicks to rub against each other through their pants.

"Oh, yeah, that's... let's do that." Oguma closed his eyes to focus more on the pleasure. The strain in his pants was beginning to drive him mad. It had been a while since Oguma had gotten off by himself or with somebody else. Although he never slept with anyone quite as fond as he was of Ibuki.

Ibuki smirked. Seeing how into it Oguma was while they both still had their pants on boosted Ibuki's confidence. Ibuki started grinding hard. He put his hands on Oguma's sides to hold him down. Oguma let out a moan.

"Yeah? You like this, Oggy?" Ibuki picked up his pace. The only thing Ibuki wanted at this moment was to make Oguma feel good as well as himself.

"Wait, Ibuki, stop," Oguma managed to say. Oguma opened his eyes. He put a hand on Ibuki's chest to pick himself up off Ibuki.

"What's wrong?" Ibuki asked worriedly. He hoped he hadn't somehow ruined things.

"Nothing. I only that I don't want to cum in my pants." Oguma was sure if he wasn't already feeling hot from what Ibuki was doing to him, then he would've become warm now from the embarrassment he was feeling. Oguma took his pants off. Ibuki did the same. Oguma was about to get back on Ibuki, but Ibuki stopped him.

"Please take those off," Ibuki said with a pleading look. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the bulge in Oguma's underwear.

Oguma grew nervous. It must have been from all the attention Ibuki was giving to his underwear. He needed Ibuki to lead the way.

"You first," Oguma warily said. He felt silly for feeling this way.

Ibuki took off his underwear without a second thought. Oguma followed suit. Ibuki looked Oguma up and down while Oguma tried not to become insecure. All that was on Ibuki's mind was how hot Oguma looked from his antlers to his feet. Especially his antlers. Ibuki loved the way his antlers curved and branched out.

He looked Oguma in the eyes. "You're so unbelievably beautiful. I've never had the pleasure of viewing anybody as breathtaking as you."

Oguma suddenly felt shy. He didn't know how to reply to that. Nobody had ever looked at him the way Ibuki was looking at him right now. He couldn't place his finger on what exactly that look was, but he could tell it was more than lust and wanting. Something deeper.

The only response Oguma knew to do was to get back on Ibuki and kiss him. Before they started to move again, Ibuki reached over to the nightstand and took a bottle of lube out of the top drawer. He applied some lube on both their dicks. Ibuki started to grind again. Oguma used one of his hands to hold their dicks together. He then moved in the opposite direction of Ibuki's thrust to increase their pleasure. Ibuki placed his hands on Oguma's thighs to secure him but also to have something to hold with his hands.

Oguma knew he wasn't going to last long. He already felt like he was getting close. He quickened his pace and started to moan louder.

"Ibuki, I'm gonna cum," Oguma cried out.

Ibuki moved his hands to Oguma's sides once more. He really started to put a good amount of his strength into his thrust, nearly picking Oguma up with his hips. After a couple more thrusts, Oguma came on Ibuki's abdomen. Oguma climbed off of Ibuki and lay next to him. He started stroking Ibuki's dick with his hand while making out with him. Ibuki came not long after.

Ibuki reached towards the tissues on his nightstand. He began to lazily clean himself up.

"Here, let me." Oguma took a tissue and helped Ibuki clean up. Some of their mess was bound to stick on Ibuki, but neither of them cared to that extent. Ibuki held a satisfied smile. He was slowly blinking at Oguma while he was wiping the lion with the tissue. Oguma found it to be very adorable.

Oguma got up to turn off the light. When he climbed back into bed, Ibuki rubbed his head against Oguma's head in a distinct feline manner. Oguma kissed him good night. They fell asleep, snuggled up together.

Chapter Text

Oguma woke up first. The early morning rays seeped through the edges of the curtains. He grew a smile as he recalled last night. Oguma was very thankful that Ibuki shared the bed with him instead of sleeping on the couch.

Ibuki was lying on his stomach, still asleep. Oguma moved his hand to run his fingers through Ibuki's mane, unintentionally stirring Ibuki awake. Ibuki took a moment to register what had happened last night. Once he remembered, he too started to smile.

"Good morning, I didn't mean to wake you." Oguma said. He stopped moving his hand, but he kept it on Ibuki's back.

"Morning," Ibuki moved to give Oguma a kiss on his cheek and continued speaking, "it's fine. I'll probably have to get ready for work soon."

Oguma watched as Ibuki rolled over to dig his phone out of his pants that lay next to his bed. He rested back in the bed before trying to turn his phone on. When it wouldn't turn on because it had died, he moved to plug it into the charger.

Ibuki and Oguma went back to cuddling while they waited for Ibuki's phone to charge. Ibuki lay in Oguma's arms. They remained that way in silence for a few minutes. Ibuki was wanting to hold off on asking any questions, but he knew it was better to know the answer to this question sooner rather than later.

Ibuki moved just enough back to look Oguma in the eyes. He asked, "What's your plan now? Are you going back to New York?"

Oguma placed a hand on Ibuki's cheek. "I'll have to, but I took the rest of the week off. I won't have to leave until Saturday."

Ibuki nuzzled into Oguma's hand before he said, "I don't want this to be a one time thing. You've really grown on me."

Oguma had thought of this. He didn't have a secure answer, so he decided to ride on his dreams for now. "Ibuki, I promise it won't be. You've grown on me too. I'm sure we can work something out."

"I hope so." Ibuki moved to check his phone. His eyes widened. He quickly got out of his bed and started throwing some clothes onto the bed.

"What's wrong?" Oguma asked with concern. Ibuki often had a feline laziness in his movements. This time, however, he was moving as quick as a jackrabbit.

"I missed my alarm. I'm already half an hour late. I need to shower." Ibuki gathered the necessary clothes off his bed and rushed to the bathroom.

Oguma got up and stretched. He placed his suitcase on the bed. He picked out some clothes for the day and took out a small bag filled with hygienic stuff. He sat on the bed waiting for Ibuki to get done with his shower. After 5 minutes he heard Ibuki turn the shower off.

Oguma was holding his belongings as he knocked on the bathroom door. "Can I come in? I need to shower and was hoping to ride along with you to pick up my car."

Ibuki opened the door. He already had his pants on and was holding a comb. "Be quick. I still need to comb through my mane."

Oguma started the shower. He thoroughly washed the important areas but was fast on anything else. By the time he was dressed, Ibuki was already waiting for him at the door. He was holding a bag, but Oguma didn't bother to ask what was inside. They rushed to his truck and started the drive. Ibuki pulled into the only gas station in town. He went inside while Oguma waited outside. He returned within a few minutes with two slices of breakfast pizza and two water bottles.

When they pulled up to Miguel's house, Ibuki was slightly relieved to see the rest of the guys slacking off. There were four lions surrounding an older pickup truck. It was a red truck, and despite its age, it had no rust, dents, or scratches on it. It was left unmodified so it looked small compared to newer trucks. The hood of the truck was propped up. They had been inspecting the truck before Ibuki and Oguma arrived. The only lion Oguma recognized was Free.

Ibuki walked right up to the most muscular lion Oguma ever laid eyes on. Oguma followed behind Ibuki. Ibuki sounded very apologetic when he said, "Sorry, I'm late. My phone died. I won't let that happen again."

"Ibuki, relax. This is the first time you've ever been late. Who's the deer?" Miguel looked over to Oguma.

Ibuki moved to the side so Oguma wasn't behind him anymore. "This is Oguma."

Oguma went to shake the very muscular lion's hand. He was a little disappointed when the lion's handshake was weak. Although Oguma assumed it was because he was being cautious.

"I'm Miguel. I was told you already met Free. In case you haven't, he's the one that isn't properly dressed. He also raided my kitchen last night." Miguel looked at Free with a displeased look.

Free interrupted Miguel, "First off, I only had one sandwich, and I might've had some ice cream. Ibuki and his new buddy ate everything else. Secondly, Ibuki said he was gonna bring me my work clothes. He stranded me here. I was too tired and weak to walk back to my place."

"Free, quit messing with Miguel. You want your clothes or not?" Ibuki was glad he had the upper hand on Free.

"You're always trying to ruin my fun. Did you bring them?" Free gave Ibuki a glare, but only for a second. He switched to a cheerful look.

Ibuki took Free to his truck. Free grabbed his bag and ran into Miguel's house to change. He knew he could trust Ibuki, but he was worried he would have to work in unsuitable work clothes. Miguel went inside after Free. He wanted to make sure Free had everything he needed for the day. Ibuki went back to standing next to Oguma.

The youngest and darkest lion there walked towards Oguma and shook his hand. He pointed at a lion with an x-shaped scar on his face, who was currently cleaning one of the truck's windows with a rag. "That's Dolph. I'm Agata. See anything you like?"

Oguma felt his cheeks become red. His mind was still lingering on the previous night. He wondered if Ibuki told them all about what happened last night. He decided it was best to play ignorance. "What?"

"Free said you're from New York. I'm sure you don't see a lot of them used for work over there, but you don't need to be from the country to see how hot they are." Ibuki studied Agata, trying to figure out what he was getting at.

Oguma was utterly speechless. He wasn't sure what kind of farm he walked into. It looked like your average farm. Oguma wanted clarification. He looked over to Ibuki to see if he would provide anything. When he remained silent, Oguma asked, "I don't see a lot of what?"

"This truck here behind me. 1994 Toyota Pickup. Can you believe the condition it's in? When Sabu said the seller told him to bring a trailer, I was thinking this thing was gonna need repairs. Turns out he wanted Sabu to haul a junk car. Paid Sabu to get rid of it plus the money he got to keep for junking it. It all worked out better than I thought it would." Agata responded gleefully. He turned to admire his new truck.

Oguma was slightly embarrassed by where his mind went. "Oh, right. That is a nice truck. We do have trucks in New York, but they are much larger."

"What'd you think I was talking about?" Agata asked. To everyone but Dolph, he appeared to be innocent. Dolph knew Agata well enough to know that he was trying to mess with Oguma.

"Nothing. I shouldn't hold you guys up. I just came here to pick up my car. I left it here last night." Oguma turned to kiss Ibuki goodbye. He walked towards Miguel's barn to retrieve his car.

Miguel went outside and jogged over to Oguma. "If you ain't busy, you're more than welcome to stay."

Oguma considered his offer. "Thank you. I will stay. I'm trying to not do any office work since I'm supposed to be on a break."

Miguel was pleased by Oguma's politeness. He may have taken some of Free's assumptions towards Oguma. "If you're anything like Ibuki, I may have something that would interest you. I've got a large bookshelf in the hallway."

"That does pique my interest. Can you lead the way?" Miguel led Oguma inside his house. After a few minutes, Miguel returned to the rest of the lions. Free was already there. He felt a lot better to be wearing the right clothes for the job.

"So, Ibuki," Free said with a smirk.

"Don't you "so" me, or I'll squeal." Ibuki threatened Free.

"Squel on what? I have nothing to hide. So, Ibuki. Was it your bed I heard creaking last night?" Free mimicked creaking noises. Agata laughed at this.

Ibuki turned to Miguel and calmly said, "Miguel, you notice anything odd about your fruit trees?"

Realization hit Free. His smirk disappeared. He had forgotten about the fruit trees. He begged Ibuki, "No, Ibuki! You wouldn't! I forgot. Ibuki, please. Forget what I said about your bed."

Miguel squinted over to his trees. The fruit trees were planted a few yards away from the back of the barn. "Now that you mention it, I have noticed the trees seem to be missing a lot of fruit. You know anything about that, Ibuki?"

Free gave Ibuki a pleading look. Ibuki continued on, "No, but I saw the strangest thing last Saturday. There Free was, at the farmer's market, selling jams. He had to have about 15 jars each. Apple jam, plum jam, and pear jam."

Miguel looked at Free. Free looked nervously back at Miguel. "Free, could you explain to me where you got all that fruit to make jam out of them?"

Free gave Ibuki a pouty look, then he turned to Miguel. "Okay, okay, listen. I'll give you the profits. Just let me keep a quarter of it."

"You can keep 75% of the earnings. I don't mind you making jams, just tell me next time. Anyway, I need you to walk through the fields and check for weeds, Free."

Free looked disappointed. "Aw man. I thought you said I was cutting silage."

"That was before I discovered what was happening to my fruit. Ibuki, you can cut silage with Agata. Dolph and I will take care of the soybeans and corn."

Each lion started their work while Oguma sat on a wooden porch swing near the front door. He found a book he had been meaning to read for a while now. It was The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. He began reading and hadn't noticed all the time that passed until Ibuki cleared his throat.

Oguma looked up at Ibuki. Ibuki asked, "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Not at all. What are you doing over here?" Ibuki went to sit next to Oguma. They both started to smile at one another.

"We're all on our lunch break. Miguel's grandma has the crock-pot going. It has soybeans, green beans, and potatoes in it if you want some."

"I would like that." Oguma placed a bookmark in the book and set it down next to him. They went inside and sat down at the table in the kitchen. Oguma didn't realize how hungry he was until the smell of the meal in the crock-pot spread around the kitchen.

An older lioness came into the kitchen. She was holding a duster in her hand. "You must be Oguma. I would have come to meet you earlier, but I was busy cleaning out the storm cellar. It's nice to meet you."

"Don't worry about it. It's nice to meet you as well," Oguma said with a smile.

They chatted while they ate their meals. Once they were done, the lions headed back outside to get more work done. Agata stayed back to do the dishes so Miguel's grandma could finish cleaning the storm cellar. Oguma decided to help Agata by drying and putting away the dishes.

Agata took off his flannel shirt, revealing a grey undershirt. He did this so it wouldn't get wet from washing the dishes. He looked over to Oguma. "There's a rodeo in town this Friday. Ibuki would say yes if you asked him to go. He likes those sorts of things."

Oguma was wanting to take Ibuki on a date. Although he is not familiar with anything in Iowa. "I've never been to a rodeo before. What's it like?"

Agata lit up. "Oh man, now you have to go. You'll like it. There's barrel racing, steer wrestling, and tie-down roping. I'll be there with Dolph."

"I don't know what any of that is." Oguma was feeling somewhat embarrassed by his lack of knowledge about rodeos. He tried focusing on drying the dishes to make that feeling go away.

"If you give me your number, I can text you about it. What barrel racing and that other stuff is about. Also the event information." Agata finished cleaning the last dirty dish. Oguma gave his number to Agata.

Before Agata returned outside, Oguma asked him to tell Ibuki he was going back to his apartment. Oguma spent the rest of his time alone on his laptop. He picked up on some office work to do.

When Ibuki arrived back home, he was exhausted. Not getting enough sleep and doing farm work was a combo that made Ibuki tired like no other. He took off his boots before trudging to his room. Oguma was sitting on his bed.

He closed his laptop when he saw Ibuki. "You look drained."

"I am. I stink too. Gonna have to take another shower." Ibuki picked out underwear and shorts to sleep in. He headed towards his bathroom, not bothering to close the door. He turned on the faucet. He decided to take a bath instead, so he filled up the tub with soap and water. Once he got in, he started dozing off.

Oguma walked out of the bedroom. He noticed the door was open, so he walked in to make sure everything was alright. He wasn't expecting to see Ibuki sound asleep in the tub. Oguma shook Ibuki gently to wake him up. "Let me wash you, just stay awake."

Oguma started scrubbing Ibuki. Ibuki sat there, enjoying the feeling. When they got done, Ibuki went to his bed and immediately fell asleep. Oguma stayed up half an hour after Ibuki had gone to bed. He finished up on some work and then called it a day.

Chapter Text

Early in the morning, a call from Oguma's phone woke him up from his sleep. He didn't bother to look at the caller ID before answering. "Hello?"

"Hello, Oguma. I heard things went well with the contract. Of course, I expected you to secure it. Now, I heard you are staying in Iowa. You can go anywhere. Is there a reason you're still in that state?" As his father was speaking, Oguma's brain immediately switched to alert mode.

"Oh, well, you see..." Oguma had to think fast. "I thought it would be good to stay in the state where my first contract was signed. That would allow me to get a true feel of how the environment is here. I was also thinking of what future accommodations we could make to make sure we won't have any trouble here."

"That is what I suspected. I will let you get back to work. I want to do a full review of how things went over with you when you get back." Oguma's father hung up on him. He figured his dad was rushing to get back to his work.

When Oguma laid eyes on Ibuki's sleeping face, the realization hit him hard. He was either going to have to tell his father or leave Ibuki. He only had three days to decide. He definitely had work to do, but this type of work didn't involve Horns. It involved his future.

Oguma still had many things to think about by the time Ibuki got up to start his day. He asked Oguma if he wanted to go to the farm with him. Oguma agreed, so they both set out that way.

At the farm, they were waiting for Agata and Dolph to arrive. Usually it was Free who they were waiting on. Once Agata and Dolph showed up in the same truck, Miguel started speaking.

Miguel started, "Ibuki, you looked really tired yesterday. If you want, you can pick the fruit off the trees. That's going to be the easiest work I can offer for today."

"Yeah, I'll do that." Ibuki was going to kiss Oguma goodbye, but Oguma stopped him.

"Could I help Ibuki with that?" Oguma asked.

"Sure, but if I look over and see you distracting him, you'll have to leave." Miguel really didn't need any more fruit tree incidents for a while.

Ibuki and Oguma walked towards the trees. There were already a few stacks of buckets for the fruit to be placed in. Oguma kept up with Ibuki's pace for 20 minutes. Afterwards, he got slower and slower while Ibuki remained at the same pace he started. By the time it was lunch, Oguma was ready to pass out.

As they were walking towards the house, Oguma said, "I don't know how you can still move your arms. No wonder you're very muscular."

Ibuki felt some pride in Oguma looking him up and down. If only they weren't in public. "Don't say anything in front of Free. He may go off on a New York tangent. He don't hate New Yorkers, he just listened to a lot of Hank Williams Jr. growing up."

Oguma looked at him confused. "Ibuki, I don't understand the correlation from that."

"Hank wrote a song that says Heaven and Dixie better be the same, otherwise, he'd rather go to hell or New York cause it'll be just the same." Ibuki held the door to Miguel's house open for Oguma.

They went inside the kitchen to eat. After they had gotten done, Oguma stayed behind. Free did make a joke about Oguma being better suited for Ibuki's housewife. Oguma went to grab the same book he was reading yesterday and made his way to the couch in the living room.

He had been reading for an hour when he heard someone open the front door. He didn't bother to look up because he assumed it was just one of the lions passing by. The lion stopped and asked, "You that deer Ibuki's seeing?"

Oguma looked up to see a lion he didn't recognize. He had a similar lean build to Free, along with two darker fur spots on his forehead. "Yes, and you are?"

"I'm Dope. Is Agata here?" Dope averted his eyes for a second to look out the window.

"He's somewhere on the farm."

"That's all I needed, thanks. I haven't had the chance to see his truck." Dope rushed through the house to the other door and left. Oguma was left to wonder how Dope knew about him and Ibuki. He assumed that Dope was probably a friend of Agata's.

The rest of the day went by. Ibuki had gone to bed, or more so, he's currently reading in bed. Oguma was wanting to do some office work before he slept. He stayed in the living room for now. While he was in the midst of his work, he received a call. It was from Agata. He picked up. "Hi, Agata."

"Hey, you still planning to take Ibuki to the rodeo?"

"Yeah, I think it would be better if you texted me the information. I might end up forgetting it, or I will have to write it down myself." Oguma opened a new note page on his laptop just in case.

"I just sent you the info through text. I was calling cause I wanted to talk."

Oguma picked up his laptop from his lap and placed it on the coffee table. "What did you want to talk about?"

"You. You planning on stealing Ibuki away, or you gonna live out here?" Agata said with a serious tone.

Oguma thought about how to answer that. He answered it truthfully. "I'm still working out the details on that."

"Okay, another question. You wanna bring yourself and Ibuki to hang out with Dolph and me after the rodeo? We plan on going to a diner for food."

"Sure, do you already have the place picked out?" Oguma was glad Agata was helping him with his future date.

"Yeah, hold on." Oguma could hear Agata speaking to someone in the background. "Move, just cause I said your name doesn't mean I want you lying on top of me... No, I'm on a call... You still there, Oguma?"

With slight curiosity, Oguma asked, "Yes, are you okay?"

"Yeah, you know how it is." Agata hoped Oguma would drop where this conversation was going.

"Are you and Dolph together?" Oguma had his suspicions about the two.

"He's in the same room as me. Look, I gotta go." Agata hung up before Oguma was able to say bye. Oguma started connecting the dots. Dolph and Agata seemed to be the closest with each other. Not only that, but they arrived in the same vehicle. Now they're together at this hour. What other conclusion could Oguma draw other than that they were dating? He supposed they could just be really good friends, and maybe this is just his large carnivore fantasy altering his view.

Oguma closed his laptop and headed to the bedroom. Ibuki would have the answers. He climbed into bed, facing Ibuki. Ibuki placed his bookmark in and placed his book on the nightstand.

"Ibuki?"

Ibuki looked down at Oguma. "Yeah?"

"Are Agata and Dolph dating?" Ibuki turned off the bedside lamp. He lay down next to Oguma.

"You can't go telling what I'm about to say, got it?" Oguma nodded his head in response.

Ibuki continued, "We all think they are, the guy that is. I mean, they've never talked about being with any women, and you don't see them taking any on dates. If they are, then they never openly show it. I think that has more to do with Dolph than Agata. Dolph has always been more reserved. I'm sure Agata just wants whatever Dolph wants. Hell, Agata even moved in to Dolph's one-bedroom apartment. Dolph says it's only until Agata can find a place of his own, but he's been there for nearly two years. I know plenty of places Agata would've liked to move to if he was actually looking to move. Not to mention, they only groom each other. That's a clear sign of love for lions."

"Are they fine with us dating?" Oguma never felt any hostility from Dolph or Agata, but he heard about how Iowa Nice worked.

"Of course, Dolph just carries society's expectations a little too much. He doesn't care who everyone else dates. Just don't say anything. Free doesn't even make jokes about them. Although I can't tell if it's out of respect or fear that Dolph or Agata could easily tie him to a pole."

"I won't say anything. I was wondering why Free hadn't made a gay joke when Dolph and Agata showed up together. I guess that explains why."

"Yeah, he wasn't really making a lot of jokes today. I think he didn't want to look for weeds twice in a row." Ibuki leaned over to kiss Oguma. He found it cute that his kiss had slightly startled Oguma due to his own lack of night vision.

Ibuki laughed. "You're cute."

"I'm not." Oguma flipped over to face away from Ibuki.

"Oggy, give me your glasses. You don't wanna sleep in them, do you?" Oguma took his glasses off and turned slightly to give Ibuki his glasses. Ibuki didn't grab his glasses, instead he grabbed his wrist. He placed his other hand on Oguma's side and pulled Oguma until he was flat on his back.

"What are you doing?" Oguma asked. Ibuki's only response was to put his hands underneath Oguma's shirt.

"Stop that, your hands are cold." Oguma was squirming, trying to get out of his grasp. He wasn't even close to breaking free due to Ibuki's strength.

"How can I when you're so hot?" Ibuki moved his hands to Oguma's back.

"I thought I was cute?" Oguma thought he had won, but Ibuki had shifted his focus to something else.

"Both." Ibuki lifted Oguma's shirt up to his neck.

"Ibuki, I'm not sure if I want to have sex." Oguma propped himself up on his elbows.

"I don't want sex either. Talking about Dolph and Agata grooming makes me wanna clean you." Ibuki lowered himself on Oguma's stomach. He started to rake his tongue on Oguma's stomach. Oguma never felt anything like this before. It was a nice feeling. He was sure if it wasn't Ibuki doing this, he wouldn't care about it. Oguma lowered himself. He began to relax.

When Ibuki got done with his stomach, he was going to turn him over to pick his back, but when he looked up, he saw Oguma had already fallen asleep. He took his and Oguma's glasses, which had fallen onto the bed, and placed them on the nightstand before falling asleep as well.

Chapter Text

Ibuki left that morning to go to work. Oguma stayed at Ibuki's apartment to work on some documents. When Ibuki came back home, he wanted to take Oguma to a boutique in town. They walked there since it was only a five minute walk.

When they made it inside the shop, Oguma saw Dope and another lion he didn't recognize. That lion introduced himself as Hino.

"It's nice to finally put a face to the name."

"There's been talk about me?" Oguma figured out how Dope knew of his and Ibuki's relationship.

"Oh, just small town gossip. Anything that happens will make its way here."

"That's only cause you're a gossiper, Hino."

"You're just as bad. We all know you spend at least an hour at the gas station gossiping with the old men in there. Oh, I mean talking about the weather." Hino said the last sentence sarcastically.

"It's only an hour on the weekends." Ibuki said, thinking that would make him sound better. It didn't do much, though.

While Hino and Ibuki's conversation slowly turned from who gossiped more to them both spreading gossip, Dope took Oguma by a clothing rack away from those two.

"This always happens. Now that they're gossiping, we can only hope it won't last for more than an hour." Dope started shuffling through the clothes.

"I didn't know Ibuki was that bad. Did he tell you about him and me?"

"No, nobody spreads around their personal life like that. It was Free who told me. Then I told Hino, and Hino told anybody who stepped foot in here."

"Did he have to?"

"Sorry, maybe I should've kept my mouth shut. You don't know to worry about anything, though. This is an accepting town. And look, I think I might be one of the only few to recognize you. I've seen you and your company. What are you doing here? Messing with Ibuki?"

"No, I really like him. I'm trying to work things out. With work and Ibuki."

"What are you thinking?"

"I need to tell my father about this first. He expects me to run the company and have a traditional lifestyle. Honestly, the thought of telling him makes my stomach turn. It depends on how he reacts. I'll either be here with or without horns." Oguma wasn't planning on telling Dope all of that. Dope had a certain charm about him that made Oguma feel like he could talk about anything.

"You've decided to stay here?"

"If I'm able to."

"You're rich enough, you can make it work. What are you looking for anyways? Clothing wise." Dope added the last two words hastily.

"Ibuki said he wanted to get me a flannel shirt and jeans. I told him I could wear one of his but he insisted."

Dope and Oguma looked through the clothes. Oguma settled on a flannel with a blue and white pattern and a pair of basic jeans. He went to the changing room to try them on. As he was putting the clothes on, he felt odd. He had a pair of jeans back in New York, but he very rarely wore them. Oguma thought he looked odd in the clothes he picked out.

"Oggy, can I see? I don't mind if I see you with clothes on or not."

"I think I look weird, Ibuki." Oguma opened the door. Ibuki took one look at Oguma, then he went into the changing room and closed the door.

"You're really fucking hot." Ibuki whispered in Oguma's ear. He began to kiss the deer's neck. First gently, then it became more rough.

"Ibuki..." Oguma tilted his neck to give Ibuki more access. Suddenly they heard a loud banging noise outside.

"Ibuki, no fucking in my changing rooms. First Free, now you." Hino said in a distraught voice. They both became bright red, embarrassed from getting carried away.

"Sorry, Hino." Ibuki squeaked out.

Ibuki left Oguma alone as he changed back into his regular clothes. When Oguma went out, he was still feeling too embarrassed to talk to or look at Hino. Ibuki purchased the clothes, and they quickly left.

Once they made it back to Ibuki's place, Ibuki spoke, "Sorry, I have a thing for stags in flannel."

"I could clearly tell. I want to see you in a suit." Oguma took Ibuki's hand and led him to the couch. He looked at Ibuki up and down, imagining him in a suit.

"I've never worn one before." Ibuki admitted. Oguma looked shocked at Ibuki.

"When I go back to New York, I'll make sure to change that." Oguma said without thinking.

"Are you going to leave me?" Ibuki asked worriedly. Ibuki moved his eyes to his knee and began to tug at a fold in his jeans.

Oguma held Ibuki's face in his hands to bring his eyes back towards his own. "No, I'll tell my father about us, and then I will come back here. I want to face him when I say it. I'm not sure how he will react, but I was hoping to come back here when it is all taken care of."

Ibuki smiled. He looked relieved. "You can always stay here. I'm not sure if I want to move out of here, but if I have to, then I will."

"You're really sweet, Ibuki." Oguma kissed Ibuki.

Ibuki's reassurance puts some of Oguma's worries at ease. Oguma hopes that his date with Ibuki will take his mind off things. He plans on asking Ibuki out tomorrow. Oguma wants to keep it as a surprise for now.

Since the changing room, half of Ibuki's mind has been filled with Oguma. Now that he knows Oguma isn't planning to leave him behind, all of his mind is thinking about Oguma. He leaned over to Oguma to kiss his neck again.

Oguma asked, "Do you want me to put that flannel on?"

Ibuki backed away to quickly say, "No, it'll get ruined."

Ibuki moved his hand to unbutton Oguma's shirt. He only got two buttons undone before he heard a knock. Their mood was instantly soured. Ibuki went to open his door.

"Hey, buddy! Wanna hang out?" It was Free who was at the door.

"No," Ibuki bluntly replied.

Free let out a fake sob. "Aw, Ibuki. I was doing a friendship test. You were supposed to say yes, and then you'd let me in, and we'd have pizza. I still have the pizza if you wanna share it."

"Yeah, you can come in. I don't see any pizza though." Ibuki didn't hesitate to say. He was getting hungry.

Free ran to his truck and brought out two pizza boxes. "Soyburger pizza, your favorite."

Ibuki crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway. "Oggy's here, you know."

"Yeah, that's why I also got a celery, mushroom, and spinach pizza." Free stuck out his tongue in disgust.

When Free went inside, he saw the slightly disheveled state that Oguma was in. He placed the pizza boxes on the coffee table. "Ibuki, I thought you only had one pole?"

Ibuki looked at Free suspiciously. He wasn't sure where Free was going with them. "What are you talking about?"

"You told me you only had one fishing pole and that you kept it in your truck. Well, clearly you had another one inside Oguma." Free shook his head, acting disappointed. Oguma covered his face with his hands. He had been embarrassed enough times today.

"Free, you interrupted us before anything could even happen." Ibuki was growing frustrated with Free cockblocking and now teasing him.

"For the last time, Ibuki. I'm straight. No, I will not have a threesome with you. Oguma, you really gotta put your man on a leash. Literally." Free wished he could see Oguma's face.

Ibuki looked at how embarrassed Oguma had gotten. "I'm about ready to kick you out."

Free gave up. He really did want to hang out with Ibuki and eat pizza. "Okay, I'll stop. Let's watch Airplane. That movie is awesome."

When the movie was over, it took all the effort they had to get Free to leave. By the time he left, they were too tired to have any fun.

Ibuki turned off the light. "Sorry, Oggy. I'll ignore any knocking next time."

"It's fine. Maybe we can wake up early enough." Oguma yawned. He wrapped Ibuki in his arms and kissed him on the forehead.

Later that night, Free, Dope, and Hino went over to Dolph's apartment. Agata had asked them to come over. They sat on the living room floor in a circle.

"Free, did you gather any new info?" Agata asked. He was resting his head on Dolph's shoulder.

"Oops. I forgot." Free admitted.

"Dude, that's why I brought you those pizzas!" Hino exclaimed.

Free winked at Hino. "Thanks, Hino. I did appreciate that. I did interrupt them, if that means anything."

"No, that doesn't. I found out more than you," Dope said with pride. He shared the conversation he had with Oguma earlier that day. Dope left out Oguma's business. He didn't want to give Free any ideas.

"I hope he means it, otherwise, we'll have to go hunting season." Free said carelessly.

"Free, you can't say that." Hino looked shocked at Free.

"Just did... maybe I shouldn't talk about Ibuki's boyfriend that way. I got this creepy feeling that Ibuki knows when I'm talking about him. Sorry for what I said, Ibuki." Free shivered.

When they were done talking about Ibuki, they filled each other in on any gossip they picked up. Dolph never cared about gossip, so he dragged Agata off to his room. The other lions soon left to return to their homes.

Chapter Text

Ibuki had gotten up to start his day. He woke up before his alarm, so Oggy was still asleep. When he was combing his mane, he received a phone call from Miguel.

"Hey, I'm not really needing another guy out here today. If you want, you can work at Jinma's today. He said he could use the help. If you want to work with me, I'll just give Free to Jinma."

"I'll go to Jinma's today. That'll make my weekend start sooner." They said their goodbyes and hung the call up. Ibuki replaced the flannel he was currently wearing with one stained with oil. He left Oguma a note on his nightstand, letting him know that he will be working at Jinma's today.

Ibuki did enjoy working out on the field, but it was nice being in a garage with a fan constantly pulling cool air in. When Ibuki entered the garage, there was no sight of Jinma. He did see Sabu on a creeper underneath a car.

Ibuki tried to walk loudly so he wouldn't startle Sabu. "Hey, Sabu. Heard you two needed help?"

Sabu rolled out from under the car. "Yeah, we've got that oil change discount going on. That's all you and I are gonna be doing today. The car lift is broken. There are floor jacks you can use near the back wall."

Ibuki looked over to the car lift. "Didn't you two just get it fixed?"

Sabu averted his eyes in slight shame. "Nah, Jinma and I were slacking. There's a guy coming out next week."

"Where is Jinma?" Ibuki asked.

"Free." Sabu rolled back underneath the car. Ibuki squatted to watch. Sabu used an oil wrench to unscrew the oil filter housing. He got out from underneath the car to let any leftover oil drain onto the pan.

Sabu continued, "Free came in here last night and thought he should attempt to do a transmission flush. Not sure if you noticed, but the whole front lot is covered in transmission fluid. Jinma's waiting at Miguel's farm to drag him here to clean it up."

Ibuki started working on his first car of the day when Jinma came back with Free.

"I know it's gonna stain, but if you power wash over it then it won't look as bad," Jinma said with a very disappointed tone.

"Sorry, Jinma." Free hung his head in shame.

Ibuki got up from underneath the car. When Free saw him, he lit up. "This is where you ran off to, Ibuki?"

"Yeah, what were you doing after you left my place?" Ibuki wiped the oil off his hands with a rag.

"Oh, just fixing a few things. Sorta made a mess." Free grabbed the power washer and went outside. Ibuki went back to changing the car's oil. Free was done and gone within 20 minutes.

Jinma always closed his shop for an hour to have a lunch break. Jinma had made sandwiches for the three of them before he and Sabu left the house this morning.

Next to Jinma's shop was a bar. This bar had an outdoor seating area in the back. They said they were fine with Jinma taking his lunch breaks back there since they didn't open until later. They went out there to enjoy their break.

Ibuki got to talking, "I was wanting to get some advice from you guys. Oguma says he has to go back to New York. He's gonna tell his father about us. He's not sure how it'll go, but if it does go well, then he's either gonna have to think about staying here, or I'll go there. What do you think we should do? Again, assuming his father takes it well."

Jinma spoke first, "Honestly, I think you two should stay here. You enjoy working for Miguel and me. Plus, you have a pride out here with us. Now, I may be speaking with loaded bias here, but I don't think you can find what you have here over in some big city. I know you'd hate living in the city too. Every time we drive through Cedar Rapids or Iowa City, you'd always say, "I'd hate living in the city," and those cities combined aren't anywhere near as big as Manhattan."

"Yeah, you're right about that. I just don't want to lose Oggy. I dunno. I think I'd hate it out there, but what if Oggy can't leave?" Ibuki took off his glasses for a moment to rub his eyes.

Sabu chimed in, "I think if he can't leave, for whatever reason, then you should go with him if you really can't stand the thought of leaving him. If all hell breaks loose, I'd drive up to New York myself and pick you up. You'll always have a home out here."

What Sabu said was very reassuring to Ibuki. "Thanks, I may have to take you up on that road trip."

Jinma groaned. "Sabu, you realize if you do that, I'll be stuck with Free while you're gone."

Sabu let out a laugh. He gave Jinma a kiss. "Maybe we should teach Dope a few things. He does look up to you."

"I wish he didn't. He could've gone to law school but chose to stay out here."

"It's like you said, Jinma, he didn't want to leave his pride." Ibuki added. Jinma only shook his head in response.

Once they finished eating, they headed back to work. It was oil change after oil change for Ibuki and Sabu. Jinma worked on any car that didn't need an oil change. Ibuki finished up for the day and then headed home.

When he went inside his place, he walked into something he wasn't expecting. Oguma had his suitcase packed and was crying on Ibuki's bed. Ibuki rushed to sit down next to him.

"Oggy, what's wrong?" Ibuki wrapped an arm around his back.

"I can't, Ibuki. I'm sorry. I can't." Oguma sobbed out.

"Can't what?" Ibuki had a feeling he wouldn't want to hear what Oguma was going to say next.

"I can't tell my father. I don't want to lose Horns. I don't know what I would do without the company. I'm scared." Oguma couldn't bring himself to look at Ibuki at all.

Ibuki rubbed Oguma's back, hoping to soothe him. "Oggy, if he doesn't accept you, then you can come right back here. Hino's been looking for someone to help him financially manage his business. You could always do that or wait for something else to come your way."

"I can't. I'm sorry. I have to go." Oguma grabbed his suitcase and quickly left. He started his GPS towards New York. He wasn't going to bother with hotels. He took one last look at Ibuki's place, then he drove off.

Ibuki sat on his bed, processing what had happened. He looked at his hand, the one that last touched Oguma. He walked to his living room window and looked out. Oguma's car was gone. He felt tears rolling down his face. He walked back to his bedroom. He sat on his bed and cried.

It felt like hours had gone by the time someone knocked on Ibuki's door. Ibuki looked at his phone's clock and read 6 p.m. It had only been an hour. He got up and went to answer his door.

"Dude, did Oguma forget? Hey, what's wrong?" It was Agata at his door. Dolph was standing next to him. Ibuki let them both come in his place. They sat on his couch, with Ibuki in the middle.

"Oggy left. He said he couldn't tell his father. He got scared. I don't know what to do. Please, I just want him back." Ibuki took off his glasses. He was crying too much to be wearing them.

Agata wrapped Ibuki up in a hug. He spoke to Ibuki as he stayed hugging him, "Ibuki, whatever happens, you'll get through this. We'll be here for you. And not just Dolph and me but all the guys."

Dolph placed a hand on Ibuki's shoulder. He said, "I'm sorry you have to go through this, Ibuki."

Free burst into Ibuki's apartment. "Oh, I had an inkling. If that deer comes back, he's gonna get it."

"Free, I don't want him to get hurt," Ibuki said.

"Well, I didn't want you to be hurt either, but look what he did," Free angrily responded.

"Free, please. For my sake." Ibuki looked at Free pleadingly. Free didn't fight with Ibuki on this. He simply nodded his head.

Agata had an idea. "Hey, why don't the four of us go to the rodeo in town? It might be good to try to have some fun, Ibuki. It starts in 2 hours. If you really don't feel like it, you can stay here, Ibuki."

"I'll go. Haven't been to a rodeo since October. I might be a mess, though." Ibuki wiped the tears away from his eyes.

Agata smiled at Ibuki. "Everybody will be looking at the ropes and horses, not at you. Gates opened a few minutes ago if you wanna head out now."

They made their way to the rodeo. The three lions made it their mission to try and cheer Ibuki up.

Chapter Text

The rodeo staff were still getting a few set up last minute. There was still an hour left. Free told the guys he needed to piss. He walked past the porta-potties and stopped when the noises from the rodeo became more dull.

Free went to lean his back against a tree. He pulled out his phone to make a call. He was surprised he'd even bother answering.

"I'm sorry." Oguma sounded full of sorrow. Truthfully, he wasn't sure why he answered Free's call. Maybe he was still clinging to the idea of being with Ibuki.

"You better be. Ibuki's a mess. Why can't you have a life here or there with Ibuki? He'd follow you to the end of the earth." Free tried not to sound angry, but he could only restrain himself so much. He wanted to hear from Oguma first before he let loose.

Oguma sighed. He felt miserable. "I can't. I don't want to lose the company I've worked so hard for."

That had done it for Free. He never could understand those who valued money over love. "Forget about the company! When you're old, do you want to die filthy rich with that company of yours, but you're all alone with no one who loves you, or would you rather die living a simple life filled with love?"

"It's not that black and white." Oguna could not see it being that easy. If he could choose Ibuki and Horns, he would. However, the thought of coming out to his father terrified him more than anything.

"Yes, it is! If it ain't then we'll make it black and white. Listen, I've known Ibuki all my life. He's never loved anyone more than he's loved you. You know how many people go without that kind of love? And here you are throwing it to the wind. Ibuki won't even ask you to pay for anything. That's gotta be hard to find someone like that for a man like you. I'm telling you this now. You either come back here tonight, or if you try stepping foot back in this town, it'll be the last thing you do. Now I gotta take a piss."

Free hung up the call. He felt himself getting riled up. He pulled out a can of silvervine dip. He put a good chunk in his bottom lip. Free then turned to take a piss and went back to the rodeo.

Oguma's heart was aching. He kept crying at every mile he made. Slowly getting further away from Ibuki. After his call with Free, he really wanted to turn around. Oguma started thinking of a new plan. He was nearing the border of Iowa going into Illinois. When he read a sign that said "Last Iowa Exit." He got into that lane on impulse. He had an hour and a half drive to make it back to Ibuki. Oguma hoped Ibuki could forgive him.

Ibuki tried to enjoy the rodeo, but his mind would always drift back to Oguma. The rodeo had recently started. He wasn't sure if he could sit through it all. He was glad his friends were here with him. but he wanted to self-loathe alone in his bed. Ibuki told the guys he needed a breather. He walked to the parking lot, heading towards his truck.

Free followed Ibuki. "How you holding up?"

"I feel like shit. I can't stop thinking about him." Free offered Ibuki his can of dip. Ibuki usually would decline, but he figured it might help him relax.

"You'll start feeling better." Free moved his hand to massage one side of Ibuki's neck. Ibuki closed his eyes. He always did enjoy how physical Free could get.

Free abruptly stopped. "Ibuki, run."

Ibuki opened his eyes. Before he could ask Free why, he saw why. It was Oguma. He parked his car in front of them and got out.

Oguma started speaking before the other two could. "You're right. Both of you were right. I'm sorry. I just got scared. I still am. I'm sorry."

Ibuki stood still, staring at Oguma in disbelief. He couldn't believe Oguma was standing in front of him. Ibuki hugged Oguma. "I'm sorry, Ibuki. I don't want to live a life without you. Whatever happens, will you be there?"

"Yes," Ibuki replied with no hesitation.

Ibuki was rubbing his cheek against Oguma's. Both Oguma and Ibuki were already starting to feel better. "I promise to make it up to you, but I need to ask you for a favor."

"Anything." Ibuki was letting his heart do the talking. Oguma slightly pushed Ibuki just enough away so he could make eye contact with Ibuki.

Before he spoke, Oguma noticed the stars reflecting off Ibuki's eyes. He had never seen a prettier sight than what he saw in Ibuki. He took a mental picture to remember it. "Can you please come to New York with me? I know it's short notice. I'll do everything I can to come back here. I really can't face my father alone. I need you, Ibuki. Please."

"Yes," Ibuki replied without a second to think.

Free had to butt in, "Now hold on, Ibuki. You can't just up and leave for a guy who actually up and left you only a few hours ago."

"See you in a few days, Free." Ibuki laughed when Free's face became filled with worry.

"Ibuki..." Free didn't know what to say to make him think this over. Free was used to being the irrational one, not the other way around.

Ibuki was back to hugging Oguma. "Free, you've made so many impulsive decisions in your life. Let me have this one."

"Okay, but if I hear you crying cause of Oguma, then I'm showing up wearing bright orange." Free looked at Oguma with narrowed eyes.

Oguma ignored Free's threat. "We don't have to leave tonight. We can leave tomorrow. Please, can we leave tomorrow? I'm exhausted."

"Too exhausted for a rodeo?" Ibuki asked.

"I'd like to check it out. Agata suggested I take you on a date here tonight. Sorry I ruined it." Oguma felt shameful.

"You didn't ruin it, Oggy. I've been meaning to tell you that you smell better when you smell like me." Ibuki kissed Oguma's cheek.

Oguma felt himself warm up. "Ibuki, not here."

"Yeah, you pervert. Wait, Ibuki, you're officially a pervert. I need to tell Dolph and Agata. Rex knows you'll try to get them to have a foursome with you and Oguma." Free rushed off, yelling the other two lions names. Ibuki grabbed Oguma's hand and ran after Free.

Agata and Dolph were glad to see Oguma back. Although they both stayed wary of Oguma for now. They all enjoyed the rodeo. Ibuki and Oguma returned to Ibuki's apartment. Ibuki called Miguel to ask if he could take the next week off. He explained everything that happened. Miguel allowed him the week off.

They joined each other in Ibuki's bed. They both stripped down to their underwear. Ibuki went full kitty mode on Oguma. He was rubbing the side of his face against Oguma's. Grooming what he could of Oguma's body. He asked multiple times for Oguma to rub him here or there.

"What's gotten into you, Ibuki?" Oguma was running his fingers through Ibuki's mane. Ibuki rested his head on Oguma's chest.

"Free gave me some silvervine." Ibuki lazily replied. He was enjoying Oguma's fingers greatly.

"I didn't know you did that stuff." Oguma was enjoying Ibuki's playfulness. He was going to look into silvervine later. He hoped to buy Ibuki the best quality of silvervine he could get his hands on.

"Only on rare occasions."

"You're really cuddly right now."

"I can change it up, if you'd like." Ibuki's voice held a seductive tone.

Oguma felt him becoming excited. He asked, "How so?"

Chapter Text

Ibuki lowered himself. He started to lick at Oguma's dick through his underwear. Oguma tangled his hands in Ibuki's mane to grip at his head. Oguma moved his hips slightly upwards. He was trying not to move around a lot.

"Ibuki." They looked into each other's eyes. Ibuki could tell with the look Oguma was giving what he wanted. Ibuki felt like teasing Oguma. He continued to lick as well as suck on his shaft every couple of licks. Ibuki could feel Oguma growing hard.

"Ibuki, please," Oguma pleaded. He felt he was going to go crazy if his underwear stayed on him for any longer. Ibuki slowly pulled down Oguma's underwear just enough for his dick to be freed. He held Oguma's dick at the base. He lightly licked the tip of his head. He made sure to look up at Oguma, making sure he liked this.

The sensation was new to Oguma. The feeling a feline tongue brought was of pleasure with a hint of roughness. Oguma found it surprisingly enjoyable. He kept one of his hands in Ibuki's mane but placed the other to muffle any noises he didn't want to make.

Ibuki moved his hand to drag his tongue up Oguma's entire shaft. Ibuki looked at Oguma as he moved his tongue up. Oguma put a hand on Ibuki's forehead to stop him. "Too rough. Let's do something else."

Ibuki thought for a moment. "I have a toy I purchased recently if you want to try it out."

"Oh? Can I see it?" Oguma asked.

Ibuki got up to go to his closet. He took a box off the top shelf. He went back to his bed and pulled out what looked to be a black silicone rectangle. On both ends of the toy, the color changed to red and had rounded ends. There were two holes on one of the red ends and one hole at the other.

Ibuki explained, "It's for frotting. We put our dicks inside the two holes, and they'll meet inside. You want to try it out?"

"Yes." As soon as Ibuki got confirmation, he got to work. He grabbed the bottle of lube from his nightstand and poured some lube around the side with both holes. Ibuki straddled Oguma's thighs. He put Oguma's dick inside first, then his own. Oguma could feel the inside was lined with ridges. He didn't feel anything on one side of his dick until Ibuki slid in.

Ibuki began to grind against Oguma and the toy. Oguma tried to do the same, but Ibuki's weight and strength prevented him from such movement. He didn't mind this all too much, though. It was nice letting Ibuki take most of the control.

Ibuki had been continuously grinding for a good amount of time. Oguma already felt close, but when Ibuki moved a hand to squeeze the silicone, Oguma came right then. He moaned out and watched his cum ooze out from the single hole of the toy. Ibuki took his dick out and jacked himself off for a few seconds until he too came. His cum spurted across Oguma's torso.

Ibuki flopped down next to Oguma. He was lying still, trying to catch his breath. Oguma turned slightly to place the toy on the nightstand. He didn't bother to clean up the toy, but he did grab a tissue to clean the mess they made on his torso.

"You look better covered in cum." Ibuki slowly brought his eyes from Oguma's stomach to his eyes.

"So do you." Oguma turned to face Ibuki. He rubbed Ibuki's back in a circle motion. Ibuki hid his face under Oguma's chin.

Oguma was still feeling horrible from what he had done earlier that day. "I meant it earlier. When I said, I'll make it up to you."

Ibuki was fully relaxed with his eyes closed. "Yes, you definitely have."

"No, I meant more than just sex. I want to give you something... huge." Oguma couldn't think of what word to use without giving it away.

Ibuki laughed. "Oggy, you're already big enough for me."

Oguma stopped rubbing Ibuki to make sure Ibuki was fully listening. "Not that way. You're more to me than just sex. I love you."

Ibuki moved away to look at Oguma. Ibuki was smiling. "Say it again."

"I love you." Oguma said with more ease after seeing Ibuki smile.

"I love you too," Ibuki said back.

They moved back to their original position. Ibuki was rubbing his cheek in a feline fashion against Oguma's collarbone and chest. He knew Oguma already smelled like him, but it made him feel good to upkeep his scent. Oguma knew Ibuki was doing this out of possession. It reassured him that Ibuki still wanted him.

Ibuki moved back to look Oguma in the eyes. He mindlessly said, "You're hot."

Oguma giggled. "You can't possibly still be horny. We just finished."

"I'm not horny. You're always hot." Ibuki moved his hand to hold Oguma's hand. They looked at each other in silent content.

Ibuki fell asleep, and then Oguma did soon after. Oguma was still filled with nervousness, but he knew if he had Ibuki by his side, then everything would turn out alright.

Chapter Text

The drive to Manhattan felt longer to Oguma than it was driving from Manhattan. He knew it was mostly his nerves causing the drive to feel longer. However, having Ibuki with him did help him calm down. It was reassuring to know that if his father couldn't accept him, then Ibuki would be there for him.

When they arrived, Oguma's father was surprised to see his son come back to the manor with a lion. They were currently sitting in his father's office. The plan was to discuss the business trip he had taken and if he had any new perspectives to offer. Instead, it turned into an explanation as to why he showed up with a lion.

Oguma had been wanting to get this out of the way as soon as possible. He spoke first, "This is Ibuki, my boyfriend."

His father looked at Ibuki, then at Oguma in surprise. "Is he the reason why you stayed in Iowa?"

Oguma tried to sound confident. "Yes, but I don't see anything wrong with that."

Oguma's father looked to Ibuki and asked, "Ibuki, could you leave us for a moment?"

Ibuki rose from his chair. He walked out of the office and leaned against a wall next to the door. He was feeling anxious, but he hoped Oguma could get through to his father.

Oguma's father sternly asked, "How do you think this will affect the company?"

"There have been plenty of other successful gay CEOs." He knew his argument wasn't strong, but he didn't prepare for a stronger argument.

"They all faced some backlash," his father responded quickly.

"They also gained support. It's not like I have to come out publicly." Oguma was hoping his father would show some empathy.

"No, but it would be better if you made a statement before anything could be leaked." Oguma's father still showed no emotion.

"All I want is to continue my relationship with Ibuki. That's all I'm asking for," Oguma pleaded.

"It would look better if you at least went with another stag." His father still wasn't budging.

"I didn't choose to fall in love with Ibuki. If you won't accept me, then I'll leave for good," Oguma snapped. He got up to leave, feeling his heart growing heavy. His father got up and placed a hand on Oguma's shoulder to stop him.

"Wait," he took a moment to think. "If this really is something that is non-negotiable, then we can discuss specifics. You know it won't be easy."

"I'm well aware of that. You're fine with Ibuki?" Oguma lowered his defenses.

"I'd like to get to know him first. We can have dinner together tonight if you two are free." Relief washed over him. He turned to hug his father.

"Yes, we are. Thank you." Oguma smiled.

His father patted him on the back. "I need to get back to my work. Before you go, can I trust that you will keep your status with Ibuki between the three of us? Only until we have a concrete plan."

"Yes." Oguma left his father's office. He noticed Ibuki spaced out, fidgeting with a button on his shirt.

"Ibuki, it went well," Oguma cheerfully said.

Ibuki looked at Oguma. "That's good. What did he say?"

Oguma stood next to Ibuki before saying, "He wants to get to know you."

Ibuki grew nervous. "Oggy, I can't. He's too intimidating."

"He's only going to ask you questions about yourself. He wants to get to know you. Don't you think that's a good thing?" Oguma grabbed Ibuki's hand to hold.

"Yeah, I'll just have to wear something more breathable. I didn't even say a word in there, and I was already sweating a lot." Ibuki tugged at the collar of his shirt. He wondered if he should trim his mane.

"I would like to see you in a suit. We can easily find a breathable one for you." Oguma took a quick glance up and down Ibuki's body.

"Only if you promise to keep your hands off me when I'm trying it on." Ibuki did not need a repeat of what happened last time they went to a clothing store together.

"I'll try." Oguma didn't sound promising at all.

Ibuki and Oguma left the manor. Oguma still wanted some one-on-one time with Ibuki, so he drove them to his regular suit shop himself. The shop tailored-made high-end suits.

Ibuki didn't have a strong preference as to what suit he wanted. He let Oguma pick out a suit for him. When Ibuki tried it on, he felt stiff. He assumed he just needed time to get used to it. Ibuki went out of the changing room. One of the employees took some measurements and then informed them that the suit would be ready in 3 hours. Oguma went to pay as Ibuki changed back into his regular clothes.

When they got inside the car, Oguma leaned over to whisper to Ibuki. "You looked very attractive in there."

Oguma placed a hand on Ibuki's knee. He kissed his neck as he slowly crept his hand up Ibuki's thigh. Right before Oguma's hand would've reached Ibuki's crotch, he went back over to his space and started the car like nothing happened. As he was driving back towards his place, Ibuki was left feeling aroused.

"Oggy," Ibuki had a pleading tone in his voice.

"I need to focus on the road, Ibuki." Oguma was having fun toying with Ibuki. He was going to take care of Ibuki, but that will have to wait until later. Ibuki only sat there and stared at Oguma, hoping that would do something to convince Oguma to do anything. When it didn't, Ibuki moved his hand to Oguma's thigh. Oguma took Ibuki's hand in his own and moved it back to Ibuki's lap. Ibuki sat still for the rest of the drive.

Later that night, the dinner was taking place at the manor. Ibuki was glad his suit was breathable. He was able to relax a little at that. Oguma's father asked Ibuki a lot of questions. Most pertaining to his work life. The dinner went well for the three of them.

Ibuki stayed with Oguma at the manor for the entire week he spent in Manhattan. Oguma was often away doing office work or discussing future plans with his father. They brought Ibuki into the discussion once they finalized their plans as to how Oguma could run Horns while dating Ibuki.

Oguma and his father had planned to purchase an unused building in Onett. They would turn that building into an office space for Horns, where Oguma would work from. Ibuki was more than happy with their plan. Oguma scheduled for the remodeling to get done by the time they arrived back in Iowa.

They arrived back late at night. Oguma arranged for a surprise for Ibuki during the next day. Ibuki knew something was going on because there was no sight of his pride anywhere. It had been a week since he last saw any of them. Oguma told Ibuki he wanted to look over the remodeled office space before it opened for interviews tomorrow.

Ibuki was sitting on the steps outside his place. He was feeling too lazy to look for anyone himself. He hoped by sitting outside one of them would wander up to him. That did work because soon Free was pulling up with his truck. He kept the truck running but got out.

Free ran up to Ibuki. "Dude, I need your help. I was drunk last night and TPed this guy's backyard. Can you help me clean it up?"

"Sure, but you owe me." Ibuki sounded annoyed, but the smile on his face told otherwise.

Ibuki got into Free's truck. He drove them to a house on a gravel road they frequently passed by. It was a two-story white country house with a wraparound porch. The yard was covered by plenty of trees. A small road led up to the house.

Free parked his truck at the end of the driveway. They got out of his truck.

Ibuki asked, "Free, why did you choose this house? I like this house."

"I know. You always talk about how nice it looks. That's why I chose it."

Free led the way to the front door. As soon as Ibuki stepped inside, he was greeted with a surprise. All the guys were there along with Oguma. Oguma handed Ibuki a few documents. He ushered Ibuki to read the documents before asking questions. Ibuki realized he was reading the deed of the house he was currently standing in. Oguma had purchased this house.

Ibuki took Oguma's hand and brought him outside to the porch. Oguma became worried that Ibuki didn't like the surprise. His worries ceased once Ibuki hugged him. "I couldn't hold in my tears. Thank you, Oggy."

Oguma returned the hug. "Free helped me out. This was what I meant when I said I wanted to get you something."

Ibuki truly felt like the luckiest man in the world. The other guys went outside to check on Ibuki. That's when Oguma handed Free a set of keys and told him to go look inside the shed. A minute later, Free drove off with a new Ducati Scrambler Icon motorcycle. He certainly wasn't planning on coming back anytime soon.

Oguma offered Dope a job at his company as Horns Executive Communications Manager. Dope was hesitant, but Oguma assured him that he would work at the new office in town. He would occasionally need to travel around, but Horns would pay for everything. Dope gladly took the job offer.

They all spent the rest of the day at Ibuki and Oguma's new house. By the time Free got back, the sun was setting. The lions all insisted on spending the night at the newly acquired home. Ibuki was more than happy to let them. The future was looking bright for the two of them.