Swat Kats Mainstream: Payback Time

WARNING!!! WARNING!!! WARNING!!! This story is ©SynjoDeonecros. Swat Kats and all affiliated characters are ©Hanna Barbera. Sher Kahn is ©Rudyard Kippling and Disney. Do not under any circumstance alter this story or redistribute it without my consent. This story also contains graphic depictions of sex between male anthro felines. If you are underage or uninterested in such content, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!!! Also, this story is a self-made sequel to Wielder Wolf's Swat Kats Mainstream and Clone Saga series, so it's suggested you read those before reading this, lest ye be confused by what is happening here.

SWAT Kats Mainstream: Payback Time

by SynjoDeonecros

He sat there, waiting, watching the gay bar across the street. He looked at his watch, impatiently. What was taking them so long? They should have been here by now. He sat back in his car, sighing. Not for the first time, he was having doubts about this. Even though what he was doing was perfectly legal, he just couldn't shake the feeling that it was wrong. Maybe he should give it up. Maybe he should cut his losses and leave the tabbies alone. He shook his head. No, he came too far to give up the chase now. He still hadn't gotten what he wanted. So what if he had to settle with a consolation instead of the prize he had always dreamed about. It was better than nothing, and it would surely satisfy him, if nothing else. Still, he hoped they wouldn't hold too much of a grudge against him.

Just then, he saw two cars pull up in front of the bar: an old, beat-up tow truck, and a sleek limousine. The tow truck parked in front of the bar, while the limo headed around back through the alleyway. He recognized them easily: The tow truck belonged to Chance Furlong and Jake Clawson, also known as T-bone and Razor, the SWAT Kats. The limo belonged to Sher Khan, multi billionaire and mate of Ulysses Feral, former Commander of the Enforcers and a dancer at the bar. He wasn't surprised that Chance and Jake were here: they were regulars at the bar, especially during the nights Feral danced. They were also lovers, mated for nearly four years and often joined Feral and Khan in their sexcapades. He was, however, surprised that Khan himself showed up. According to the reports, Khan was so afraid of losing his corporation if it were publicly known that he was gay, that he rarely went to any local sex establishments, choosing to order his sex toys online. This also meant he refrained from seeing his mate dance at the bar. He smiled as he put two and two together. Of course. What better way of watching your mate without being seen yourself than to watch from backstage? He chuckled to himself. "Score one for the Agency," he quipped.

Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the smile vanished, replaced by a concerned frown. The appearance of Khan here could screw up the entire operation. He knew what happened if you piss off Sher Khan. And what he was about to do was guaranteed to piss him off royally. Still, there was hope. Maybe Khan would cooperate voluntarily. That would certainly put an interesting spin on things.

He waited for a few more minutes after the SWAT Kats entered the building before heading in himself. As he waited, he fondled the left breast pocket of his trenchcoat. Inside were his Agent badge, and a slip of paper; a conditioned warrant for the arrest of both Jake, Chance, and Feral. Hopefully, they'll comply without incident; he didn't want this to become a real legal matter.

"My friends," Steele said to himself as he entered the bar, smiling. "It's payback time."

**********

Jake and Chance sat down at their usual table, ordering a few drinks and taking in the scenery. They started talking as a familiar tabby entered the bar. Watching in fascination, they couldn't believe their eyes as Steele sat down at the wet bar. They could believe them less when he actually made small talk with the bartender, checking out some of the males there as he talked.

"Hey, Jake," Chance asked, perplexed. "Isn't that Steele?"

Jake nodded, still in disbelief. "It's him all right. But why would he come here? I thought he wasn't gay."

"I thought he was kicked out of the Enforcers. So why show up here? Does he want to get his tail pummeled?"

"Maybe he turned over a new leaf."

"Yeah, right. For Steele, that would take turning over an entire rain forest."

As they talked, Steele checked them out, using just enough stealth to make it look like he was doing something else. They haven't changed a bit, he thought. Good. I was hoping to catch them off guard.

Steele sipped his drink absently as the lights dimmed. Everyone's attention was suddenly drawn toward the stage. As he expected, Feral was the first stripper of the night. Feral started dancing as the curtains parted, an energetic, sensuous dance that would have many of the bar patrons excusing themselves into the restrooms afterwards. As he watched, Steele thought he saw the barest hint of surprise from the tabby. He smiled and nodded slightly. At least now his prey knew he was there. Of course, for what, they had no idea. Slowly, the familiar feelings began to make themselves known. He sighed as he laid his hand on his crotch, gently, lightly stroking his growing member through the fabric of his jeans. He didn't hold back; he hadn't for quite a while. Not since he came to grips with who, and what, he was. Ever since then, he had enjoyed every daydream, every reminiscent thought of that night. Hopefully, he'd be able to relive that night tonight. The mood was spoiled by another feeling, that of wrongness. Quietly, Steele squashed that particular feeling out. There was no point in assuming anything at this point. Either they'll agree to the terms listed in his warrant, and only spend a night in his custody, or they'll refuse, and be stuck in jail for five years. Hopefully, if he knew them, they'd take one look at the terms and agree to them immediately. At least, that's what Steele was hoping for.

Feral had danced for a couple of minutes, gyrating wildly around the bar, pausing for a good thirty seconds at his friends' table, before stepping back on stage and out back, ending his performance. Strangely, he had steered clear of the wet bar. Most likely to stay away from Steele. Steele just shrugged. So he still held a grudge against him. So what? He would, too, if he were in Feral's position. Hopefully, tonight would settle some bad blood between them. Steele waited until Jake and Chance had left their table, entering the back rooms. Then, he waited for a few more minutes, partly to let them talk about him for a while, partly to squash another sense of wrongness from his mind. Once he was ready, he, too, went backstage.

As he neared the bar's private sex lounge, Steele could hear Feral, Chance, Jake, and Khan having a debate over him.

"Steele?!" Khan yelled in surprise. "You mean that bastard who tried to get to you through Felina a year ago?" He sounded outraged. As could be expected.

Feral nodded. "I'm just as surprised as you are, love. Now that I'm out of the force, why would he still come after me?"

"I don't know," Jake replied. "But did you see how he looked at you? At us? He looked lustful. Hungry. How do you explain that? I thought he wasn't gay."

"I can answer that."

All four kats turned toward the door. There was Steele, grinning like a Cheshire Cat as he watched them. He walked into the room, taking care to leave a good distance between him and them.

Feral was furious. "Steele!!! What in the hell are you doing here?!"

Steele took out his Agent badge and the warrant. "My job." He threw the badge and warrant onto the table, allowing them all to see.

Khan picked up the items, handing Feral the badge as he read the warrant. "'By order of the MCSIA, this warrant is administered to the arrest of Ulysses Feral, Jake Clawson and Chance Furlong on the charge of third degree rape and blackmail.'" He looked at his mate. "Steele's here to arrest you!"

Chance growled in rage. "That's not possible. Steele's out of the Enforcers, remember?"

Steele tsked Chance in disappointment, shaking his head. "Whoever said you were dealing with the Enforcers?"

Feral studied the badge, then the warrant, in utter confusion. "They both seem to be legit, but what the hell is the MCSIA? I've never heard of it."

"No one has." Steele held out his hand, silently demanding his badge back. Once Feral returned it to him, he continued. "It's a secret government organization, with branches in all known major cities in the area. After I was booted out of the Enforcers, they took me in, made me an agent. While we do cooperate with the Enforcers from time to time, we're a separate entity, with a higher authority than the Enforcers." Steele's eyes gleamed as he looked at the other kats. "You'll also find the warrant to be very legit, and very enforceable. But keep reading; I think you'll find the conditions of the arrest to be highly entertaining."

Feral glared at Steele for a few seconds before turning toward the warrant. "'As per orders from the MCSIA, all arrested parties will stand trial for their crimes and, if found guilty, will be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison.'"

"Five years?!!!" Khan roared. "There's no fucking way I'm going to let you lock them up for five years. In fact, you limp-dicked weasel, I'm going to make sure they don't get locked up at all!"

Steele chuckled silently. He knew this was going to happen. "Keep reading. I think you'll find something a little more tolerable in that thing."

Feral continued reading, despite the fact he had the urge to shred the damn warrant and shove it up Steele's ass. "However, the above charges will be dropped if the arrested parties agree to the following conditions: They must allow the arresting officer to dominate them for the night of the arrest. If they refuse, or if they should attempt to resist the domination at any point during the night, the above charges will remain valid and the arresting officer will proceed with normal arrest procedures. He, then, may add charges of his own if necessary."

Chance glared at Steele. "So, it's either, be your sex slaves for the night, or be prisoners for five years, is that it?"

"Absolutely," Steele assured them. "Don't worry, you'll be perfectly all right, and you'll be released tomorrow morning. That is, if you decide on the latter condition."

All four kats looked at Steele, enraged, then looked at each other, as if having their own little private debate. Finally, after a few moments, Feral turned back toward Steele.

"You sure we'll be released tomorrow if we let you fuck us? No tricks?"

Steele nodded with genuine sincerity. "Absolutely. No tricks. Unless, of course, you decide to crap out and start fighting it. Then, it's off to jail you go, with an added charge of assault on a federal agent on your asses."

Feral nodded, then returned to the private debate going on. After another few minutes, the kats seemed to have come to a decision. Turning toward Steele, Feral, Chance and Jake bowed their heads in submission.

"What do you want your kitties to do, Master?" asked Feral, a little disgusted.

Grinning, Steele began undoing his belt. "Well, since you're already prepared for tonight, Feral, your friends can strip down for me."

Nodding in submission, Chance and Jake began taking off their clothes.

"Hold on one second," Khan said, stopping them. He went up to Steele, getting right up in his face.

"Just so you know, Steele," the tiger snarled. "If I see you do anything, and I mean anything, to hurt either my mate or my friends, I will rip off your balls, shove them down your throat, and sue you out of existence for unnecessary force on a prisoner. You understand me?!"

Steele jerked back reflexively, resisting the urge to stick his finger in his ears to stop the ringing. "Perfectly, Mr. Khan. I swear to you, on my life's blood, that the only discomfort they'll feel is when I first shove my dick up their asses. Which, from what I've heard of you, shouldn't pose much discomfort at all. As for you, Mr. Khan, since this arrest has nothing to do with you . . . " He stammered a little as Khan growled at that last sentence. "...Other than your mate and friends being arrested, of course, you have a choice."

"And that is . . . ?" Khan snapped.

"You can either sit out and watch, or participate. Not as my sex slave, I assure you. But as an equal. Two toms having some passionate sex with their loving kitties."

Chance spat at that. "Just because we're your kitties for the night, that does not mean it makes up for what you did to Feral or Felina."

Steele shied away from that comment, looking genuinely hurt. "I can't say I blame you for hating me. Believe me. I hate myself for what I'd done all the time. There's no way I can make up for it, and I know this may seem like a cop-out, but I had no choice." He sat down on one of the couches, coming so close to crying that even Feral noticed it. "All my life I had been living a lie, a lie even I started to believe in. No matter what I did to suppress it, I always felt . . . " He started to sob as his emotions broke down. "I love you, Feral. I've always had. I was just too afraid to admit that I was gay. After that attack at the parade, I couldn't."

Jake and Chance looked at each other, confused. "What attack?" Jake asked.

Feral answered for Steele, a look of surprised recognition on his face. "A couple of years ago, when I was still a lieutenant, someone shot a participant at a gay pride parade, wounding him pretty badly. The Enforcers caught the culprit, but since then, the parade had been downplayed for security reasons."

"I was only a cadet back then," Steele added. "I was in the crowd, watching the parade when it happened. That attack scared me so bad, I refused to acknowledge I was gay to anyone, including myself. I told so many kats I wasn't gay that I even started to believe it. "When I tried setting you up at the club that night, I-I thought I was doing it to get your job. Then there was those accusations and mean jokes at headquarters . . . " He stopped then, too upset to go on.

The others looked at him in shock. They had never seen Steele like this before. It was like seeing an entirely new kat before them.

Steele held his head low as he whispered, "I . . . I thought about killing myself after that."

Feral's eyes went wide in shock after hearing that. "You tried to commit suicide?" Despite himself, Feral felt compelled to hold Steele, to comfort him in his moment of vulnerability. He sat down next to the crying tabby, allowing him to slip into his awaiting arms.

Steele nodded. "By then, I had realized how wrong I was about this entire thing, how much you meant to me. I-I never wanted your job, Feral. I wanted you. I wanted you all to myself. And if I got you out of the Enforcers, I knew I could have you. But by the time I realized that, it was too late. You were dating Khan, thinking about marriage, and it devastated me. I felt lost without you. Incomplete. I felt that, without you, I had no reason to live. I was just about to pull the trigger, to end it all right then and there, when I got an anonymous letter telling me what I could do. There was still a chance for me. I had to do what the letter said. It actually saved my life."

"What did the letter say?" asked Jake.

"It described some convoluted plan dealing with Felina and the Agency and getting Feral to retire . . . It made absolutely no sense to me, but I was assured I'd get what I wanted if I followed through with it."

"So you went after my niece," Feral mused. Somehow, he was piecing it all together. "You knew I would retire to save her, didn't you?"

"Yes. Yes, I did. I also knew I would get kicked out of the 'Force afterward. There would be an investigation, I would be found guilty, and that would be the end of my career."

"So who investigated you?" asked Chance.

"The same Agency I'm now a member of. The MCSIA. It stands for the MegaKat Central Sexual Investigation Agency. They . . . deal with all legal things of a sexual nature, from sex-related crimes to political backstabbing using a party's sex life. They saved your butt from the fire many times, guys. But that's besides the point. Somehow that anonymous writer tipped the Agency to the idea that I'd make a perfect Agent, and so had them arrange an investigation into my blackmail of Felina. Once I was out of the Enforcers, they took me in, gave me a new life. I even have a lover, if you can believe it."

"Who?" asked Khan.

Steele looked at the tiger, knowingly. "My partner. Maybe you two have met. His name's Bagheera."

"Bagheera? He used to be my personal bodyguard, before he resigned for some other job he didn't care to talk to me about."

Steele smiled. "He was recruited to the Agency a few years before I did. I was assigned to him as his apprentice, but we ended up being lovers instead."

Feral shook his head, frustrated with something. "All right, I got that part. But how did you get into a federal Agency after getting kicked out of the Enforcers? With that mark on your permanent records, I'd figure you wouldn't be able to get any law enforcement job, government or otherwise."

Steele shook his head, slightly bemused. "I wasn't kicked out of the Enforcers. I resigned." He paused to check out everyone's confused expressions before continuing. "According to the letter, I was supposed to resign my commission shortly after the investigation started. Then, the Agency would have a big hoopla about having me discharged from the 'Force to get me out of the spotlight. Once I was 'officially' kicked out, no one would bother prying into my life anymore, and the Agency would be able to recruit me without notice."

"But how did you know Feral would resign his commission?" asked Jake, slightly confused. "He didn't even know about what you were doing until he got . . . that . . . letter . . . My god!" His eyes went wide as he figured it out.

Steele nodded, knowing what the other kat was thinking. "Whoever gave me that letter also tipped Feral off to the plan. That was part of the plan, actually. I swear, I had no idea either one of us were being manipulated."

Khan roared in fury as he realized what was going on. "That BASTARD!!! When I find that fucking alien, he better hope he can clone himself as efficiently as he could us!"

Chance blinked in surprise, still not getting it. "Wait-Wait a minute. You're telling me that alien we had to deal with a couple of months ago set all of this up?"

Steele nodded. "Once I was in the Agency for a few months, we started investigating that anonymous tipster of ours and learned of his dealings with GenDine and the clones of you he made. While we couldn't find any trace of him, we found enough evidence to prove we all were victims of his-- 'his' IS the right gender ID for that creature, isn't it?-- convoluted plans. We even found some clones he didn't tell you about."

Feral stared at Steele in surprise, as did the others. "All right. Hold on. What 'others' are you talking about? That alien only told us about the six he made of us."

Steele smiled, a little sheepishly. "We learned he had made two other clones shortly after making your clones. Not surprisingly, they were clones of me and Bagheera. Neither of them knew about the others, and had assumed they were the only ones. We found them in another building belonging to GenDine, rescued them, and offered them a job at the Agency. They now work as informants and researchers at our MegaKat City branch, the same one Bagheera and I work at. Why you guys didn't know, I have no idea, but it gave us conclusive proof that we'd all been had."

Feral nodded, understandingly. "All right. You've got me so far. So, why do all this? These charges are a couple of years old. Why enforce them now?"

Steele chuckled, a little nervous. "It was the only way I could think of to get back together with you. I'd mentioned to Bagheera how much I missed you, how much I wanted to be with you. He talked with our commander about it and, after reviewing that little home movie you made that night--" He paused to watch Feral's eyes go wide in shock. "-- We confiscated it from the club's surveillance library," he explained. "Anyway, after they reviewed the tape, the Agency decided that, although I was trying to blackmail you that night, I was also the victim. As per law, I was supposed to press charges and have you arrested. I didn't want that. So, we made a deal. We'd create a conditioned warrant, one that would satisfy the courts while giving me the chance to do something I've always wanted to do."

Chance smiled at the irony. "Get payback for what we did to you that night."

Steele grinned. "They say turnabout's fair play." He shook his head. "You don't know how nervous I was about this. I knew you'd still have a grudge against me, and I didn't want that to ruin my plans. I actually thought about not going through with it. I kept on having feelings that this was wrong and that I shouldn't be doing it. I was hoping you would agree to the terms on the warrant. I didn't want you guys going to jail." He broke down again, burying his face in Feral's chest. "I'm sorry about this, guys. I'm so sorry..."

Feral patted Steele on the back, comfortingly, and looked at his companions for help. They all shared the same thought.

"We forgive you, Steele," Chance said, actually meaning it. "You were just as much a victim of this entire thing as we are."

Jake nodded in agreement. "I'm just glad it's over with."

Steele looked up, wiping tears from his eyes. "Not quite," he smiled.

Jake and Chance just stared at each other and shrugged. They knew this was coming. "You still want to dominate us, Master?" Jake asked, smirking lustily.

Steele shook his head. "I'm not into that whole Master/Kitty bit, anyway. I think a traditional orgy would do just fine." Grinning, he undid his pants, showing the others something else that surprised them: a black thong. Steele just smirked at them. "I said I wasn't into the whole domination thing. I didn't say I wasn't into kinky stuff."

Khan grinned at the tom, pawing at his growing erection through his pants. "I hope you love it rough, Steele."

"I screw around with Bagheera," Steele replied. "What do you think?" He stared at his companions for a minute, confused that they hadn't stripped yet. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

And with that, all bets were off. Clothes went flying as the kats tore out of them. Then, just as wildly, they were on top of each other-- groping, kissing, sucking, teasing. Steele commandeered Feral in the confusion, laying him down on the couch with a barrage of kisses. He wrapped his prize up in his arms tenderly.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this," Steele gasped. "I know you have a mate now, but we could still be lovers, right?"

Feral answered with a firm French kiss on Steele's mouth. Their tongues enwrapped themselves as they enjoyed the kiss. Finally, breaking the lip-lock, Feral smiled, lovingly. "Does that answer your question?"

Steele nodded as he slid down his new lover's body, positioning himself between Feral's open legs. Looking around, Steele smirked at the kat below him. "Got any lube, love?"

Smiling knowingly, Feral reached back behind him and opened a drawer from an end table next to the couch. Reaching in, he pulled out a bottle of lube and handed it to Steele. "I hope you can keep up with me, Steele. I wouldn't want you conking out in the first few hours."

Steele chuckled. "Believe it or not, Feral, sexual endurance is part of my training at the Agency. You just better hope you can keep up with me!"

Feral laughed as he prepared himself for Steele's penetration. "I think I'm going to like having you as a lover, Steele."

Grinning, Steele opened the bottle of lube and squirted some on his fingers. Reaching down, he smeared the cold substance on Feral's anus, probing his rectum with his fingers. Feral was surprised at how skilled the tom was with this, then remembered that Steele had a lover of his own. Steele continued to work on Feral's ass for a few more minutes before pulling his fingers out and spreading some lube on his erect penis. Then, bending over his lover, the tom started suckling on the tip of Feral's own member. Smiling wickedly, Steele grabbed Feral's hips and shoved into his ass, engulfing his dick as he did so. Feral gasped in shock. Not only did Steele get his entire length in on the first thrust, but he also deep-throated Feral's cock completely. He never knew Steele could do something like that. It must be his Agent training, he thought. Overwhelmed with pleasure, Feral just laid there as Steele started pumping and sucking away.

Meanwhile, Chance and Jake had ganged up on Khan and had him in a kat sandwich, Chance humping the tiger as he rode Jake. They had stopped to check on Steele and Feral, but ended up staring in fascination as Steele gave Feral a double assault, fucking the tom while sucking him off. They had never seen anything so kinky, nor had they seen Steele so skilled with sex.

Jake looked up at his companions, smirking wryly. "Who wants to bet Steele can give himself a blowjob?"

Chance chuckled. "Now that I want to see."

Steele overheard their conversation over Feral's moans and smiled. "Well, I guess I'll have to show off my little talents," he said deftly, his lover's dick still in his mouth. "After I get done with Mr. Feral here."

Chance, Jake and Khan looked at each other, smirked, laughed, and resumed their fucking. Chuckling at his own little joke, Steele turned back towards Feral and continued his sexual barrage.

Feral was in heaven. He had never had many fantasies of Steele, even after that little fiasco at the bar. His hatred toward the tom's presumptuous nature and bully-like actions prevented him from having them. Even in the fantasies he did have, Feral was always on top, treating Steele like the bad little kitty he was. Now that he was actually being fucked by Steele, it was beyond anything he could have imagined. Feral still couldn't believe it. Here he was, laying prostrate on the couch while his (once) hated enemy was massaging his prostrate with his member, suckling his own as a kitten would suckle a teat. It was both off-putting and erotic at the same time. There was no denying it: He could definitely get used to this. Soon, he began thrusting against Steele, contributing to the sexual barrage.

Steele looked up at his new lover, catching the look of overwhelming pleasure on Feral's face. He smiled. This was exactly what he wanted: to be able to give his former commander such pleasure. For years now, he had only dreamed of doing this with Feral. Now he was making that dream a reality, and it felt wonderful.

Steele returned to pleasuring the dark tom, thrusting deep and slow into his anus while suckling his cock with the same controlled frenzy, bobbing his head up and down in tune of his thrusts. He occasionally lapped at Feral's cockhead on the upstroke, teasing the sensitive barbs on it. Feral moaned each time, sending vibrations down his cock, into Steele's mouth, and back through Steele's cock into Feral's body in one continuous cycle. Soon, Steele's lovemaking became heated, more frantic. Gripping Feral's hips firmly, the tabby began a final sexual assault on his former commander, bobbing his head up and down madly, sucking on Feral's cock like a vacuum as he pounded into his ass. Feral moaned loudly as he felt Steele's pace quicken, his own orgasm swiftly approaching. It was more than Feral could take as, with one final thrust, he gave up his seed, pouring load after load of cum down Steele's throat.

Steele, feeling Feral's orgasm hit, began sucking and humping harder than he ever had. He shut his eyes tight, not so much from the intense pleasure he felt, or the incredibly satisfying sensation of drinking up his former commander's seed, as from the vertigo he felt from being in his unusual position for so long. Despite this, he continued, not wanting to stop for anything. Finally, Feral's climax died down, shooting his last load into Steele's awaiting maw. Dragging any remaining remnants from his dick, Steele released the former commander from his mouth and straightened up, now entirely focused on his own climax. It didn't last long; With one final thrust, Steele howled in lust as he filled Feral's bowels with his own sticky cream. He stood there, frozen like that, for a few moments before his balls finally emptied, then collapsed onto his lover, exhaustion and vertigo overwhelming him.

Feral glanced down at Steele, rubbing his back absently, lovingly. He then looked over at his friends, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. Apparently their lovemaking sparked a sexual frenzy among his mate and the SWAT Kats: They were humping into each other like kats possessed, growling and moaning in sheer animal lust. After a while, their orgasms hit, Chance, Jake and Khan howling as they came in unison, Chance filling Khan up as he did the same to Jake, the small tabby spraying his spunk onto the floor. Finally, after a good five minutes of cumming, the trio collapsed onto one another, falling into a deep sleep soon afterward.

Feral chuckled as he looked back at Steele. The kat had curled up beside him and was already fast asleep. Smiling warmly, Feral kissed his new lover on the forehead before drifting off to sleep himself.

**********

The next morning, Steele awoke to see his friends already up and dressed. Jake, Chance and Khan had already left the room, although noises from within the hallway told him they hadn't left yet. Feral had his back toward him, getting the last of his clothes on. Steele smiled as he reminisced about last night. Although they had gotten off to a rocky start, everything soon turned for the better, with no one getting arrested, fantasies fulfilled, and new lovers made. Overall, a pretty successful night.

Feral turned to see Steele getting up from the couch. "Morning, Steele. Sleep well?"

Steele groaned as he stood up. "Haven't slept that well in a long time," he confirmed, smiling as he headed towards the bar's showers. "Fun, though."

Feral chuckled. "Y'know, Steele, I was wrong about you. I always thought you were a domineering asshole. At least, that's what you acted like."

Steele laughed. "I was a prick back then, wasn't I?" He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I didn't mean anything about it." He stopped then, sighing heavily as he hovered in the doorway. "At least, I didn't at first."

"What happened?"

"I had to keep up appearances, y'know? After the parade, I felt I had to convince everyone else that I wasn't gay, for my own protection, y'know? The only way I knew to do that was to be a tough guy. At first, it was all show, no action. I acted tough, but I never did anything. Then, like I said, I started to believe in my own facade. I got more and more into the act, feeling that if I let up, even for a second, I'd become vulnerable. An easy target. I started doing stuff, bullying the other guys. Soon, it became second nature to me. I started getting rough with people without thinking about it. I-I became trapped. Trapped in my own facade. After that night at the club, I reexamined my life. I realized that what I was doing was not me, and that I was living a lie that was not only tearing my life apart, but the lives of those around me, as well. After I realized that, and saw what I was trying to do to you, I-I couldn't take it anymore. After I got home, I got my gun out and. . ." Steele broke down again, nearly collapsing to the ground in his anguish.

Feral went over to him, genuine concern etched into his face. He picked Steele back up and allowed him to slip into his awaiting arms. "It's okay, Steele," he said, rubbing the tom's back in comfort. "It's okay. Everything's going to be alright. I'm here now. And I'm not going to let you go."

Steele looked up at his newfound lover, tears of hope in his eyes. "You mean that?"

Feral nodded. Smiling warmly, he hugged Steele close, truly meaning what he said. He didn't want to let Steele go. No matter what. Finally, after a few minutes, they separated. They stared at each other with genuine warmth and love.

"Y'know, Steele," Feral said, finally, breaking the long silence between them. "In some weird way, I helped make you into what you were." Steele looked at the former commander in shock and confusion, until Feral offered an explanation. "You know that guy who was shot in the parade?"

Steele nodded. "That was me," Feral said, a little shamefully.

Steele just stood there in shock. "You?!"

Feral nodded. "I was participating in the parade when it happened. Apparently, the shooter had no target in particular, and picked out the first person he saw. Unfortunately, he chose me. I wasn't wounded too badly, but it was enough to shelve my plans for the parade permanently. But that's in the past. There's no use dwelling on it now. What's important is that we move on with our lives. And last night was a great place to start."

Steele smiled, nodding in agreement. It was funny: He came in last night for a little bit of redemption and got far more than he was expecting. It felt good. And this time, he was not going to blow it. Kissing Feral softly on the cheek, Steele headed into the showers, only to be stopped by a loud beeping. Turning around in confusion, he made his way over to his clothes, where he dug out a cell phone from one of the pockets. Flipping it open, he answered it.

"Yes?"

Although Feral couldn't hear, the look on Steele's face indicated that it was bad news. Or, at least, urgent business. He watched in fascination as Steele reverted back to the tough guy Enforcer he remembered, but with a twist: The tough guy attitude was now more professional than bullylike. Much more.

"Uh-huh. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah, okay. I'll talk with Khan and see if he'll accompany me there. Uh-huh. Yeah, everything went well here. You can stand down now, if you already haven't."

That last sentence was said with a wry, amused smirk. Steele chuckled after a few minutes. "I figured as much, you pervs. All right. Yeah. Mission completed. Get the presents ready, I'll grab a quick shower, and meet you there in about ten minutes. Remind me never to have you as backup on assignments like this again, alright?" Another laugh. "Alright. Okay. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Steele out." Steele shut off his cell phone and gathered up his clothes, turning to Feral as he did so.

"Some prick rival of Khan's found out about his private life, and is threatening to expose him if he doesn't meet his demands. I got to get down there and defuse the situation." He headed back toward the showers. "Hopefully, Khan'll be willing to accompany me over there. I could use his help."

Feral stammered in surprised confusion before speaking. "Who was that you were talking to just now?"

Steele shrugged. "My backup team. We rigged the place for surveillance before you got here. They were to watch and record us during the night, and move in at the first sign of trouble. Fortunately, that didn't happen, and they ended up having an orgy of their own in the process."

"They were spying on us?" Feral asked in surprised anger.

"Security reasons," Steele explained. "Even with my Agent training, I still wouldn't be able to take you all on single-handedly. And if you're wondering," he added. "The 'present' we were talking about was the surveillance tape. If things went well, then you'd all get a copy of it and it'll only be used for our private use. If not..."

"Then it would be used as evidence at our trial. Pretty sneaky, Steele."

"All in a day's work. Although," Steele added. "It's nothing compared to what's planted on you at the moment."

Feral stared at Steele as he entered the showers, then padded himself down, finding a lump in his back pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out a small stack of photos. Photos of that night at the bar. Of their very first lovemaking. Chuckling to himself, he put the photos back into his pocket.

"Mementos, Steele?" he called out, hearing the shower turn on.

"I planted the other prints I made on the others," Steele's voice said from the showers. "I'm sure they'll definitely enjoy them. I know I did."

Feral chuckled again and turned to leave. "I guess this means we're free to go, then."

"Oh, yeah. Definitely."

"Then, I guess, I'll see you around."

Steele chuckled. "Leaving so soon, huh? Can't say I blame you. I got to be going soon, anyway. I'll catch you at the bar?"

"I'd like that." Feral headed toward the door, grinning from ear to ear. "I'll give Khan the message about that rival of his."

"Thanks. I hope he does come. My partner's already there, and I'd love to see the look on his face when he's reunited with him."

"Really? Why don't you bring him with you when you come down to the bar? I'd love to meet him."

The shower stopped. Then, after a few minutes, Steele popped his head out, toweling himself off.

"Y'know, Feral. You're growing quite a harem of lovers here." He smiled enigmatically. "And just think: I was going to ask you out after the parade all those years ago."

Feral stared at Steele as he popped back into the showers. Then laughed as he left the room. Yep. He was definitely going to like this.