Chapter Two

Tucker did his best to stay calm after receiving the news, and he managed to sit still during the remainder of the briefing after assuring Wu and Clairmont that he"d have no problems doing as directed. He exchanged cordial goodbyes with his friends and teammates when the meeting ended—fiercely ignoring the worried scents of Julia and Deimos—and then made the short drive home with a drunkenly affectionate Leif snuggling his free hand.

"Welcome home!" Rahul called out to them from his office as Tucker and Leif began shedding their work clothes in the foyer. "How"d the training go?"

"Hi, papa bear!" Leif answered as he sat down on the floor to take off his shoes. "It all went super-duper fantastic! Tucker was the most powerful villain, way more successful than either Rickert or Lilithian, but that"s probably because he got to run around naked—"

"Camouflage potion!" Tucker interjected loudly.

"—yeah, that! And I totally got to use my amazing alchemy kit, which was beyond awesome. It was kind of cold out, though, which wasn"t the most fun, but on the other hand I got to use the snow to turn Tucker into an icicle, which was kind of cool.And then—oh! Hahaha, cool! Get it? Oh, geez. But then Tucker got me some hot chocolate, which was great, because I love him. And then the director Clairmont guy, who should totally do his job in assless chaps, anyways he gave Tucker a new mission. Because I guess some guy named Germaine is back in town? Or something? Anyways, how was your day?"

Leif finally managed to unlace both of his shoes and started working on his pants. Tucker heard the rolling of Rahul"s office chair, and a few seconds later his second lover made an appearance.

At six foot four and about three hundred pounds, Rahul was a huggable mountain of a man. He rarely wore clothes around the house—his mythblooded nature as a djinn of fire and light meant that he was comfortable in both heat and cold extremes—so his tribal-style tattoos that decorated him from his broad chest down to his thick shaft were on full display. He had a tight fade, a perfectly trimmed beard, and a mohawk that he"d begun cutting short in recent months. His nasal septum and multiple earrings were made of colored titanium, another recent change, today a purple set that matched well with his dark-olive skin.

Tucker supposed that when an evil fire spirit possesses you and forces you to melt down most of your golden jewelry in order to make cursed items, a small life change should be expected.

Rahul already had his arms open to sweep Tucker up into a fierce hug, which he accepted somewhat stiffly. He heard Leif gasp, and a second later the smaller man had shot to his feet and was hugging Tucker from behind, wearing just a shirt and a pair of socks.

"Yay, hugs," he said into Tucker"s back.

"Thanks," Tucker said. "How"re you feeling there, Leif darlin"?"

"Um, pretty good, but kind of sleepy. I think I"ll take a nap, if that"s okay?"

Tucker broke the hug off, then turned around so he could bend down and give Leif a quick kiss. He ran a hand through Leif"s dyed-blue faux hawk, then patted him on his bare butt as he took a moment to exchange a kiss with a concerned-smelling Rahul.

"Dinner should be in a few hours, cub," Rahul told him, his eyes still on Tucker. "We"ll come get you if you"re not up by then."

"Ooh, thanks. Love you!"

Tucker watched Leif clamber up the staircase on all fours, then turned back to Rahul. "He had a lot to drink during training."

"I could tell." His boyfriend stepped in close, laying hands on his shoulders. "But nevermind that. Germaine is active again?"

"One recent heist in the Montana Free Glades, and two more in North Dakota," Tucker said, nodding. "He might or might not hit his old stomping grounds, but Clairmont wants me to have a plan ready just in case."

"Oh, puppy."

Nearly two years ago, back when Rahul and Tucker had both been employed by DOMA, there had been a disaster of a case. After a grueling three months of department-wide effort, they"d finally managed to corner the rogue geomancer. Instead of arresting him, though, Tucker"s more emotional weredog form had been charmed into letting him escape. The aftermath of Germaine"s escape had left three agents critically wounded, Tucker on a shitlist, and Rahul sacrificing his own job on Tucker"s behalf. That incident had its own personal consequences, and the resulting arguments and fights between them had caused Rahul and Tucker to break up their two year relationship, and they"d only reunited six months ago thanks to the help of a kind-hearted young man who"d shimmied his way into both of their lives.

Tucker growled, shaking his head. "It"s fine. Let"s get dinner prepared?"

"Alright, if that"s what you want. I"ll get the meat ready if you"ll handle the vegetables."

Glad to have something to occupy his mind, Tucker went to their kitchen and began helping Rahul prepare a pot roast. All too soon, though, the meat had been seasoned, the vegetables cut, and the pressure cooker started. Tucker quickly moved on to household chores, washing clothes and quietly folding and putting away laundered items, and then took a long shower.

At seven o"clock, he and Rahul woke Leif up together, carrying his giggling, mostly sober self downstairs for dinner. Tucker managed to wolf down most of his meal, barely tasting it despite the juicy flavors, but...

"I"m sorry," he said hurriedly, his leg bouncing beneath the table. "I need to... excuse me."

Tucker"s chair scraped against the floor as he pushed away roughly from the dining room table. Ignoring the anxious looks and smells from his two boyfriends, he rushed out the back patio door. Shifting into his beagle form, he finally stopped holding his emotions back, and he howled at the night sky.

Half an hour later, after he"d exhausted his big feels, he trudged back inside and made himself comfortable on the couch in his weredog form, laying across his boyfriends as they ran their hands through his fur, his tail wagging sporadically. If they noticed him make an occasional whine, or flatten his ears back for a few breaths, they didn"t comment on it.

"It"ll be fine, pup," Rahul said, the timbre of his voice soothing to his nerves. "This isn"t going to be like last time."

"I know..." Tucker muttered with his muzzle buried in a couch cushion.

Leif scratched him between his ears. "How"re you feeling now?"

Tucker rolled over carefully, being mindful of his greater mass, and rested his paws on his stomach. "I feel a little bit better, I think? Yes! A lot better, but also scared, and worried, and happy, and comfy, and also kind of horny."

Thirty minutes of cuddling had had its predictable results, and Rahul ran a finger up and down his thick red shaft, before giving it a squeeze. "That last one is certainly something we could help with, if you wanted."

"Mmm." Tucker closed his eyes, then shifted back into his human form. He gave them both a half-hearted smile, then sat up, kissing first Rahul, then Leif. "Maybe in a bit, babe. Thank you both for the cuddles.They helped."

"That"s what boyfriends are for, right?" Rahul said, then maneuvered Tucker until he was seated firmly in his lap, giving him a warm hug. Leif put his hands on Tucker"s thigh, avoiding his large, rigid cock for the moment but gaining a faint smell of lust in addition to his normal affection.

"I don"t disagree." Tucker took in a large breath, then let it out. "But we"ve been focusing entirely on me, and that ain"t fair. What about you, Rahul? You were a part of all of it, too."

"You want my candid opinion?" Rahul waited for Tucker"s nod, then shrugged. "If I"m being honest, pup, it"s mostly water under the bridge for me at this point. Mostly. I hate remembering how things went, back then. Our friends hospitalized, an escaped perp, you being blamed for what happened, and me quitting. On the other hand?"

Rahul indicated with his head, then leaned over to kiss Leif. "If things hadn"t happened the way they did, I don"t think we would have met Leif, or attended counseling together and rebuilt our relationship. It hurt at the time, but... I think we"re all better off now, and stronger as a result"

"Exactly!" Leif agreed, nodded his head fiercely. He gave Tucker a teasing grin. "So thank you for getting Rahul fired."

"It was the least I could do, I suppose," Tucker said in his driest tone, then leaned back into Rahul, reaching over his shoulder so he could pat the bigger man on his head.

"So, puppy. Any word on what they want you to do?"

Tucker shook his head. "I"ve got some general guidelines. Ashley and Dobson at the department were tasked with putting together a dossier during their weekend shift, compiling all the old info and detailing the three places that were hit in the last month. Those investigations are still ongoing, so some of the information will trickle in as the other agencies learn more. My orders are to simply have a plan in place for if Germaine returns to the Minnesota region."

"Uh-huh," Rahul said. "And what are you actually going to do?"

Tucker turned around, wiggling his butt in Rahul"s lap as he gave him a deep kiss, feeling his growing semi. "Nothing, because the order to remain hands off was very specific about not interfering. But maybe a certain handsome, charming, intelligent, ravishing, clever—"

Rahul laughed. "Hah! Alright, pup, I get what you mean. Probably on account of me being so intelligent, ravishing, and clever. Which heist was the closest?"

"Middle of North Dakota, yesterday."

"Easy, then. I still have a couple of contacts in that region, including Angie."

Rahul paused, raising an eyebrow, and Tucker nodded. They then looked at Leif together, who took turns patting each of them on their legs.

"It"s fine, I know you two have work history together, you don"t have to break it down for me."

Tucker shook his head. "Naw, darlin", that"s not what we"re thinking at all. Rahul and I are on the same page about this, yeah? Hired consultants and a road trip?"

Rahul hugged Tucker tighter. "Indeed so! Leif, next week you have a couple nights off of work in a row, right? How"d you like to make a trip with me to North Dakota, maybe spend a night or two at a hotel, check in with some old friends of mine and help me do a bit of private investigating for my new client, Tucker Johnson? We"ll discuss payment later, puppy, by the way."

Leif had perked up at the offer, and Tucker didn"t need his nose to tell him that his sweetheart was beyond excited. "Wait, really?"

Tucker slid off of Rahul"s lap and moved to sit on Leif"s other side, throwing an arm over his shoulder while Rahul adjusted himself. "Really, darlin". We"re all in this relationship together, and I think we"re far past the point of keeping work and home life separate. Not when you"ve already saved both of our asses at least twice."

Leif nodded sagely, then reddened in the face. "Yes, losing your asses would be an unforgivable crime to tops and vers guys everywhere."

"Mm-hmm," Rahul agreed. "But it"s up to you, cub. Tucker, I"m guessing you"re going to be spending time going over old reports here, yes?"

Tucker nodded. "I"ve been given most of next week to focus on this task, outside of any emergency response cases. Deimos is helping with the transfer of our data to the other branches."

"Good. If we"re lucky, Germaine will get caught by them and we won"t have to do anything, but he"s a slippery one." Rahul turned to Leif and stroked the back of his head. "He"s a geomancer, you see. He can dig his way through walls, or travel underground, or even make his own safe house in any random stretch of land if given enough time. I"ll give you a full run down later. Now, are you sure you want to join? No college or work issues?"

Leif shook his head. "No issues!I made sure that all my classes this semester were online in case that elf sorceress person showed up, and the first week of classes is always super easy, anyways. I work Sunday and Monday night at the bar, but have the middle of the week off. Leave on Tuesday, then?"

"Sounds good," Rahul agreed. "And it sounds like we have the makings of a good plan. Things might change if Germaine strikes again, or if Clairmont assigns a different detective, but I think it"s a good start, yeah?"

Tucker leaned over Leif so he could give Rahul a kiss. "Thanks, babe. I"m feeling a lot better about the situation. Now, what did you have in mind for payment for your services?"

"I suppose you could always pay my usual rates..."

Tucker widened his eyes, then patted down his bare legs. "Oh, but good sir," he said, exaggerating his southern accent. "I don"t have even a single dollar to my name!"

Rahul stood up from the couch, stretching his arms and thrusting his hips out. "Don"t you worry about that. I"m very flexible. I"m sure we could work out something involving multiple, thick installments."

Chuckling, Tucker beckoned with a finger, then put it under Rahul"s chin and drew his head down for a gentle kiss. "Thank you. I"ll take you out to a nice dinner, too. Now why don"t we get started on that first payment? I know this super cute financial backer that I"d like to bring to our negotiations..."

◆◆◆

At 7 a.m. the next morning, Tucker woke to his phone vibrating, and he reached under his pillow to turn its alarm off. His muzzle opened in a wide yawn, and he looked down. Leif had his face buried in his chest fur, but he was fortunately a deep enough sleeper that he didn"t wake when Tucker gently rolled him over and nudged him up against Rahul.

Rahul cracked one eye open, gave a single nod, then wrapped an arm around Leif and was again snoring audibly by the time Tucker had begun padding down the hallway to his upstairs office where he kept most of his clothes. Shifting into his human form, he donned a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt from his closet, then set out for his errand.

The sun rose slowly during the northern winters, so the drive to DOMA headquarters was dark. He parked his truck, then ran his fingers through his short wavy hair as he walked up to the front.

"Morning, Jeremy," Tucker said to the detective manning the front desk. "Are Ashley or Dobson in yet?"

Jeremy barely looked up from his computer. "Schedule says eight."

Tucker nodded, rapping the desk. "Figured I"d ask in case they came in early. Alright, thanks."

DOMA only sustained a skeleton crew during the night hours, so the place was drastically emptier than during the daylight hours that Tucker was more used to. Tucker passed by a couple of analysts on his way to the stairs, giving them a quick wave before taking the stairs up to the fourth floor.

A couple of short hallways later, he stood before the records department. Sure, he could leave the file gathering to his coworkers, but they hadn"t been part of the task force back then. He, meanwhile, could probably tell which folders held Germaine"s information just by the heft and feel of their contents. It"d give them a headstart, and really, he was just helping himself in a roundabout way.

Letting himself into the labyrinth of shelves and boxes, Tucker paused. Sniffing, he smelled the recent passage of someone, and could hear that individual further in the stacks going through papers. Striding past multiple rows of shelves, he turned a corner and caught sight of his boss.

"Ma"am?"

Director Wu had turned towards him as he approached—Tucker didn"t make much sound as he walked, but the director had some ESP talents that gave her an edge. She was in front of an open storage box and had a folder in her hands.

"Detective Johnson." The director paused for several seconds, regarding him expressionlessly. "I was not expecting you to come in today."

"I know it"s my day off, but I figured I could gather the previous case files for the team, save them a bit of time, maybe talk with them in person for a bit to get the ball rolling in the right direction."

Wu nodded, then looked down at the manilla folder that she held. She turned, setting it on top of a short pile and then gathered the stack up. "I think you and I might have had the same idea. Here, then."

Tucker stepped towards her hesitantly, taking the thick binder and four case folders from her. He really didn"t need to, but he double-checked anyway. Yes, these were all of Germaine"s files.

His director gave him a curt nod, then reached back to the shelf to put the lid back on the storage box. "If you"re here to walk the detectives through the preliminary brief, then I think I"ll leave it in your hands. I wish you luck."

Tucker stepped to the side to allow her to pass by. Breathing through his nose, he watched her leave, then stayed glued to the spot until his sharp ears could no longer hear her footsteps as they left the records department.

Tucker set the files down on a nearby shelf, then flipped through the folders and the binders, giving them a cursory look. He also reopened their assigned storage container, making sure that there was nothing left behind. No, it seemed that he had everything.

With the files held to his chest, he stared at the ground, breathing in the room"s heavy scent of paper and the lingering, guilty scent from Director Wu, wondering which of her statements had held the lie.