Story Snippet: Ari the Chee

I have this cute story I am working on. It’s gay. It’s going to be spicy. And it’s going to be cute and poly(?)

The draft this snippet comes from follows a cheetah named Ari. It’s Ari’s birthday, and his sister and her girlfriend (his best friend) have tricked him into going with them to a club called The Doghouse for drinks and dancing. In this draft, Ari is not thrilled about it but is willing to stay for a few drinks because he is happy to be with them. This snippet picks up after his sister arrives at the club, and introduces two handsome, flirtatious guys to our main character.

The scent of sweaty mammals and mixed drinks filled his nose as he tried to calm his tensed nerves.

“Hey.”

Ari opened his eyes and looked to his left.

Melody was there, head tilted and the corners of her mouth dipped. “You okay?”

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m fine.” Ari tried to give her a convincing smile.

Melody put a paw on his shoulder. “It a lot to take in?”

“A little bit, yeah.” Ari took another deep breath. “How do you and Kay do this every week?”

“One dance at a time.” Kayla’s voice came from his right.

Ari turned and smiled at her. “You’re a lot more used to this than I am.”

“Well, there’s more to do here. Besides dancing.” Kayla patted the bar. “The drinks are good. The food is better. And like… everyone here is so friendly.”

“That’s true.” Daisy placed a glass on the counter in front of Ari. “It’s because our security team is super fast when it comes to taking care of problems.” She leaned on the counter. “One Freddy Kruger.”

Ari picked up the glass and smiled. “Thanks, Daisy.” He moved to pull out his wallet to give her his card.

A paw gently smacked the card out of his hand and it fell onto the bar. “Oh no you don’t!”

“Ow!” Ari pulled his paw back and turned to look at his sister. “Why?”

The cheetah grinned, “You think you’re paying for drinks in your birthday? That’s adorable!”

Ari glared at her. “You didn’t have to hit me.” He picked his card up and put it back in his wallet.

Melody rolled her eyes, offering Daisy her card. “Put it on my tab.” She offered the poodle an apologetic smile. “And can I get two mai tais for my girlfriend and I?”

Daisy chuckled and took the card. “I can get you those mai tais in just a moment, but his drink’s already paid for.”

Ari’s gaze snapped to Daisy. “Huh?”

“Oh snap!” Kayla grinned. “Someone bought our little Ari a drink!”

“You don’t know that.” Ari looked around them for anyone that he recognized… just in case.

“Yeah.” Daisy turned and gestured to the other end of the bar. “Those two gentlemen over there.”

They all looked to the other side of the bar. Another cheetah, this one appeared to be a King Cheetah by his fur patterns, raised his own glass and gave Ari a wink.

Kayla gasped. “Oh my god, he’s beautiful.”
Ari felt his whiskers twitch and he waved back with a nervous smile. “Th-That guy?”

Daisy grinned, turning to follow their gazes. “Yeah, the cheetah and the—”
She paused and tilted her head. “Huh. Where’d the other guy go?”

Ari looked at Daisy. “Um… I’m sorry. Other guy? As in more than one?”

He suddenly felt the gentle tapping on his shoulder.

“Hi.”

Ari turned in his stood to look behind him, the girls following suit. Behind him stood a tall golden retriever. Ari’d seen him up on the dance floor earlier in the night. He was wearing a cute mesh-net top that really accentuated his husky physique, and a pair of gray parachute pants. His fur was a bit damp and his tail was wagging as he smiled down at Ari.

Ari couldn’t help staring up at the dog, jaw slack. “H-Hi.”

The dog’s tail wagged faster. “Hey!” He looked past Ari. “Did you like your drink?”

“Ah… I-I…” Ari swallowed and turned to pick up his drink to take a small sip of it. “Y-Yeah! Yo-you bought me the drink?”

The golden retriever nodded. “Yeah!” He bit his lip. “Well, the hubby bought it for you. We saw you over here and… We think you’re really cute!”

“O-Oh! That was nice of you! Thanks.” Ari gave him a shy smile.

“It’s our pleasure!” He extended his paw. “I’m Damien.”

“Ari.” He stood up from his stool and took the paw. It was so warm in his grasp, and the retriever gently squeezed as they shook paws.

“Don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.” Damien tilted his head.

Ari chuckled, scratching the back of his head with his free paw. “You’re not the first to say that. I don’t really go clubbing a lot.”

“Not your scene?” Damien’s grin softened to a small smile.

“Is it obvious?” Ari chuckled, looking down at his clothes.

“Nah, as I said…” Damien gently lifted Ari’s chin with his paw. “You look adorable. Just… a bit overdressed for a club like this.”

Ari let out a soft sigh as the dog lifted his chin. “I was kind of ambushed by my sister.” He shot a look to Kayla, who was silently watching from her barstool with a wide smile on her face. He narrowed his eyes. She was probably enjoying this a bit too much.

“Ambushed? Sounds serious.”

Ari turned back to the canine. “Nah. They wanted to surprise me for my birthday.”

“Birthday?” Damien’s ears perked up. “Well, that’s fantastic! The Doghouse is a fantastic place for birthdays! At some point, you’ve got to try some of the food here. Daisy’s got a guy in the back who makes the best patty melt you’ll ever taste. I’d say see, but every time I get one I inhale it before they even put the plate down.” He flashed him a super charming smile. “Or if you’re more into something a bit lighter, they’ve got sliders.”

“I’m good for right now.” Ari giggled, bringing a paw to his muzzle to hide that he was grinning like an idiot. “D-Do you want to um… sit with us?”

“I’m not one for sitting.” Damien’s tail wagged faster. “I know! Quite the shocker.”

Ari’s shoulders shook with laughter as he fought to keep himself contained. “Oh, yeah?”

“I was actually wondering if you’d like to go out on the floor. Maybe do a little dancing with me?”

“You want to dance? With me?” He took a deep breath, trying to collect himself. “That’s not a great idea. I mean… What about your husband?”

“All danced out.” Damien looked over Ari’s shoulder and waved, wiggling his fingers. “The fuddy duddy is a bit tired. Said I should find someone else’s energy to drain.” He rolled his eyes.

Ari finally was able to collect himself. “Yeah? I guess that is one of the curses of being a chee. Energy in short bursts.”

“Yeah.” Damien put a paw out. “So, I guess I could say… Would you like to let me drain your energy?”

“God, you’re a charmer.” Ari muttered, then cleared his throat. “Um… I am not really much of a dancer—”

“Oh, don’t listen to him. When he lets loose, he has some moves!” Kayla grinned, coming alongside him and throwing an arm over his shoulder. “I’m sure he’d be happy to dance with you!”

Damien’s tail wagged faster. “Oh?”

Ari gave off a nervous chuckle. “Um… Excuse me for just a second.”

Ari turned to Kayla. “What are you doing?”

Kayla started talking over him. “Are you crazy? What are you doing? This hot guy is asking you to dance with him and you’re being shy?”

Ari groaned, trying to cut in when he could. “I’m just being cautious. I don’t know this guy. What if it’s too good to be true? You really think I don’t want to?”

“Just go for it!”

“What about the husband though? He is very obviously married.”

“Look over at him.”

Kayla and Ari turned to look across the bar again. The cheetah smiled, wiggling his fingers as he waved at them.

“Oh my god.”

“Oh my god is right! They’re both flirting with you!”

“Oh my god!”

“Now you’re getting it.”

“Kayla, I don’t know how to dance!”

“Just tell him that. Maybe he’ll do that thing in the movies where he puts his paws on you and guides you through it.”

Ari swallowed. “Oh jeez.” He swallowed, then glanced over to Mel. “What do you think?”

Mel gave him a soft smile. “It doesn’t matter what I think. Do you want to?”

“Yes!” Ari said with little to no thought. “Oh fuck, I said that really fast.” He ran a paw through his headfur. “What about you guys though? I mean, we’re here for my birthday. I’d feel wrong to lea—”

“We’ll be fine!” Kayla spun him to face Damien again, and gently pushed him forward. “Now go!”

What do you think? I love these characters a lot. I didn’t include this scene because I had a bit of reservations about how quickly things happened for the characters. Ari felt a little forced into these interactions. My new draft has him a bit more willing and the interactions will be a bit more comfortable and natural.

Let me know! How do you like it?