Trouble by the Pool (Diapers)
Falton had an "athletic club" that was located downtown, and membership rates were expensive for Michael. The lion joined the club, and paid his initiation fee up front after taking a tour of the facility. The club had a fully air-conditioned gym with sauna, tennis and basketball courts, a pair of large swimming pools, and a restaurant that served all kinds of food.
On the first day of his membership, Michael treated himself to a pile of nachos with a tall cup of lemonade. He dined at a table near the eatery with a view of the club's parking lot. There, Michael saw Tyler's friend, Matt, pull into the lot. The fox parked his SUV, and got out of the car, wearing bright orange swimming trunks, flip-flops, and a towel over his shoulder. Michael called out his name, and waved his arms. Matt's ears perked up, and saw Michael.
"Yo Mike!"
Matt ran over to the tables, and sat down with Michael before stealing a few cheesy tortilla chips and olives.
"I didn't know you were a member. I would have called you to meet up." Michael watched the fox's paws to see if he was going to take any more nachos.
"No problem. So what are you up to?"
"I just joined this place. Now I'm broke."
"Maybe if you have more yard sales, you'll be alright."
"No, no." Michael waved his arms dismissively. "I'm done with that. I'm looking for a new job."
"I believe the diaper tester position is available."
Michael covered his head with his paws and slithered down his seat. Matt laughed and grabbed at the lion's arms in an attempt to remove them from his face. Once his paws were taken away, the lion rolled his eyes. The fox laughed harder.
"Okay, okay. Maybe that won't work out," Matt joked, and stealthily took another chip.
"Cut that out!"
Someone approached the lion from behind, reached over the lion's shoulder, and took a chip. Matt smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at the visitor. Michael turned around, and saw Tyler. Dressed in a white t-shirt and black gym shorts, the tiger radiated with confidence. Michael had not seen Tyler since last weekend, when he visited the lion's house with Matt and Devin. Michael smiled and shook the tiger's paw. Tyler, in return, gave the lion a friendly hug. Michael was not used to such affection from another large feline, but he went with it.
"Well, well, well... look who showed up," said Michael.
"Hey guys. Matt forgot to pick me up today, so I took mom's car." Tyler glared at Matt.
"My bad, dude. Hey Mike, I'm going with Tyler to the pool area. Wanna come?"
"Sure, but I'm not going to swim today."
"It's, like, really freakin' hot outside and you're not jumping in? Are you crazy?"
Michael wanted to jump in the pool and swim, but he was concerned about his incontinence interfering with his time in the pool. The athletic club wasn't necessarily the best place to offer such an explanation. He gulped nervously, and continued to eat the rest of his nachos. Matt and Tyler looked at each other, but once they realized why the sheepish lion didn't want to jump into the pool, they lowered their eyebrows and looked at Michael.
"Hey Tyler, you have the same problem as me, right?" asked Michael.
"Yeah, but I changed right before I got here. I don't think I'll go for a while."
"Hedging your bets, huh?" Matt chimed in.
"Yeah. So we'll meet you by the pool then, Mike?"
Michael nodded, and finished his plate of nachos alone as Tyler and Matt left to go swimming at the pool. Suddenly, he heard a commotion nearby. He could hear Tyler saying, "Oh shit, it's Derrick." Michael got up, and ran toward where he heard the noise. He ran toward a short collider -- leading from the eatery to the lounge area by the two pools -- and saw a large male crocodile hovering over Tyler, who showed no emotion. Standing with Derrick was his father, who was twice as tall, and had his arms folded at his chest.
"He's the guy?" Derrick's father asked his son while pointing at the tiger.
"That's him. He set his friend up to piss on me." With his father watching, Derrick pushed Tyler against the wall. The tiger didn't fight back, but he continued to look at the crocodile's eyes.
Deprived of a shoving match, Derrick pulled down the tiger's pants, revealing a blue swim diaper underneath. Feeling accomplished, Derrick looked around and saw people staring at the tiger's diaper. Tyler closed his eyes, sighed heavily, and pulled his shorts up while he heard people laughing at him. The tiger remained silent, but he was hurting inside -- and Michael could see it from only a few feet away. The lion knew what he had to do.
"Get away from him, kid," Michael told Derrick as the lion steadily approached him.
"Get lost. It's none of your business, lion," said Derrick's father, who tried waving him away.
Michael continued walking toward them. Tyler looked up, and tried to smile at the lion, but he was overcome with humiliation. Tyler started to look down at the ground while he remained pinned against the wall.
"You're a real role model for your kid, there," said Michael in a bitterly sarcastic tone. "What kind of coward picks on someone with their dad?"
Suddenly, Derrick's father lunged at Michael. The lion countered the larger crocodile's punch by throwing him over his shoulder, and using his own force against him. The large croc swiftly fell to the ground, and moaned the moment he hit the cement. Derrick rushed after Michael in anger, and tried to grapple the lion -- but the two-time varsity wrestling champion was no match for Michael. The karate black belt fighter kick-swept the croc with his right foot, and slammed him down using the momentum of his fall. Derrick gasped for air before losing consciousness.
After the skirmish, Tyler sulked away and sat on a lounge chair in the pool area. "Thank you, thank you, thank you..." were the words that kept repeating in the tiger's mind. "Sorry I can't hug you right now. No, I'm really sorry for this."
Michael spoke to the police who arrived on the scene, and he gave his account of what happened. Tyler and Matt validated the lion's story. The lion told officers that it was an act of self-defense, and his only intention was to help his friend, who was previously bullied and humiliated by Derrick. The police immediately supported Michael, and he even commended by officers for remaining calm and cooperative. When asked if he wanted to press charges, Michael politely declined and told officers, "I just want to swim, and have fun."
At last, the tiger grinned when he overheard that remark.
Security for the club escorted Derrick and his father off the premises, and Michael was hailed as a local hero by members of the club. He wasn't fond of all the attention, and he wanted to blend in with the crowd. Everything seemed to come at him all of a sudden, and all the ups and downs he's experienced for the past week were trying his endurance. The lion felt a wave of fatigue wash over his body as he buried his head in his paws, waiting for his heartbeat to slow down.
While Michael tried to relax on a lounge chair by the pool, Tyler approached him and placed his paw on the lion's shoulder. Matt, who recently emerged from the pool, wrapped a towel around himself and walked over to see Michael.
"I called Devin about what you did today," said Tyler. "He wanted me to tell you, 'You rock!' but... yeah, you do rock. Thank you."
"Are you alright, Tyler?" Michael lifted himself up from the chair to inspect the tiger.
"I think you distracted people away from me, and my..." Tyler looked down at his crotch. He pulled his shorts up. "People are like, 'We like Mike!' and nobody is laughing at me now. Everyone here knows what will happen when they do." Tyler winked and patted the older lion on the back. "Oh, and Devin also said, 'Mike can borrow one of my knives next time. Makes things interesting,' but that's Devin."
"He's a character, alright," Matt added. "So how about that jump in the pool?"
Michael got up from the chair, and stretched his arms. He yawned, and rubbed his eyes. The lion desperately needed a nice, refreshing swim. Taking the last remnants of his strength, Michael made a quick dash toward the pool's diving board, and hopped on. Tyler opted to jump into the pool and in close proximity to the diving board. Michael eyed the water beneath him to make sure he wouldn't jump on any poor, unsuspecting patrons. Then he took a few steps, ran as fast as he could, and dived into the pool. The lion caused a large splash, which amused the youngsters.
Going underwater, the lion's footpaws managed to touch the bottom of the nine-foot pool. He opened his eyes and could see people swimming around him, but he was caught by surprise when a large tiger swam up to him and gave him a kiss on the lips. It was Tyler! The lion was so stunned, he almost exhaled. From the bottom of the pool, he kicked himself up to the surface and started coughing. Tyler emerged from the water with a smile and a chuckle.
"What was that all about?" Michael asked.
Tyler shrugged. "Thought it was a nice way of saying thanks."
Michael was intrigued by the kiss. He wanted to dislike it because it was another male who kissed him, but somehow, it felt right. In fact, Michael wished the kiss would have lasted a little longer. He could feel his heart beating faster again, but this time, it was out of pure ecstasy, not testosterone. The lion wanted to return the kiss, but he didn't know how or when. The residual phrase, "I'm not gay," kept circling in his mind, but Michael couldn't deny that he enjoyed the tiger's sudden display of affection.
The sun was starting to set, and Michael had left the pool. The lion shook his fur dry before drying off using a towel. He was still dripping wet from the waist. As he dried himself off beside the pool, Michael felt a sensation to pee. Before he could take preventative measures, he started to wet his nylon swim diaper. The cloth diaper was not designed to repel liquid, so he began leaking copiously. Piss streamed down his right leg, and created a large puddle around his footpaws. Matt, who was packing up his things and getting ready to go home, witnessed the feline relieving himself. The fox said to himself, "This time, big baby deserves a free pass."