Relation Intersections

The following morning Whispering Wind left the apartment early. After the incident in the living room with Heart Song, his mounting exhaustion had forced him back to bed, where he had passed out for a few hours. Once he had claimed just enough sleep for his troubled mind to start dwelling on his conflicting thoughts and feelings however, he had been yanked back awake shortly before dawn. He just had not had it in him to face Heart or Rusty Nail, not so soon after what had happened. He dreaded whatever Heart might have had to say to him about events, and nearly went into a full blown panic attack just thinking about trying to broach the subject with Rusty over his guilt-ridden need to apologize. So he avoided them, and thus the issue, by just not being there.

Instead he went flying. Being a pegasus, it was something that came naturally, using his wings to escape into the sky and just leave all earthly issues and worries far behind. Once he got high enough, everything else just seemed so small, and far away, with nothing but the great expanse of the sky above and the indistinct pattern of the ground below. It was easy to let the wind sweep away thought and worry, and for a time he just flew aimlessly. He made a brief stop for some food at a take out place when he got hungry enough for it to intrude even through his zen state of unthinking flight, and he practically inhaled the greasy breakfast sandwich and the cheap, mass brewed coffee he ordered. They sat like a brick in his stomach as he took back to the sky, but did little to distract him.

Some hours later though, Whisper found himself slowly spiraling back down towards the city. Flight might be a pegasus's natural birthright, but endurance at it still required practice and training. He wasn't out of shape, but he wasn't an athlete by any stretch of the word. He worked a desk job, and most of his time off work was spent hanging out with Rusty. Sometimes they did activities that might qualify to a loose definition of ‘sport’, but neither of them was very competitive, and so they rarely pushed themselves hard. His slender figure was much more a factor of a high metabolism and a natural inclination to eat light than it was any effort at exercise, and by the time the sun was passing its apex, his wings were telling him they were ready to call it quits.

So he landed, giving a little sigh of relief as the building ache in his flight muscles turned into a soft burning. And then he started walking. He was in no way ready to head home and face Heart and Rusty. So he wandered rather randomly through the city streets for another few hours, picking up lunch along the way. His stomach revolted at his first few inclinations of fast food joints, still unhappy with the breakfast sandwich. He finally managed to appease it with a 'health smoothie' that, supposedly, was scientifically formulated to contain all the essential nutrients and the exacting calorie demands of a pegasus stallion like him. At least if the mare running the food cart that sold it to him was to be believed. Whisper believed that the drink could have used more sugar and less fiber, but it was at least filling without sitting dense and heavy in the stomach, even if had been nearly thick enough to chew.

He paused a moment as he finished the drinkable, so called meal, glancing around for a trashcan, and found he was standing outside of a familiar, very modern looking building. It had no signage, and the sharply dressed stallions standing by the doorway looked like they could have deflected a charging minotaur. They eyed him as he looked their way, their expressions not unfriendly, but hardly welcoming. He averted his gaze quickly, and was about to head off when a vaguely familiar voice spoke up.

"Oh, Mr. Wind, how nice to see you back."

Whisper jumped slightly, spinning around to find a rather attractive mare heading up the sidewalk towards him. She was on the taller side, her height further given a little extra visual bump by her horn, the elegant spiral rising from a stylishly asymmetrical mane that was much longer on one side than the other. It was shaped into a series of swoops and flows that looked like it took hours to achieve, the strands dark black in hue except for the splash of red and yellow at the tips. Her fur was snowy white, and she had intensely green eyes that seemed to be busy cataloging everything about Whisper. Which just made him feel all too self-conscious about his own appearance.

He had been too tired last night to really dry himself off properly after his shower, and he had compounded the issue of going to bed damp by sneaking out without even a glance in the mirror this morning. His only slight hope was that the humid morning air and constant wind from hours of flight had managed to smooth out some of the potential fashion disaster that his mane and fur might otherwise be. The windswept look wasn't his favorite, but it was such a pegasus standard that no one could really speak out against it.

“Mr. Wind? Are you alright?” the mare asked politely, dragging Whisper out of his thoughts.

“Uh, yes, sorry, you just surprised me, uh, Miss…?” he trailed off awkwardly, inviting her to hopefully fill in the blank.

“Check Mark, Mr. Wind,” the mare supplied easily, smiling softly as he stared blankly at her. “We met last night when you arrived with Mr. Nail and Miss Song.”

Whisper blinked, and then it hit him. She was the mare that had met them at the door of the club, and lead them to their viewing room. She was the mare he had nearly totally ignored because he had been too busy arguing with Rusty.

“Oh! Oh yes! I'm so sorry, I'm just…I'm a bit out of it today,” he said quickly, apologetically.

“Quite alright, Mr. Wind,” Check replied smoothly.

“Please, no mister, I’m just Whisper,” he requested.

“Of course, Whisper,” she amended easily. “Well, if you are looking for something to take your mind off whatever has you 'out of it', you have arrived in time to catch the end of the meet and greet.”

“…the what now?” Whisper asked, clueless.

“Meet and greet,” Check repeated with a little smirk. “With the performers. I realize it might be a little soon for you to be selecting any real favorites, but I'm sure it could still be entertaining for you to get to know them a little. Especially if you are sticking around for tonight’s show.”

"...meet and greet. With the performers?" Whisper asked, not sure just how to even begin processing that idea. "I...I don't know if...what would I even say to them? Hi, I'm Whisper, you turn me on really good?" he scoffed lightly, a little forced laugh accompanying the words.

Check chuckled softly. "You don't have to talk to them about the show," she informed him gently. "You can just talk to them as normal ponies. Why don't you come with me, and I'll introduce you?" she suggested, stepping close and taking Whisper neatly by the wing with a foreleg. He tried not to pay too much attention to how nice just that little physical contact with her felt.

"I uh, don't exactly have a membership card, or..." Whisper tried to protest as Check lead him towards the doors, the bouncers opening them smartly for them.

"Mr. W...Whisper, please," Check said with a pointed look. "The membership card is for show. Some ponies enjoy that kind of flashiness. But it is by no means a requirement. I know all of our clientele by face and name. This business is too elite to do otherwise."

"Oh...and if I have to confess that I have very little money on me?" Whisper went on nervously, feeling like he was trying to find a reason that he shouldn't be allowed inside.

"I will then have to point out that your membership is attached to Mr. Nail's, who has given you full access to his account with no spending limit. Also, there was a note attached to his membership about you, with instructions that if you tried to balk at him paying for you, that it was his wish for us to thoroughly guilt you into accepting his generosity. He even included suggestions."

"...that dirty cheater..." Whisper muttered to himself. He eyed Check thoughtfully. "I'm sorry, but what is it you do here, exactly?” he asked apologetically.

“I’m the night shift manager,” Check replied with a soft smile.

“Oh…uh, so why are you dealing with me personally instead of having someone else do it so you can…go manage stuff?”

Check chuckled lightly. “Whisper, in this kind of business, my time is much better spent seeing personally to the needs and wants of our clients, than it is trying to micromanage the staff. I prefer to front load my management, and do so by only hiring individuals I can trust to keep the business running smoothly and the customers happy without me having to direct them."

"Oh. I guess I can see the sense in that," Whisper allowed as Check lead him through a set of double doors and into a rather grand room.

The space was expansive, done in marble and lush red carpeting set around a hardwood dance floor. The ceiling was high, with a trio of massive, crystal chandeliers. Several buffet tables had been set out, with a dozen or so dinning tables encircling them. There was a stage for a band in the back corner, though it was empty currently, music instead being piped in through a speaker system from some local radio station. There was a small crowd of ponies milling about, many of them going out of their way to show off the signs of wealth; Fancy clothing, audacious jewelry, impeccable and highly stylized mane cuts and fashion accessories. Others were keeping a lower profile, maintaining an air about them of individuals that would rather not be recognized in such an establishment.

Check immediately turned Whisper towards one of the tables, where the burly pegasus stallion from last night’s show stood, talking in an expansive manner to a little old mare decked out in a small fortune's worth of gems and jewels. She had a mostly empty bottle of brandy on the table, a mostly empty tumbler in her grasp, and was smiling at the big stallion in a drunkenly infatuated manner.

Check sighed softly as she let go of Whisper and stepped alongside the old biddy, giving her a look of gentle reproach. “Miss Crabapple, how much have you had to drink already?”

“Oh ju…jush tha one, dearie,” the old mare replied with a notable slur to her words and a shake in the hoof holding the glass.

“Right, the one bottle?" Check asked pointedly, giving the old lady a slightly worried look, followed by directing a more accusatory one at the big stallion, who looked rather sheepish. At least, from what could be seen of his face behind the expansive beard and mustache.

"Oh come on now Miss Mark," he said defensively, his voice deep, gravely, and heavily flavored with a Stalliongrad accent. "What could I have done?"

"Oh yes, silly me, to think a stallion in his prime couldn't take a bottle away from a fragile old mare one fourth his size," Check declared with biting sarcasm, shaking her head. "Never mind, I'll see to her. I want you to show our new member here around. Make sure he has a good time." She turned to Whisper, giving him an apologetic smile. "I'll return when I can. For now, allow me to introduce your new guide, Iron Reigns. Iron, this is Whispering Wind."

"Well met, friend," Iron said with a lighthearted grin that was only a little marred by the nervous energy coming off him from Check's obvious annoyance.

"Uh, yeah, nice to meet you too," Whisper replied as Check moved to help Miss Crabapple, the old mare wobbling precariously even with the support. "So, is she always like that?" he asked once the two mares were out of earshot.

"Which one?" Iron asked with a light scoff, before waving a wing to dismiss his own question. "Actually, it doesn't matter, because the answer is yes," he stated, reaching over to grab the brandy bottle, and tipping back the last bit of it. "So, Whisper, how have you been enjoying the club so far?"

"Well...this is really only the second time I've been here," Whisper replied with a slight shrug. He hesitated a moment before adding. "I uh, actually wasn't exactly planning on being here today at all. Just kind of happened by accident."

"Ah, I understand that," Iron said cheerfully. "This place has that sort of affect. It was by accident that I started working here."

Whisper goggled at that for a moment. "I'm sorry, but how in the world do you end up working as a...as a sex show performer by accident?" he asked in bewilderment, dropping his tone a little at the second half.

Iron chuckled, a sound like rocks grinding together. "My Equestrian was not so good then, I did not understand what was being asked at the interview, but refused to let on that I was confused. Thought they were looking for a personal trainer. I was very surprised when I arrived for what I thought was going to be a workout session, and ended up doing very different workout."

"...wow. Just...wow dude," Whisper replied, a soft laugh bubbling up from him. He couldn't help it. "That must have been...I can't even imagine, being thrown into something like that completely unprepared."

Iron shrugged. "It was not so bad. Actually, I confess, it was rather thrilling. I would not have thought I had it in me to do this kind of work, but the mares are most beautiful and talented, and it helps to not be able to see those watching us. I find it easy enough to forget there even is an audience."

Whisper considered that a moment, nodding. "So, does that mean it is an illusion? In the viewing rooms? I thought it could have been one way mirrors, but it didn't seem to make as much sense as projecting illusions."

"Correct. Big magic mirrors that share images, though it is only one way," Iron explained. "Don't ask me how, I leave that kind of stuff to the unicorns. But where we perform, the mirror seems just a mirror. Easy enough to forget we are being watched and just to enjoy what we are doing."

"Yeah, I can see how that might help," Whisper allowed, though he still couldn't imagine it for himself. The idea of having sex while someone else was watching. He flinched a little inside as that line of thought brought back memories of last night, of Rusty and Heart. Heart definitely did not have a problem with being watched. Rather the opposite really, given how much of a thrill she had seemed to have gotten from him being there. "And the mares I saw last night...they were very hot," he allowed himself to admit.

Iron chuckled lightly. "They are indeed. Have you gotten to meet any of them yet?" he asked, and smirked as Whisper shook his head. "Well then, prepare yourself, for the sharks are circling," he stated mirthfully.

"...sharks?" Whisper asked uncomprehendingly.

"Oh well now, Iron honey, who is your new friend here?" a sweetly smokey voice purred from behind Whisper, the silky smooth tone slipping into Whisper's ear and caressing his mind in a manner that sent a little thrill of delight through him just to hear it.

He turned, and nearly took a step back at finding the twin mares he had seen performing with Iron standing practically right on top of him. They were every bit as lovely in person as they had been through the illusion, and were smiling at him, directly at him, in a way that sent his heart up into his throat.

"Prism, Crystal, I'm sure you will be happy to meet Whispering Wind here," Iron said in an amused tone. "Whisper, these are Prism Shine and Crystal Glow," he added, using a wing to indicated which was which, though Whisper couldn't see how the big guy could tell them apart so readily.

"How very nice to meet you, sweetie," Prism said with a flirty little smile.

"Uh...y-yeah, nice to meet you, uh both," Whisper replied bashfully, feeling totally off balance at having two such beautiful mares being so intensely friendly at him, especially so quickly. His mind raced, while running in a circle that went nowhere, bringing him right back to the very first coherent thought he'd managed about them. "So...uh, sorry but, is there a good way to tell them apart?" he asked with a glance back at Iron, wondering what was making him care so much about the stallion's ease in identifying the mares.

"It's the eyes," the big pegasus told him.

Whisper looked back at the twins, who he swore had slipped just a tad closer while he hadn't been watching, the pair giving him inviting looks. This close, it was easy to see what Iron had meant. Prism's eyes were a very pale, almost translucent blue, while Crystal's were a much darker pink. Both sets of eyes were full of the same eager anticipation, and a rather inviting quality that urged him to spend more time falling under their spell.

"So, is this your first visit?" Crystal asked, her tone bubbling over with mirthful interest.

"Um, s-second actually," Whisper replied, still feeling rather overwhelmed at how interested the pair seemed in him. "I was...here for the show last night?"

"Oh wonderful, then you got to see us perform," Prism said in a sweetly thrilled tone. "I do hope you found us, entertaining," she finished with a seductive little purr.

"...yes, very much so," Whisper replied in a stunned, tiny tone, hitting a point of nervous anxiety that left him answering honestly by sheer reflex.

"You'll be sticking around for the show today, yes?" Crystal said hopefully.

"I promise, you'll enjoy what we have in mind," Prism picked right up.

"And maybe you might want to stay after the show is over," Crystal added, the pair definitely slipping a little closer now, the seamless back and forth of their words and their increasing proximity causing Whisper to take a slight step back.

"Goodness girls, must you pounce so readily?" Iron asked with an amused tone. "Give the poor guy some room to breathe at least."

"I'm sure we have no idea what you mean," Prism said, her tone still sweetly seductive, though her eyes flashed ever so briefly in a manner that told the big stallion to back off.

"I...what is happening?" Whisper demanded. Softly, meekly, but still, demanded.

Iron chuckled, and ignored the warning looks the twins gave him. "The club, aside from the shows, provides an escort service," he explained to Whisper. "And these two could well be the mascots for said service. They are ever so eager to add new members to their list of customers..."

“Iron!” Prism said sharply, her sweetly seductive tone flattening to a sharp edged growl as she eyed him reproachfully.

“…escort service?” Whisper asked in a rather hushed, anxious little voice as he regarded the two, exceedingly attractive, mares. And suddenly their overtly friendly manner towards him made a lot more sense. They worked in a club catering towards the rich and wealthy, and he could only just imagine how generous such ponies might be willing to be with their bits if it meant getting to use their other bits on mares such as these two. They weren't really seeing him, they were seeing a new source of income for their bank accounts.

He supposed that could have left him feeling a little offended, a little bitter, a little like he was being set up to be used. But at that moment, with them standing right there, being so lovely and flirty with him, Whisper was having trouble seeing the problem exactly. Which was probably shallow of him, but dammit it all, he had not gotten laid in a depressingly long time now. And he had never even kissed a mare half as beautiful as Prism or Crystal. He felt that he could definitely find it in his heart, or at least somewhere lower in his anatomy, to be very generous for such attention.

“Dammit Iron, now you went and broke him!” Crystal said accusingly as Whisper zoned out for the moment, her tone dropping in pitch a little as she glared at the big stallion.

“I broke him?” Iron asked defensively.

“We were going to ease him around to the idea. Can't you tell that he's clearly more on the shy side and needs a gentle approach,” Prism huffed as she regarded Whisper as if looking over a malfunctioning piece of equipment.

“That was your idea of gentle was it?” Iron asked with a smirk, before holding up his wings in a gesture of surrender as both mares turned icy glares on him so intense it made Whisper shuffle sideways just from getting caught on the edges of it.

“Iron, sweetheart, darling,” Prism said in a bright, venomously sweet tone. “Why don't you go get everything ready for the show tonight, and let us see to Whisper?”

“Now hold on, Miss Mark asked me to show him around, and to make sure he has fun,” Iron tried to argue, but the twins were clearly having none of it.

“And so you have, you delivered him to us, fun for him is now guaranteed,” Crystal stated firmly. “Now go on, get,” she added with a little hiss in her voice.

Iron sighed, but capitulated. “Very well, he is all yours,” he allowed, giving Whisper an apologetic smile. “Try not to be too nervous. They may roar like tigers, but they are really kittens at heart.”

“Then why are you letting them chase you off?” Whisper asked pointedly, and perhaps a little desperately as the big stallion made to leave.

Iron paused thoughtfully. “Well, I am going to be performing with them tonight,” he replied. “It just seems prudent not to overly upset individuals that will shortly have me by the balls.”

Whisper found it hard to argue with that, watching the big stallion amble off, leaving him all alone with the two mares. The two very hot mares. The two very hot, sex show mares. The two very hot, sex show and escort service mares. Who, now that the heckler of their seduction efforts had been chased off, were turning those lovely, sultry eyes back on him.

The notion, the offer, the opportunity being presented before him had Whisper’s emotions spinning. They were easily two of the most attractive mares he had ever seen, in face and body. And he had seen just how skillful they were, the way they could use their mouths and magic and bodies to please a stallion. Plus they had the whole twin thing going for them, and while that had never been a major fetish of his, it still definitely had its appeal.

To say that he was tempted was not even doing it justice. But by the same token, it would also be hard to overstate how nervous the idea made him. They were the kind of mares that were attractive to the point of it being intimidating. And they were so experienced, between putting on the sex shows and being escorts, they would have him so out classed, how could he even hope to keep up with them? Sure, he recognized that if he was hiring them for an evening of fun, then how well he preformed wasn't really going to be a factor in their enthusiasm. But he rather doubted that it would be so easy to rationalize it away with his emotions if he ended up blowing his load in an embarrassingly quick manner.

"So, now that the trouble maker is gone," Prism noted, and Whisper had to hold in a little gasp of delight as the mare actually pressed herself up against him, her side brushing against his silkily. "Where were we exactly?"

"Uh, you were being gentle with me?" he suggested a bit hopefully, finding the contact with the mare both delightful and nerve-wracking.

"Oh but of course darling," Crystal reassured him with sugary tones as she slipped up along his other side, trapping him between the two of them. "No need to worry, we'll be as gentle as you like."

"Well this sure escalated quickly," Check's dry tones cut in, making both Prism and Crystal sigh softly, quiet grumbles escaping from them as they were interrupted again. "I do hope you two aren't harassing Mr. Wind."

"Us? Why Miss Mark, how could you even suggest it?" Prism asked in a hurt tone of voice. Based on the total lack of sympathy on Check's face as she approached, she wasn't really buying it.

"It's really quite easy," Check replied, before dismissing the twins from her attention for the moment as she focused on Whisper instead. "They aren't being too forward, are they? I'm all for their talent at recruiting new customers to our escort service, but I won't have them bothering clients in doing so."

"...no, no they're fine," Whisper replied after a moment of really considering his situation. The twins might be making him anxious in the extreme with their nearly aggressive flirting, but at the same time, he rather felt like he needed the attention. He needed a pretty mare, or two in this case, to pay attention to him. He needed that sense of being wanted and desired. Even if it was just an act for the sake of money, it still felt real enough to fulfill the longing inside him for companionship with the opposite sex. It made him realize how strongly he was actually considering hiring them out for the evening.

Check regarded Whisper thoughtfully, her expression calculating as she studied his face for a few seconds, clearly searching and evaluating. She then nodded in acceptance. "Alright, as long as you're feeling comfortable with them," she allowed, making the twins beam cheerfully.

"We promise, his comfort is our top concern," Prism promised with a sultry little grin.

"So...how do I get on your schedule for tonight?" Whisper asked the mares, his throat tight and the butterflies in his stomach turning into dragons, but he managed to force the words out. He needed this, needed something more than his wing and fantasies. More over, he needed something that might get his damn libido to stop focusing on Heart as an outlet.

“Consider it already done,” Crystal told him with a gleeful little grin, while Prism shot Check a smug smirk for doubting them. “Just give us a half hour after the show to get cleaned up and presentable. We'll have someone come collect you.”

“Okay, great, that sounds…I'll be looking forward to it. Eagerly,” Whisper said, and meant it. Sure, it was a nervous eagerness, but all the same. Right now though, he had something else he needed to do. It made him just as nervous, but not at all eager. “Excuse me, Miss Mark? Is there a phone I could use? I need to make a call.”

-

Whisper picked up the phone, and just dialed. He had no idea how he was going to say what he needed to, and he knew if he tried to plan the conversation out, it was just turn into an endless cycle of stalling as he searched for a perfect approach. So he didn't give himself the chance, and just made the call, and would just deal with the situation as it developed. The line started ringing, and he held his breath, trying to pretend not to be wishing for Rusty to not be home. It would just be putting matters off after all, and would do nothing to resolve his need to confess and apologize. And yet all the same, a part of him was hoping he could delay, that Rusty wouldn’t answer the phone…

“Yes, hello,” a warm, familiarly feminine voice spoke from the other end of the line, and Whisper found himself desperately wishing Rusty had answered the phone instead.

“H-hi there, Heart,” he said meekly.

“Whisper! Oh thank goodness you called! You’ve been gone all day, we have been so worried,” Heart exclaimed. “Where have you been? Are you well? Where are you now?”

Whisper swallowed dryly. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I’m alright, I just…I had a lot of stuff on my mind,” he said bashfully.

“…about last night?” Heart asked, in an unusually soft tone for her.

“Yeah…about last night,” Whisper confirmed. “We really shouldn’t have done that.”

“No, probably not,” Heart agreed with a breathy sigh. “I…I am very sorry. I do not know what my problem is.”

“Heart, you have nothing to apologize about,” Whisper said, and then paused as he practically felt the mare’s incredulous look over the phone line.

“Whisper, I had practically just finished apologizing for not considering your feelings when fooling around with Rusty,” she stated firmly. “Only to then turn right around and have sex in the living room, and when you walked in on us, again, I further disregarded your feelings and coerced you into staying to watch us for the selfish thrill it gave me. What part of all of that does not require an apology?”

"...okay, okay, fair point, maybe you have a little to apologize for," Whisper allowed begrudgingly.

Heart sighed. "And yet you sound apologetic over agreeing with me on that," she noted. "You really do take blame readily, especially when it is truly not your fault."

"Sorry," Whisper said, automatically, and heard a soft fwoomp of air that strongly brought to mind an image of someone facewinging.

"No Whisper, I am sorry," Heart pushed on, her voice briefly muffled. "I have been very selfish, and thoughtless, and I have been sick with worry that I may have hurt you."

Whisper opened his mouth to deny that she had anything to apologize for, that he was fine and she hadn't done anything to worry about, but the words died partway to his lips. He had made this call to confess, and apologize. To face the truth, and make amends for the facts. Which would be hard to do if he didn't face all the truth, and all the facts.

"...you didn't hurt me, not in the way I think you think," Whisper said softly, leaning against the wall as he tried to get his words lined up. "...this is really hard and embarrassing to say, but...I think I have a crush on you, Heart. Have for a while now. But I shouldn't, because you're with Rusty. It...it makes me jealous sometimes, that you're with him, and not me. And then you had to go and call me attractive, and say under different circumstances you would have sex with me, and then...and then whatever last night was..." he went on, his tone turning brittle and anxious as his voice just ran out of steam on him. He fell silent, his heartbeat pulsing in his ears over what he had just admitted. There was a long, heavy silence from the other end.

"...oh, Whisper..." Heart finally replied, her voice very small. "I am so very sorry. I have been a bigger idiot than I realized. I knew you found me attractive, but that you...I had no idea your feelings were more than just...oh Whisper..." she trailed off in a tight tone of voice.

"Yeah, so...that's why I've been gone all day," Whisper said miserably. "Because I couldn't bring myself to deal with you, with my feelings, after what had happened. Not on top of trying to figure out how to tell Rusty about it so I could then apologize to him."

"Oh...you were going to tell him?" Heart asked in a tense tone.

"I have to Heart," Whisper said apologetically. "He's my friend. The only true friend I have. I can't keep this a secret from him, even if it...even if afterwards he doesn't..."

"Well, the thing is," Heart said, her tone apologetic. "I have already told him."

"...oh," Whisper said, that single word containing far more weight to it than it had any right to. "You told him...everything?"

"Yes. I told him how you walked in on us, both times. And how I...tempted you, to remain and watch. And how I found it exciting for you to do so."

"Uh, did you tell him about...did you include the bit where I...?" Whisper tried to ask, but the words just refused to be spoken.

"Pleasured yourself?" Heart supplied, getting a wordless grunt of acknowledgement from the stallion. "I mentioned it in passing, and with minimal detail. I tried not to make much of it, and instead focused much more on my own...experiences in that moment."

"Heart, are you trying to take the blame for this?" Whisper asked.

"Should I not?" Heart asked with a touch of scorn. "It was my doing. I seduced Rusty without consideration of where we were, and then very much seduced you, in a way."

"Hey, I still made a choice," Whisper tried to protest. "I could have left."

"You could have," Heart allowed. "But I did much to make that choice difficult for you. If you want to share in the blame, I will understand, but the majority of it belongs to me.”

“…so how did he take it?” Whisper asked, deciding he wasn’t going to win an argument in the blame game.

There was an uneasy silence. “I’m really not sure,” Heart eventually replied. “He got very quiet, and then asked me to give him some time alone. He did not seem angry though, just…I am not sure. Troubled perhaps?”

“So, he is still there then?” Whisper inquired.

“He is. Do you want me to get him?” Heart asked gently.

“Yes please, if you wouldn’t mind,” Whisper answered in a soft, nervous tone.

“Right. One moment,” Heart said, the rattle of the phone being set down coming through the line.

Whisper did his best to steel himself, to try and push down the nervous fear that was creeping up his throat like bile. In a way, Heart had done half the work for him in telling Rusty what had happened. Now he just had to apologize for it, and try to explain his actions. And yet he couldn’t help but worry that, by not getting the chance to confess, he might have lost some credibility, that his apology might seem less genuine, less a choice made from a guilty conscious and more a necessity after getting caught.

Then there was a sharp click of the phone being picked up, and he felt his heart get clamped in a vice.

“Whisper! Whisper man, are you there?” Rusty’s voice asked, almost frantically.

“Y-yeah, Rusty, I'm here. And I am so…”

“Where are you? Are you alright?” Rusty cut in right over Whisper.

“I…yeah I'm alright. Look, Rusty, I want to tell you that…”

“Where are you? Dude, you've been gone all day! I've been worried about you,” Rusty cut him off again, and his tone made Whisper pause. “Seriously, where have you been?”

“Uh, I went for a flight. And a walk. And now I'm at the club from last night.”

There was a brief, stunned silence.

“…well damn, you sneaky bastard,” Rusty said in a tone that actually sounded impressed. “I would never have thought to look for you there.”

"Uh..." Whisper said, not sure how to reply to that. Everything about the other stallion's tone and line of questioning was throwing him off guard. It was not at all what he had been ready for.

"Well hey man, if you're alright, why don't you come home? Or do you need someone to come get you?" Rusty asked with obvious if restrained concern.

"Rusty?" Whisper asked pointedly. "What is going on?"

"What? What do you mean?" Rusty asked, his tone becoming even more casual, though there was something brittle, and artificial in his voice.

"Rusty, Heart told me that she told you. About what happened," Whisper said, and there was an awkward pause. "...she did tell you, right? About me walking in on you guys while you were..."

"Oh, yeah, that, of course, yeah she told me," Rusty interrupted, his tone taking on an air of mirthful embarrassment that sounded just all the more fake. "But you know, sometimes things happen when you're living with someone, and, you know, you can't go making too big a deal out of things, you know?"

Whisper was silent, just staring at the phone as if he could force the conversation to start making sense if he just tried had enough.

"Whisper? You still there?" Rusty asked nervously.

"I'm still here," Whisper replied. "I'm just...very confused. I was expecting a lot of things out of this conversation, but how you're reacting right now is not one of them. I don't understand what is happening."

"What's there to understand? It's not a big deal," Rusty insisted.

"I think it kind of is, or ought to be," Whisper argued, feeling more and more bewildered. "We went behind your back."

"I mean, that's not really...look, I mean, it's not like you fucked her or anything," Rusty said, his joking tone very flat and forced. "I can totally forgive you for having a moment of temptation there, it's cool."

"...it's cool?" Whisper repeated slowly.

"Yeah. It's cool. We're cool, everything is fine." Rusty said. "You're okay, right?"

"I'm not sure anymore," Whisper answered honestly, thinking hard. "Rusty...do you know why I've been gone all day? And why I'm calling you now?"

"Uh...you got super embarrassed and had to go figure out how to cope?" Rusty suggested nervously.

"No. Well, yes, there was that, but I left because I felt guilty for what had happened and didn't know how to talk with you about it. Because I knew I couldn't possibly keep this a secret. You're my best friend, and you don't keep secrets like that between friends," he said, his tone hinting strongly.

"That's, uh, yeah, very true," Rusty said, guilt entering his voice.

"So, Rusty. What aren't you telling me right now?" Whisper asked worriedly. "Why are you, of the two of us, the one trying to avoid this conversation?"

"...fuck," Rusty whispered. "Fuck fuck fuck, do we really need to go into this?"

"I'm not sure how we can't," Whisper said apologetically. "Especially if we are going to move forward and try to get things back to normal between us."

"...Whisper," Rusty said softly. "I don't...I'm not sure things could go back to normal if I talk about this," he admitted in a deeply worried tone.

"And I don't think things can be normal if we don't," Whisper countered. "Things aren't normal right now. And I can't just ignore that and pretend."

"...fuck," Rusty groaned. Whisper waited. "Okay, look. This is going to be hard, and I'm not even sure what words to use for a lot of it."

"Okay, that's fine," Whisper said encouragingly. "Just do your best."

Rusty groaned softly. "Okay...well you know my childhood was kind of shitty. My dad, he was a very traditionally stalliony kind of stallion. Real stallions don't show emotion or weakness kind of guy. You can be happy, or angry, and that was about it with him. Anything else is being weak, and you're not a real stallion if you're weak."

"Rusty, you know I don't judge," Whisper said as the line went silent for a moment. "And besides, I wouldn't have a leg to stand on if it came to judging others for less than appropriately masculine emotions."

"Heh, yeah, fair," Rusty allowed weakly. "Anyway...between him and my brother, I grew up with some bad examples. And my childhood friends tended to be more of the same, because I just never knew any better. But then...then I met you. And you were different. You didn't put me down and pretend like it was fine and normal to do so. I mean, you didn't put me down at all. You pulled me up. You told me I could be better and pushed me to do so, and you made me a better pony for it. And you showed me a different way of being friends, a way that just felt so much more honest and true. You were the first pony I felt like I could let my guard down around."

"Rusty..." Whisper said softly.

"Please, hold on, let me get through this before I chicken out," Rusty cut in. "The point I'm trying to make here is...that I love you. Like, you're like the brother I wish I had, instead of the one I do. But...but even that's not really enough to cover it. I...I think...oh fuck it, Whisper! I think I'm in love with you, and I don't know how to make sense of that. I'm not into stallions, I've never looked at you and like, wanted to kiss you or anything, but I still have these feelings that are so much more than just friendship or brotherly affection. I...I can't imagine my life without you in it."

"...oh...wow, Rusty..." Whisper eventually managed to choke out as his mind reeled with trying to process and adjust to this new information. “How…how long have you…?”

“A while now,” Rusty said softly. “But I was afraid that telling you would change things. That it would make you uncomfortable to be around me, and might even make you want to move out.”

Whisper blew out a long breath. “Well…well I’ll admit, I’m not even sure what to feel or say about that,” he said honestly, before hurrying to add. “But that’s just because it’s a lot to take in and I’m going to have to give it all a lot of thought. That said, I’m still your friend, and your roommate, and I have no intention of seeing either of those things change, okay?”

“Okay,” Rusty said in a very quiet voice, tight with emotion. “Thank you.”

“Awwwww,” Heart squeed in a tone suitable for fawning over a litter of newborn kittens. “You two, this is so touching!”

“…Heart?” Whisper exclaimed in shock. “Have you been listening in on the other line?”

“…no?” Heart replied innocently, not sounding nearly as ashamed as she really ought to have.

Whisper sighed, and then frowned at the phone as Rusty started laughing softly.

“Right, fine,” Whisper groaned, just rolling with it. “Back on topic. Rusty. While I appreciate you telling me about your feelings, I’m not sure how this relates to what me and Heart did yet.”

There was a long rustling kind of noise as Rusty blew out a breath. “Okay, so, I know this is probably going to sound crazy, but the thing is…I just don't care. And I don't mean that I'm apathetic, I mean that the idea of it does not bother me at all. The only thing that upsets me at all is the two of you keeping it a secret, and even that I'm already willing to forgive and forget because of how awkward I'm sure it was and yet how quickly you guys were ready to tell me regardless.”

“Well. I was not exactly ready for that,” Heart admitted.

“Yeah, same,” Whisper agreed, slightly stunned.

“Yeah, well, that's how I feel,” Rusty said. “Now I'm pretty sure it has to do with how I feel about you, Whisper. I don't think I'd be so chill about anyone else, but you…” There was a pause into which a casual shrug would have perfectly fit. “Honestly, if my best friend is a voyeur and my marefriend is an exhibitionist, I think I can totally work with that.”

“…reeeaaally now?” Heart asked, drawing the word out in an exceptionally intrigued manner.

“Uh, what?” Whisper asked, now totally off guard.

“I can work with it,” Rusty said, the hint of a smile in his tone. “I mean who knows, it could be hot. Might be a fun thing to play around with,” he suggested, getting a throaty purr of excitement out of Heart.

“I uh, whoa,” Whisper declared nervously. “You uh…would really want to…?”

“I think it would be worth exploring,” Rusty said easily. “As long as we're ready and willing to be open and truthful about things, right?”

“So, Whisper,” Heart spoke up eagerly. “When were you planning on coming home?” she asked, with a very poor attempt at a nonchalant tone.

Whisper opened his mouth to answer, then froze as he realized his answer. And what he would have to admit to in order to explain it.

“I uh…might be a while still,” he answered with a wince in his tone. “I kind of, sort of, maybe have some plans for the evening?”

“Poo. What kind of plans?” Heart asked with an audible pout.

“…Whisper, what kind of plans?” Rusty asked after a moment of awkward silence. At least, awkward for Whisper. Rusty suddenly sounded like an orca circling a floundering baby seal.

“I have plans with…some mares,” Whisper groaned in defeat.

“Mares? Mares plural?” Rusty asked, his teasing tone shifting instantly to mirthfully intrigued. "Where did you find these mares?"

There was a thud as Whisper banged his head gently against the wall. "At the club," he muttered.

"And you just hooked up, just like that?" Rusty asked, pride now radiating from his voice.

"No, no it's not like that, it's..." Whisper hesitated. "You remember the twins? From the show last night?"

"Is that a serious question?" Rusty scoffed playfully. "Hey Heart, do you remember the twins? I'm not so sure I know who he's talking about."

"Rusty, be nice," Heart chided with amusement. "Now go on Whisper, what about the twins?"

"...well, the thing is...you see..." Whisper hesitated, and then just ripped the bandage off. "The club has an escort service and those two are part of it and they made an aggressive and very convincing sales pitch and I decided to take them up on the offer and am going to be meeting them after the show tonight," he said all in one, rapid breath.

"...I am honestly at a loss for words," Rusty eventually declared. "Like...seriously? You actually hired those two hotties to come play with you? You did?"

"I think I might be a little jealous," Heart mused in a cheerful tone.

"Of whom?" Rusty asked teasingly.

"Maybe all of them," Heart replied thoughtfully. "I confess, although I seem to be more the exhibitionist, I would very much love to watch Whisper rutting those two," she said, her tone taking on a happy, sultry hum. "Rusty?"

"Yes?"

"I believe thinking about what Whisper is going to be doing has gotten me quite excited," she stated, very pointedly.

"...right, well, Whisper buddy, good luck!" Rusty said in a quick, eager tone. "I'd say have fun, but that seems kind of a given."

"Right back at you, it seems," Whisper noted, and both Rusty and Heart laughed, the former mirthfully, and the latter rather knowingly. "Right, bye then."

"See you later," Rusty replied.

"Goodbye," Heart added, followed by first one, then another click as the phones were hung up.

Whisper felt his body slump a little as the tension of the conversation started to leave him, and he hung up the phone. That had gone exceptionally better than he had been expecting. It had gone weird, and off in strange directions, but none of them had been bad, exactly. He was definitely going to have plenty to think about, but at least none of it was of an immediately urgent nature. Which meant for now he could focus on, and be excited about, and nervous about, the time he was going to be spending with Prism and Crystal.

He turned, and nearly had a heart attack as he realized he was not alone. The phone Check had led him to was located in a little alcove off the banquet hall, the tiny space an offshoot of one corner of the main room. It hooked around a bit, and included a partition to help ensure some measure of privacy. And somehow Whisper had been so caught up in his conversation he had totally missed it whenever it was that the zebra performer had slipped into the tiny area with him...