Skin%
02 Jizz Kabal
Holding the cellphone between one ear and his shoulder, Wrecks walked over into the back corner of the front room of the shop. He rummaged around in the clothes hung on the pole jutting out from the wall, all the way to the back, and pulled out the last items, which had been cunningly hooked into the wire grid on the wall. He tossed the black denim kilt, with chrome fittings, on the counter as the other party answered.
"Ah dja ta?" a slurred voice answered.
"What the fuck is that, Aramaic?" Wrecks demanded. "Sanskrit? Or did you hit that piss-ale Ratch brews a bit harder than usual last night?"
There was some rustling and grunting from the other end, and then the voice made a sharp sound, completely unlike a person clearing their throat.
"None of the above," a scratchy voice replied. "We did six sets last night. Would have been three, but the scat-bag owner decided we had to pay for drinks or play double, and his bartender had been pushing brews on Lulz by then. We were going to go firebomb the place after hours, but we got too stoned. I think Bump is doing something weird with his pot plants again."
"Ah, bullshit," Wrecks objected. "Okay, get your hands off your dong and listen up. I got the shop to myself. Permanently. You get the Jizz Kabal over here, now. It's Fetish Week over here, and I'm allowed to have live music in front of my shop from 8 to midnight, no permit. So you tell the guys to pull the funnels out of their asses and get moving."
"You- No shit?" the voice screeched. "Wait. No! Fuck, it worked didn't it? You fucking tell me it worked, you cock-sucker. Tell me it worked. Tell me we weren't just cranked up on X."
"It worked, fudge pack," Wrecks told him acidly. "I'm standing here, looking at the Monster. And it seems really happy to be here. So you and the other ladies put on your corsets and high heels, put in their tampons, and fucking move!"
There was a sudden sharp tone as the call disconnected, and Wrecks sighed, shaking his head. He looked down at his side, where Wolf was kneeling, settled back on his heels. His hands were fisted and resting on the floor, as he panted slowly, his tongue hanging out. He seemed perfectly content to sit there patiently, waiting for Wrecks to do whatever he was doing.
Wrecks reached down and scratched him gently behind one furry, pointed ear. Wolf's eyes squeezed shut with pleasure, and one leg twitched in time with Wrecks's fingers. He leaned against Wrecks's leg, a crooning sound of pleasure escaping from his lips.
"Okay, Wolf, time to get some work done," Wrecks chided. He walked over to the door and flipped the sign to "Closed" and set the "We'll Be Back" sign to two hours later. Then he turned and motioned to Wolf. "Up, Wolf, I'll need your help."
Together they dragged a few old boxes from the rear-most room, and Wrecks started tossing clothing and accessories from the racks into the boxes. Each time he emptied a rack, he and Wolf would disassemble it, and Wolf would carry the parts into the rear-most room.
The five men tumbled out of the rusted old van, heading for the door of the shop marked with the legend "Skin%" in a stencil font, and skidded to a stop, staring in through the window on the right side of the shop. There in the window, Wolf sprawled over an old beanbag chair. As they gaped at the sight, Wolf rolled over, and they caught sight of the full wolf-tail poking through a rip in the back of the denim shorts.
"Werewolf?" one of the guys asked in a nasal voice.
"Wolf demon?" another muttered.
The tallest of the men shook his head and shrugged. "One way to find out," he said sarcastically. "And oh, look, by coincidence we were headed in that direction anyway."
"You're a dick, Flux," one of the men said, even as he glared at one of the tourists who were avoiding looking at them or even sharing the sidewalk with them.
"Suck it," Flux replied, shoving past two of the men to enter the shop.
Wrecks was behind the glass counter, leaning on it and looking thoughtful. Flux stomped up to him and punched him hard in the middle of the chest.
"Mosquitoes don't seem to be as big this year," Wrecks said idly, lightly brushing his chest.
"Fuck you," Flux hiss heatedly, as the blood rose in his face. "You- you fucking- you- you god damned wind-worshipping tree-hugging dirt-eating sorcerer!" He took a heaving breath. "Corsets! High-heels! Tampons! I ought to break every bone in your body!"
Wrecks bent down behind the counter, and came up with a short-handled sledge hammer. He handed it wordlessly to Flux, and then bent over the counter, as if offering his head to the headsman's axe.
"Asswipe!" Flux tossed the hammer down, and it landed with a sharp clunk. "I- You- Ar- Ga-"
"Hello boys," Wrecks said, turning to the other four men, as Flux spluttered. "I trust you've all puked your guts out already. Otherwise, you'll be forced to use that mysterious chamber of torture the rest of us call a bathroom."
"Ah, fuck, Wrecks," the shortest of the men said, scratching his crotch. "We got here's fast's we could."
"Hey, Wrecks," one of the men said brightly.
"What, Lulz?" Wrecks asked tiredly.
"How much is that doggy in the window?" Lulz asked, a wide grin on his face. "I really hope that doggie is for sale."
Wrecks rolled his eyes. "Where's Wolfie?" he called out. "Where is my Wolfie? I really miss my Wolf. Where is my wild Wolf?"
From the window came a startled rustling, and Wolf burst out from under the heavy cloth hanging that separated the window display from the shop. He half-loped toward Wreck, and came to a half-squatting stop in front of the counter, looking up at Wrecks in adoration and hope.
Wrecks came out from behind the counter and knelt down to give Wolf a hard kiss, swapping spit and probing with his tongue. The guys watched as the quivering Wolf seemed to try to merge his body into Wrecks's.
Wrecks pulled back and scratched Wolf's ears. "Wolf, these are some friends of mine, and I want them to be your friends too. They're going to be helping me with the shop, so they'll be around a lot. Okay?"
Wolf looked at him, and cocked his head. He looked around at the men, and back at Wrecks, waiting.
"He'll need to sniff you as I introduce you," Wrecks said, standing up. "Wolf this is Ratch."
The short, slightly chubby man with knotted shoulder and arm muscles held out his hand toward Wolf, a stunned grin hovering on his face. Wolf leaned forward to sniff his hand, then moved on to Ratch's crotch, chest, armpits, and butt. He then stretched up to lick Ratch's freckled face, from the red-blond goatee to pierced eyebrow, and lightly touched Ratch's shaved and freckled head out of curiosity.
"Okay, Man," Wolf grumbled happily. "Ratch."
Ratch's eyes doubled in size, and he reached out to pet Wolf's head. Wolf leaned into his hand after a moment, panting. Ratch bent down to pet Wolf's back, and after a blinding twist, found himself scratching Wolf's stomach.
"Shit, nice," Ratch nodded enthusiastically. "Nice Wolf. Real nice. I don't suppose you've got any brothers back home, do you?"
Wolf shook his head. "Just Man," he replied contentedly.
"Alright, Wolf," Wreck chided. "This is Lulz."
The tall, broad man squatted down to meet Wolf, and got the same treatment. Lulz took the opportunity to run his hands over Wolf's body, and feel the furry tail. The moon-face man looked up at Wrecks.
"Hey Wrecks," he said, as he petted Wolf.
"Yes, Lulz," Wrecks said patiently, as Wolf investigated Lulz's bright blue high-and-tight haircut.
"Ya got yourself some tail," Lulz announced.
"Lulz," Wolf nodded seriously after a moment more of investigation.
"This is Bump," Wrecks introduced the next man, who had numerous subdermals implants on his arms and face. Bump was as tall as Lulz, and a bit broader.
Wolf sniffed Bump's hand, but went directly to the bumps on his arms, sniffing, licking, and finally trying to chew on one for a moment, making Bump laugh. After the usual other sniffs, Wolf buried his nose in the top of Bump's exaggerated pompadour, and then licked at Bump's sideburns, twice.
"Wolf," Bump said, to catch his attention. He repeated it twice, but Wolf was back to examining the implants on Bump's arm. Finally he sighed and took hold of Wolf's nose between two fingers. He used his grip to direct Wolf back to look him in the face.
"I know wolves, Wolf, and plants and other animals. I will need to check you from time to time to make sure you are healthy, okay? It won't hurt, but it might be a little boring or uncomfortable. But don't get upset with me. Because it would make me sad."
Wolf's eyes widened at that, and he slowly nodded carefully. Bump let go of his nose, and threw an arm around Wolf's neck, hugging him and slapping him gently on the side of his ribs.
"We're going to get along just fine, right Wolf?" Bump said. Wolf licked his face excitedly.
"Nice job, Wrecks," Bump said seriously. "I can't see anything that's off, everything's just perfect."
"I didn't do it," Wrecks pointed out, and pointed to the Monster. "It's all the Monster; well, maybe a bit from him, too." He pointed to Wolf with a nod of his head, and shrugged. "Wolf, this is Shant."
Shant tossed his bleached un-gelled mohawk out of his eyes as he bent down to offer his hand to Wolf. After the usual investigations were over and Wolf had licked the long white stripe of a goatee on Shant's chin, Shant touched the ring in Wolf's
nipple.
"Once you get used to a bigger size, I'll see if Ratch and I can't make you something better, okay?" he asked in his nasal voice. "Would you like that?"Wolf perked up, and looked from Wrecks to Shant. "Yes," he said intently. He cocked his head. "Now?"
"Not yet, Wolf," Shant grinned.
Wolf gave out a long-suffering sigh. "Okay."
"His time sense is already altering?" Bump asked quietly. Wrecks nodded. Bumps nodded thoughtfully, as Shant went back to examining the Monster from a polite distance.
"Any thoughts, Shant?" Wrecks asked wickedly.
"Nothing more than the last time I looked at it," Shant shrugged. "It's still a fascinating piece of work. It would be nice if we could figure out who made it, and why. I'm still curious as to who placed it at the Fantasia." He leaned closer to the large, red, glass cock and balls. "Remember me? I'm the one who had to draw the symbols on that ring, from memory. It took me five tries. And I'm the one who made that ring hanging from Wrecks's neck. The least you could do is say thank you. You've been without anyone who really understands you for a long time."
The glow from within the glass cock intensified slowly. Shant smirked, and then his eyes got wide.
"Holy fuck," he swore.
"What's the matter, Shant?" Wrecks asked, looking suspicious.
Shant unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a barrel chest and slight paunch. Going from his adam's apple to his belt was an inch-wide line of thick, stark white body hair. Shant dropped his pants, and they saw that it went all the way to his cock. Running down the length of his cock, on the underside, was a line of large-gauge steel rings, matching the ones through his thick nipples. Like the ring through the Monster's head, there was no ball, joint or seam to be seen.
"Damn," Wrecks breathed.
Shant reached over and rubbed the head of the Monster. "Thanks, big guy," he grinned. "Been wanting a ladder like that for a while, and the stripe fuckin' rocks. You're okay!" He stared for a moment. "Shit, I think he just winked at me."
"And this is Flux," Wrecks informed Wolf. Flux had finally calmed down, after witnessing Wolf going through his paces. The man with different sections of his hair dyed different colors, and tied with a wide stained bandanna so that it stood almost straight up, bent down and offered his hand to Wolf. "Flux is a real asshole, and loses his temper a lot, but it's okay. He's our kind of asshole. Don't worry if he starts throwing punches and shit. You can still bite him, though, he likes it."
"And I bite back, too," Flux told Wolf, darting a glare at Wrecks.
Not only did Wolf sniff the usual parts, he also had to sniff the arcane symbols tattooed on Flux's stomach in a circle. After sniffing each one, clockwise, he sniffed them again, counter-clockwise.
"Heh, smart Wolf," Chant snickered. The snicker died at Wolf nudged Flux in the stomach with his nose, in the exact middle of the circle.
"Where other smell?" Wolf asked. "Flux." He nudged him again.
"Shit," Flux breathed, looking from Wrecks to Shant.
"The medallion's center was missing," Shant snapped.
"That's why it never worked," Flux snarled, the color in his face rising. But Wolf suddenly put both hands on each of Flux's shoulders and knocked him to the ground, flat on his back. Wolf began licking Flux's face. His long, wide, smooth tongue seemed to pay a lot of attention to Flux's septum ring.
"Alright, alright," Flux laughed finally. "I'm good, Wolf. Good Wolf. Thanks. You're something else, Wolf." He pushed Wolf off gently and sat up. He darted a sour look at Wrecks, who was smirking. "Yeah, you're all ass-wipes. Fuck off."
"Why don't guys all go stash your stuff on the room all the way back?" Wrecks told them. "Wolf, you remember what I showed you, where everything in the other rooms are?"
Wolf thought hard a moment. "Yes." He seemed quite pleased with himself.
"Good Wolf," Wrecks nodded. "You show the guys around, okay? And guys, try to come up with some concrete plans for this place."
"I noticed you had more empty floor than the last time I was here," Bump nodded, looking around. "I thought Doc had more crap than this."
"I tossed the stupid shit in some boxes, you guys go through it and see if there's any use you can find for it," Wrecks nodded.
"What did you do with Doc?" Flux asked, crossing his extensively inked arms. Bands of symbols went around each arm, from wrist to shoulder, with barely any unaltered skin showing.
"Didn't do anything," Wrecks told him. "He saw the Monster, and decided he wanted out. Shop's been more than he wanted to handle for a long time anyway. I need to deposit money into his account each week. But I did make a couple wishes for him, in return. He's healthier, happier, freer... looks a hell of lot better, and doesn't show his age so badly. But the Monster also gave him something else. He left here with a leather muscle-boy on his bike, headed up to Big Bear, this afternoon."
"Oh, we need to be careful about what we say, don't we?" Lulz asked, looking worried. "Like wishes and stuff."
"Don't worry about it, Lulz," Shant told him, patting the taller man on one shoulder. "Wrecks has his ring too. So Wrecks can, ah, veto anything that might go wrong, okay?"
"Oh, good," Lulz nodded, satisfied.
"Weren't there a bunch more racks in here?" Bump asked.
"All disassembled and piled in the back," Wrecks nodded.
"Maybe Ratch can put something together out of them," Bump shrugged, making the subdermals on his arms look like they were contemplating a mass migration.
"It's all the chrome-plated shit," Wrecks told Bump.
"The cheap plating?" Ratch asked. Wrecks nodded. "I can grind that shit off. Should still be steel underneath. I got my tools in the back of the van too."
"Hey, it's yours," Wrecks told him. "Can't really sell it, with the economy. Half the shops downtown have closed, and they wound up throwing out most of their shit." He thought for a moment. "The back door empties into the parking lot in back. There's a no parking zone, you can use that for now."
"Works," Ratch nodded.
Wrecks waited a few moments, while the guys looked at him. "Go on," Wrecks finally told them, motioning them back. "Wolf will show you around. Try not to bump into customers carrying stuff in, okay?"
