Style Quest: Raine and Shyne

Varick had pulled out all the stops for this evening’s dinner. It would be the night the mahogany Clydesdale would tell his boyfriend, the blue and green spotted snow leopard Raine, that he was finally ready to try to make their relationship physical. Enough time had passed, and the snow leopard was giving clear signals that he was more than ready. Varick put a fresh set of bed linens on his Guild bed in his room, and his volai companion, Layla, had been set to a sitter. Hoping to avoid what happened last time Varick and Raine tried to have a fancy dinner, the blonde horse prepared a homemade sliced turkey breast dinner, hand-mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, gravy, and a chocolate peanut butter pie that was a gift from his mom. The horse laid out all the food on a borrowed table with lit candles and a bottle of wine. A knock on the door alerted Varick that his guest had arrived.

 

“Come in,” the Clydesdale greeted his boyfriend as he opened the door. Varick ushered the slightly taller snow leopard inside. Not so subtly, the horse tailor sniffs Raine’s soft, sweet-smelling fur. “I just finished cooking not too long ago, so everything is nice and hot.”

 

“Smells wonderful,” the colorful leopard purred as he walked in and took his seat. Varick tried his best to control his nerves, but it was difficult. “Shyne loved all the dresses, by the way. She said she’ll order some more soon.” It did help to hear that Raine’s sister loved her dresses. It meant that Varick had taught his boyfriend how to take measurements well.

 

“That’s excellent news,” the Clydesdale smiled as he served the food and poured the wine. “All three of us should hang out sometime if she ever decides I don’t make her anxious.” Raine had told Varick that Shyne was too shy around people to be social. The fact that they’d met once was nothing sort of a miracle. Small talk continued as the two shared the meal. Raine had landed a hefty commission to paint a mural for a new business in town, and Varick was found not to be at fault for the planet Requinest exploding.

 

“Dinner was delicious,” Raine complimented Varick as he finished licking the pie tin. “Tell your mom that if she ever accidentally makes too many pies, I can help her dispose of them.” The snow leopard always seemed to be craving excess sweets, so Varick wasn’t surprised his date licked the dessert dish clean. He found it rather adorable. After wiping Raine’s face with a cloth napkin, Varick pulled him over to the bed. Usually, they make out for a bit and then say good night, but this evening was different. As the snow leopard leaned in, the blonde Clydesdale pushed him onto his back and climbed on top.

 

“I’m ready to be fully physical if you still want that,” Varick blushed a bit as he struggled to get the words out. He was determined not to let his past relationships interfere with this one. 

 

“Uh, um, while that is something I have been looking forward to, and you know I have, there is something that I haven’t told you about myself,” Raine said, suddenly flustered. The snow leopard had looked forward to finally physically consummating their love but didn’t think it would be that night. “There’s a secret about myself that I haven’t told you yet. I thought there’d be more time to figure out how to tell you correctly because I’m afraid of how you’d react. I’m… I’m..”

 

“Trans,” the horse cut off his struggling lover with the question. “I know. I snuck a feel when I showed you how to measure an inseam. Don’t worry, I’m not bothered by it.” 

 

“No, I’m Shyne,” Raine shouted as his form shifted to his sister’s. “I have fey blood, hence my coloration, but it allows me to shift my body and parts to present myself depending on my feelings. You met me as Raine, so I always met you like that because you’re gay, and I thought you wouldn’t like this side of me.”

 

“First of all, I’m in love with you as you, no matter how you present,” Varick smiled before kissing the pinned leopard. “Secondly, I’m a bi switch. Usually a gay top or a straight bottom, I can play most positions. Raine, Shyne, Cloudy, or Myst, I don’t care. I want to be with you, whoever that is.”

 

“Let’s stick with Raine,” the snow leopard wiped a tear of joy from their eye. “Now, I am going to rock your world, but I will need more sugar to fuel the transformations.” Varick laughed as he reached over to the bedside table and pulled open a drawer stuffed with candies. 

 

“I thought it’d be a good idea to keep a supply on hand in case you stayed overnight,” the blonde Clydesdale smirked before Raine flipped him over. The couple said more words, but the night claimed them.

 

Varick awoke in the morning stark naked, sprawled out exposed on his bed with a sheet wrapped around one of his legs. His mouth was dry from slight dehydration, and his body ached. Last night was a blur of passion and pleasure. 

 

“Lay still, I’m still sketching,” Raine ordered from where they stood at the foot of the bed. Their hand was a blur as the artist quickly drew the naked Clydesdale. More than happy not to move, Varick lay there, careful not to disturb Raine’s work. After a few moments, they motioned for the horse to flip over, “I want your other side as well. This painting will be a dual-sided canvas for my personal collection.”

 

Once Raine finished their sketches, Varick showed them out with a kiss and a promise to see them again that night. In need of a shower, the horse washed himself in the bathroom attached to his room. He was taking his time to soak in hot water and reminisce on the memories of the night before. Once he was dried off and personal hygiene taken care of, Varick glanced at the mirror and jumped back in fright as the scar over his heart burned. It wasn’t his reflection that looked back at him but rather that of a one-legged male coyote with multiple ear piercings and a gold tooth. This visage was of the long-dead lich that had tortured the horse as a child, simply known as The Necromancer.

 

“I know what you’re thinking, and you’re probably right that I’m not real and merely a figment of your imagination made manifest, but let’s face some facts here,” the coyote chuckled as he drew a line across his chest with a black nailed finger. “You tapped into my powers to save your life, so our magical essences are forever tangled. I think we are going to have some fun together.”