Polo and Dreameh's fanfic RP... ;D Jimmy/Kougu [Probably mature]

“The real world is depressing sometimes” Kougu told him firmly, but Jimmy just scowled. It didn't mean they had to watch the depressing real world all the time. He'd had enough hard-hitting stuff that day, and he didn't intend to prolong that any furhter that day.
“I need to know what's happening out there to make this mission work...” Kougu added, nodding to the screen. Jimmy didn't care what he meant until he saw the prisoners, looking terrified out of their wits, as the reporter went on. He listened to the report half-heartedly at first, but soon enough he forget about his food and stared in horror at the screen.
They'd put peace groups on death row?
Hell, Noah hadn't been in power very long, only a couple of days tops, and already madness was breaking out. And yet people were okay with this? Well, it wouldn't matter if they were or not. Soon enough it would be illegal even to think negatively about this President Noah. Hell, it didn't take long for Madness to break out, did it?
The reporter signed off, but Jimmy was still frowning at the screen. He imagined Kougu's father would be pretty bad, but he never thought it would get this bad so quickly. They weren't even punishing bad people. It was insane.
“Are you okay?” Kougu asked him suddenly, and Jimmy froze in his seat. Dammit. How had he noticed?
Clenching his jaw and carefully avoiding the man's eye, Jimmy replied. “Yeah, fine.” In his best light-hearted voice. It didn't sound very convincing, but it was evident that he clearly did't want to talk about it.
He shoved the last mouthful of cornflakes in his mouth and headed out to the kitchen without a word. He was sure he didn't look that bad, but Kougu was good at picking up expressions. Funny, coming from a man who didn't seem to use many.
Jimmy slowly made his way back to the lounge, but knowing Kougu had noticed his mood meant he wasn't really fond of staying in his company much longer. Besides, it was late and he was tired.
“It's due to be a little warmer tomorrow.” He grunted, leaning against the back of the sofa. “I'm gunna do a bit of working out in the garden if you want to join me. I'll be up at eight.”
Because no sad bugger should be awake before then.
“I'm tired. Gunna go to bed. Don't be too late yourself.” He grunted finally,and turned to leave.

Jimmy claimed that he was fine, but Kougu didn't think that even he believed that. As for himself, he just shrugged it off, and twisted his hands uncertainly in his lap as Jimmy left the room. He hadn't intended any harm, and he had known that Jimmy would be furious that he'd picked up on any hint of weakness he might have shown, but Kougu couldn't stop himself from caring.  It was programmed into him, like eating or breathing. Perhaps even more so.
After a moment, Jimmy came back into the lounge, and Kougu glanced questioningly up at him. 
“It's due to be a little warmer tomorrow.” He commented as he leaned against the couch, “I'm gunna do a bit of working out in the garden if you want to join me. I'll be up at eight."
"Sounds good." Kougu answered automatically, although to be completely honest, he barely even knew what simple 'working out' entailed. His workouts were generally hardcore training sessions, and he'd not even done one of those in quite some time. 
“I'm tired." Jimmy grunted at last, brusquely dismissing Kougu, "'Gunna go to bed. Don't be too late yourself.”
Kougu didn't answer.  He didn't intend on sleeping at all, but Jimmy didn't need to know that. He watched as the other man walked out of the room, but when he reached the door, Kougu couldn't hold back any longer.
"Jimmy?" He spoke up quietly, rather glad to be speaking to the man's turned back, "We're in this together, you know. Now I know that you're fine, but..." His eyes turned back to the screen, although his attention remained solely on Jimmy, "I just hope you know that, if you ever weren't, you wouldn't need to suffer alone." He picked up the remote, flicking aimlessly through the channels. "I was scared." He admitted quietly, hoping that somehow the confession would ease Jimmy's mind, "Seeing that bear barreling towards us, falling through that ice..." He flicked to another channel, "People aren't built to deal with things like that. Nobody could expect to walk away unscathed."

Jimmy stopped at the use of his name, although he still didn't turn around. He felt ashamed that Kougu had caught on to his mood, and he had no intention of revealing his weakness any further. In a mission as serious as this, he couldn't afford to crumble from his emotions, because it could end up being the death of him. Except...
“We're in this together, you know. Now I know that you're fine, but... I just hope you know that, if you ever weren't, you wouldn't need to suffer alone.”
Jimmy tried to imagine having another heart-to-heart with Kougu about his fears, but it just didn't come. However, at this comment he felt a lump come to his throat. He'd never known anyone he could openly talk about his feelings with, since he'd always been the big brother and the man of the house since he was thirteen, it had never been something he felt comfortable with. Hell, he'd never even talked about his emotions with his own mother. That might have been why he'd ended up so messed up when he met Charlie and treated her the way he had. He'd been grieving and hadn't quite managed to get a hold of himself.
“I was scared.” Kougu admitted quietly. The word 'scared' made Jimmy want to cry all over again. “Seeing that bear barreling towards us, falling through that ice... People aren't built to deal with things like that. Nobody could expect to walk away unscathed.”
Quietly Jimmy nodded, but he still didn't say anything, nor did he look around. Kougu knew he wasn't okay – hell, for all he knew it was the most obvious thing in the world – but no one had ever said these things to him before. He was ashamed in himself for being so upset by what had happened, and he was far too proud to crumble in front of anyone, especially Kougu, but he was grateful Kougu had told him. At least he knew he wasn't just being weak.
“G'night, Kougu.” He grunted, and without another word he headed upstairs to bed.

"Good night." Kougu answered softly, finally looking over in Jimmy's direction as he left. He was not disappointed that the other man had not had more to say. The way he saw it, anything that didn't involve Jimmy blowing up in his face was a victory. He just hoped that his friend had heard him, at least.

After Jimmy went to bed, Kougu stayed up through the night. For a while he stared at the television. Not really watching, just looking.  When he tired of that, he headed off to the study to do some research, but though he stayed there well into the night, no new information arose. His head had been throbbing since before midnight, and whenever the pain grew too extreme, Kougu would take a pill to lessen it. Towards the early hours of the morning, he was struck by the uncomfortable realization that his supply was running rather low. He wouldn't be able to refill his prescription while in America.
Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, Kougu shoved the tub of pills into his pocket, and chose not to think about them for a while. His head still hurt, but he supposed he could learn to live with it. He always had, after all.
It was around five AM when he finally gave up on the Internet, and began roaming the house in search of some new distraction to keep his mind from straying back to unwelcome memories. It came in the form of the kitchen, and the bare shelves within. If Jimmy intended to put in a proper workout that morning, then he would need to eat - really eat, not just fill his mouth with year-old Cornflakes. Besides, he was hungry, too.
Casting a glance to the nearest window, Kougu frowned uncertainly. Dawn was just creeping upon the horizon. He could probably find a shop open at six if he searched hard enough, and if he was lucky, there wouldn't be too many people around until later.
He shuffled around for a moment in indecision, then shrugged and pulled on his coat, dropping his wallet into the pocket. It wasn't cold, but he was still battling the after-effects of the hypothermia, and the chill hadn't quite left him.

His adventure took him to a twenty four hour cafe just a few blocks away, and after a five minute argument with himself about whether or not it was worth going inside, he managed to bully himself through the doorway, and slunk around the cafe with a shopping basket on his arm, quickly tossing in  everything he thought they might need for the next couple of weeks. When he reached the till, he set down his groceries and quickly took out his wallet, while the cashier began slowly ringing up each item. The sound of his teeth gnashing on the gum in his mouth sounded uncomfortably loud in the silence, and every ungraceful suck and slurp made Kougu twitch with the pounding in his head.
"So how about this new president, huh?" The man asked, his voice just as dull and slow as his hefty belly and thick, curly brown hair suggested it might be. "He sure is making some changes around here. Think he's gonna stay?"
"I don't know." Kougu answered, staring absentmindedly at the clock on the wall. It was just before six and he was in no hurry, but he didn't much care to discuss politics with some washed up cashier who clearly had about as much opinion on the matter as a half-trained parrot in a pet store.
"I think the peace courts will get him." Chewing Gum said, "All this death penalty stuff ain't right, you know? You can't just go around killing people. Even druggies and rapists have families, you know? They gotta live, man."
Kougu handed him a credit card, and took the bag of groceries. Chewing Gum went on talking, but he wasn't really listening. The moment he got his card back, he shoved it into his pocket and turned to go. He could not have got out of there any sooner.

A short drive later he arrived back at the house that he would temporarily be calling 'home', and took the groceries into the kitchen to unpack. By half past seven, he had some eggs and bacon cooked - goodness knows how he'd figured out how to do it - and was just serving them onto a couple of pieces of toast for himself and Jimmy.

The smell of food was what lured Jimmy out of his comatose state, early that morning, and after a hesitant start to his sleep he'd woken up with the nightmares completely forgotten about, and despite the dark rings beneath his eyes from the stress of the previous day, he felt far more content about facing another. In fact, he was prepared to face anything if it meant he got to his food.
Without really caring what he looked like he waddled down the stairs, wearing his loose sweats and the long-sleeved shirt he'd put on the night before. His hair stuck up in all directions and he had the intelligence of a zombie at that point, but when he saw Kougu in the kitchen he greeted him with more enthusiasm than the night before. “Morning.” He grunted, his voice two octaves lower than it was supposed to be. “You're up early.”
He wasn't stupid. Kougu probably hadn't slept, or had little sleep, but he decided not to bring it up.
“Where did you get the food?” He asked, although he didn't much care about how it had come about, just that it was there and it smelt delicious, and he served himself a plate like it was his life goal.
Jesus, there was even bread available.
Murmuring contently he made himself three slices of toast (because he could) and happily tucked into his breakfast, murmuring every once in a while as he chewed. It was the bacon. He had a soft spot for it, and even minutes after he had woken up, he was in heaven.

“Morning.” A sleepy voice grunted from the doorway, making Kougu jump in surprise, and flick hot oil at himself. He hissed irritably when a drop hit his face, and scrubbed it away hurriedly with his sleeve. “You're up early.” Jimmy commented, walking over to serve himself some breakfast, “Where did you get the food?”
"From a shop." Kougu answered, moving away toward the fridge. He was getting uncomfortable with Jimmy working around him, and decided it was easier just to abandon his work station, and give himself a little more space. He took out a pair of tall glasses, and poured some orange juice for himself and Jimmy. He handed the other man a glass, then took his own plate, and walked through to the next room, sitting down at the table to eat his breakfast. He ate in silence, still struggling to transition back into having company after a night of solitude, and once he had finished, he took his plate and Jimmy's back to the kitchen to wash. He didn't mind the mundane tasks. They kept his mind busy, which was all he could ask for, really. The night had left traces of unpleasant memories in his mind, and it always took him a while to push them away again, especially so far from home. He had hardly ever left his childhood house before, certainly never for more than a few days.
Kougu dropped the dishes into the sink, submerging them in hot, soapy water, and scrubbed until they were clean. Once he'd dried them amd put them away, he was feeling more ready to face the day.
"So," He said, stretching absentmindedly as he walked back into the next room to meet Jimmy, "Are you still planning on working out this morning?" Whatever that means. He caught sight of the TV screen in the background, and grabbed the remote to switch it off. He'd seen enough of that damned box.
"I was thinking I might... I don't know..."  He reached up to scratch his hair, and accidentally hit himself on the back of the head with the remote. Wincing, he dropped it back onto the couch, and rubbed his head as he muttered, "I wouldn't mind practicing some hand to hand combat, in case I'm caught without a weapon or something..."
He frowned to himself, shrugging off his coat, then walking over to hang it on the rack. At home he had a punching bag, and some targets. Here, he wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to practice. It never occurred to him to ask Jimmy for help.

Neither of them said a word until Jimmy had totally finished eating, since he probably wouldn't be very talkative until his stomach was full anyway, but when he finished he thanked Kougu and washed up his own plate, then took the orange juice that had been poured for him. He found himself absentmindedly rubbing his bloated stomach, but he looked very content. Any worries he'd had before he'd gone to sleep had been cured with one well-timed meal.
“So, are you still planning on working out this morning?”
Jimmy nodded as he sipped at his orange juice. Although he'd probably wait until his breakfast had settled. Otherwise the last thing he needed was indegestion.
“I was thinking I might... I don't know... I wouldn't mind practicing some hand to hand combat, in case I'm caught without a weapon or something...”
Jimmy glanced at him, amused at the fact he'd accidentally hit himself in the head, then thought over his words. Was Kougu inviting Jimmy to join him in training?
“You mean...” He sipped his orange juice again. “You'd like me to join you, so that you can kick my arse in combat?” His eyes crinkled in amusement, although he didn't seem the slightest bit offended.
“Alright, you're on. But no keichu.” He stuck his finger accusingly in Kougu's direction. “I know you don't intend to kill me, but I'd rather not risk being paralysed.” Winking, Jimmy leant against the counter and sipped again at his drink. “If it's alright with you I need a few tips on fighting in general. After all,” he grinned, “I'm not the ninja here.”
Gulping down the rest of his orange juice he leant back against the counter, frowning thoughtfully. Clearly he'd got himself into a higher mood set after what Kougu had said to him the previous night, and despite the pressure of everything around them he was far more willing to do anything than he had been yesterday.
“Give me forty-five minutes, then I'll be ready. Try not to break any of my bones, though. My arm is still f*cked up, don't forget.” He winked.

Kougu opened the door, poking his head outside for a moment, then pulled a face and closed it again. It was getting too hot, even for him.  He'd have to change first. With this thought in mind he turned back towards his room, only to find that Jimmy was still watching him. He blinked in surprise. Honestly, he'd thought the conversation was over.
“You mean you'd like me to join you, so that you can kick my arse in combat?” Jimmy asked. Kougu's expression didn't change. He just stared at the other man in mild confusion. "Actually," He said, "I hadn't-"
“Alright, you're on."
Huh? His eyebrows drew together, looking more confused than ever. Was Jimmy making some sort of joke?
"But no keichu.” His friend added, jabbing an accusing finger at him, “I know you don't intend to kill me, but I'd rather not risk being paralysed. If it's alright with you I need a few tips on fighting in general. After all,” Jimmy grinned, but Kougu didn't return it, “I'm not the ninja here."
He considered the man suspiciously for a moment, wondering what on earth had got him in such high spirits, then slowly nodded.
"Okay." He agreed hesitantly, "I suppose I could show you a few things, but I'm not that good myself. And I'm a lousy teacher..." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "Really, I doubt I'll be much help."
“Give me forty-five minutes, then I'll be ready." Jimmy replied brightly, clearly not interested in hearing his excuses, "Try not to break any of my bones, though. My arm is still f*cked up, don't forget.”
"How could I forget...?" He trailed off when Jimmy winked at him, looking uncharacteristically friendly. He was rather used to Jimmy being grumpy and sarcastic with him, particularly in the mornings. He just didn't understand what had changed.
Confused, he shook his head slightly, then turned around and walked off to his room to change. People were complicated.

Once he'd exchanged his thermal wear for a clean white vest and tracksuit pants, Kougu headed outside to wait for Jimmy. He had never trained with anyone before, and honestly, he wasn't too sure how to conduct himself. The only example he had to follow was his father's, and that was one thing he'd never copy.  Just the thought made him shudder.
Now that his body had warmed and his skin had regained some of its colour, the scars that his father's training had left him had become clearly visible once again. The apparent causes of each were long since lost, but the marks themselves remained, spread randomly across his arms and neck. The rest were hidden by his clothes, and that was no mistake. It was not by accident that he always kept himself so covered up, and it wasn't because he was shy, either. He just preferred not to look upon his father's handiwork, which was difficult when his own body had been the man's tapestry.
Rubbing the faint chill from his skin, Kougu attempted to push his inhibitions aside, and stretched his arms across his chest, loosening the muscles.  He still felt stiff and sore from nearly freezing the day before, and his muscles were tired from shivering.
He was still stretching when Jimmy joined him, but upon seeing the other man, Kougu straightened up, rubbing his hands to aid circulation. When his eyes fell upon Jimmy's damaged arm, he felt a cold twist of guilt in his stomach yet again. He still felt responsible for that.
"So..." He mumbled, rubbing his arm awkwardly, "How do you want to do this? I mean..." He started scratching his head, messing up his hair again. It never stayed neat long. "What should I show you?"

Jimmy took his time bathing and showering and dressing himself up. In fact, once he was dressed, he even sat and watched the TV for five minutes as he waited for his stomach to settle. Maybe he'd eaten too much... But oh well. Hopefully Kougu's training wouldn't take all day.
He'd dressed himself in a clean pair of sweat pants and a black vest, nearly the same as Kougu, he'd soon find out. The weather was still a bit breezy, but if he worked hard enough he'd warm up. Of course, it would also warm him up to get angry. If Kougu kicked him in the nuts, that would probably happen.
With this thought in mind he strolled out to the garden, protecting his wounded arm with a thin bandage cover. As soon as he reached Kougu's side he began to stretch his muscles: first his hands, then his arms, shoulders, hips etc.
Kougu was wearing similar to him, but his tracksuits were different and his vest was white, not black. Still, it was interesting how they'd both chosen the same clothes for the occasion. ((They belong together. :') ))
“So... How do you want to do this? I mean... What should I show you?”
Jimmy thought about this as he jogged gently on the spot. “Er...” He glanced thoughtfully up to the sky. “How about blocks? I'm only really into attacking, but I've never been taught how to fight, just to dodge where possible and hit the opponent.” He sniggered at his poor knowledge, then glanced down at his injured arm. “I guess everything will have to be led with my left arm for now, and I won't be able to hit hard with this one, but as long as I get the basic idea...”

((   They just don't know it yet... Poor things. They never had a chance of staying straight. ))

Kougu watched Jimmy jog on the spot as he considered what he wanted to learn, and meanwhile, he wondered vaguely how on earth he was expected to teach him. It wasn't exactly his area of expertise, after all.
"Er..." Jimmy said at last, “How about blocks? I'm only really into attacking, but I've never been taught how to fight, just to dodge where possible and hit the opponent.” Jimmy snickered at this, and Kougu felt his own lips twitch slightly as he began to loosen up at last. That truly was a terrible start.
“I guess everything will have to be led with my left arm for now, and I won't be able to hit hard with this one, but as long as I get the basic idea...
"Don't worry," Kougu replied, quietly cracking his knuckles, "I'll be gentle." He shook out his fingers, then shifted his weight uncertainly from foot to foot.
Where on earth do I start with this...?
He pushed his hair back, then took a deep breath, and released his stress with a sigh. 
"Okay." He said at last, "First thing about blocking is that you've got to learn to watch your opponent. You've got to know where the attack is coming from before he even strikes, that way you can predict it, and you'll be able to block nearly every time. Watch the weight distribution in his feet," He shifted his own weight from foot to foot to demonstrate, "The way he balances himself will show you how he plans to attack. Like if he's planning a hit with his left fist, his weight will be on his right heel, and his left shoulder will be tense. Does that make sense?" ((No it doesn't buddy, because I just made it up. XD ))
"As for the blocking itself, I'm sure you know the stance. Legs slightly apart, left foot back for balance." He shuffled into the stance, then raised his arms, "Arms crossed to absorb the blow. I'll show you first." He dropped his arms again, then made a 'come' gesture with his fingers, a subtle smile curving his lips, "Hit me with your best shot."
((Hit me with your best shot! Why don't you hit me with your best shot... XD I know you're singing in your head. Don't deny it. ))

“Don't worry,” Kougu assured him. “I'll be gentle.”
“Hm, I won't.” Jimmy smirked, cracking his knuckles eagerly. It probably wouldn't be a good idea, but he was rather looking forward to turning into a true attacker.
He didn't cease to jog whilst Kougu explained the basics to him, and all the while he nodded when it was shown to him. He felt himself automatically doing as Kougu instructed, staring into his eyes, watching his body language as he spoke. He'd never thought about it so tactfully before. He used to just think the purpose of fighting was to floor the opponent and break their nose or bruise their crotch. It had never occurred to him to actually predict before it happened, and he had a feeling that once he got the hang of it he'd be a much better fighter.
“As for the blocking itself, I'm sure you know the stance. Legs slightly apart, left foot back for balance.” Kougu demonstrated the pose and Jimmy mirrored it. “Arms crossed to absorb the blow. I'll show you first.”
Nodding, Jimmy crossed his arms experimentally. They certainly felt stronger, although with one bruised and bloody it would probably hurt more than usual.
He lifted his eyes to see Kougu making a 'come' gesture with a curl of his hand. It looked so inviting, so teasing, Jimmy actually chuckled. He knew straight away that whatever he tried, Kougu would be able to block him.
“Hit me with your best shot.”
Jimmy didn't hesitate, with his left hand – sadly it was his weakest, but he didn't have a choice since the right was injured – he jumped forward and swung a fist in the direction of Kougu's side, skipping on one foot to get the angle right. His aim and footwork was sloppy and ungraceful, and it was soon evident that it would take a lot of work to get him anywhere near to Kougu's standards.
As he was expecting this blow to be blocked, as soon as Kougu stopped him he swung round and aimed a punch for Kougu's shoulder. It was slightly better aimed as it was closer to his natural arm level, but it was still very vague where he was aiming. Knowing he only had one arm to attack with was a little down-putting, so he took his right hand and aimed a gentle punch for Kougu's stomach. However, when his arm made contact he immediately regretted it and pulled away, holding it protectively to his stomach.
“Yeah... I think I need to practice this.” He murmured with a sheepish grin.

Jimmy reacted quicker than Kougu had expected, and he laughed under his breath at the man's eagerness, quickly raising his arms to block the attack. Without a moment's hesitance, Jimmy pivoted and aimed another jab at his side, which Kougu diverted easily by knocking the man's wrist upwards. The next blow was too his shoulder, and this time Kougu caught Jimmy's wrist. Much to his surprise, it seemed the other man had actually predicted this, and he had to duck backwards to dodge the blow to his stomach. But Jimmy's reach was longer than he'd first thought, and although it was a soft and untidy punch, it made contact. He had underestimated his friend after all. 
“Yeah... I think I need to practice this.” Jimmy said sheepishly, pulling his injured arm back to his stomach. Kougu smiled at him - doing so was becoming surprisingly easy as he got going - and replied simply, "You and me both. That's why we're out here. Besides, that wasn't half bad." He raised his fists, then nodded to Jimmy's arms. "Now block me. Think about your foot stance. Keep yourself steady and planted on the ground, and let your whole body absorb the shock of the blow. I'll take it slow for now. Watch where I'm coming from, and block me. Simple."
He stretched his arms again, wary of pulling a muscle while they were still cold and stiff, and balanced his weight lightly on his feet. He knew that years of training had left his actions nearly invisible - that was how he got his job done, after all - so he made a point of shifting his weight to give Jimmy fair warning. First he aimed a straight jab at Jimmy's chest, allowing him to become used to the concept of blocking. Then he stepped quickly to the left, and threw a quick punch at his face, which Jimmy also blocked, but not in time to divert the second jab at his side. As promised, Kougu was gentle, and just prodded Jimmy's side with two fingers.
The longer they sparred, the more Kougu relaxed and - miraculously - began to enjoy himself. He had always been rather fond of exercising to relieve stress, but he had never expected that training with a partner could be so, well... Fun. It was a completely new experience for him, but with Jimmy's enthusiasm and unexpectedly good attitude, it was rapidly becoming one of the best he'd had in a while. About fifteen minutes in, Kougu ended it with a well-aimed kick to Jimmy's right leg, upsetting his balance. But as the man fell, he reached out and grabbed him by the arm - the good one, naturally - and pulled him back to his feet with a smile.
"You're actually pretty good at this." He laughed breathlessly, "But if you center your balance in one point, you're just asking to be floored." With that, he release Jimmy's arm, and briefly dusted the creases from his vest. It surprised him how out of breath he was, and even more so to find himself sweating slightly. He had become wildly unfit in the past few months, but that was soon to change.
Rubbing one scarred arm - which was slightly bruised from blocking shots, which Jimmy didn't bother to soften - he stretched out his muscles again, then pushed his black hair back from his hot forehead, where it stuck up slightly from the dampness. 
"Right," He said, "Let's take five, then we'll see if you can land a hit when I'm being serious." He smirked slightly, and added cheekily, "I doubt it."
It truly was remarkable how much he was loosening up now that he was enjoying himself for once. It was as if, for the first time in his life, he was actually allowing his human side to show through the mask he lived behind.

“You and me both. That's why we're out here. Besides, that wasn't half bad.” Jimmy raised his eyebrows. Personally, he thought he'd been pretty awful, but if Kougu was impressed he couldn't have been too bad. Well, 'half bad' wasn't much of a compliment, but still...
“Now block me. Think about your foot stance. Keep yourself steady and planted on the ground, and let your whole body absorb the shock of the blow. I'll take it slow for now. Watch where I'm coming from, and block me. Simple.”
Nodding, Jimmy adjusted his stance to a more secure one, and raised his arms into a defensive psoe, preparing for the blow. Kougu began, and he took considerable mercy due to Jimmy's injured arm, and gently prodded him in the side, or towards the face, whenever he struck a blow.. He worked slow, as promised, so Jimmy had the chance to think about his position when blocking, which he thought very hard about, so much so that he kept catching himself biting his lip or sticking his tongue to the side of his mouth whenever he concentrated hard enough.
At one point, Kougu cheekily caught him off-guard by nicking the side of his leg, causing him to trip and nearly fall to the floor, but he quickly adjusted himself, shooting Kougu a playful glare.
After twenty minutes of a long practice, and a few pointers to do with Jimmy's balance, both Kougu and Jimmy were quite out of breath with the constant movement, and Kougu declared a five-minute break.
“...then we'll see if you can land a hit when I'm being serious.” Kougu shot him a playful smirk. “I doubt it.”
“Ooooooo...” Jimmy sat down on the grass, leaning back on his good arm and cradling his injured one to his stomach. “Is that a challenge I just heard?” His eyes narrowed daringly. “I think it is. You're on.” He challenged, then raised ana rm to wipe the sweat off his forehead. It was surprising how much work he'd done, he didn't realise he'd be so tired after twenty minutes of slow fighting. “But I must warn you, I'm a pro at decent punches. You'd better watch out.” He grinned, then flopped back on the grass with a long sigh. He looked far from dangerous, tired and sprawled out all over the floor with an arm over his eyes. But he could never resist a good challenge.

Kougu watched Jimmy flop down on the ground, resting back on his hands. "Oooooo..." He jeered in a singsong voice, and Kougu rolled his eyes, uttering a little breath of amusement as he sat down beside Jimmy, keen to rest his aching muscles. “Is that a challenge I just heard?” The other man asked, although he sounded twice as challenging as Kougu ever had, “I think it is. You're on.”
"Whatever you say, Jimmy." He answered unconcernedly, staring up at the clouds. He could take it as a challenge if he wanted to, but if he thought it was going to be that easy, then he had another thing coming. 
“But I must warn you," Jimmy continued, wiping the sweat from his brow, then flopping down on the ground, "I'm a pro at decent punches. You'd better watch out.”
"Yes, I'm well aware of that." Kougu answered, raising an arm to display the bruises he'd earned from blocking Jimmy's not-so-friendly punches. He bruised easily anyway, but Jimmy's punches had certainly been anything but soft. Casting the other man a glance, Kougu couldn't help but smile at the sight of him sprawled out on the grass like a sleepy puppy. Just then, it was hard to picture Jimmy doing any damage at all.
"Just don't break my arms." He warned, yawning and rubbing his eyes. Jimmy's drowsiness was contagious. Shrugging, he lay back on the grass, folding his arms behind his head to watch the clouds drift by. It was something he'd done a million times before, but now, he felt completely relaxed. It actually wasn't so bad, spending time with a friend instead of on his own.

He waited for precisely five minutes - Kougu had always been one for accuracy, after all - then sat up and stretched, linking his fingers to stretch his arms above his head, then stretching them across his chest to loosen his shoulders. He was still feeling stiff. "Okay," He said, yawning again. The sleepless nights were catching up with him, "Let's see what you're capable of." He got to his feet, then politely offered a hand for Jimmy to do the same.

“Yes, I'm well aware of that.” Kougu pointed out, showing the bruises on his lower arms where Jimmy had struck him harder than he'd thought. “Just don't break my arms.”
Jimmy snorted. “I'll try not to.” He said, squinting up at the sun as he flopped onto his back, resting a hand on his stomach. Admittedly he was still rather tired, and after what had happened the day before, after their training he wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep for a few more hours. He usually acted like he had a bad hangover most days, but today his rest would be well-deserved.
He let his eyes slide close, and snoozed lightly for the rest of their break.

It ended soon, too soon, and once again Jimmy was pulled away from glorious peace to fight Kougu once again. He groaned, but sat up as Kougu did, anyway.
“Okay,” Kougu said, unable to hide his yawn. Jimmy had a feeling he hadn't really been sleeping as much as he pretended he did. “[i]Let's see what you're capable of.[/]i” With that he got to his feet and offered Jimmy a hand. Maybe a few months ago Jimmy wouldn't have taken that hand, or even considered it. But now he knew he trusted Kougu, maybe even with his life. So ha accepted it gratefully, hauling himself to his feet.
He took a few moments to stretch out again and wake himself up, but soon enough he found his enthusiasm to learn, and started jogging lightly on the spot again. He had a feeling Kougu wasn't going to take any pity on him this time round.
“Come on then, mophead.” He challenged with a grin, making a 'come' gesture like Kougu had done at the beginning of the training. “Bring it on.”

"Well, that's just not nice." Kougu responded with a chuckle, pushing back his hair, then rolling his shoulders and taking up his fighting stance. It seemed Jimmy was keen to take the defensive first, so he shifted his weight back and readied himself to attack.

This time, he took the sparring to a whole new level. If they were in a video game, then the difficulty just shot from 'Beginner' to 'Impossible'. He moved with near untraceable speed, and his attacks were near flawless in their accuracy. He kept the hits light, but ten minutes in, it was fairly obvious that Jimmy was never going to get a shot in on him. Although the other man far exceeded him in brute strength, Kougu's skills were something to be reckoned with. He hadn't spent his life in torturous training for nothing.
After about twenty five minutes, Kougu decided to call it quits, quickly stepping back to avoid one final shot from Jimmy, then casually grabbing both his wrists and twisting his arm around behind his head to stop him.
"Time's up." He said, releasing Jimmy, and rubbing his own arms. His muscles were sore, despite the extra care he'd taken in warming them up. "Better luck next time." He stretched again, then glanced toward the house. He could use a glass or orange juice, and then it was probably time to look over the information he'd got from Sam, and figure out the next step in their plan. He wanted more knowledge before he just stormed into the White House, demanding the president's life. And maybe he was just stalling, but even so, he felt that the preparation was necessary.
"Want some juice?" He asked, dusting off his hands as he started walking back to the house.

“Oh, mate, that was me being friendly.” Jimmy teased, crossing his arms in a defensive posture as Kougu had shown him, preparing for his first attack.
Jimmy didn't realise how much Kougu had been holding back until they started fighting for real, and he was soon thrown back at how absolutely crap a fighter he was in comparison. No matter how hard he hit, how quickly he moved, even if he planned out combinational attacks he could not get any closer to Kougu than his blocks. Even when it frustrated him, which was often, it didn't improve his fighting skills. Kougu attacked him often, and although he didn't hit half as hard as Jimmy did, it still made him angry enough to boost his adrenaline. Even so, his speed and strength had nothing against Kougu, and after nearly half an hour of trying, Jimmy's final attack was caught out when Kougu grabbed his wrist and wrenched them away from where they were aimed. It stopped Jimmy in his tracks, and with a small utterance of swear words and a sulky expression, he finally admitted defeat.
Or so it seemed.
“Time's up.” Kougu told him, releasing his arms. “Better luck next time.”
Jimmy swore at him.
With that, Kougu turned away like the last twenty-five minutes hadn't happened, looking very much like he'd barely broken a sweat, and dusted his hands off coolly as he headed back to the house. “Want some juice?”
Jimmy said nothing. He didn't want juice. He wanted one chance to strike Kougu.. Anywhere, without being blocked. And now he had his chance. There was no way he was going to let Kougu walk away after kicking his backside so much.
Smirking to himself, he began to walk forwards after Kougu, keeping his eyes on the man's back. Where would he strike him? Rib? Back? Shoulder? It didn't matter. As long as he got it.
Once he was a foot or so away, remaining calmly in step with Kougu as he went, he twisted sideways and reached out to strike. Except the terrain was still damp from the rain and snow the day before, and the foot he'd used to steer slipped out of place.
((*Push*))
Without even the chance to swear, he'd fallen against Kougu with his arms out, almost like a hug, and his body weight was too much for Kougu's lighter frame to hold on to, causing them both to topple onto the lawn. Because he'd had his arms out, Jimmy had landed clumsily on all-fours, cauthing himself before he face-planted the damp grass. He wasn't sure whether Kougu was that lucky or not.
“Whoops. Sorry about that.” He muttered, bringing a knee from beneath him to help him get up. Then he stopped. Technically, with Kougu's body between his arms, that counted as flooring him. It wasn't a strike, but it still counted as something. “Actually...” His eyes narrowed cheekily. “I'm not sorry. Pinned you.” He added in a sing-song voice, giving up his attempt to move. He glanced down at Kougu with twinkling eyes, evidently proud of himself, even if it had been an accident, and chuckled under his breath.
“So... In wrestling that would mean that I win, you know. No matter how much you kicked my backside before.”

Kougu had let his guard down as he walked back toward the house, so when Jimmy suddenly launched himself at him, Kougu was so taken aback that he could hardly react. He braced himself, but Jimmy tripped and fell into him, and the weight proved too much for him. Feet slipping out from under him, Kougu felt himself fall, his back hitting the ground. "Ooof." He grunted, wincing as the breath was knocked out of him. He tensed, waiting for Jimmy to fall on top of him, but the weight never came. Squinting up into the early afternoon sun flashing in the sky overhead, he saw Jimmy looming over him, hands braced on either side of him.
“Whoops." The other man muttered above him, "Sorry about that.”
Groaning irritably, Kougu propped himself up on one hand, expecting that Jimmy would be getting to his feet himself. But to his surprise, he still found a grinning face looming over him - too close now - and dropped himself back to the ground, braced on one elbow. 
"You can get off me now." He informed his friend bluntly, but Jimmy just kept grinning at him, showing no intention of moving.
“Actually...” He amended cheekily, “I'm not sorry. Pinned you.”
"What?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Jimmy, squirming uncomfortably in an attempt to get out from under the man.
“So... In wrestling that would mean that I win, you know. No matter how much you kicked my backside before.”
"What?" He repeated, more incredulous this time, "No." He attempted to shove Jimmy away, but the moment his fingers brushed his friend's chest, he chickened out, pulling his hand back. The sun was blinding him, but when he tilted his head slightly to the left, it was blocked out behind Jimmy's head, shining brightly around the tips of his hair. "Get off." Kougu moaned, raising a knee to scoot himself backwards. He couldn't look into Jimmy's smug face any longer; see those twinkling eyes and devious grin. It was humiliating. In fact, it was even making him blush.
"This has nothing to do with wrestling." He said, shuffling backwards further until he managed to climb to his feet. Still blushing, he dusted off his pants, trying to maintain just a little of his dignity, "There's absolutely no skill involved. It doesn't even count as a fighting style." He brushed off his shirt, and combed back his hair with his fingers. He still didn't like people in his space, especially when it came as such a surprise. He was a little shaken.
"I need juice." He muttered to himself, sighing and looking back at Jimmy. "Come on," His shoulders dropped an inch in resignation, and his expression softened slightly. "Stop congratulating yourself and get up. Let's go inside."

Kougu's face was a picture. “No.” He said incredulously, lifting a hand to Jimmy's chest. Either the fact that Jimmy flinched at the feeling in mild surprise of Kougu touching it or the shyness on Kougu's part ended up that Kougu chickened out in the last minute before his full hand could press against him, forcing him up. Jimmy raised an eyebrow at the motion.
But when he tried to order Jimmy off him, Jimmy didn't budge. He was rather enjoying the power, to be honest.
“This has nothing to do with wrestling.” Kougu told him, as if trying to justify the fact that he'd lost, not to mention the fact he was on the bottom. In the dog world that meant Jimmy was the alpha. In the horse world it would probably mean Kougu was dead.
But when Kougu shuffled backwards and got to his feet Jimmy didn't stop him. He'd had his fun, anyway, and he'd enjoy doing it again the next time. He sat up on the grass, trying to brush off the wet patches on his knees. “There's absolutely no skill involved. It doesn't even count as a fighting style.”
“Of course it does.” Jimmy argued. “It's wrestling.”
Still, that was the last that was spoken of it as Kougu headed back towards the house. He seemed a little uncomfortable after what had happened, but Jimmy didn't mind at all. In fact, he was surprised at how proud he was of himself for being able to floor Kougu, even if it had been an accident.
“I need juice. Come on, stop congratulating yourself and get up. Let's go inside.”
“I'll go inside when I'm goddamned ready.” Jimmy sulked, leaning his elbows on his knees. It took him a while to realise he'd gain nothing but a wet backside sat alone on the damp grass, and with as much dignity as he could muster, straightened out his shirt and got stiffly to his feet.
“Okay, I'm ready.” He muttered, and wandered back to the house with his hands in his pockets.

He had juice, which he'd been very ready for, and headed to the lounge to watch TV whilst Kougu went back to the office. There was nothing interesting on except for the usual horse racing on Channel 4, so he finished his drink and strolled to the office, still with the wet patches on his knees and backside. He was far too lazy to change them.
“Don't tell me you're already planning another mission.” He groaned, finding a cheap office chair and rolling it next to Kougu at the computer. “Kougu, we've only just got back from the last one.”

Once inside, Kougu helped himself to a glass of juice, then headed off to the office, leaving Jimmy to slack off and watch TV. He didn't really mind. It was easier to work alone, anyway.
Sitting himself down in his office chair, he logged onto the computer, and took a notebook out of his top desk drawer. It was still slightly damp from his little expedition in the river, but when he flipped it open, he found that he could still make out the words in the blurry ink. These were the notes he had taken down when Sam had been talking, and just as well. Being frozen from head to foot had certainly done nothing to jog his memory. Shivering at the mere thought, he paged back to the start of the book, and started reading. As he'd expected, there were indeed some hidden gems buried in Sam's knowledge, and soon enough Kougu came across one that he might actually be able to use: A name.
Taking the pen from his mouth - he couldn't remember putting it there, much less where it had come from - he dropped it onto the page to keep his place, then shut the notebook, leaning over the keyboard to type in the name 'Vince Jefferies'. Taking a deep breath, he hit search. He was not disappointed.

Vince had climbed high up the political ladder, and as the key perpetrator in Sam's banishment, it seemed that he was Noah's right hand man. That meant that he would have knowledge, knowledge that nobody else would have. But it also meant that he'd be impossible to get to. Frowning in concentration, he scrolled down the list of search results. Most were the usual political media. Magazine articles about his home life, women claiming to have slept with him, reports about his role in the presidential party, and even some quoted speeches he'd given from when Noah had come into power. It seemed he had played a large role in the propaganda surrounding Noah's election. But still, none of the research proved even slightly useful in regards to how they were supposed to make contact with the big shot in the first place. Sighing heavily, Kougu buried his head in his hands, accidentally poking himself in the temple with a pen. Wincing, he tossed it across the desk, wondering when on earth he'd picked it up again anyway. He was still stuck on this mystery when Jimmy walked into the room, and pulled up a chair beside him.
“Don't tell me you're already planning another mission.” He said with a groan, but Kougu just offered a distracted grunt in response, still staring with near indecent concentration at the pen, “Kougu, we've only just got back from the last one.”
"There's no time to take a break." He replied quietly, "We've got to follow our leads while the trail's still fresh, but..." His eyes strayed back to the screen, and something that he'd barely noticed before caught his eye. In big, bold font, was the title 'VJ Gentleman's Club', with both a link to the website, and an article about the club itself. Curious, Kougu started chewing on the pen (it had found its way into his hand again) and opened the links, one at a time.
"Actually, I think I have an idea..." He mumbled, nodding to the article on the screen, which showed a picture of Jefferies in his private room at the club, a handsome, sparsely clothed man on each arm. The article mentioned Jefferies visited one of his 'Clubs' at the start of every month to blow off steam, and the Club's website - which Kougu switched to in the next tab - advertised an opening available for a new 'Playboy'. Kougu wasn't entirely sure what that was, but he knew for certain that this was not a mission that he could take on without blowing their cover.
"And," He mumbled, voice muffled by the cracked pen lodged between his teeth, "I might just need your help."

“There's no time to take a break.” Kougu told him, and although Jimmy knew it was true, he groaned. He wasn't really enthusiastic to go up another mountain and face another life or death situation. “We've got to follow our leads while the trail's still fresh, but...” He trailed off, clicking on a few links as he did so. Jimmy didn't pay much attention to what was going on on the screen because he was quickly losing interest, now thinking about how little sleep he'd have in the next few days.
Kougu was silent, leaving his sentence unfinished as he skimmed through the links, chewing absentmindedly on the pen in his mouth. Jimmy crossed his arms on the table and rested his head on them, releasing a very bored groan. What was it going to be this time? Kidnapping someone? Interrogating them? Inviting them over for a f*cking tea party?
“Actually, I think I have an idea...”
Jimmy lifted his head to glance at the screen, when something caught his eye. An image of some guy in an expensive looking suit was sat, not wearing a tie with the top three buttons loose, and he had a man at either side of him, both of which weren't wearing very much. They were all well-groomed, the strippers especially. Almost like models.
Jimmy narrowed his eyes. What was Kougu getting at?
Just then, Kougu switched to a new tab that was advertising the ''VJ Gentleman's Club' that was evidently an expensive night club for gay men, but Kougu's expression didn't change at the sight of it. He didn't even look uncomfortable. Jimmy was already squirming in his seat, because he had a bad feeling about the man's new idea. Kougu then scrolled the cursor over an advert for a new 'playboy'.
“And, I might just need your help.”
“No.” Jimmy said immediately, shaking his head at the sight of the advert. “No, no no no no. No. I'm not becoming one of those. No way.”
His eyes flicked desperately to Kougu, then back at the screen. How could he possibly be serious? “Kougu, I'm a fighter. A gang leader, once, in case you forgot. I couldn't be seen dressed up like...” He gestured vaguely to the screen, but nothing came to mind, so he left it hanging.
The man they were after seemed to be an important link in their plan, and it was possible that this as the only way of getting close to him. But...
“I can't dance for one.” Although they probably won't need one for dancing... “I don't look like that,” he pointed at the screen again. “And... Well...” He made a face like he was seriously going to cry, although he was just being dramatic about it.
“I'm gunna f*cking hate you for this.” He sulked, crossing his arms over his chest. “And if I have to do anything that means my chewed up arm is going to get any worse with it's injuries, I'll hold you responsible.” He glared in Kougu's direction, then held his head in his hands.
“Before I have to go turn myself into a slut, tell me what I'm getting out of this. What do you want me to find out?”

“No.” Jimmy said immediately, and the abruptness of his answer made the pen fall from Kougu's lips. He didn't even spare it a glance as it clattered to the floor, because he was watching Jimmy shake his head like a wounded anime. “No, no no no no. No. I'm not becoming one of those. No way.”
"It's not a career choice," Kougu pointed out, as if this fixed everything, "You'd just be pretending for one night, that's all." He considered Jimmy, frowning slightly. Clearly, he didn't see the problem. It was just a mission, and missions had to be accomplished at all costs, without any regard to the individuals involved. Didn't Jimmy understand that?
“Kougu, I'm a fighter. A gang leader, once, in case you forgot." Jimmy reminded him incredulously, "I couldn't be seen dressed up like...”
Kougu followed Jimmy's gesture to the screen, and considered the outfits thoughtfully. Perhaps they were a little revealing, but he had never taken Jimmy as shy or insecure. In fact, he had always seemed pretty confident of his body, as far as Kougu knew. Besides, it was just a uniform. What was the problem?
“I can't dance for one.” Jimmy began listing off excuses, “I don't look like that, and... Well...” He trailed off, and upon seeing the despairing expression on his face, Kougu couldn't help but take pity.
"You don't need to dance." He encouraged, pointing to the job description on the site, "It just says here that you need to be fluent in English and have a consistent workout schedule." He shrugged, "You're an attractive man, you could pull it off. You have to." He offered an apologetic half-smile, "God knows I can't."

Jimmy seemed to consider this for a while, crossing his arms sulkily, then finally muttered, “I'm gunna f*cking hate you for this.”
"I'm sorry." Kougu apologized, hanging his head with due shame, "I'd do it myself if I could..." He rubbed his arm absentmindedly, feeling the bumpy trails of pearly scars spreading like snail trails over his pale skin. Even if he was certain he could pull it off without freaking out and killing someone - which he absolutely wasn't - he still couldn't possibly look the part. Lifting his gaze sheepishly, he listened as Jimmy continued, “And if I have to do anything that means my chewed up arm is going to get any worse with it's injuries, I'll hold you responsible.”
"You know I wouldn't let you get hurt."
Jimmy just glared at him, while Kougu blinked submissively back. At last, the other man gave in, collapsing with his head in his hands.
“Before I have to go turn myself into a slut, tell me what I'm getting out of this." He groaned, "What do you want me to find out?”
"Everything." Kougu replied, a faint smile curving his lips as he picked up his cracked pen, and flipped open the notebook. "This is our big chance. We need to know what Noah's planning, where he's planning it," Kougu wrote down the questions as he spoke, "And who he's planning it with. We need to know where everything's going down, and when. We need to know what security they have, and how to get around it. We have to know his entire schedule, so we can find a way to catch him." He sighed, dotting the page sharply with his pen. "I'll put together a full list for you, but the gist of it is, we have to know how to bring him down... No matter what it takes." He pushed the notebook into Jimmy's hand, "He'll be at the club tonight. We'll need disguises, and a plan..." He glanced at his watch. "It's already three, and the club opens at eight. We should get going."

“Everything/” Kougu replied in response to hi question, smiling in a way that made Jimmy seriously want to hit him. Then he started writing down a list for him what he needed to find out about this businessman, and Jimmy cocked his head to read the scribbled writing. It had pretty much everything about Noah that they needed to know, and Jimmy wasn't sure he'd get all that out of someone whilst dressed as a male stripper. In fact, he wasn't sure how he'd get any of it out. He couldn't exactly just sit next to him and demand answers.
“"I'll put together a full list for you, but the gist of it is, we have to know how to bring him down... No matter what it takes.”
Jimmy glared at him. Whatever it took? Jimmy was the one who was going to sit with a stranger and let him perve on him for hours. What was Kougu going to do? Sit and have a drink, probably.
“Kougu, has it occurred to you that this man might want to have sex with me?”
“He'll be at the club tonight. We'll need disguises, and a plan...”
Jimmy looked incredulous at being ignored. “Kougu!” He cried, shaking his head in disbelief.
“"It's already three, and the club opens at eight. We should get going.”
“Of course you didn't. I bet you didn't even know guys have sex.” He stood up, sulking off to the other room to get a pair of shoes on. The shop would all close in two hours, anyway. “I bet you don't even know what sex is.” He added, shoving his hands miserably in his pockets. He wasn't looking forward to this plan, at all, and he had a feeling he would spend a lot of his time ringing Kougu up and complaining to him how crap an idea it was. But they had to get information out of this guy somehow, and Jimmy made a mental note to keep his blade somewhere easy to access, just in case he had to interrogate this guy using force. He'd have to be careful, make sure he was alone in the room and that the door was locked so the body guards wouldn't come storming.
He'd have rather gone back up that stupid mountain.

Half an hour later Kougu and Jimmy arrived at the nearest males clothes shop, and without waiting for Kougu Jimmy shot off to find himself an outfit. Not that it mattered, he was going to be getting out of it sooner rather than later. But he chose a flat cap, a plain, white t-shirt and a pair of thickly brimmed glasses. Kougu was nowhere to be seen, so Jimmy decided to pick out his outfit also. He found a dark red beanie hat, a thin zip-up hoodie, some three-quarter length jeans and a crowl neck top for him to wear. He purposely made Kougu look more well-groomed and as gay as possible, just to spite him. The bastard deserved to know what it was like to be hit on, anyway. Jimmy also found a pair of shiny, black boots for himself and some brown leather shoes for Kougu. Then he found a pair of thin, oblong-shaped glasses for Kougu.
He found Kougu looking at jeans, and pulled him in the direction of the counter without a word.

Once they'd both got in the car, Jimmy handed Kougu his change of clothes. “I guess you're a size or two smaller than me, but here. It's not your usual style, so it should work.”
You'll look like a gay student, but it should work.

Kougu left the shopping up to Jimmy - he didn't know what he was looking  at, anyway - and hid out in a corner until the other man had picked up their outfits. He had to admit, he was grateful when Jimmy dragged him back to the car. He still didn't like being in public places, and the tension in his neck was giving him a headache. He opened the door and climbed into the driver's seat, rubbing his temples absentmindedly. Then Jimmy handed him his new clothes, which he accepted hesitantly, looking down at a pair of jeans that seemed way too short for him.
“I guess you're a size or two smaller than me, but here." Jimmy said, "It's not your usual style, so it should work.”
"Fair enough." Kougu shrugged, "As long as I'll blend in." He checked his watch, then frowned slightly, and uttered a low, "Hm" under his breath. Tapping the steering wheel, he started the car and pulled out onto the road, speeding slightly as he headed back to their house to change. "Be quick." He said as he pulled up in the driveway, unlocking the car and hopping out, "We still have to find the place, and get you in there. We can't be late." With that, he tossed his clothes over his shoulders and jogged inside to change, locking himself in his room.

He emerged every inch the gay student that Jimmy had clearly planned him to be, with his ankles poking out above his white sneakers, and his unruly hair tames into a stylish side-fringe under his new beanie. The way it swept across his face brought out his big, dark eyes, and surprisingly, the outfit suited Kougu, in a gay, adolescent kind of way. Once he was ready, he called Jimmy, and the two piled into the BMW, heading off in the direction of the club. It took them an hour to get there, but when they did, Kougu quickly devised a plan to sneak Jimmy in. He had parked in shadows across the street, and as they sat there watching the colourful young men pouring into the club, Kougu pulled out a folder of information, and set to work briefing Jimmy on the plan.
"Okay," He said, "Here's what you do. First, find the manager." He flashed a picture from the folder, of a rotund, balding man in glasses, "His name is Anthony Frank. Tell him that you were hired to start today, and if he questions it," Kougu pulled out a piece of paper, a forged email from Jefferies himself. "Tell him that you sent some pictures to Vince online, and that he hired you to work the private room. Got it?" He handed Jimmy the picture, then put on his new glasses, and unlocked the car.
"And don't worry," He added as he produced a tub of pills from his pocket, shaking a few into his hand. The rattling inside sounded concerningly empty. "I'll be just outside, and I've got your back. If things start to go south, all you have to do is call, and I'll be there."
The very thought of entering that club was already making him sick with nerves, and Kougu could feel a premature migraine niggling at his head. Grimacing, he tossed back his tablets, then dropped the near-empty tub into his pocket, and took a deep breath. This would be the furthest out of his comfort zone that he had ever gone. And even though Jimmy was the one biting the metaphorical bullet, it certainly wasn't going to be any walk in the park for him. He only hoped that he could keep it together until the end.
"Okay." He mumbled resignedly, "Let's do this."

“As long as I'll blend in.”
“Oh, believe me.” Jimmy looked devious as he pulled on his seat belt as they rolled out of the car park. “You'll blend in, alright.”

They sped back to the house as quickly as possible and headed off into different rooms to change. Jimmy looked very much like a well-groomed university student in his thick-brimmed glasses, and had to comb his hair neatly into a side-parting in order to look the part. But when he looked in the mirror, and after he'd tucked his shirt into his dark jeans, he looked far more approachable than usual in his thick hoodie.
When he met Kougu back at the car and realised how successful his choice of clothes had been, he couldn't help but grin. Kougu's thin legs poked out of his jeans like pins out of a pin cushion. Although his beanie hat suited him, he looked hilariously camp in his crowl-neck shirt, which revealed his collar bone and the top of his chest muscles that weren't quite as defined as his.
But he said nothing, pulled his seat belt back on and sat back in his seat. It was going to be a long night.

They arrived an hour later and Kougu quickly briefed Jimmy on his role. He hadn't thought about the technicalities, just the horrifying fact that he was going to have to be someone's personal lapdog for the evening, but he was glad to have something to think about.
Kougu explained that he needed to go find the manager, and tell him he'd sent Vince some pictures – he didn't want to know what was rumoured to be on them – and that he'd been hired to work in the 'private room'. He shuddered at the mention of that room, but clenched his fist to hide his irritation. Kougu handed him a picture of the manager, and Jimmy glanced at it and pocketed it.
“And don't worry,” Kougu assured him. “I'll be just outside, and I've got your back. If things start to go south, all you have to do is call, and I'll be there.”
Jimmy rolled his eyes. He couldn't exactly call Kougu if Vince decided to use him a sex toy, could he?
Sighing, he nodded anyway and stuffed his hands in his pockets. The sooner he got this over with, the better. Kougu looked no more comfortable than him, although they were about to go in a very cramped, dark room, with lots of men making contact with each other.
“Okay.” Kougu said after he'd swallowed a few pills. “Let's do this.”
Jimmy nodded. “You'd better keep your phone on you.” He pointed an accusing finger in Kougu's direction. “I'll see you in a bit.”
With that, he strolled into the club, straining his eyes to find the manager of the business.

Anthony Frank was a busy man, but he was surprised to see Jimmy approaching him, and when Jmmy mentioned sending Vince the pictures the manager seemed very pleasant with him. Perhaps being personally chosen by this Vince guy was a bigger think than Jimmy thought.
He bit his lip to hide a wince.
Frank led him to the changing rooms and gave him an outfit – or more like half an outfit – and Jimmy found a changing room, closing the door behind him. Then, with a nervous swallow, he got changed.
The outfit consisted of a pair of black suit trousers, a wastcoat that was very low-cut and obviously made to be worn over a shirt, and a black tie. Jimmy was allowed a pair of very small black arm warmers that only got half way up his arms, and were lined with a white seam. He stared at himself in horror in the mirror.
Then, with a sigh, he picked up his phone and dialled Kougu's number. He gave no greeting. “I'm not doing this.” He growled, still staring at himself in the full-body mirror. “This is rediculous, I look like a clown.” He turned his waist around to stare at his backside, and sulked. “And these pants are giving me a wedgy.”