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_ Hurdles _

Early shifts at the gym were no fun for several reasons. Firstly, it meant dealing with all the nine-to-fivers coming in for their pre-work workouts, building up sweat, then rushing off without wiping down our equipment properly. Secondly, in the middle of February, it meant making my way to the bus stop in the bitter, icy cold. Lastly, and most crucially, it left me facing the joy of a 5.45am alarm call.

I less pressed my alarm button, more thumped it. In pitch black, I needed a couple of tries to find my target. Thankfully, I succeeded before the ear-piercing beeping disturbed Marek.

Rolling over, wiping the sleep from my sore eyes, I returned to the comforting warmth of my huge red panda beside me. Honestly, being able to wake up with him helped ease the pain of these super-early whenever they came around.

Breathing deep, I caught a wonderful waft of his strong, sweet scent; temptation enough for me to slide on over and nuzzle deep into the soft, fuzzy wall that was his broad chest.

Yawning hard, treating myself to an extra-long cuddle into my giant, snoozing 'panda beneath our weighty Visoka-sized duvet, I contemplated one benefit of these early shifts: I'd be home from work long before he'd be. That meant being able to maximise my time with him on a Friday evening, which in turn meant takeout, maybe a game or a movie, all accompanied by a lot of cuddling and snuggling. Gods, I couldn't wait. Poor Marek had been so damn busy with work lately, working extra hours both at the office and here at home, that our quality time together had become increasingly, painfully rare. Tonight would be the night to change that, though. I could feel it. I'd make sure of it.

Speaking of maximising quality time... Lying here on my side, mirroring my panda's position, nuzzling and kissing into the thick padding of his burly chest soon had my heart beating faster, stronger.

Peering through the darkness, past his cute, doughy neck, I found his delicate white-furred muzzle resting on a pillow supported by his arm, pointing off towards the blinded window. His gentle snoring rumbled out, its rhythm matched by the shifting of his chubby belly growing across the mattress, retreating, then repeating all over again. Even while sleeping, my big 'panda had a way of showing off for me.

I chuckled to myself, sliding even closer, cuddling up to one of his rounded, bulging pecs. A pec so large that it was an effort to wrap my arms around. One arm slipped under it, right up to my elbow, sampling the significant weight it held alone. The other reached up into the hot, deep valley of his chest, finding the deeper cream fur of his chestruff, feeling the steady pounding of his heart. I have to admit, as I squeezed away, nosing and licking at his taut, perfectly mouth-sized nipple, my crotch wasted no time in pressing into him too. Kneading firmer, diving deeper into his bulk allowed me to feel the immense muscle he had lurking beneath. The barely hidden foundation of my super strong 'panda.

My affections drew mumble after groan as Marek slept on. Not just from him, but from me as well. As I grew wider and wider awake, growing elsewhere along with it, I resisted the urge to start grinding myself against his might. After all, I was well aware that my big 'panda was even more so elsewhere...

Tail flicking, forgetting all about the reason for my early wake-up call, I slid down under the duvet and began to crawl. The rising heat and strengthening scent drove the beat of my heart even faster, teaming up with the sensation of Marek's heavy, shifting stomach to leave me hard as iron. I had a tough time seeing it in the darkness, but that did nothing to harm the spectacle. My big boyfriend resembled a living hillside, rising and falling, spreading across and pressing down on so much of the mattress, straining the springs below us.

I couldn't resist stopping to enjoy a firm squeeze and a firmer grind of my hips at his bulk, shuddering in glee with how it pushed and wrapped around me with Marek's each and every inhale. My cock throbbed hard, begging to be unleashed beyond the elastic of my boxers' waistband. His thick brown fur felt like bliss against mine, smelling so intensely of him, forcing a stuttered groan from my muzzle as I imagined all that he could do to me. If I lied there, it'd be so easy for all that 'panda to roll and pour over me, burying me deep beneath its colossal weight and softness, plastering me firmly, completely, to flesh and fur.

My grinding got faster, harder. I had no choice but to tug my waistband and free myself, letting my slickness find my big 'panda directly. As my grumbling got longer, louder, Marek's did too. If he weren't sleeping, I might've mistook him for enjoying this all just as much. Heh. All the motivation I needed to dive even deeper beneath the duvet.

I stretched up to nuzzle at two of the fingers resting on his stomach, then his navel just below, panting as the fluffy fuzz warmed and tickled my cheeks and muzzle. Moving on, following his happy trail around the curve of his impressive underbelly, intoxicated by the humid, 'panda-drenched air, I crawled towards my final goal: a shameless faceful of Marek's huge, hefty bulge.

Outsized only by the mountainous belly neighbouring it, its full, barely hidden contents were a literal armful. Fully extended, one arm slid around the groove between his twin medicine balls, diving between his fat yet heavily muscled thighs, each of them wider than I stood tall. My other arm meanwhile took its time fondling the girth of my 'panda's semi, touring each and every crevice, sending me trembling as a smattering of pre slapped against his briefs. I'd done well to contain myself for that long.

Every stroke, nosing and otherwise drew a response out of Marek, be it a sleepy grunt, a bed-rumbling shift, or a duvet-ruffling tail flick. As much as I knew I shouldn't while he slept, my 'panda pushed me on, convincing me to up the ante with every move I made.

Soon, squeezing, kneading, nuzzling at hot, sharp-scented fabric wasn't enough to satisfy me. The slit in his briefs was all too obvious. Easy access for one paw, followed close behind by the other. My tail swept the sheets as I took his tree-like shaft in my arms, stroking slowly but keenly, grinning as it tested more and more of what kept it less and less hidden. I had no place else to go after that, other than to dive in headfirst... Or so I thought.

The whole world seemed to shake. Below, the mattress sank and squealed. Above, the pressure of the duvet lifted in a heart-stopping, body-shaking instant. Cool air hit the fur of my exposed legs, chilling the rest of me almost as much as Marek's deep, bassy growl.

"Sam?" he mumbled, shifting about as if trying to find himself. "Wha... What are you doing?"

"Uh--" I clung even tighter to his shaft, legs still dangling from his briefs, swinging around with the force of my big 'panda's movement. "Just, uh... stuff."

He grumbled something in reply. I couldn't tell what past his throaty roaring, or the tight blanketing of his underwear. He'd soon solve the latter for me at least.

"Hey, hey," I called out, starting to kick, but no match for the clamping hold of his finger and thumb around my calf and shin. "Gimme a sec--"

"You've had more than enough secs already," he snipped back, more aware, yanking me away from his crotch, trembling with an enormous yawn.

"Secs?" The heat faded, replaced by the jabbing chill of the bedroom. "I'd say you stopped me just before I could get to the best secs."

He growled again. I decided to keep my muzzle shut from then on. "Gods, what time is it even?"

Now free, stickier, wrapped up tight from knees to chest in his constricting paw, we rolled together towards his side of our double bed. I wouldn't get long to admire the shifting of his big brown belly in the darkness.

"Five-fifty!?" Marek slapped a paw to his face, rubbing over his eyes. "Damn it, Sam."

Still, I tried to stay silent, but avoiding your boyfriend and his accusations was tough when he could drag you wherever, whenever he wanted.

"Having to wake up early is bad enough without you waking me even earlier." We crashed down to his pillow together. The pressure of his paw eased before he let me go completely. "Am I going to get this _every_morning?"

"It's not every morning."

"It certainly feels like it." He yawned again, blasting my fur with a gust of stale air. "I really don't need this you know."

Much as I understood the sentiment... my heart hurt at hearing those words. "Need what?"

"Guh... I guess I'm up now." He reached past me, stinging my eyes with a flick of the lamp on the bedside table. I could better see his own accusing, reddened green eyes now, shrinking me down atop his Visoka-sized pillow. "I don't need to be pestered like this constantly before work."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to." I scooted closer, rubbing under his chin, hoping it might ease that horrible, stony frown. "I guess... It's been a while, and I woke up to you looking extra hot this morning and... I couldn't help myself. S'pose I got carried away."

"What's new?" he scoffed. For a moment, I hoped he was coming around, cheering up. My mistake. "But maybe you could try not pawing me awake early next time please?"

"I told you I didn't mean to." The fur on the back of my neck stood up. I bit back my first response, taking a moment to smooth it out into something calmer. "And there I was thinking you _liked_fooling around and burying me and stuff."

"I do!" He sat up as fast as a huge, tired 'panda could, forcing creaks and crunches from the springs beneath his plump rear. "But when it's every morning, especially this damn early, I'm sorry to say, it gets a little stale."

"Again, it ain't every morning," I barked, batting the tip of my tail away from myself as I sat up too. "And definitely not these days anyway."

"Sam." Marek threw a paw to his orange-furred hip, sending a heavy slosh through his thick, brown stomach... That didn't help settle my libido any. "I woke up to you grinding at my belly yesterday morning. Before that, Tuesday, I had you completely inside my underwear... That's not to mention what you were getting up to around the back of them last weekend..."

"See?"

"See, what?"

"Nothing on Monday or Wednesday... It's not every day."

"Only because I was up and away to work before you had a chance."

"Still ain't every day."

"Look!" His jaw set and clenched visibly. "This. Isn't. A joke."

The crease in his usually gentle muzzle, coupled with finger-length teeth bared clear as day sent my ears splaying. A hard lash of his big tail then sent them all the way flat. He had something to say. I had a feeling it wasn't what he ultimately said.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready, too?"

"I'm going to!" Now, I loved my Marek, but I wasn't about to sit here and let him make me feel like an inconvenience... a burden. "Anyway, if it was everyday--"

"It's near enough--"

"If it was everyday, Marek, that'd be almost as often as I haveta deal with the mess you make 'round the apartment."

"Gods damn it, Sam." He growled out loud, throwing a paw to and tugging at his turquoise-tipped headfur. "Not all this again."

"Yes all this again." I pushed myself up, jumping off of his pillow and onto my feet. "You wanna talk about annoyances or inconveniences, then try having to walk around or climb over all the clothes and shit you leave scattered about."

"Oh, stop it."

"I will when you do!" I jogged on past his skittering tail, past his wide back and rear, pointing past the heaped up duvet to the opposite bedside table. "That t-shirt of yours has been sitting there since last weekend."

"Is it hurting you?"

"Not since I dragged it away from the lift down to the carpet." I'd lost all patience and control. Forget how I barely stood as tall as his hip as he sat there, crushing down the mattress, I marched over and jabbed a claw into it regardless. "Then there's the used floss I'm always having to sidestep on the bathroom counter, all the crumbs left on the kitchen counter, your shoes scattered around the hallway. It's like living on a fuckin' obstacle course!"

The whole bed started shaking. I staggered, throwing out an arm, then a leg. Marek tossed the duvet off of himself, rocking violently, his growling echoing almost as loud as the springs below.

"Stop!" His paw crashed down to the mattress, almost within touching distance. "I've had enough."

The shock sent me reeling back, tail tucking between my legs as he twisted. My legs found the edge of his pillow. The rest of me tumbled onto it. Sprawled out, still trying to gather myself, I had Marek's glare pinning me in place, filled with more anger than I'd ever seen from him. His huge stomach and chest overshadowed me. It wasn't often that my 'panda's presence left me cold and uncomfortable.

"My head's killing me and my stomach's in bits," he roared, rubbing his temple. "And if I want anything resembling a weekend, I've got so much work to get through today..." Next came a vicious stab of a finger. "I don't need you and your horniness waking me up, only to then have you in my ear about it before I'm even up out of bed."

"Fine." I sat up, reached up, swiping a paw at his. No chance of moving it. Not that I cared. "How 'bout I go get outta your ear and grab some breakfast in the Maleni nook?"

"Good."

"Good!" I wasn't what I was trying to prove, but having Marek act this way hurt like hell. "You... stay here, doze and be a... big, grumpy bastard."

"That suits me right down to the ground."

At my size, storming off isn't so effective when in the presence of a Visoka and Visoka-sized things. Not that I was in any state of mind to give a damn about appearances.

I marched right on past Marek and his still lashing tail, throwing a corner of the duvet aside on my way to the small bridge fixed to our headboard. Crossing it, I made a point of kicking out at the shirt he'd left draped over the side table, not giving him the satisfaction of looking back before taking the lift down to the carpet.

At ground level, closed in by the wall and a bed standing more than twice my height, I had even more to get annoyed about. Marek, as if legit trying to piss me off, had added to the mess of clothes around the bedroom. A crumpled pair of trousers sat waist-high, forcing me to swerve past just to make it to another of his work shirts blocking my route. Reaching down, grabbing both sides of a sleeve, it needed a fair effort to drag it far enough clear. Sure, I could have scrambled over it, but fuck it, I had a point to make... Even if it were missed on its intended target.

I heard Marek grunt and groan, flopping down to the bed with enough force to tremble the floorboards. A second later, he returned the room to darkness, still growling to himself as his shifting rattled the bed further.

As I reached the Maleni-sized door of our room, I gave in to the urge to glance back at him. His massive frame formed a dark mountain atop the bed, duvet covering him... hiding him away.

Grabbing the doorknob, yanking, slipping out into the lonely hallway, those sweet thoughts about weekend plans with my 'panda felt a million miles away.

After such an awful start to my day, I never had a hope of doing anything other than dwelling on it. I started work at seven-thirty and walked out just after three in the afternoon, but honestly, I couldn't have told you who I'd coached, what classes had run upstairs, anything.

I'd been lost in my thoughts the whole time, replaying our argument over and over, regretting the part I'd played in it all. Marek and his moodiness hadn't helped, that's for certain, but... I could have been more apologetic over waking him up. More understanding about his mood. After all, I knew how tough work had been on him these last few weeks. He'd moaned at me about it often enough, stumbling through the front door at seven, eight, sometimes later in the evening.

Sat on the bus, chugging and winding along my increasingly familiar route back to Marek's place... Marek's place and mine now... that kinda thinking took a backseat once everything began to hit home.

He'd hurt me so much by saying what he'd said. Not so much from the content, but... the manner of it. Gods, he was so fierce, so angry at me that morning. Like never before. Remembering the way he towered over me, his muzzle so brutally twisted, sent a pang through my heart and my blood running cold.

I fought back tears as kerbs and feet flew past outside, mindful of my fellow-sized passengers heading into the city. Ultimately, I saved myself with the thought that as awful as this all was, and as rotten as I felt, it'd all pass. Couples argued, no matter how much they loved each other. Gods knew my parents had had plenty of set-tos over the years, but in the end, when the dust had settled, they always made up. So why not me and Marek?

I suppose the problem I faced was that my partner, wonderful as he... usually was, stood big and tall enough to use that house I grew up in as a seat, a bench. So, with such a difference in size, how could I ever be on an equal footing with him during an argument or a disagreement? How could I feel equal while he could so easily overshadow and overwhelm me? Hell, how would I ever be equal when I had to worry about his dirty washing literally stopping me from getting around?

I took a deep breath, collected myself, pushing away this awful moment, focusing instead on the dozens, hundreds of better ones that'd come before. My 'panda was special. A one-of-a-kind sweetheart. Kind and gentle, no matter how huge and imposing he might appear. We'd make up, move on, leaving that morning to be lost and forgotten... hopefully just like the afternoon that would follow, too.

I'd barely made it two steps inside the front door before spotting what Marek had left for me. The whole hallway resembled an explosion in a launderette; clothes scattered as far as the eye could see. A grey vest came first, bundled up with some of his underwear. Beyond that, his big, green hoodie sat piled almost as tall as me, resting right beside his wash basket... His near-empty wash basket.

I slammed the door so hard that I swear I sent a tremble through the larger one beside it. Where'd all this mess come from between this morning and now!? Dude, he had to be fucking with me deliberately.

"Gods damn it." I kicked off my trainers, aiming them at the side of Marek's thigh-high pair on the shoe mat. All that sorrow, guilt and self-pity I'd wallowed in on the bus had carried on riding downtown. Despite everything I'd said that morning, despite all my complaints, he'd left this place in a state as bad I'd seen it in... ever!

I growled so hard that it hurt, stomping off to check for any other lurking surprises. The living room wasn't too bad, thankfully. Not in any more of a mess than it was this time yesterday at least. The trousers that Marek had shaken off after work last night remained in front of the TV cabinet, right alongside a way smaller pair of my own. His were out of the way enough not to cause problems at least... and at least mine weren't big enough to need climbing over.

After that, the time came to go check the state of the bedroom. Easier said than done...

I sidestepped Marek's vest, needing to take the long way around just to make it part way down the hall. Up next came that hill of a hoodie, barely leaving space to squeeze through between it and the wall. I figured if I couldn't go round, then I'd have to go over.

One foot forward, I found myself an unstable green ledge, testing it with my weight. Above, I reached for the top of the panelling that offered a protected path along the hall... lack of clothes and mess permitting. Together, they gave me limited support at best, but damn it if limited wasn't the best I could get.

I started to push and pull myself upwards, trembling harder and harder as the green underfoot wobbled. Then sank. Violently.

Lurched forward, thrown off-balance, I grabbed what I could of Marek's hoodie just to keep from tumbling completely. Fuck me, this was insane. Who else in the world had to suffer through this kinda thing just to get around their own home!?

"Shit!" My other paw slipped off the panelling, sending my shoulder slamming right into it. I squealed out loud, gasping, pure heat radiating out down my arm. Into my chest. Then up into my grinding teeth. "Marek! Fuck!"

Screw it. I was over playing his games. I might not have been able to clear this mess, but I could damn sure shift it!

Reaching down, grabbing two handfuls of green, I wriggled myself down into the super-tight gap under the protective panels. My tail barely had room to lash, hurting from the tugging at its base. That just gave me more motivation to bite down, cling tight and heave this oversized hoodie with all the strength I could find. Yeah, Marek might put on all kinds of amazing displays with the weights at the gym, but damn it if I couldn't hold my own, too.

I shoved like I was battling the bench press, forcing enough room for myself to breathe easier and for my tail to sway freely. Not done there, I heaved everything I could gather in my arms as hard and as far as I could, literally dragging a whole fold of his hoodie clean across the floor. I'd stumble and tumble more than once, into the fabric and down to the unforgiving wooden floor, but no matter how much of a beating I took, I refused to be beat.

My heart hammered, arms tensing and hurting, but through sheer force of will, I worked myself an opening wide enough to shuffle through.

Going through all of that effort and annoyance must've flicked a switch in my head. Plenty more of his mess scattered the hallway, but none of it left so inconsiderately that it'd stop me from squeezing past.

"Screw squeezing past," I grunted to myself, sneering and scowling as hard as Marek had been that morning. "Why should I have to squeeze_past anything in what's supposed to be _my home, too?"

Marek's red plaid shirt came next, right where it had been for the best part of a week. Bundled belly-high, thinner and lighter than his huge hoodie, it'd still pose a challenge. Not enough of one for me to fail.

I grabbed hold of its collar, hauling it up shoulder-high and throwing it over myself. Feeling like I had Marek himself weighing down on me, I stamped heavy step after heavy step across the wood, puffing hard by the time I'd dragged just the top of his massive shirt clear from the wall. My 'panda was so damn big that even his shirts were an ordeal, looking like giant parachutes rather than clothes. Usually, I had only love and appreciation for his size... but in this instance, I had anything but.

That hoodie, shirt and two bundled pairs of socks later, powered on by fur-raising, throat-scratching spite alone, I'd cleared and carved a path all the way to my door of our bedroom. I might've been panting hard, arms achingly sore, but damn it I felt great. Victorious.

I set a paw on the doorknob, ready to charge inside and face down whatever disaster area had been left for me. As it turned out, I'd be able to find one already waiting outside.

From the corner of my eye, something looked off. The far end of the hallway was too colourful. Not the usual solid white I'd expect. I turned for a proper look. I wished I hadn't.

Even more clothes sat scattered at the base of the bathroom door, resembling the most awful hill range. One of Marek's light blue work shirts... another pair of boxers... and some white bundle of fabric that I couldn't make out. All that would've been bad enough, but of course, it got worse.

Piled up beside it all, looking like it'd been dumped down from directly above, an enormous orange towel claimed the entire far corner of the hallway as its own... Right where the Maleni door sat. Not that I could see much of it at that point.

"Gods fucking damn it." My snarling sounded almost as loud as my fist clubbing the bedroom door. Marek and his towel had _literally_blocked me off from the bathroom. "I'm gonna give him such a... piece of my damn mind... Gah!"

I stomped down the hall, gunning right for that orange, me-sized hill. Moving it aside would be tough to impossible. At the very least, I pictured myself climbing its bank, pushing and pulling enough of its peak aside to be able to squeeze my way past. Either way, I bit down and clenched my fists, ready to suck it up, push through the pain, and clear a path before I really was desperate to get into the bathroom.

My tail whipped so hard that it tipped my balance. Tired, stressed, busy with work or not, I couldn't give a damn at that point. Marek was gonna get it. No way was I putting up with being treated like an afterthought around here. Not anymore!

I spent the rest of that afternoon in some weird mix between relaxing and waiting. Once I'd grabbed my laptop from the spare Maleni bedroom now doubling as my 'quiet space', I settled down in the living room and proceeded to lose myself. Almost.

Music, handball news, a few online games here and there: plenty to divert my attention, but not quite enough to divert my thoughts completely. I couldn't believe what Marek had put me through when I got home. How dare he expect me to live like this. How... fucking dare he.

As the minutes became hours, as the grey sky outside turned dark, I got myself more and more worked up. By the time the neighbouring apartment buildings became a grid of lights, I was utterly fuming up on the arm of the couch. How could he treat me like this? How could he be so kind and considerate one minute, then become this... selfish, uncaring jerk the next? I'd been living here for weeks now, and for weeks before that I'd been staying over more often than not. That whole time, things had been amazing, right up until this last week... or two.

A pulsing bassline began hammering my ears. This next song in my playlist matched the throbbing in my head near perfectly. My paw gripped the arm of my seat, remembering the scowl Marek had for me that morning. I had to take blame for that, but he had even more. All that sadness on the journey home from work was buried way deep, smothered by how much I wanted to explode at him. Let out all the irritation that'd been building. Size be damned, I'd never been a pushover when it came to Visoka. Not at school, not at university, nor at work, and I damn sure wasn't about to start now. No matter how much I cared for him, and loved him, Marek would see that. _And_he'd accept it too.

The front door bumped and creaked a little after seven that evening. Almost two hours later than I'd expect it on a Friday. Thumping footsteps disrupted the beat from my headphones. Tugging one free let me better hear shoes slipping off and a coat settling on its peg. The brush of a tail against a wall followed, right before plodding, loudening stomps moved down the hall.

I turned off my music, watching, waiting, readying myself for Marek to round the corner into the living room. But, as prepared as I thought I'd be, nothing could have readied me for the 'panda that did appear.

He bumped the inside wall, grumbling, steps breaking into something more like a shuffle. Head hanging, his narrow eyes weighed heavily on his chocolate cheek stripes. Almost as much as the laptop bag draped over his sagging shoulder.

"What a day," he half-groaned, half-whined, ears splayed either side of his scruffy, ruffled up headfur. Even the whiskers of his usually lively muzzle drooped. "Ugh. What a week."

Poor 'panda. As angry as I felt, as worked up and ready for combat as I'd got myself... in that moment, all I wanted was to call him over, offering a big hug and a perked ear for support. That was until he began to settle. In all the wrong ways.

He grabbed his crumpled up, off-centre tie, tugging it looser from his untidy shirt collar. Off it came. Down to the floor it went.

"It's like no matter how many hours I put in, we fall further behind." Next came his belt, ripped away from underbelly barely a second after he'd yanked the buckle loose. He tossed it away. Sent it arcing over the coffee table. It hit the opposite arm of the couch. There it'd stay. "I swear, the marketing department think launching a new car is just... build it, sell it. Job done. Who needs technical reports and safety reviews?"

"Mmm." I kept my eyes on his paws, waiting for their next target. They made a move for his laptop bag.

"Oh, and the best thing..." Marek snatched the strap from his shoulder. Swung it forward. He leaned, bent, left the bag to thump against the side of the coffee table. From there, he dropped it... leaving it to fill most of the space between the table and the armchair facing it. "The best thing is how our whole team made it in before eight, but_no-one_ from management bothered to show their faces until nine..."

His shirt flew off next, followed in quick succession by his work trousers. Both found a home on the floor, heaped between his laptop and the other trousers he'd left by the TV the evening before. By the end, Marek stood there in nothing but his vest and boxers.

I should have enjoyed seeing the muscles in his arms and legs, and the huge, fabric-straining curves of his belly and bulge... but I was too busy seething over the state of the floor.

"I'm telling you..." Marek shifted towards his armchair adjacent, filling the rest of the space between the laptop bag. "This whole project has been disaster after disaster, and somehow, daily, things find a way to get even worse."

I couldn't offer sympathy, horrid as that felt in the far back of my mind. No, all I could focus on was my rage. I was living that afternoon all over again, climbing over hoodies, pushing the edges of still-soggy towels away from doors.

My tail thrashed against my own chair. I tore myself from the laptop screen, peered up high and snapped out, "Guess you're back then."

"Perceptive," Marek grunted, batting his tail away, aiming his wide self to sit. "I thought our conversation might've offered a clue."

"Not the biggest, I gotta say..." I leaned forward to set my laptop on the table here on the arm. The ache in my still sore arms made it more of a job than it should've been. "The wash basket's in the hallway, right--?"

He let himself go, dropping and flopping down hard into his armchair. Normally, I'd have loved watching on, experiencing a front row seat to the thudding and shaking of my big, half-dressed 'panda parking his rear and settling his weight. Not that evening. Instead, my focus found the pressure bubbling in my chest, building and rising until it hit the back of my throat, desperate for release.

Marek meanwhile sank back, filling his low-groaning seat to capacity, grinding a paw over his eyes and brow. His large tail hung limp over the arm, its oranges and browns somehow darker. Duller.

"We're launching at the Sturanja Expo next month," he muttered from deep in his headrest. "But we're still nowhere near having the final technical reports updated and ready." Finally, he gazed up out of his sleepy stupor, finding me to his right... before groaning and hiding under a paw again. "Oh, what is it? I told you, I've had a rotten day."

"What's what?" I guess that bubbling had forced its way outside.

"You tell me!" His ears splayed fully flat. "Don't tell me you're_still_ upset about this morning."

"Amongst other things."

"Like what!?"

The way he spat that at me, hard, dismissive, uncaring, set me alight. My arms strained, forcing my paws into fists. The burning in my throat reached my rising, pointed ears, balling itself on the tip of my snapping tongue. I loaded the cannon and took aim. "All your damn clothes!"

"What about them?"

"What d'ya--" I thumped a fist into the arm of my chair, sitting forward so hard that I almost fell. "I told you this morning about the mess you make! How hard it is for me to get around when you're dumping everything everywhere!"

His ears flicked but rose no higher than flat. His muzzle gained a crease, lip twitching. "Hardly everywhere."

"They're all over the fucking floor!" I jumped up with so much energy, I swear, I could've cleared the gap from my chair to his. "After_everything_ I said this morning--"

"Sam--!"

"After everything I fucking said to you, I came back to find a damn disaster." I charged past the table. My shin caught it. Screw the pain. "And now you've come home just to make it all worse!"

"Stop exaggerating--"

"I'm not!" I almost tore my arm from my socket with how hard I swiped at him. "Do you have any idea what I had to go through earlier? That gods damned hoodie of yours. I damn near broke myself trying to get past it, just to make it down the hall."

The anger building on his snout faded. Disarmed. "I meant to put that in the wash basket before I left."

"Next to isn't into!" I fired back. "And that's not to mention the towel you left blocking off the whole damn bathroom door."

"Hey, hey, hang on... I didn't leave my towel there."

"Oh no?" I sucked in air. The heat in my face was suffocating. "Well go look! It's still right there. Still forcing me to scramble up over it just to go take a piss."

"...It must've fallen off the door handle."

"What's it doing on the door handle in the first place!?"

"...So I don't forget it next time I go shower."

"What-- Just leave it in--! What's wrong with the fur dryer anyway?"

"It frizzes up my headfur!"

"Look..." I exhaled, inhaled, shifted my weight on the plastic panel up here on the arm. My shin called out in pain. Not loud enough to call off a second wind. I reloaded the cannon. "I've had enough of dealing with all your mess. And I've had enough of you ignoring me all the time."

"Please..." Marek slapped a paw to his brow, sinking and shrinking into his seat as much as a 'panda his size could. "Stop your moaning, my gods--"

"No, I will moan! Because you act like I don't mean a damn."

"When did I say that!?"

"You_act_ like it! You act like you can just ignore me and my opinions and my feelings, just because I'm smaller."

Marek gargled a groaned growl, shaking his head, peering to the ceiling. "It's some clothes-- Listen, I'm starving, I had to work late_again_ finishing another urgent report, I've got yet another to look at and rewrite this weekend and I just..." He rose, grew, intensified into a big red storm with the enormous breath he sucked in. "I. Can't. Fucking. Deal with all this right now. Okay!?"

"You?" My breathing bordered on panting. Air of my own was hard to come by. "You can't deal with this?"

"No! I can't."

"Well... I can't deal with you... acting like I'm an afterthought."

His scoff stabbed me in the gut. The sneer that joined it twisted the blade. "How can I forget about you with all your yipping when I get back home."

"Yipping?"

"Yipping!" His boulder of a paw smashed into the arm of his chair. Hard enough to shake the floor, I'm sure. A display of power I couldn't hope to match. "Over some clothes..."

"You..." The cannon was empty. No ammo left to find. "You're a real... huge fucking jerk sometimes."

"Stop whining," he barked, palms to both temples, fingers squeezing at the base of his ears. "Please! I can't deal with it. Not tonight."

"Yeah..." I stepped back. Reeling. The pain in my shin gave way to the tearing in my chest. "Well I can't deal with you... towering over me... shouting me down." The open lift to the floor was just a few steps away. They dragged on like hell. "You wanted me to move in, but you act like you're the only one here... I think I'll leave you to it."

I stepped onto the lift panel, grabbed the rail, jabbed the down button. Even with my focus fixed on the dark kitchen beyond the archway ahead, I couldn't avoid the white and orange blur in the corner of my eye, gawking at me from Marek's chair. It started to lower as I did, the hint of a whine hitting my ears before the silence broke completely.

"Where are you going?"

I kept quiet. I'm not sure why. My head was spinning. Anger and... sadness pulled me in several directions. I wished none of this had happened.

"Sam?"

The lift reached the wooden floor. Not far beneath where Marek's huge tail dangled. His thick calves and wall-like laptop bag blocked my way past the coffee table. I'd take the back route between his chair and the end table instead. That morning, I was upset over how much of a challenge my size made storming out. That evening... I was just plain upset. Drained. Numb.

The floorboards trembled lightly, matching the rumble from Marek's armchair. I could picture him shifting to try to find me as I made it back out into the open, carving a path straight towards the hallway. Instinct had me looking back; a natural reaction when living with someone you stood barely shin-tall against.

His tired green eyes watched me... asking 'where are you going' all over again. But again, I had no answer for him.

I passed his work shirt, still radiating heat, still thick with his scent. Part of me wanted to make a scene, to make a point... but most of me just wanted, needed space. My own smaller... tiny space. A space where I belonged.

Stillness. Darkness. That's all I had here in my 'quiet space'. It certainly lived up to its name. The only movement I could trace came from the hallway; a faint stream of light creeping past the doorframe, flickering against the wall I'd been watching since curling up on the spare bed. Marek had helped me create this spot from the Maleni bedroom. A place for me to go to be somewhere more 'familiar'. I doubt he imagined it'd be for moments like this. I know I never did.

The ceiling hovered low from my position on this double bed, lying on a bunk set upon two storage cupboards either side of a desk space. The latter was where I usually kept my laptop. I was annoyed at myself for not bringing it with me from the living room, leaving me no option but to just... lie there. Light off. Thinking. A lot.

Annoyed. That wasn't enough to describe all the feelings and emotions swirling in the dead darkness. Helpless. Stupid. Useless. They all had a part to play in adding to the non-stop noise beneath my ears.

My tail twitched and flitted, draped over my hip, scooting closer and closer to my nose and chest. Hugging my red and white rings didn't offer much comfort.

Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe I just needed to man the fuck up and go talk to Marek. Deal with it, just like any other problem. Problem was, this didn't feel like a regular one. Hardly in the same league as 'we're out of cereal', or 'my bus pass has expired', or any other little issue that could be dealt with just like that.

A tear rolled down my cheek, dropping to the bedding. Gods, was I gonna get this way after every argument, pouting and sulking like a cub? ...Was I really ready to be here? Maybe I wasn't. Maybe moving away from a normal-sized home to be alone here with Marek in his... Marek-sized apartment had been too much, too soon. Maybe everything had finally got on top of me.

Ugh. I could hear my parents now, reminding me of all their various warnings around how difficult it'd be at times, all carrying an strong undercurrent of 'we told you so'... But shit, after all my insisting that I was ready, right up until the moment Marek pulled up to collect me and my things... Maybe they were right all along.

Movement outside cut my shame spiraling short, growing nearer, louder. Still quieter than the increasingly spiteful thoughts I was glad to hear slip away. The banging and bumping went back and forth down the hall. Stopping then starting. Aimless. Finding floorboards and other things that made little sense to my perking ears. As I stared up at the dark, low ceiling, I could picture Marek, unmistakable, even with what sounded like soft, cautious steps. Cautious or not, he'd never be a hard 'panda to miss; his signature solid thumps rattling the sliding doors of my quiet room. A sensation I often found heartwarming, reassuring, but in that moment, that state of mind... It spawned a strange sense of dread. Embarrassment, almost.

His steps stopped. Something other than a big 'panda dropped to the floor. A pause hung in the air. I looked to the light just in time to see half off it cut away from the doorframe.

"Sam," Marek sang, double tapping a door. "Are you in there?"

I didn't answer. Silent was fast becoming my default, lasting way beyond his second and third round of clawtaps.

"Sam," he called with an added bite. I could see his smirk with my ears. "Remember, that room in there does slide out. Heh... I'd never be able to change the bedsheets otherwise."

I rolled back towards the wall. No light to stare at and keep me company. Part of me wondered how long I could really keep this up for--

A huge, booming thud reverberated outside, strong enough to send this whole room, its contents, and me, jumping and shaking. Gods damn. Now_that_ was definitely my 'panda.

The darkness turned black for a moment, right before a cutting light forced my paws to my eyes. My ears caught the sliding of wood over wood. My nose traced Marek's strengthening scent pouring in from outside.

Another slam rolled out, jolting everything all over again. My eyes adjusted to the light... then found Marek's smiling face down here at my level, filling the doorway.

"Hey, little 'panda." He set his head down, resting a cheek on his strong arm, muzzle on his big paw. "Are you okay?"

Am I okay? Really? After all that I'd say, that was his question? My jaw dropped open, prepped to start shouting and bawling... but nothing came. The burning wasn't there any more. Only that... drained exhaustion. I kept my tail close, half hiding. "No. Not really."

Back came the silence. I'd wanted it so badly not so long ago. Bad enough to march myself off into isolation. But now, this silence just offered somewhere for the tired, foggy haze in my head to seep further into. Jeez, I really was a basket case sometimes...

Marek stayed with me, looking my way but not. His eyes searched every part of the room, idly poking at my empty desk chair with a finger. A finger half the width of its backrest. His soft face held sorrow. Knowing him, his brain was working overtime. Just like mine.

He took a deep breath, slowly pushing his huge self higher. His whiskers twitched as they brushed the top of the doorframe, prompting a cute, instinctive grunt that I just couldn't resist the twitch of a smile at. Then, he exhaled, blasting me, the room, before issuing out another ear-flicking, bed-rattling rumble as his weight settled all over again.

"Gods," I muttered, against much of my debatably better judgement.

"Hmm?"

"...You're too big."

"Now, that's something I never thought I'd hear you say," he shot back, full cheeks creasing with all his charm. "Is that really a complaint?"

Only when you're not on top of me: that would've been my normal, natural response. It came and went. Not suited to the situation, so my mood dictated.

Marek's bright, boyish smile faded. His whole self seemed to deflate right before my eyes. Good, I thought to myself. Mean, I thought _of_myself.

"Listen..." His big finger flicked, rolling my chair under the desk. "I want to... Maybe..." He sank yet further, cheek pressing up against the back of his paw. A huge sigh ruffled my fur and the bedsheets. He looked as lost as I felt.

Those green eyes studied everything, from my chair he kept prodding, to the TV I'd not found a need to set up yet. His whiskers twitched, turquoise-tipped ears doing their part to join them, low as they were. A huff here, a mumble there, I began to wonder if Marek's muzzle might just retreat from my space altogether, bringing back the darkness, the solitude. I'd have welcomed both just moments before, but to my surprise, my relief, with another sharp shake of the woodwork, I found him shuffling even closer, brightening eyes finding me, offering my whole self a lift.

"Sam... I'm sorry." His sweetness returned, the oranges, whites and chocolates of his face warming as my heart did the same. "I've... I said some awfully mean things to you. And..."

He lost his nerve, I suppose, returning his focus a prodding finger to my chair. I didn't mind. His words would flow just as kindly.

"See, work's... It's kicking my tail so hard at the moment, and... The stress. It's affecting my mood. My temper. My desire for... other stuff."

I nodded, unsure of what else to do. Sure, seeing and hearing a version of my 'panda that much closer to the one that I loved was great, but... it wasn't enough.

"All these extra hours have me tired all the time. Drained." He huffed hard enough to send his own fur ruffling in the backdraft. A sad sniff followed; the smallest sound I'd ever heard from my big 'panda. "It has me on edge all the time. And it makes it easy to kick or to throw stuff off and just leave it lying around, causing a mess... Not that any of that's an excuse." Finally, his pretty green eyes came back to me. "I shouldn't shout at you. Take it out on you... I've been a real dick."

"The biggest dick," I fired back, only half aware. It cut at Marek, dulling his eyes, folding his ears. So the chuckle that came next caught me off guard. "Something funny?"

He recoiled, attention shifting to the whip of my tail against the wooden rail of this bunk. I could sense my glare sharpening, lying in wait for Marek once he returned to reply. "Just--uh. Heh... Biggest."

"Pff." I threw myself away, rolling towards the back wall. "I'm not laughing."

"Oh, Sam--" He cut himself off, halfway towards the threshold of a complaint. His big sigh brushed at me... followed soon after by that of his finger at my dangling tail. "Come on, little 'panda. I'm sorry." Up came his whole paw, sliding over me like a thick weighted blanket. "Come on out... Please. I don't like it when I can't get to you."

Marek's paw stayed right there with me, strong but delicate, overwhelming but... comforting. His finger brushed at the side of my neck, claw detouring to scritch under my chin from time to time. I wondered how long he'd keep this up, how long it'd take for him to get bored or to give up, but he kept on going. My 'panda kept on tending to me. I'd really missed this.

His warmth slipped away, finger and thumb toying with my swaying tail, working towards its tip, before they left me too. Slowly, I peeked back towards the doorway, searching. I needn't have. Marek hadn't gone far.

He held his paw just shy of the bed, beckoning me with a gentle curl of his fingers and a soft, hopeful smile. His big palmpad looked so welcoming, hanging within reach. A part of me still wanted to get back at him. To punish him. As for the rest of me... the want for my 'panda outweighed everything else. Heh. Much like my 'panda himself.

"Now that there looks like a smile," Marek sang.

I huffed. The corners of my mouth rose along with his perking ears. "Might be."

"Come on, sweetheart." His fingers curled again, sliding onto the bed beside me. "Come here."

I climbed in. How could I not? He held firm throughout, waiting for my paws, then my knees, then rest of me to sprawl and settle down in his palm. The bed I'd left behind couldn't compete with his heat, comfort or cosyness. My muzzle fit so perfectly in the crease between the tips of his middle and index fingers.

Marek pulled me from my quiet space with nothing but care, sliding himself away as I passed the doorframe and joined him outside. The light stung my eyes, but not nearly enough to stop me watching him shift up off his stomach, filling the hallway with his big, wide frame.

He settled back with a thud, sitting himself right outside the Maleni room. Wearing only his vest and boxers, he treated me to an even better view of his pretty oranges and browns. Not to mention the curve of his stomach, or the thickness of his arms and thighs. They could all wait their turn, though. My attention belonged solely to Marek's uneasy smile, wavering against the dampening at the corners of his eyes.

"You're right, though. I've been the biggest dick." He moved me towards his other paw, cupped them, steadily bringing me closer to his muzzle. "But you're not an afterthought. No way."

I opened my mouth to reply, but found myself unsure how to. Not that it mattered; his nose dipping down to rub and snuffle all over my face and neck saw to that.

"We've been living together... what, just over a month now?"

"...About that."

"And you know, I still think about you all day at work." His nose tip found my ear, tickling at its fur, sending twitches and tingles right the way through me. "I always look forward to seeing you, just like I did when I was counting down the days until I'd have you staying over again." The roughness of his tongue slipped under my chin. He grumbled almost as loud as I did. "You can't be an afterthought when you're my only thought."

Wow. Hearing him say that... It sparked something wonderful. A breathtaking, soul-lifting glow deep inside. My sadness, my anger, the hallway itself: it took everything and melted it away. Right there, right then, Marek was everything and the only thing.

I threw up my arms, clinging either side of his muzzle, tugging to guide him closer. My 'panda's nose pressed me deep into his pawpads, tongue finding its way beneath my shirt to my stomach. I cuddled him. He cuddled me. A squeal of joy came without effort. I reckon the crease in Marek's eyes did too.

"Mmf." Into his fuzz I threw myself, whiskers tickling my stroking paw as I smooched the side of his snout. "I... just..." His fingerpad rubbed the back of my head, helping me into an even firmer hug. "Please, try to act like it. I don't want to feel... out of place."

"Out of place?" he whispered in breathless confusion, nose and lips touring the whole of me. A steamy shower of affection.

"Having to battle just to get around... To be heard. I want to fit in here. I want to be equal."

"Oh, Sam. You do. You are." The endless nosing and licking ended, replaced instead by Marek bringing me to his chest, wrapping me up within himself. "That won't ever change."

Squeezing at him began difficult in all the right ways. His cuddling cast me in darkness, pinning me from all angles, leaving me little option but to let go and surrender to my 'panda completely.

"I'll try to be better with the clothes and all... and with listening. I'll make sure to remember that it's not just me around here anymore." He licked between my ears, breathing me in. "That I've got my little 'panda here for good."

"Thank you, hon." My tail waved back and forth between his chest and palmpads. "And... I'll try to be more understanding. And, y'know... I'll also try not to give you a wake-up call most mornings."

Marek bumped at my ear. "Every morning."

"_Most_mornings."

He snorted, ruffling my headfur with a heavy, soothing gust of air. "I appreciate that. I just can't be... on all the time." His blunt claw slid under my chin, easing it up towards his now tearless, beaming smile. "Or at the very least, wait until I've woken up before you start trying to get me worked up."

"Heh." My heart skipped a beat. The sweetening of his expression came as if he'd felt it. "Okay, hon. Promise."

Down he came, crashing over me like a doughy, cuddly, white and orange avalanche, burying me so completely in a hot, debilitating kiss. My muzzle slipped perfectly between his lips, opening to welcome and explore the lapping tip of his tongue. Hitting me like an unstoppable tidal wave, my 'panda flooded each and every one of my senses. My fur rose, heart pounding close to its peak. Every breath I took carried the taste and scent of my Marek. Mercifully, the buzz and excitement would last long after our mouths had parted.

"Give me a few more weeks, sweetheart," he said, resting me in the steep valley of his chest, right atop the strong thudding of his heart. "Work'll settle down. I'll be less busy... less moody, and I'll have all the time I need to show you how much I appreciate you. And how much you mean to me."

"Aww." I pushed up to kiss him again, squeezing tight at his muzzle tip. "So tell me. How long have you spent rehearsing all this?"

"About thirty minutes." He pecked me on the cheek and neck. "I think it went well."

"It did." My chuckle won a glimpse of his happy teeth. A licking at his nose got me far more. "I look forward to it, though. Mostly because I look forward to you feeling happier again."

Marek snugged me tight, locking every part of me in place against his chest and muzzle. I couldn't move at all, but then, why would I want to? Spells of silence were becoming all too familiar around the apartment, but on this occasion, I embraced it with the same open arms I had for my 'panda.

"Have you eaten?" he asked, running a claw from my neck to tailbase.

"Not yet." I shuddered from the attention, falling so wonderfully limp. "I wanted to wait for you to get back home first."

"Aww..."

"...Mostly because I didn't wanna cook."

"Now that sounds about right." His hard snort blasted and warmed me. "After the day I've had, I understand the sentiment."

"Well hey, we can order something in. Cut the hassle."

"Are you sure?" His head tilted. "We were planning on doing that tomorrow."

"Why not both?"

"And break your routine?" He poked my stomach with a finger. "Can superfit 'pandas like you really have takeout twice a week?"

"Superfit," I scoffed back, jabbing back at his nose. "Y'know, not everything ordered in has to be bad."

"Maybe... But then I'm more partial to the good stuff."

"Anyway." I bumped him again, tail sweeping across his palms. "I'm getting a whole bunch of extra workouts by climbing over and hauling all your clothes around."

He huffed, smirking. "I did say I'll work on that."

"I know." He earned another lick for that. "And I appreciate it."

That smirk of his began to grow, creasing the eyes fixed upon me there in his grasp. "You know... I know something else you'll appreciate."

Back he came, clamping his lips around my muzzle, making out with me all over again. The wonderful rough slickness of his tongue tip searched for mine, pushing my mouth open with minimal effort. Not that he needed even that much.

I rocked and squirmed, moaning out my appreciation. My paws pressed hard into his handsome, smothering muzzle... and I had no shame in allowing my crotch to start doing the same.

"Mmf." He pulled back just enough to talk, still drenching me in his heat and scent. "Good?"

"H-Holy fuck."

"Heh. Good."

"Nice," I blurted, nuzzling under his chin. "Really nice."

"I know something you'll find nicer..." Down we went, slowly, all the way to the top of his hefty thighs. Beneath his creeping grin, I had Marek's huge stomach looming over me, resembling a white mountainside beneath his vest, threatening to swamp the remainder of his sizeable lap. I must've still been dizzy from his extra-deep, super-amazing kissing, because I only caught the very end of his wobbling and jiggling at his side, putting the fabric hiding his belly to work in its attempts to keep it all contained.

"Thanks for proving me right," he gruffed, reaching down to stroke a finger over my hardening cock. "But we can do better..."

Marek slid a paw beneath his vest, teasing his underbelly, and me along with it. With every quickening beat of my heart, he lifted the white away, allowing wave after wave of hot, soft, trembling brown to burst free. His other paw came into play, tugging away at his vest, leaving me to grunt at the sight of the thick fur leading up to his now-exposed navel, flanked by the wonderful orange of his sexy love handles. It all slapped down hard, loud, jiggling the bulk surrounding his massive thighs, trembling as hard as I did in its presence, welcoming its steady growth as it all poured closer towards my feet.

All kinds of pleasing, erotic thoughts raced through my head. From jumping up to grind into his bulk, to simply lying back to let Marek lift and bury me with himself. They all had my pounding shaft begging to get free... But they didn't have my mind to themselves.

"What's wrong?" he asked past a faltering of his grin. "After waking up to you humping me or trying to get into my boxers every morning this week--"

"I told you, it wasn't every--"

"_Almost_every morning... I figured you'd be up and having your way with me before I knew it."

I lied back. Quiet. As amazing as his big muscles and chubby belly were... I preferred to watch my 'panda's sweet, beautiful smile instead.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I'm okay. And it's okay."

"Hmm?" His brow furrowed. "What is?"

"All this." I rolled and spun onto my front, tail sweeping wide as I crawled up towards his heavy stomach. "Honestly... right now, I just wanna cuddle up with you." Falling into him, nosing deep, spreading arms around as much of his underbelly as I could, I beamed way up to those pretty green eyes. "I just wanna be with you."

Marek awwed out loud, thick tail thumping at the floor behind him. One paw came down, helping me squeeze even deeper into his fuzz. The other meanwhile ran down his stomach, a single finger extending, slipping past my muzzle, chest, beyond... until it started pressing at my crotch. "Doesn't seem like the whole of you is in agreement, little 'panda."

"...Ignore that."

"You and your runaway horny."

"Shhh!"

"Just like. Every. Single. Morning."

"Stop," I sang in complaint, batting at his paw, rubbing my cheek into his comforting bulk. "I just wanna..."

"Heh, I can't keep up with you," Marek sang in return, stroking over my back. "But I'm more than happy with this, too."

We sat there together, cuddling, grumbling, truly enjoying one another for the first time in days... maybe weeks. I rubbed and kissed deep into my big 'panda's softness, tail swaying perfectly to allow him to toy with it in turn. His eyes stayed with me, high above the huge peaks of his stomach and chest. Our argument seemed a lifetime ago.

"We could take this into the living room," he suggested, keeping up the slow rub of his palmpad into my back. "Watch some TV, order in some good food... and as much as you're loving a cuddle as much as I am right now, I'm sure you'll be wanting to get inside my boxers at some point."

"I won't," I blurted back, ears lifting. "I mean... I might."

"You will," he said with a chuckle. "Either that or you'll be wanting me on top of you."

"...Okay... There's a fair chance."

"Only fair?"

"Fair to middling." I turned to lick at his fingerpad. "There's only so long I can be around big 'pandas before their hotness overwhelms me... Hopefully literally."

"Heh-- Wait." He threw a paw to his side, shaking me along with his stomach. "Pandas? Plural? Are there more than just me."

"Pfft. Not a chance!"

"Good."

"Well... Maybe..."

"There's a well, maybe?" He mock-growled, squeezing at my tail.

"Well, maybe, only if they always remembered to put their clothes in the wash basket."

Marek snorted so hard that we rocked together. "You know, if I knew neatness was a turn-on for you, I'd have started a lot sooner."

I snickered into his paw, licking at him. It didn't take him long to bring me up to his face to start offering the same. "Either way. Thank you for being... You."

"You too, little 'panda." He lapped beneath my chin, hugging me against the side of his muzzle. "Now, let's go order some dinner."

"Pah. Figured you'd turn thoughts to food right away--"

Almost like clockwork, Marek's big stomach rumbled. His eyes creased up hard. "Hey, I told you. I'm starving."

"Heh. Fair."

"Then, after all that, just as I promised, we'll have that huge, nuzzling cuddle on the couch while we find something... good... on TV." He paused to yawn, trembling, refocusing his tired but loving eyes. "See what I can do to make up for being the biggest... heaviest..."

"Mff... sweetest."

"Heh.Sweetest dick."

"Mmm." I nosed at the fur beneath his whiskers, smooching. "What are we waiting for?"

"Nothing at all, little 'panda."

Steadily, carefully, Marek held me to his muzzle, heaving his large self up onto his knees, then way, way up to stand. My giant 'panda made it to the tops of even the Visoka-sized doorframes, almost all the way up to the ceiling, starting towards the living room with those familiarly hefty, floor-rattling steps.

On our way, he squeezed past the wash basket now sitting just outside my quiet space. Peering down, I caught sight of all the clothes filling it to the brim. The same clothes that no longer littered the now spotless hallway.

Marek left me no other choice. I had to scoot round and offer him another long kiss and squeezing hug at his muzzle tip.

Sure, my big 'panda might act like an even bigger dick at times, but I could never doubt the fact that he possessed by far the biggest heart.