FSE

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Chapter 15 "Heated Relationships"

It was a hot summer's day in late July as Aiden got out of his car after yet another day of work. A particularly wretched day, in fact, as the high heat and humidity had made delivering all those heavy packages all day almost unbearable. He was glad it was over now, at least, and he could go upstairs to relax with a cold drink and the air conditioning on full blast.

He came home to a few surprises though, as hot air blasted his face when he opened the door. The apartment was like a sauna with every window open and Max laying on the couch in a skimpy bikini, barely moving as she blankly watched TV. He would have enjoyed the few if it weren't so sweltering.

"Why isn't the AC on?" Aiden asked with a grunt, ripping off his shirt and heading for the appliance.

"It wasn't working." Max replied with little effort. "I tried everything but it wouldn't turn on."

Aiden was already at the unit, checking the plug and fiddling with all the dials and buttons. To his dismay, it was just like Max said; it wouldn't start. "Damn thing must be broken." He muttered, already heading for the phone. "Better call Boris, and hope he gets here soon to fix it."

"Why wouldn't he?" Max asked lazily, not even moving on the couch. "Isn't it his job to fix stuff like that?"

"It is," Aiden shrugged as he dialed the phone, "but I've been waiting for him to fix that bathroom vent for about a year now."

Max responded with a soft grunt as Aiden left a message for their landlord. Though normally the skunk didn't mind a little heat, it was too hot to move, in her opinion, and she was glad it was only a few more hours before she could go to the air conditioned club. She had no intention of moving before then.

Aiden collapsed on a chair a few moments later, having changed into a pair of shorts and with an iced beverage in hand. "Man, I hope he get's up here and fixes it before it gets even hotter."

"Is it supposed to get worse?" Max pouted, finally sitting up. "I don't like it when it gets too hot. I mean, I like a bit of beach weather, but this is ridiculous."

Aiden shrugged. "They're predicting a heat wave; temperatures in the high nineties, almost triple digits, with high humidity. It might get a bit rough."

Max groaned, collapsing back onto the couch. "I hope he fixes it today, then. Did he say when he would be by?"

"He wasn't home." Aiden responded. "I left a message though, and made it seem urgent. Hopefully for this, Boris will actually get here quick."

Despite the doubts, a sudden knocking at the door got both of their hesitant attention. Aiden knew it couldn't be Boris yet, though; the knocks were too soft and delicate. Groaning, the fox forced himself out of his chair, not even thinking to check who it was before opening the door.

"Nii-san!" A young fox girl suddenly burst through the door, jumping on Aiden and wrapping her arms around his neck as she giggled playfully. "Surprised to see me?"

"Jessica?" Aiden truly was surprised as he hugged his little sister, not having expected to see her at all. "What are you doing here? You didn't take a cab, did you?"

"No," Jessica giggled, hopping out of Aiden's arms. "I drove! Mom and Dad helped me get a car." She beamed a big smile at her older brother. "Now I can drive to school easily, and visit you whenever I want."

"Oh did they?" Aiden put on a smile, though he was inwardly irked by that. After all, their parents had made him buy his first car on his own. Still, he wasn't going to let that ruin his little sister's fun. "Well, that's good. You're always welcome here, Jessica. It's kinda hot, but come on in. Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"If you're cooking, of course." She smiled warmly, skipping further into the apartment. There the girl froze when she saw the busty, half-naked skunk lazing on the couch. A scowl crossed her face, but Jessica quickly replaced it with a smile. "Oh, I didn't expect you to have... company over."

"Oh right," Aiden mumbled apologetically. "Jessica, this is my roommate, Max. Max, this is my little sister."

Max smiled, quickly getting up and offering her hand. "Nice to meet you, honey. Sorry about the outfit, it's just too hot for me right now, and I wasn't expecting company. Give me a minute to slip into something more appropriate."

"Mmhmm." Jessica watched her saunter off with a bit of a disapproving look. She then turned that look at Aiden, who had already returned to his cold drink. "You're roommate?" She asked skeptically.

"It's a long story." Aiden said with a shrug. "It wasn't my idea. I didn't even know about it until she moved in." He noted her skeptical gaze and offered a disarming smile in return, knowing how it might look. "We're just friends."

"Right." She let her disapproval show as she sat near her brother, attempting to get him to spill more or at least feel guilty.

Aiden was too hot and tired to notice though, more interested in his cold drink than anything else. "So, are you excited to start college in a few weeks?"

"Yeah, I can't wait." Jessica quickly smiled at the change of topic. "I'm so glad I get to go to your school. It's going to be so amazing. Plus, you'll be there to help me if I need it, right?"

"Of course. You know I'll always..." Aiden trailed off as Max returned from her room, suddenly not quite sure of himself. Yes, he intended to always be around for Jessica, but then again, he was sure that Max's older brother had always meant to stick around, too. Aiden suddenly felt a bit guilty, clearing his throat nervously before continuing. "Yeah, I'll help when I can."

"You've never let me down before, Nii-san." Jessica smiled, though it faded a bit as Max stepped past her to sit on the couch. She narrowed her eyes a bit as she took in the skunk's wardrobe change: a very low cut blouse and a rather skimpy pair of shorts. It was barely an improvement on the bikini in her opinion, which she still seemed to be wearing.

Max noticed the glanced and cast a curious gaze over the younger girl. She looked just like a female version of Aiden, though her eyes weren't as bright and clear a blue. Still, the girl was pretty cute, and knew how to dress for it with a simple skirt and supportive top. Good looks clearly ran strong in Aiden's family.

"So," Jessica started in, glancing more directly at Max and putting on a smile, "how did you come to live here with my brother?"

Max chuckled a bit at that, offering a shrug and a smile. "There isn't really much of a story to that. It was just time to move out of my parents' house, and Mr. Kuskov was the first to offer me a place within my price range. I had no idea Aiden lived here until the day I moved in. It's actually kinda funny, really."

"What?" She turned a surprised look to Aiden. "Is this true, Nii-san? Isn't that illegal or something?"

"It was all Boris' doing." Aiden explained casually. "I didn't even know about it until she moved in. By then it was too late. That man follows his own rules about stuff like that anyway."

"That just seem so weird."

"It hasn't been so bad." Aiden flashed a smile at Max, who returned one in kind.

"I bet." Jessica rolled her eyes, then quickly put her smile back on, keeping her assumptions to herself. "So, Max, what do you do for a living?"

Max didn't answer right off, looking the girl over as she debated whether or not to tell the truth. It already felt like Jessica was judging her, though she had no idea why. "Oh, I'm a performer. I do some dancing at a private club." It wasn't exactly a lie of course, and one look at Aiden let her know that he wouldn't question her answer. "It's a fun job. Pays the bills and keeps me in shape.

"Well, that's different." She said, already feigning interest. Jessica quickly turned her attention back to Aiden, a genuine smile this time. "So, Nii-san, what are you making for dinner?"

"Well, I was thinking of cooking a pork tenderloin with roasted potatoes. Although it is kinda hot, and I was only planning on making it for two. It might get stretched a bit thin for three."

"Don't worry about me." Max said, already getting back off the couch and making for the kitchenette. "I plan to head into work early tonight, clean up my vanity a bit. Anyway, I've got myself covered for dinner tonight." Humming to herself, the skunk pulled a box from the freezer.

"A frozen dinner?" Aiden was already objecting. "Max, I can throw together something quick that's much better than a dinner out of a box."

"It's fine, Aiden." She countered, already throwing the meal into the microwave." I practically lived off of these when I was still at my parent's. I'll be fine."

"But..."

"More for us." Jessica commented dismissively. "I've missed your cooking, it's so much better than Mom's. I may even visit often just for the food." She smiled warmly at Aiden. "Of course, being able to see you is reason enough for me."

Max felt a twinge in her heart at that sentiment, but she quickly buried it away, focusing on heating up her dinner instead.

"That's fine," Aiden chuckled, finishing off his drink. "Just, not too many surprise visits, please. I prefer to know when company's coming over."

"Sure thing, Nii-san." Jessica beamed. "Oh! I got something for you, too! I left it in my car though. I'll be right back." Practically skipping, the young girl left the apartment, patting her brother on the shoulder on her way out.

"She's an energetic one." Max quipped, not quite sure what to make of the girl yet. "Why does she keep calling you Nii-san? What does that mean?"

"Oh, that." Aiden chuckled a bit. "It's Japanese. I think it means something like 'Big Brother'. Jessica's really into those Japanese comics and whatnot, so she's picked up some of the language. I've just gotten used to her calling me that, I don't even notice anymore."

"Well, she certainly seems infatuated with you." Max was doing her best to swallow her jealousy, eating her dinner quickly with the new intent of leaving for work even sooner than she originally planned. "You must have been good to her growing up."

"I guess. It's not like I did anything special growing up." He shrugged, not really thinking too much about it. He had always figured that he and Jessica has just had a typical sibling relationship. Plus it felt awkward talking about this sort of thing with Max.

Max didn't respond to that, looking rather distracted as she ate. She was trying to deny it, but she was feeling a bit jealous, and she hated herself for that. The skunk knew she couldn't play the 'what if...' game, it would just make her depressed, or worse.

Without another word she finished her dinner, then quickly got ready for work. Max wanted to leave and soon, so she could distracted herself with the job. The last thing she wanted to do was push her own, selfish issues on Aiden.

She offered a quick but friendly farewell to the fox siblings as she left, chastising herself for her feelings and determined to work on her issues.

"Well, she isn't what I would expect for someone you're living with." Jessica piped up after Max had left. "Didn't think you'd be sleeping with someone new so soon after breaking up with Layla."

"That was months ago, and I'm not sleeping with Max!" Aiden snapped, suddenly taken off guard by that, from his little sister no less. "Layla broke up with me, and I've moved on from that. I am in a relationship though, but not with Max."

"You are?" Jessica pouted at that news. "With who? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Jessica, calm down." Aiden chuckled, shaking his head at his sister's curiosity. "Her name is Cheryl, and it's nothing too serious. We've only been together for a little over a month, I think."

"I'll have to meet her sometime." The young girl said, squinting her eyes at her ever oblivious older brother. "After all, I have to make sure she's good enough for my Nii-san."

Max was thankful for the distraction of work, even if she was just reorganizing her jewelry and makeup at her vanity. She wanted to sort everything in a way that made sense to her, so she could quickly find what she was looking for without wasting too much time. Plus, it kept her focus on one thing and off of the more depressing thoughts.

She was finding it surprisingly quiet and peaceful this early, having arrived almost an hour earlier than normal. Even when the first few typical early arrivers showed up, they mostly left Max be, allowing her to stay focused and calm. It was almost too good to be true.

"Well, aren't we here early. Trying to earn more brownie points with the Mistress?"

Max cringed, all sense of calm and serenity lost as Diamond approached, a smug look on her muzzle. "I guess you have to do whatever you can to make up for your lack of talent."

"I'm not in the mood, Diamond." Max said, doing her best to ignore the wolf as she tried to focus on her various bottles of perfume. "Why don't you go bother someone who cares."

"Well, someone's in a bad mood." Diamond smirked, delighted by the thought. "This won't help, but I have a plan to get me one of those collars from the Mistress. And unlike you, I intend to earn mine through hard work, instead of just sleeping my way to the top."

"I didn't get this for sleeping with Mistress Vanessa." Max said curtly, before flashing a sly grin. "That was just a very pleasant bonus."

"What?" Diamond stumbled at that, taken by surprise. "You've actually slept with Mistress Vanessa?"

"It's no big deal." The skunk shrugged as she tried to organize her perfumes by scent. "It was right after my promotion, like a celebratory thing. Maybe you'll get the chance too, if you ever earn that collar."

"No thank you." Diamond snarled, not really caring for that idea. She hovered over Max for a bit longer, picking up the scent of a perfume she particularly enjoyed. "Oh honey, that is so not your style. I can put it to much better use."

She reached for the bottle, but Max was quick to cut her off, shooting a very annoyed glare at the wolf. "Get your own." She growled, reiterating her earlier point that she wasn't in the mood for this.

Diamond returned the glare at first, but as Max slowly narrowed her eyes, she took the hint and backed off. "Whatever. I have better stuff at my vanity anyway." With that she stormed off, head held high in defiant pride.

Max blew out a frustrated sigh once Diamond was gone, her calm having flown right out the window. "God, I hope I can at least have some normal customers tonight."

Unfortunately, it didn't look like she was going to get her wish. It ended up being a rather slow night: the heat usually kept people away from the club for some reason. And the few people that did come in where the biggest creeps out of the usual clientele, desperate for any kind of show for as little money as they can get away with.

Her skin was practically crawling by the end of her shift, the lewd gazes and comments of all her customers that night truly making her feel more like a dirty whore than an adult entertainer. It was one of those few nights where she went home feeling completely abused, and worse than that; they were all lousy tippers. Max slumped at her vanity, exhausted and unamused as she took a moment to catch her breath.

"Rough night?" Diamond jeered as she purposefully walked by, instantly deepening the scowl on Max's face. The wolf had a little protection from the sleazeballs, being a pole dancer put a good amount of space between dancer and audience. Max had caught Diamond sneering at her on and off all night, clearly enjoying the skunk's torment and disgust. "Well, maybe you'll have better luck tomorrow night, and get some customers that actually bathe."

Her departing chuckle brought a groan to the skunk's muzzle, but she was too tired to come up with any parting comebacks. Let the bitch joke, Domino was still more popular.

Sucking it up, Max collecting her things and left for home. It was after two at this point, and the city streets were dark and thankfully quiet. She always dreaded this part of her commute, especially on the nights when all the weirdos were out. With a quickened pace, Max made her way to the bus stop, glad at first to find the bench empty when she arrived. It didn't last for long though, as a middle aged man wearing a trenchcoat and reeking of liquor stumbled over from the shadows to sit beside her.

Max did her best to mind her own business, and was thankful to see the bus coming down the street. The man noticed that too, as he suddenly stood up, standing right in front of Max as he pulled open his coat, revealing his apparently nude self for Max, whether she liked it or not.

"Good lord." She groaned, pinching her fingers between her eyes. As if this day wasn't bad enough, this drunk would be a flasher. 'And why is it always the disgusting, fat old guys with grey pubes?' She sighed again, glaring up at the man. "I'm not impressed or amused, now fuck off."

With a drunken grunt the man closed his coat and stumbled off just as the bus pulled up. Thankful that this day was almost over, she found an empty seat far away from the few other passengers, wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed and end the day.

It was almost three in the morning by the time she walked into her dark, empty apartment. At least this part she had grown used to, even if she didn't like it. Max paused outside her room, briefly glancing at Aiden's door as she debated sneaking into his bed, just to not feel so alone. "He probably wouldn't stop me." She quickly shook the thought away though, heading into her own room and getting ready for bed.

Going to bed along seemed like a fitting end to this day, and Max snuggled up under the sheets as she quickly got comfortable. "Good night, Aiden." She yawned towards the wall dividing their rooms, finding a small amount of comfort just from him being that close by. At least this miserable day was finally over.

---

"Whew, it's too warm for this," Cheryl muttered as she walked down the sidewalk, carrying a couple small bags of groceries. "I should have taken the car, or maybe sent someone else to pick these supplies up. How do we run out of flour in the middle of a Sunday anyway?"

She was doing her best to keep her spirits up, when she turned a corner and froze. Aiden was a few shops ahead, apparently having ice cream with a cute, young fox girl. 'Who the hell is that?' Her hands clenched into tight fists, but Cheryl quickly tried to calm herself. 'No. Aiden's not the cheating type. She must be a friend or something.Though Maxi did say that his ex is a hot, young vixen. But, why would he be talking with her?'

Trying to keep her faith in Aiden, the Torgi tried to casually walk by, acting surprised as she approached. "Oh, Aiden! Hi, what are you doing here?"

Aiden looked up, genuinely surprised, and a small smile crossed his face. "Hi Cheryl! I didn't expect to see you here." He stepped up and gave her a hug and kiss, which helped to dissuade her worried. "Do you have a moment, or are you working?"

"Well, I am supposed to bring these to the store, but I could always use some company for the walk." She glanced over at the young girl who was with Aiden, quickly taking note of the sour look on her face. Cheryl put on a big smile in return, putting an arm around her boyfriend's waist. "So, who's your friend?"

"Jessica Snowtail." The girl stepped right up, holding out her hand to Cheryl. "I'm Aiden's younger sister, and we're very close."

"Nice to meet you." Cheryl smiled warmly, accepting that hand but finding that a weird thing to say. "Cheryl Goodwin, Aiden's girlfriend, and we're very close too." She smirked up at Aiden, who only cleared his throat nervously.

Jessica turned her glare up at Aiden for a moment, then shrugged it off. "That's nice. Nii-san was just treating me to some ice cream. He's always doing nice things for me like that." She smirked at Cheryl. "He really knows how to make me feel special."

"Right..." Cheryl raised an eyebrow, not sure what to make of this girl. 'She's an odd one. Very different from Aiden. What's her deal?' Shrugging it off she turned her attention back to Aiden. "So, do you want to walk me back to the store at least? I certainly wouldn't mind your company."

"Of course." Aiden smiled, agreeing without hesitation, and soon the three were making their way down the street. Cheryl did her best to continue on as normal, joking and laughing and stealing the occasional lick of Aiden's ice cream. But her doubts and concerns continued to nag at the back of her mind. Worse than that, she kept getting annoyed looks from Aiden's sister. Every laugh, every touch, anything Cheryl did with Aiden elicited a look from Jessica. It was starting to rub Cheryl the wrong way.

"So, how long have you been dating my brother?" Jessica finally asked, giving Cheryl little more than a sideways glance.

"I guess it's been almost two months now." Cheryl responded, returning the look. "Funny; in all that time he's barely talked about you to me. I only learned that he even had siblings a little while ago."

Jessica twitched at the news, and somehow Aiden knew this was going to turn bad, and that he'd end up the one in trouble. He just wasn't sure why. Jessica was quick to recover though, putting on a superior grin. "Well, I guess you aren't as close to him as you thought, if he didn't bother to talk about family with you."

"Or maybe he's just having so much fun with me, he simply forgot about you." Cheryl was quick with her comeback. Jessica snapped her head around at that, and the two were suddenly starting each other down.

Aiden felt the tension building, though he had no idea what their problem was. He just needed a distraction, and quick, before things got ugly. Looking around, he was thankful to see a familiar face; just the distraction he needed. "Hey look, it's Jacob. Hey, Jacob!" It was only right after calling out to the raccoon, when Cheryl's ears twitched at his very name, that Aiden thought that this may only make things worse.

It was too late now, as Jacob had heard him and was already on his way over. Aiden glanced down at Cheryl, and was surprised to see that she didn't look mad. She was just watching Jacob walk over, as if deep in thought. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad one. Jessica on the other hand, simply looked annoyed, though he had no idea why she might be so.

"Hey guys." Jacob greeted them warmly as he walked up. He had gotten a bit excited when he heard Aiden call him over, but seeing Cheryl there as well had ruined that. Now he wasn't sure what to say, not wanting to cause a scene in public. Things already seemed tense for some reason, so he decided to take a safe route. "Long time no see, Jessica. You've grown up a lot in these past few years."

"Thanks Jacob. It's good to see you, too." The young girl beamed as she hugged Jacob. "As Aiden could tell you, I've grown into a respectable young lady now." She shot another side glance at Cheryl, as if gloating on the fact, but the Torgi just rolled her eyes in response.

Jacob noticed this too, but what really caught his attention was that, in the time it took him to walk over, Cheryl had latched onto Aiden's arm and was holding him rather close. Jacob did all he could to hide his jealousy; Aiden had made his position clear afterall; but did she have to show off in front of him like that?

Jessica noticed it as well, but wasn't trying as hard to hide her feelings. Instead, she clung to Aiden's other arm, leaving the poor guy wedged between a rivalry he didn't even understand. Plus, it made it difficult to walk. Maybe he could diffuse the situation with some innocent conversation. "Oh, Jacob; I finished more of my novel. Would you like to read it through before I send it to my editor?" He felt Cheryl squeeze his arm at the suggestion, but ignored it. "I'd like your input before I send it off."

"I'd love too." Jacob smiled warmly, glad for a little time with Aiden. He knew Cheryl had little involvement in the novel, which made it even more personal. "We should get together one night and go over it, in detail, just the two of us."

Cheryl opened her mouth to object, but quickly changed her mind, simply settling for clinging to Aiden's arm. It was starting to become a chore, all this jealousy and petty bickering, and she was beginning to wonder if it was all really worth it. Why was everyone falling head over heals for him anyway? Aiden's a great guy, and she would be the first to admit it, but was he really worth the headache of trying to keep from all these other rivals? She just wasn't sure.

The sound of Aiden's cellphone brought all thoughts and conversations to a halt, and the fox was thankful for an excuse to reclaim his arms. "Hey Marcus. Yeah, I can talk for a bit." He motioned to the others that this would only be a moment as he stepped away, leaving the three to themselves.

"Those two have been spending a lot of time together." Cheryl noted, slightly annoyed and slightly curious. She glanced up at Jacob accusingly. "Do you know what's going on? Aiden won't tell me."

Jacob just smirked at her. "Yep, but it's a secret, and not really any of your concern anyway."

Cheryl huffed in response, hating the feeling of being left out, though it probably didn't concern her at all, she knew. Still, she didn't' need Jacob gloating about it.

Aiden's call was thankfully short, as he had predicted, but he refused to talk about what Marcus had wanted, which annoyed both Cheryl and Jessica. After just a few more minutes of forced small talk, they passed the Goodwin Bakery, Cheryl parting with a smile. "Bye guys. Bye Aiden, call me tonight."

"I will." He promised, giving her a hug and kiss, one thing she knew Jacob wouldn't be getting at least.

Still, she was thankful to be out of that situation. Being around Jacob was awkward enough, but his sister, Jessica, was making it even worse. "The overprotective type I guess." She muttered to herself. Still, as great a guy as Aiden was, she was starting to question if he was worth all the stress. For the first time in her left, ever since the pregnancy scare, Cheryl was starting to think seriously about her future, and she was having trouble seeing Aiden in it anywhere.

---

"I love days like this." Max said with a content smile as she lay on the couch, basking in the afternoon warmth while watching her recorded shows. It was the kind of weather the skunk prefered; hot, but not too humid. The kind of day when she could get away with lazing about in nothing but a bikini and shorts. It certainly helped to take her mind off all of the annoyances she had been dealing with lately.

For the past few days, Jessica had been coming over regularly to visit Aiden, and it was starting to get on Max's nerves. It wasn't that she didn't like the girl, but her presence and clinginess to Aiden just reminded her of what she was missing; what she couldn't have. Plus, Max was getting the feeling that Jessica didn't like her for some reason.

"I don't get her." Max sighed as she stretched. "Sure, I'd like to have been wearing something nicer than a bikini on our first meeting, but what do you expect when you show up unannounced. It's not like I was naked or anything."

A knocking at the door made her jump, and at first she was worried that the young girl was here for another visit. But no, Jessica would never show up when her big brother wasn't around, and since Aiden had been ever so kind as to give her a spare key, the girl didn't need to knock anymore.

"Hello?" A gruff yet familiar voice called from beyond the door. "Is anyone home? Is Boris, here to fix air conditioning."

"Oh! Coming!" Max replied as she hopped off the couch. It was about time, too. Maybe now Aiden would stop complaining about the heat. She opened the door and flashed the old bear a warm smile. Please, Mr. Kuskov, come in."

"Please, young one, I told you to just call me Boris." He replied with a startled smile, unable to help himself as he looked her over. "All that mister stuff makes me feel old." Getting over the shock of seeing Max so scantily clad, Boris picked up the new air conditioner and quickly made his way inside. "Sorry it take so long, but a lot of units break this year. Most of them can be fixed, but a few, like yours, need complete replacement."

"That's fine. Really the heat isn't bothering me as much as it is Aiden. Not that I don't appreciate it." Not really paying much attention to Boris and his work, Max once again made herself comfortable on the couch, the sounds of the manual labor doing little to distract her. He was in fact, surprisingly quiet, until something went wrong.

"Blya!" He suddenly exclaimed after a loud bang. Max peered over the back of the couch to see Boris trying to get the old unit out of the wall, swearing and grumbling in Russian the entire time.

"Do you need a hand?" Max offered, though she was already getting up to help.

"No no, I have got this." Boris grunted, shifting the unit and getting it to slide free a bit more. "This is man's work anyway, not good for you."

"Oh." Max stopped in her tracks, hugging herself a bit. "Yeah, I guess I'd just get in the way."

Boris paused for a moment, looking at the young skunk apologetically. "Is not how I mean that," he tried to explain. "This is just part of my job as landlord. I fix what is broken. You should not have to help with this. Besides, you will get your..." The bear paused again, looking over all of her exposed fur. "Well, you will get dirty. Leave dirty work to me."

"Alright." Max conceded. "Just let me know if you need any help." Doing her best to smile, Max returned to the couch, but deep down she felt rather useless.

"It is almost done." Boris assured her, though he felt bad for what he had said. With a grunt he was able to pull the old unit free, and the new one went in easily. "There, now you and writer boy can keep cool."

"Thanks." Max offered half-heartedly, her mind elsewhere at the moment. It wasn't until Borus was at the door that she dared speak her mind. "Boris, are you happy with your life?

The bear paused at the unexpected question. "Well, yes. I have my job, run my own business, and have good friends, family and health. Not easy after moving to America like I did, but I managed and am happy with my life right now. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I'm just... I'm not sure if I've made the best choices in life." It wasn't easy for Max to admit this, but she needed to get it off her chest. "Maybe I could have done better in high school, and gotten a more respectable job. Maybe I was too stubborn at trying to follow my stupid dream."

"No." Boris was quick to respond, moving to sit beside her. "There is no shame in who you are, little one. No shame in following dreams. If I never follow dream, I'd still be living in Russia. Dreams are important, so never let them die. You want to be exotic dancer, there is no shame in that. You want do something else, do that." He smiled down at Max, a big and hearty grin. "You are still young, Maxine, and there are still many things you can do and change with your life. You still have plenty of time to live."

"I missed my chance at my dreams already." Max sighed. "I just kind of fell into the dancing thing... you know about that, huh? Well, now I'm just some useless eye candy."

"Yes, I know. I run employment check on all tenants. Don't worry, I think it is a fine profession, and think no less of you for it. I certainly do not think you are useless." Boris kept his smile, putting a comforting arm around the skunk. "So I will hear no more about you being useless or missing your dreams. It is never too late to shoot for them, unless you give up on them in your heart. As long as you believe in yourself, you can do it. I will not accept that you can't achieve anything you set out to accomplish, and neither should you."

Max just stared up at the man, her eyes wide, and slowly getting misty. "Th-thank you, Boris." Before she knew what she was doing, Max had wrapped her arms around Boris, hugging him as a couple tears ran down her cheeks. "Thank you. You're right. I shouldn't doubt myself. I won't give up so easily either. I'm just not sure what to do next."

"You will figure it out." Boris said, patting her head affectionately. "You are strong, little one, I can see it in your eyes. You are strong and kind, and you can accomplish anything you set out to do."

Max just nodded her head, unable to stop the tears, or her smile. For the first real time in her life, someone was telling her that she could truly succeed and be who she really wanted to be deep down inside.