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Libby and I were walking from the university campus to the train station, her violin strapped over her striped shoulder. "Hey Alex," the tigress asked, seemingly concerned.

I paused, and she continued.

"If you could be any food, what would you be?"

I raised an eyebrow, slightly confused.

"Be a food? Any food at all, in the whole world?"

Libby smiled.

"Yep, any food at all."

We were on our way back from our last class of the day, an overly boring early music history class, and I had a feeling that she might have been a little hungry. I pondered the question for a moment.

"You know what, I'd probably be pancakes."

"Pancakes?" She laughed out loud. "Pancakes? Really?"

I chuckled along with her.

"Well, it's a silly question," I remarked. "What would you be then?"

There was no visible thought process involved.

"I'd be a large, juicy steak."

"Wow," I said. For some reason, that really didn't surprise me at all. "Hey, Libby, are you hungry or something?"

"Wha-How did you know?" She seemed genuinely surprised.

I just laughed.

"So, you're coming on Saturday, right Alex?" She asked, changing the subject.

"What's on Saturday?" I replied, scrunching my eyebrows. "I don't think anybody's told me about this yet."

Libby turned and smiled at me. "We were all going to get together and play some cards at Dale's new place. We haven't caught up once this year." She made a face. "Are you sure you didn't get the text? I sent it out this morning."

I shrugged. We'd met at university, so I hadn't known Libby all that long, but if there was one thing I could be certain about, it was her complete lack of knowledge in regards to anything technological. She barely knew what a phone was. "I don't think I received anything." I said, giving her the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, I'll send it again then."

I mock-sighed before smiling back at her.

"You've already told me now though, so it's fine. I know it's on."

"So....you're coming?" "Yeah, that sounds good. I need some time away from the piano." I half-joked, but the repertoire for my recital was actually driving me a little insane, not to mention the fact that I was nervous as all hell; and I knew that I'd have to get up and actually perform in front of people! I had a huge fear of performing.

She nodded to herself. "That's great! Hazel was also coming along, and Dale's housemate will be there too."

We walked in silence for a while, Libby shivering a little in the cold breeze.

"Yeah, it's not warm today, is it?" I asked.

"No, it's not, and I forgot my jumper too..." She let out a brrr to emphasise her point. "Not that you would really notice..."

I gave her a little laugh of approval. She was right, it didn't really bother me, my body insulated against both the heat and the cold by my thick, white coat.

We passed a cafe sitting just on the edge of campus. I usually ordered coffee from there on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the only days when I had class early in the morning. I had just picked it by random at first as it was in a convenient location on my way to class, but there was another reason now as to why I kept coming back to this particular cafe. The barista at that time of morning was a fox with a deep auburn coat and fantastically green eyes around the same age as me (I was nineteen). We'd talk in the few minutes it took him to make my order (small flat white), and we'd talk about anything and nothing in particular; what we were studying, what we had for breakfast, if we were seeing anybody (we were both single), and while it was only short it was something I looked forward to. It made getting up that early in the morning completely worthwhile. You could guess, then, that I was pleasantly surprised to see him standing just outside the shop, apron still on and playing with his phone. He looked up and saw me, and I could see his eyes light up. He smiled and waved at me.

"Hey, Alex!"

I waved back at him happily.

"Hi Noel!"

He had a slim, athletic frame and was an inch or so taller than me. The cafe was just a part time job; he was also a first year studying at the university, but he was studying IT. My major was music. He waved me over, and I glanced at Libby; I'd told her a few weeks back that there was this cute fox I liked, and I guess she put two and two together. "Don't worry about me, I'll keep walking. I'm kind of in a rush anyway, I've got a string quartet rehearsal to get to. You have fun, and I'll see you on Saturday."

"Thanks Libby. Have a good rehearsal." I returned the smile as I walked up to the auburn fox.

"Are you on break at the moment?" I asked, motioning to the apron. The black garment kind of gave him this cute faux maid look, completed as he stuck his tongue out at me. "Yeah," he said, before teasing in a half-serious manner, "I thought you said you were single?"

I laughed back, but my I could feel my cheeks tinge with the threat of a blush. It felt as if my fur was reddening. "No, no, she's not...! She's...just a friend."

"Sure sure." He spun his phone around playfully in his paw. His fur smelt strongly of roasted coffee beans, but he still had a distinct fox musk.

"So, how was class?" He asked. I shrugged. "Yeah, it was fine, but there is kind of a lot of things that don't really seem all that relevant to me." I said. "Like, for example, we're studying plainchant at the moment."

Noel gave me a huge grin.

"I'm going to be honest with you Alex, I have absolutely no idea what that means. I study computers." He emphasised every syllable cheerfully. "Do you mean that it doesn't have anything to do with the piano then?" I'd been coming here for coffee for almost three months now, but I was still somewhat surprised that he remembered exactly what I was studying.

"No, not as much as you might think," I responded. "I can understand why they put it in the course, and it is interesting in an historical sense, but it's just so draining. I signed up for this course to improve my skills as a pianist, not to study modal singing from the tenth century." Noel smiled. "Yeah, I could imagine that would suck."

He glanced at the time on his phone, and let out a sigh. "Damn, I have to get back to work."

"Aw..."

I tried, but it was very difficult not to let my disappointment show. Noel must have noticed, because he made an obvious effort to cheer me up.

"I tell you what, how about...can I get your number and we could catch up sometime next week? Lunch or something?" He smiled, completely genuine.

That brightened my mood.

Like, a date? I thought.

"O-of course! That sounds great." Is what I actually said.

I pulled out my phone and we exchanged numbers.

"Great, okay, well I'll see you next week then!" He gave me one last smile, before turning and moving back towards the cafe. "Have a good shift!" I called after him, leaving in a happy daze as I made my way to the train station.

-~-

My recital was next week, quickly approaching, and it was my major assessment for the semester. I could invite friends and family if I wanted to, but it was hard to bring myself to ask with the amount of sheer pressure I was under. The entire performance of fifteen minutes had to be memorised so I was getting in a minimum of three hours practice every day, and in my spare time I pulled up Furtube videos on improving my confidence levels. I was pretty much a shut-in. I mean, I was only playing three pieces, but the performance had to be of a fairly high calibre.

Thankfully, Saturday evening came by quickly, and before I knew it I found myself knocking at Dale's front door. Libby's and Hazel's cars were already there. A "come in" rang out, so I stepped inside.

Inside, a small foyer area opened up onto the living room at the front of the house, comprising of a large sofa, with a blanket draped over the back of it, and a small TV. The foyer then continued, joined onto a short hallway with doors scattered haphazardly along, which in turn led into the dining room at the end. Libby, Hazel, and Dale were all standing in the foyer when I walked in.

"Hi guys," I said, greeting them with a grin.

"Finally Snowy, I'm starving!" Said Hazel, impatiently tapping her talon on the tiled floor. She'd called me 'Snowy' ever since primary school, because I was a snow leopard. It was very clever.

Suddenly, I noticed someone peeking over the large sofa to my right. I could hardly contain my surprise. "Noel!?" "Alex?" Dale let out a chortle. "That's my housemate, but I see you already know each other." The two-toned Collie turned back to me. He was about to say something, but was stopped as his stomach audibly grumbled. "Uh, about that food Alex, was there anywhere you wanted to go?"

I looked down slightly as I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly.

"I've already eaten. Sorry guys, I didn't realise we were meant to be going out for dinner."

"See, I should have sent you that text then!" Libby said accusingly. "Yeah, I suppose so. Sorry." I flashed a glance over at Noel to find him already smiling in my direction, reclining on the couch with his paws up. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, we could maybe just chill here if you wanted, while everyone else gets dinner?" He offered, his footpads waving enticingly in the air as they dangled off the arm of the sofa. "I just had some leftovers."

I hesitated, but only briefly.

"Yeah, that sounds great."

There was silence as Noel and I shared a moment. I mean, it must have been obvious to everyone else that we had feelings for each other.

"Well, we might leave you two alone for a bit then. We'll be back in maybe half an hour?" Hazel looked at Dale and Libby for confirmation, and they both nodded back at her.

"Yep, it's a plan," Dale said. "We'll see you two later."

Moments after everyone had left, I found myself on the couch. Noel had muted the TV and shuffled over, making some room for me.

"So...if you don't mind me asking, how do you know Dale?" I asked, a little uncertain, but wanting to clear the air.

Noel laughed. "No, no, not at all," he said, with that genuine smile on his maw. "Our parents work together, and when they heard that we were both studying at the same uni they arranged for us to houseshare. We've known each other for a while, and he's a cool guy, but as far as I can make out he's straighter than a very, very straight stick."

How he delivered that line without instantly bursting out laughing is completely beyond me, but it wasn't long before we were both in hysterics. It took a few moments for us to catch our breath. A real estate ad flashed across the TV. There was a content silence.

"If a house is on the corner of two streets," I began, "which one do you think would be used for its postal address?"

Noel looked at me quizzically. "That's...a really good question," he began, pondering for a moment before continuing, "I've never thought about that before. I guess I would say that it would be whatever street the letterbox is facing." "Well, yeah, that's what I thought initially, but after a bit of thought I think that basing it off the front door would be better." Noel raised an eyebrow, sincerely curious.

"How so?"

"You can move the letterbox fairly easily, but it would be much harder to move the front door. So wouldn't it make more sense to determine the house number from the more permanent fixture? I don't know, seems to make more sense to me."

Noel laughed, his large, fluffy tail flicking around joyfully.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, that makes a lot of sense."

He shuffled himself around on the couch, crouching on his paws as he smiled at me. I felt as if we didn't need to talk to each other.

"You know what, you're a really cute guy."

Noel said it shamelessly, as clear as day. My ears perked in surprise and I could feel my face reddening into a blush; a stark contrast to my white fur.

"Well, I-I...uh," I began, unintentionally stammering over my words. I really wasn't usually one to stutter, but it was his confidence and genuine nature that really hit me. I glanced around awkwardly; staring briefly at the TV before locking my eyes downward to my own paws. Say it!

"I really like you, Noel." There was a pause which felt like eternity. An advert was playing on the muted TV talking about the beneficial effects of herbal tea on an upset stomach, something that seemed oddly applicable to my nervous state. I kept my gaze fixed on my restless paws, much too frightened to look up and see his reaction. Had I misread him? It was at this moment of complete insecurity that Noel moved. He let out a small laugh as he inched up closer to me, before leaning in and planting a short kiss on my cheek.

"Yeah, I like you too Alex. I think you're adorable."

I was still blushing as I turned my head, coming muzzle to muzzle with the reciprocating fox. We stared into each other's eyes as if we were seeing each other for the first time; I mean really seeing each other for the first time. Noel's eyes were a shimmering green, close to that of an under-ripened lime. Overwhelmingly gentle, but with definite lust behind them. I could only imagine what my own eyes betrayed as I longingly held his gaze; my own member was already semi-erect, a subtle outline spurred on from that unexpected kiss.

Noel reached out and touched my face softly, sending a surge of excitement through my whole body, and pulled me towards him. We fell together into the cushion of the couch, his body below mine as we embraced, holding each other close. I found myself sniffing at the fur of his neck; a rich and masculine fox scent unlike anything I had ever known before. I wanted more, and before I knew it Noel was laughing, 'struggling' beneath me.

"Ah..ah......ah! It tickles, it tickles, stop that!"

I let up and moved upwards until our faces met. Nose to nose. We kissed. It was a long, deep kiss, both of us savouring it as if it were a hot drink on a cold winter's day. Our tongues touched by accident, but that brief meeting was so moreish that we found ourselves embracing it, moaning deeply. I could feel the growing hardness of his groin; his member was pressing against me through his jeans, and I'm sure he could also feel my longing pressing against his thigh. We pulled away, breathless.

"Did you, I mean, how far do you want to take this?" Noel panted.

I paused. I knew exactly what my body wanted, but I couldn't think of an eloquent way to put it. I held his gaze again, and blurted out my answer as lust one me over.

"I want you inside me." He breathed a short sigh of relief, pulling me gently down onto my side to hold me from behind. He growled alluringly into my ear.

"Well, that's exactly what I want too."

His paws moved down my body, rubbing gently under my shirt at the fur of my stomach before nimbly unbuttoning my pants. I helped him slip them down, bunching them around my ankles, and all the while I could sense him eyeing my firm feline member from behind me. "No underwear?" He asked. "I feel more comfortable without it. I know it's probably not all that hygienic, but..." Noel laughed, his paws retreating to quickly unzip his own jeans. I shivered as his raw member hit against my back, pressing teasingly into my shirt.

"No, I don't mind at all," Noel began, "I think it's just another adorable thing about you..."

I blushed (and yes, this seems to be becoming a regular motif).

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Noel asked, seeking consent as his hard member pressed against the sleek white fur of my rear. It was impossible to say no. "Of course it is, silly," I purred back, as enticingly as I could muster.

"I want this."

Noel rested one of his paws on my stomach while he used the other to purposefully steady my tail, readying himself as he prepared to enter me. I braced myself, holding his paw to me, before I suddenly felt something warm hit the fur of my upper thigh. It felt like a small amount of liquid, but it was entirely unexpected, and seemed to have come out of nowhere. A sharp scent filled the air, a distinct and arousingly foxy musk, and I turned to look over my shoulder. A small patch of my snow white fur was damp, matted a yellow tinge with a thin trail leading towards Noel's erect shaft. He was poking his tongue out at me.

"I'm sure you'll have time to wash it out afterwards, if you really want," he said, mixing the innocent demeanour of a cub with the sly coyness of a fox. "I just--I really wanted to claim you. As mine."

I honestly didn't know what to say, it was completely unexpected. I expected to feel disgusted, but I couldn't. I didn't. It just felt so...right. I let his warm scent fill my nostrils, drinking in his distinct flavour joyfully before purring my response.

"I'm...I'm all yours."

Noel growled playfully as he resumed where he left off, my tail still firmly within his grasp. He trailed his damp rod back along my body, and as he did left minute traces of yellow in my otherwise pristine fur. I writhed against him, savouring the sensation of having another male's warm cock against me.

Yeah, I'm yours...

I let out a submissive whimper as I felt his firm member eventually prod carefully around my entrance. The touch of his manhood felt so firm and strong against my soft body, and the comforting warmth of the fox pressed up against me was exhilarating. The gentle sensations of him simply touching me there was sending waves of pleasure through my whole body.

Noel groaned as he finally pushed himself gently into my rear, and I could only continue to whimper in pleasure as I felt his throbbing length pierce me.

"Is this okay?" He panted softly into my ear. "Oh God yes!!" Is what I wanted to say, but "Y-yeah. I want you," was all I could manage.

Spurred on from my reassurance, Noel pushed the rest of himself inside of me. I yelped (I couldn't help myself) and he wrapped both of his arms around me in an embrace. His warm cock inside of me felt so right, so good. It felt as if my tailhole was where he truly belonged, like the missing piece from a jigsaw. We rested together in this position for what seemed like minutes, his cock throbbing, pulsing eagerly inside of me with each and every heartbeat. I began purring instinctively as he held himself deep inside of me, an animalistic reaction to show how comfortable I was with him. How much I trusted him. He slowly started moving, thrusting in long strokes as he moved in and out of me. I urged him on.

"F-fast-er!"

He didn't need much more coaxing, picking up the pace before I'd even finished the word. His movements shifted my "er" up an octave, an unintentionally feminine sound escaping me.

"Oh Alex," he growled in my ear, each thrust growing faster and more erratic. It felt as if he was growing longer by the second, and it wasn't long before I began to feel a bulging at the base of his shaft. Each thrust lit my senses on fire, my tailhole stretching lewdly to tightly accommodate his vulpine cock. In and out, his precum lubricating my passage so that each movement became smoother, slicker than the last. His breathing was becoming ragged as he bucked into me, thrusting harder and harder as he tried to tie with me. I was pushing back against him, my purrs interrupted by squeals of pleasurable pain. He bit down on the nape of my neck to keep me from moving, still growling as he made one final thrust. I yelped as I felt his knot force itself into me, locking me to the fox. The large cock filling me was all I could focus on, all I knew. "You're mine Alex. I have you." I'm yours.

He let out a small howl, and I could feel the fox's cock spasm and convulse within me, shooting his hot, ropey, potent seed inside of me. I curled up next to him, my own breathing erratic as I let him come down from his orgasm. I felt so warm and comfortable with him locked to me, to my tailhole, and even though I was still rock hard myself I wasn't worried. I felt like I could trust him to care for my own needs. He held me close, and we lay together in blissful silence for a long time. I felt warm and full inside, fully content with carrying his semen inside of me. I was his, and he was mine.

Our breathing slowed. We broke the silence eventually, and Noel was the first to speak. "That was my first time." I breathed a sigh of relief. Not that I was worried at all, I'm not that shallow, but it was good to know for sure.

"S-same here." I replied.

There was silence again, images flickering across the muted television.

"Say, do you know how long it usually takes for your, you know, that to go back down?" I asked. "Do you mean my knot?" He replied. I nodded. "Well, as I said, that was my first time. I've never been knotted to anyone before so I can't say for sure, but when I paw off it usually takes at least ten minutes to go down." Noel laughed, "Of course, I'm not normally stuck inside the ass of an attractive leopard..." "Hey! I'm a snow leopard," I corrected him playfully.

"Right, right, sorry!" Noel hugged me tighter, licking the fur of my ear as we lay there together.

-~-

I was still tied to him when we heard the car pull into the driveway. Noel tried frantically to pull out only to find that, although it felt slightly looser, we were definitely still stuck firmly together.

"Ah...that kind of hurts..." I groaned, helplessly stuck to the fox's shaft.

"Sorry. I don't really know what else to do?"

I thought for a moment, but we didn't have long. We heard keys jingling and footsteps approaching the front door. The footsteps stopped, and before we knew it, we heard the keys unlocking the front door. I was panicking, adrenaline shooting through my veins. That was when I remembered something I'd noticed when I first walked in. I reached backwards and pulled the thick blanket draping over the back of the couch over us, covering us from chest to paws. I pulled my pants up as far as they would go without hitting against Noel's member and snuggled in close as we resumed our resting position from before. Looking at us from the doorway, we would just look like a cuddling couple reclining innocently on the couch. We just had to hope to God that they wouldn't want to sit down next to us and watch TV. I unmuted the TV just as they walked in; it had changed to a gardening show.

Hazel was the first to step in. "Oh Snowy, you two are adorable," she said.

We turned our heads to face the door as everyone walked in, and I couldn't help but let out a moan as the movement shifted Noel's member inside of me. I was flushed a pink red.

"Snowy's cute, I like that," Noel said, grinning.

"Shut up," I teased, poking my tongue out at him.

Libby was the last to enter, closing the door behind her. Walking in, she saw the gardening program on the TV.

"Ah, I thought I'd miss this!" She exclaimed. She seemed so needlessly excited. "Move over, I want to watch it with you!"

"Libby..." Dale began, sniffing the air. It was heady with masculine musk. "I think we should probably let them finish up--uh, watching that first. Did you want to come through to the dining room with me and Hazel and we can set up poker?"

Then he winked at me.

I had never been so embarrassed in my life, but thankfully, neither of the girls seemed to have noticed. Libby started to protest, but Dale simply moved off and she begrudgingly followed. "Fine, I'll just have to watch the recording when I get home." "You were recording it anyway?" Hazel asked, trailing them.

"Yeah," Libby explained, "but it's like leftovers. It's never as good after you reheat it."

"That...that doesn't even make sense..."

Their voices trailed down the corridor. Once we were certain they were clear we tried moving again. This time, the knot had gone down and it was loose enough to slide out. I let out one last moan as it slipped out of me, and then proceeded to pull up my pants. Noel slipped his member back into his jeans; it was deflating at an exponential rate now. I imagined it probably had something to do with the adrenaline rush we both just experienced.

"Sorry I didn't get a chance to finish you off Alex," Noel said, glancing at my groin as he stood up. "If you want, though, you can stay here for the night? My bed's probably big enough for both of us." I was blushing again, and I honestly didn't think I could get any more embarrassed. I could feel his seed, his claim, sliding slowly down between my cheeks. "Well, if that's okay with you, I would love to."

"As......a boyfriend?"

I'd definitely spoken too soon about the blushing. I was speechless. All I could do was smile and nod my answer (yes!).

"D-do you think I should maybe shower off before cards though?" "I'm really not too sure if that would be the best thing to do... won't that be pretty much straight out admitting to everyone that we just, you know, fucked?"

"Yeah, but, I mean," I sniffed the air, "I smell like fox piss."

Noel laughed. "Heh, I suppose you do smell a little," he said, growling seductively as he moved closer. "But I kinda like that. A lot. You smell like me." Yeah, I kinda like that too, I thought. He nipped at my neck playfully, and I could feel my member stirring again. "It's honestly not that bad though, there wasn't that much anyway," Noel continued, whispering "and I tell you what; you can cum all over my muzzle later if you want. If you want payback."

"That sounds...fantastic." I replied.

We embraced for another hug. The first as lovers. Warm and soft. My fox.

Noel and I moved towards the dining room. Places had already been set, complete with fake chips and the deck in the middle of the table. It was a round, circular table with 5 seats set around it. Hazel, Libby and Dale were already seated, mid-conversation, but they'd left two chairs next to each other for us. I sat down at the table at the free seat next to Dale as quickly as possible so as to hopefully not draw any attention to the damp patch on my rear, and I was also thankful that the chairs were wooden; it meant that the hot fox spunk slowly dripping from my tailhole wouldn't stain any cushions. Noel sat down next to me.

"So, Texas Hold 'em okay with you guys?" Dale smiled at me. Nothing malicious. Nothing judgemental. Just a friendly smile. "Yeah, uh, that's good for me," I said, smiling back as my blush deepened.

Noel nodded in agreement.

"That's fine."

Dale started dealing, and we started playing. I wasn't bad, but I wasn't as good as I remembered from previous years, and for some odd reason I was finding it fairly difficult to bluff. It definitely couldn't have been the semen leaking from my tailhole. Thankfully, we were using a chip set and not hard cash.

"So Noel," Hazel began, "just out of interest, how do you know Snowy?" Noel was concentrating on the game, raising my bet and calling my obvious bluff. I folded. "I work part-time at a cafe. 'Snowy' here drops by twice a week to see me under the guise of ordering coffee." "Naw, that's kinda sweet," Dale grinned, a big toothy, collie grin. I threw one of my white poker chips at him.

"So, is it official yet?" Libby asked tentatively, half-reading into Dale's subtext.

Noel and I looked first at each other, and then back at the table. I didn't really know how to respond to that, and even though I knew it was as straightforward as saying "Yes, he is my boyfriend," I just couldn't find the right words to say it. I went with something simpler.

"Yeah, I'm his."

It wasn't really what I'd intended to say, but it just felt natural. Normal. I turned to face him again and he was still looking directly at me. His gaze was soft and comforting, as if he was telling me that he could care for me and love me all without saying a word. He leant in and licked me on the nose. My eyes widened, my ears pricked straight up in surprise. I leant in and licked him back with a childish giggle.

As embarrassed as I was, I absolutely loved it. I mean, they all knew I was gay, it had come out in a game of truth or dare more than half a decade a go. But now I actually had a boyfriend

The girls both made little squeals of excitement, Dale mimicking along. Hazel and Libby threw their white chips at him.

"Hey, come on, guys, that hurts! I was only joking!" Noel pulled away, a thin trail of saliva linking us as we stared into each others eyes for the thousandth time that night.

"Best surprise ever," I whispered. "Seeing you here tonight."

Noel nodded. "Yeah, I agree."

The girls let up harassing Dale as we turned back to the table.

"No, seriously guys, congrats," Dale beamed at us, and the girls echoed his sentiments. "You guys make a great couple."

The game lasted just under an hour. I ended up doing pretty abysmally and was the first out of the game, though I was thankful that Noel wasn't too far behind me. When all was said and done, Libby had the most chips in front of her. "Not too bad, eh? Still got the ol' Midus touch," she purred happily.

"Um, you do know that the 'Midus touch' is an inherently bad thing, yeah?" Hazel cawed, her wedged tail flaring indignantly as she spoke. Libby looked confused.

"How can it be bad?"

Dale sighed. "Libby, how would you eat an apple if it turned to gold when you picked it up?" Libby's response was lightning fast.

"I'd just use the gold apple to pay someone to feed me. It should be fine if I hold my mouth wide open like this." "Wow, it sounds as if you've actually given that thought," Noel mused, somewhat impressed.

"No, not really, that's just how I would eat if I was super rich" Libby responded, and I couldn't help but chuckle. She yawned, a deep, throaty feline yawn. "But anyway, I'm thinking I might head off though." She looked over at Hazel, who nodded back at her.

"Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing."

Dale stretched into the air. "I could hit the sack too. I've got to leave early tomorrow, I've got a study class at uni I should go to, what with exams right around the corner."

"Well, I'm good to stay up a little longer if you're keen on that, Snowy?" Noel asked me. He'd started to adopt Hazel's nickname for me, but I honestly didn't mind. Not one bit.

I nodded. "Definitely."

We packed up the chips and walked everyone down the foyer to say goodnight, though I made sure I was the last to stand up and the last of the pack down the corridor. Dale locked the door, and quickly did his teeth before heading straight for bed.

"Don't stay up too late, guys," he said. He turned and smiled at us as he entered his bedroom, and added "Have fun" before he shut his door.

Noel turned to me, smiling, and took my paw, leading me to his room. His room wasn't tiny, but a good proportion of it was taken up by the bed. He had a couple of video game posters hanging up around his room, and one or two modern rock bands as well. "Castlevania-huh." "Yeah, that's not a bad one," Noel said. "That band isn't too bad either." He pointed a paw at one of his posters. From what I could gather, it read 'Attack and Release - The Black Paws'.

"Yeah, I guess it sounds pretty cool," I said. "I've heard of them before, but I've never actually listened to them." I felt I needed to elaborate on that. "I mean, I listen to a lot of classical, but I listen to a lot of other genres as well. Rock, pop, light metal, rap, country..." "Rap and country?" Noel questioned, raising an eyebrow. "You don't hear that being listed all that often these days. Especially not by a classical pianist." His face lit up, like he'd just thought of something funny. I could probably take a stab at what it was. "Yeah, well there are bad artists inside of every genre. I just don't think you should judge something until you've heard it." I said, taking a seat on the side of his bed, a sizeable double. Noel knelt down on the ground in front of me, slowly unbuttoning my pants.

"That sounds like a good way to live," he said, smiling up at me. "And speaking of pianists..."

He took that joke exactly where I thought he would. I pulled my shirt over my head and dropped it on the bed next to me as Noel slipped my pants away, exposing my feline shaft to the air of his room. There was a large, wet patch visible on my pants, and I felt another wave of shame sweep over me, at the fact that I just sat and played poker with my friends wearing that. It felt so wrong, but so right. Noel saw where my attention was.

"You can have a pair of my jeans for tomorrow, if you like, and I can put them through the wash here."

"That would be amazing, if that's okay with you?"

Noel laughed.

"Yeah, of course! I mean, it's my fault you were in that mess anyway." He poked his tongue out at me again, but he didn't leave it there. He leant in, head level with my groin, and gave me one, long lick all the way from the base of my testes to the tip of my growing shaft. I shivered in pleasure, moaning as he did it again. And then again, and again, each one slightly faster than the last. Eventually, he pulled back, saliva trailing from my damp cock.

"Mmm, do you like that?" He asked, bringing a paw up to fondle with me as the other one caressed the fur of my stomach. He hadn't bothered to wipe the saliva, and it was still suspended in mid-air, catching the light. I purred in response.

"Y-yeah..."

My member was hard by this point, erect out of it's sheath. Noel aimed it lower, pointing it directly at his face, before taking the tip inside of his muzzle. I was moaning like a wildcat as he ran his tongue along the delicate head of my shaft. I could tell that he was being extra careful not to hit me with his sharp teeth; his movements were very tentative and controlled. I couldn't help but buck forward slightly, an instinctive movement just to fit a little more of me inside of him. Noel took the hint, and let me slide more of myself inside of his maw. I moved one of my paws and rested it gently on the back of his head, stroking his fur gently as he began to rock himself backwards and forwards. He was looking up at me, his gaze full of trust and...love. I could feel myself building closer and closer towards a climax; each breath was becoming quicker and quicker, and I could feel my heart racing as my cock throbbed inside of his muzzle. I moaned and groaned, an audible signal to Noel as I released my grip, giving him time to pull away in case he didn't actually want to be forced to swallow my seed. Noel pulled his maw back delicately, purposefully letting my cock slide out of him, and as he did he brought up his paw. He began stroking; long, heavenly strokes as he pawed me off to finish. His touch felt like electricity, and I yelped and squealed as my body shook in orgasm.

"Ohhh Noel!"

He was pointing my member straight at his maw, eyes tightly closed as I marked and matted his beautiful, auburn fur with strings of pearly white cum. Each wave brought me further back down from that sacred cloud of pleasure, my orgasm diminishing. Just before I'd finished, Noel took my member back into his mouth, moaning as he drank down the last remains of my orgasm. He looked up at me, my cock still resting comfortably inside of his muzzle as I brought my paw back up to caress the back of his neck. He was an adorable sight, and I definitely kind of liked him like that, marked with my seed. He finally pulled back, smiling as he let my member hang freely. He jumped onto the bed next to me, and I helped him take his clothes off before we shuffled and dug underneath the covers. We embraced in a warm, hug enveloped by the quilt; Noel resting his head against my chest as he held our furred bodies against each other. I wasn't too fussed about the cum catching in my fur. Why would I be? I'd already had my tailhole filled with his claim and my fur deliberately scent marked. Besides, this cum was actually mine to begin with.

"I want you, Noel," I murmured, whispering into his ear as we held each other close.

"I want you too, Snowy," he replied. I could feel him smile against my body, and exhausted as we were, it wasn't long before sleep took us both.

-~-

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Noel's matted muzzle. We were nose to nose, and when he realised I was awake too he started softly licking at my neck. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Heh, stop it! It....it tickles!"

Noel didn't let up, holding me closer as he kept lapping gently at me. "Muwaha, it seems the tables have turned!" He mocked villainously.

I held him tight, running my paws along the soft down of his back as we laughed together.

"It wasn't all a dream..." I said, still coming down from the high of yesterday.

"Of course not, silly."

Neither of us were in a rush that day, so we took our time getting up. We didn't have to worry about Dale catching us; he'd left a note on the bench just reiterating that he had to leave early for a study class. We had a quick breakfast and jumped straight into the shower, helping clean each other's matted and stained fur. We ran soap through over each other, savouring each other's bodies, our paws moving purposefully as we held each other close. There was a point or two where we ended up getting messier than we started, but neither of us were complaining. It just meant we could do it all again.

Noel had work at the cafe for a few hours around midday just to help with the lunch rush, so I decided to tag along with him to the university. There were practice rooms there that I could use to get in a couple of hours during Noel's shift. "Oh, that sounds great, does that mean I can drop by afterwards and listen to you play?" Noel stated, excited by the prospect as we approached the cafe.

I sighed in protest.

"Yeah, I suppose so," I said somewhat reluctantly.

He cocked his head, a little confused. "Hey, listen, you don't have to if you don't want to, I just thought..." I smiled back at him.

"No, no, don't get me wrong, I'd love to play for you, it's just," I trailed off at the end of the sentence. I'd been playing music since I was two and a half, but I really didn't have all that much experience playing for others. Before choosing to study it at a tertiary level, it had just been a hobby I'd enjoyed behind closed doors. None of my other friends had ever really heard me play beyond snippets here and there, so the fact that my upcoming recital was in a semi-public arena was, frankly, terrifying me. I just felt so...self-conscious.

Noel leaned in, and we embraced in a soft cuddle.

"I don't know what you're so scared of, Snowy. I'm sure you're wonderful."

He pulled back, that cheerful and confident smile easing my worries.

He glanced at his phone and gasped at the time.

"Sorry, I've really got to go. But is it alright if I come by the music conservatorium afterwards? You'll be there, right?" I nodded, and he gave me a reassuring smile as he turned to go.

"I'll be in one of the upstairs practice rooms, and I'll have my phone on me if you get lost!" I called after him, a nervous mixture of excitement and anxiety filling me as I made my way over to the practice block.

I ran into Libby on my way over to the conservatorium. She was on her way back, heading the opposite direction from me with her violin slung over her shoulder as usual. I saw her and waved to get her attention.

"Hey Libby!" I called, followed by: "Long time no see," as we stepped to the side of the footpath.

She scrunched her muzzle up at me.

"What do you mean 'long time no see'? We saw each other yesterday, you ditz." She was dead serious. "Yeah, I know, it was a jo-...no, never mind," I let out a sigh. "Did you get to watch your gardening program in the end?"

Her face lit up like I'd just told her she'd won the lottery.

"Oh, yeah, it was great! I really liked the bit where they talked about the most efficient ways to get rid of snails? Did you know that you could use copper wire to deter snails from getting at your garden? It gives them an electric shock." "Wow," I said, as unenthusiastically as I could muster without bursting out laughing. "But honestly though, I wasn't really paying all that much attention to the show. Glad you got to watch it in the end though." "Congratulations, by the way," Libby said with a smile. "You two are sooo so adorable together." She took a glance around. "Is he here today?"

"Yeah, we came in together today, but he's got a couple of hours of work to do." I motioned in the direction of the conservatorium. "I was going to go and get some practice in while I wait."

"I just came from there, I had an orchestra rehearsal for a concert next week." She dropped her head in defeat. "None of the other second violins can really play their part though, so it might crash and burn a little. Oh, and how's your recital program coming along?" I loved that she seamlessly transitioned from 'crash and burn' to 'how's your recital program?'. "Yeah, it's all coming along nicely," I stated. "It's all memorised, I just really need to work on my performance skills." And confidence.

"Sounds great!" She paused briefly. "Am...I invited? I'd love to watch." I smiled, but looked away quickly.

"I really haven't decided yet, I'm sorry. Can I text you with the details as soon as I've made up my mind?"

"Yeah, well, keep me in the loop," she said. "I might let you get on with your practice in that case, but I'm sure I'll see you around anyway."

I nodded as we began to move our separate ways.

"Sounds good. I'll see you later."

It didn't take me too long to find a room with a piano, and I slung my jacket over the back of one of the practice room chairs as I locked the door behind me. I'd picked a room with a small, glass window in the door, meaning that hopefully Noel wouldn't have any difficulty finding me. The room was fairly small, or at least just appeared small given that there was a baby grand piano taking up a fair portion of the room. There were also two sturdy, professional music stands for all the non-piano students, as well as the aforementioned chairs stationed around the room. I took three music tomes out of my satchel bag and placed them on the right shoulder of the open piano. I'd gotten into the habit lately of taking my music everywhere with me, and that meant lugging all three collections around even if I was only playing a single piece from each. I mean, I had already memorised everything, but it was just an additional security measure. It made me feel comfortable. I sat down and slowly warmed up with scales; four octaves ascending and descending and two octaves contrary motion in every major and minor key; followed by arpeggios; major, minor, dominant, diminished, and augmented plus inversions. It felt as if my paws were weightless, easily treading water over the black and white keys of the keyboard. I usually wasn't this thorough with my technical work first thing, but I wanted to at least try to ease the nauseating butterflies in my stomach. After around an hour of technical work, I finally felt comfortable enough to look at the works for my upcoming recital. I was playing three pieces: Chopin's Etude Op. 10, No. 12 (The Revolutionary); Beethoven's Sonata Op. 28, No. 15, 1st movement (Pastoral Sonata); and Debussy's Etude No. 4 (Étude 3 pour les sixtes). Instead of simply running through everything, I chose the difficult passages in each piece and just focused on them.

I saw Noel's muzzle press up against the glass halfway through practising the quintuplets in my Beethoven sonata. He gave the glass a short bump with his nose and winked at me as I eagerly unlocked the door and let him in. He had that rich aroma of ground coffee beans. And that fox scent, that heavenly, masculine scent. "I could hear you practising as I was coming down the hallway," he said as I hugged him. "It's sounding really good."

I laughed nervously. "T-thanks. I'm really only just practising small sections at the moment though."

I scratched behind my head.

"Ooh, what's this?" Noel asked, walking over to inspect the manuscripts I had laid out on the piano. "Debussy...hah!" He turned to me, grinning.

"De pussy plays Debussy." He stated.

I stared at him, as deadpan as I could. "That...that was truly awful."

We both burst into laughter, the anxiety in my stomach disappearing in an instant. It seemed like there was always something he could do that would make me laugh or smile, cheering me up regardless of how I was feeling. He was just filled with genuine joy.

Noel took a seat in a chair by the piano, patting the stool as he walked by. "So, did you want to play any of your classical songs for me?"

I walked up to the piano and sat down.

"Well firstly," I said, putting on my best lecturer imitation, "firstly, 'songs' are pieces that have voice in them, and hence usually lyrics. It's probably best to just call the pieces I play, well, pieces." I waved my tail at him playfully. "And secondly; secondly, only one of the pieces I'm playing for my recital is from the classical period. The other two are romantic pieces."

Noel stared at me wide eyed. It looked like I'd just blown his mind a little, and I couldn't help but giggle. "You really didn't know what you were signing yourself up for did you; dating a music major," I said with a wink.

"You mean that I can't call something a song unless it has lyrics in it? Wow." He looked at me, and I could sense a small sense of awe and pride in his gaze. He thought for a moment. "What about the term classical pianist then, would that be wrong?"

I laughed.

"Well, I guess I kinda lied a little about that. You can actually call all of it classical music, it would just be more correct to refer to it by the correct period. The song thing is one hundred percent true though." I blushed, bringing my eyes to the ground. "I just wanted to show off, that's all..."

Noel leant over, giving me a short lick on the cheek. His tone was gentle, full of love. "Hey Snowy, you silly cat, why don't you stop talking and go ahead and play something."

I took his overly subtle hint and stared at the keyboard in front of me. I thought I would be nervous, like I was earlier, but just simply being in the same room as Noel sapped all of the fear and anxiety from my body. I felt that I could play or do anything I wanted to. Be anyone I wanted to be. As long as Noel was here with me.

I breathed in, a long and deep breath, before playing straight through the first movement of the Beethoven sonata. No pauses, at tempo. I nailed almost everything, and everything that wasn't played perfectly was played with such confidence, such musicality, that it didn't even matter. I had never done anything like it in my life, and certainly not in front of someone else. It was so...brilliant...that at any other point in my life I would have thought it was a fluke, but with Noel here it just felt so natural. I could feel the wonder in Noel's gaze as my paws jumped nimbly over the keyboard, leaping up an eleventh only to run all the way back down again. I repeated the exposition and played through the changing keys of the development with great ease.

A cute, pianissimo perfect cadence brought my performance to a close, and Noel gave a hearty applause. "Wow, that was amazing Alex!"

I gave a small giggle as he came over and hugged me from behind. He snuggled next to me, rubbing his muzzle against my cheek as our fur brushed against each other.

"D-did you like it?"

"I love it," he said with another lick. "Snowy, I love it."

"Have you listened to much classical music before?" I asked as I hugged his arms to me tightly.

"Not really," he answered. "Well, not by choice. But the way you do it, the way you just make the piano sing. It's phenomenal, I've never heard anything like it."

He pointed at the collection of Debussy pieces on the piano.

"Could you play some Debussy next? I've heard the name but I don't think I've heard any of his things, uh, pieces before. Romantic? Did you say?"

"Yeah, that's spot on," I said, nodding as I savoured his touch. "He was a late romantic composer."

I closed my eyes, thinking through the music in my head as I held onto Noel.

"I should warn you though before I play it, it's very different to Beethoven. It's atmospheric...and melancholic. The texture is so dense, but everything feels so fragile at the same time. I don't know...I guess it makes me feel sad and...nostalgic, about something that never happened, with a sense that no matter what I do I can never fix it. A forlorn sense of dread, low and ominous bass octaves juxtaposed against light movements in the upper registers. It's like you're crying for help, help to return home but no-one can hear you. You're crying to an empty room."

I paused. It had started to rain outside, a light pitter-patter against the window overlooking the conservatorium grounds.

"But even with all this, on the edge of it all, there's hope. Hope. And that's how it ends. Not with loud, thunderous chords, or quick semiquaver passages, but with pure warmth. Hope, warmth, and love, and you remember why you were sad in the first place. Because from love is where all of these emotions stem. Without love, it would all be meaningless."

Neither of us talked for a moment. I stared at the keyboard as Noel held me tight. It felt like eternity as we just listened to the rain falling outside. I could hear the music in my head, as clear as day.

Eventually, Noel let me go with a brief lick to my cheek as he sat back down. We didn't need to say anything, the time for that had passed. I closed my eyes. And I started playing.

Monday went by slowly, and it wasn't until Tuesday morning that I was able to see Noel again. I stopped by the cafe in the morning to pick up the usual. His tail was swaying back and forth with an impatient lust as I placed my order; I was so happy to see him again, and he was just as pleased to see me; and we decided to get lunch together after class.

We met at the new Japanese beer garden that had opened on campus, and we both ordered the Wagyu burger and a pot of beer.

"How's your study coming along?" I asked as our burgers arrived. They were fairly hefty; a proper steak with fresh lettuce, tomato, and even a few slices of beetroot in there.

"Yeah, it's all coming along for me," he said, eyeing off the burger in front of him. "I've got two exams next week, but they're both fairly easy. Plus, I have actually been studying, so it shouldn't be a problem." He took a bite of his burger and let out a short moan.

"Mmm, thish burgersh delicioush," he managed to mumble with a mouthful of food. I let out a chuckle, watching him finish his mouthful. "So," he began again, "have you given any thought as to whether you were going to invite people to your recital?"

I bashfully evaded the question, staring instead at the random beer I had ordered.

"Yeah, Libby asked me that too..." I said.

"Seriously, Snowy, I think it's a great idea. I really think you should do it."

I looked up from my drink and smiled at him, a soft smile.

"Yeah, I know. I just...I'm frightened. I'm frightened of what might happen if I screw up."

"Isn't everyone afraid of what might happen? Wouldn't it be better to have your friends there then not? They're not there to judge you, Snowy, just to cheer you on and enjoy your performance."

He took a sip of his beer.

"Why do you want to play music if you don't want other people to hear you? What's the point? It really doesn't matter at all what you can do if you're the only one listening. You do it so well that you should scream it to the world."

I hadn't thought about it like that before. Actually, I'd never really even thought about that before at all. Why did I choose music?

I looked up at Noel. He was gazing at me, his eyes pleading.

"I'll do it," I answered as I took my phone out of my pocket. I sent a text out to Libby, Hazel and Dale, as well as a few of my other first years I was friends with, inviting them to come and see my recital on Friday.

"You really do sound amazing, Snowy. I know you'll be great." Noel reassured me, as I looked back up into his eyes, those green eyes. I leant in and we kissed, the sensation slightly more tingly than usual due to the beer.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Noel exclaimed, suddenly very excited. He pulled his bag open and handed me a small, square card. It was a handwritten...'advertisement' for my recital, I suppose, that was accompanied by a crude drawing of a piano. It read:

Snowy De Pussy plays Debussy and two other great 'Classical songs'

I laughed out loud, almost choking on a bit of burger that I hadn't finished swallowing.

"Oh my Go-What on earth is this?" I managed to blurt out after I'd taken a moment to compose myself. It was so horrendously awful, but so endearingly adorable at the same time. Noel winked slyly at me.

"There's something on the back too..."

I turned the card over, and written diagonally across the back were the words I'd spoken the other day:

Without love, it would all be meaningless

Altogether it was an awful card, it truly was, but I couldn't think of a nicer thing that someone had done for me. It pulled at me emotionally; here was a fox who listened to me, who encouraged me, and who respected me. We'd only known each other for a few months, and only intimately for a few days, but I had never found a friendlier or more caring person in my life.

I leant in and gave him a big, sloppy lick.

"Hey, stop that! What are you trying to do, make me smell like dead animal!?" He complained motioning at my nibbled burger, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Heh, it's probably better than smelling like fox piss..." I teased, whispering at him across the table with a wink. His eyes shot open and he gave a quick glance around the room just to make sure no one had heard. It was the first time I had properly seen him blush in embarrassment, but it was probably about time.

"Hey, it's okay," I said with a huge grin on my maw, "I'd probably like a bit more warning next time, but I actually kind of like it." Noel had a big, goofy grin. I lowered my eyebrows at him, slightly worried now.

"Not all the time too, either," I warned, trying hard not to smile.

"Haha, okay, okay," he let up. "Not all the time then, and I'll ask you first. Deal?"

I took a big bite out of my burger, savouring the strange taste the beetroot left when combined with the juicy beef. I gave him a reply with a mouthful of food. "Itsh a deal."

We took a moment to eat in silence. I felt that we could understand each other just by simply sharing each other's company.

Suddenly, the beef burger reminded me of something.

"Hey Noel," I said, faking concern.

"Yeah, what is it Snowy?"

"If you could be a food, any food in the whole world, what would you be?"

I woke up on the day of my recital alone in Noel's bed. I was a little disoriented, and also disappointed that he wasn't here to greet me. I got out of bed, stretching my furred body with a loud yawn, before sniffing the air. It smelt of lightly fried butter and honey, enticingly sweet. I covered myself up with a dressing gown and headed out to the kitchen. The auburn fox was at the stove, a percolator on as the aromas in the air masked the mixed masculine musks still clinging to our matted fur.

Noel turned, spatula in hand as he smiled warmly. "Surprise!" He greeted, before continuing proudly. "I made pancakes."

He turned off the stove as he gracefully flipped the last pancake from the pan in front of him onto a plate. "Noel...I..."

I walked over and hugged him as he put the plate on the already set table.

"Thank you."

I was wearing a full black suit with a white shirt; the performance clothing I owned but never wore; handing out photocopied copies of the card that Noel had made me to hand out to friends and colleagues as the small group I invited filtered into the hall ten minutes prior to my performance. The hall was small to medium sized and could comfortably sit at least one hundred and fifty people, and the concert platform was large enough to house a 'concert D' grand piano, the piano I was lucky enough to be performing on today. I headed towards the front of the hall, and was considering walking up the stairs onto the stage, when Noel suddenly embraced me from behind. He whispered in my ear as he held me, telling me how good I looked, that I could do this. I licked his paw before turning around, staring at him longingly before leaning in for a quick kiss and heading up the stairs.

I was nervous. Of course I was nervous. However, I decided to open with an address. I knew I was only addressing my friends and the examiners, but this was a start. If I could do this, I could anything.

"I just wanted to take a moment, before I begin, just to thank someone. Someone who urged me to invite you here today." I gulped, but pressed on. "Noel, thank you for encouraging me to play for you, and for pushing me to play for everyone here now. It's meeting you that has given me the courage to want to accept my insecurities and embrace who I am. I want to dedicate this performance to you." I paused, before adding: "I love you." I could hear my friends cheering and applauding as I bowed. I took my time to walk over to the piano stool, and sat down.

By this point, the auditorium was still. But I knew Noel was in the room. Noel, my love, my muse, was there with me, watching. I silently raised my paw, hovering it above the keyboard, before firmly bringing it down to hit that first, dominant and ominous chord of the Revolutionary.