FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Imperfect, trying, could use your company…

The wind wisped through the nearby silver maples in the sidewalk planters as Rico tucked his chilly paws into the alternate holes of his jacket. The sunset washing a golden sheen across the nearby cobblestones. Standing in front of the foyer of a restaurant he could never afford exacerbated his imposter syndrome, which was already at a fever pitch – he really felt like a fish out of water, but rather a 23 year old ferret in an area of town he never thought he'd find himself.

He peered left and right with his washed turquoise eyes, almost as if searching for anyone who would take notice of him, but he knew in his heart it was just anxiety. Nearby, a particularly tall fennec with fur a light tan exits a black Lexus, dropping his bags and running up and embracing another lighter colored fennec – both tails wagging in joy as if they haven't seen each other in ages. Rico longed that, perhaps someday, an embrace of that passion could also be his. After all, this was his first time truly opening up, and first real date, and it was with his long-time high school friend. A chilly gust of wind makes his eyes tear up and he rubs his white paw over his brown mask as he reflects on the week – “The weather says snow but the temperature is too high...” he thought, his love of snow making him giddy for the upcoming winter.

Earlier in the week, an impromptu movie night Rico went to with some of Blaise's other tabletop game buddies led to an inebriated friend-to-friend open-heart discussion of everything weighing on them. A few things came up, such as their possum friend Nate's struggle with depressive episodes, their bear friend Santiago's fruitless job hunt, and a final rum and Coke led to Blaise, usually the stoic and confident cross-fox who tries to be the optimist, admitted he was gay.

Rico could see the tears in the fox's brown eyes, and shared the pain with him. In that moment, Rico – walled off, reserved, and ususually deflecting emotions with silly humor – wrapped an arm around Blaise and tearfully chimed in, “fuck it... so am I...”.

First response they got was from their Australian shepherd friend Riya who snarkily chimed in, “...I ship it!” It was a joke in the moment, but later that night Rico and Blase had a long talk about their shared struggle. Rico and Blase both knew it would be okay with their friends but both agreed “saying it is the hardest part”, but they were glad it was over – though they knew parents would be a whole different hurdle. With the newfound connection in this way, and the years they had known each other throughout high school, the messenger conversations evolved and became a lot more personal and even flirty, and they both arranged to maybe meet for dinner.

The pair felt cliché. A rich boy in Blaise, coming from familial wealth – all – well, most - of his direct family involved either in realty or investment banking. But Blaise had other plans – a fascination with culinary arts and food history had directed him to culinary school, with which he was in his second year. But this upbringing didn't make him a snob. Though, while Blaise would often rebel against the shallowness of wealth culture, either by dressing casually to formal dinners, giving his elder sister a stern thumbs down to the inquiry of “have you thought about coming back to church?”, or sarcastically spit-shining his hair if his mom complained about his looks, Blaise did have full support of his family to follow his dream of someday owning or investing in a restaurant to bring his own recipe ideas to life, giving him the nickname Ratatouille among the family.

Blaise had a buffer of his family's financial comfort, a safety net of sorts to give him a running start, which was a stark contrast to Rico, who's family had been hit with hardship since the stock market recession when he was still in diapers. Both his parents had to take up odd jobs, then a divorce when he was 8 left him with two estranged parents, neither of which were able to provide a ton of luxury to the young weasel, and that was before his dad moved across the country to be with his new internet girlfriend.

Rico grew up in a life of empty promises and, often, an empty stomach. While he was, of course, fed – his parents did their best to provide whatever they could to an only child - he was never exactly eating royal banquets. Microwaved pizza bites or dollar-store sandwich fixins were common, and a frozen salmon filet with a side of broccoli florets was considered upscale. Heck, even takeout from the corner diner was a treat – and even as an adult, Rico has had to work since he was of legal age, mostly dead-end service or fast food jobs, often craving the finer things in life but learning mostly over time to drown those temptations out, knowing he'll someday get there if he works for it and keeps his eyes on the prize. That's not to say he hadn't been caught with his mouth watering over the scent of a fresh caught tilapia as he walked by the seafood houses he couldn't afford on his commute to work – often having to wipe his muzzle clean of the resulting moisture, a common trait of an animal being hungry enough, not dissimilar from shedding season in the spring or how an excited critter would wag its tail; mostly a biological annoyance, but drooling was generally seen as a low-class behavior, though Rico really didn't care – in most regards, he knew his place, wore it on his sleeve, and when he makes it out of struggle and brings success to his family, he would never forget his roots.

While Rico had a blurry vision of dreams and goals, at this point in his life it's always been about “just enough”. $438 in savings was the best he'd been able to do so far, and he prided himself on the littlest amounts he'd put away each paycheck.

Though Rico had found ways to live with the overactive biology of being perpetually hungry for a good meal but finding it out of reach, what was on the menu for tonight is beyond anything he was prepared for.

Only five days passed, and now it was a breezy and cool October Friday – first true chill of the year in the highlands, “cold enough to see my breath, but still not cold enough to snow” Rico observed as he waited patiently outside the foyer to Gokana Ryori – one of the more upscale restaurants in the town of Ebenhomme – but their eastern cuisine is oft-considered the best of its kind in the area. Rico noted the 4.7 star average review online and joked with Blaise over text how he is relieved it wasn't a 5-star place and was instead 4.7, which Blaise simply responded with “ok but facts tho”.

Rico's heart is in his throat and he draws a shaky breath which steams up in the air while the taller fox exits a pristine black SUV, “Thank you Gladys.” he politely says to the chauffeur who's obscured by the window tint, but the silhouette of her head would presume a rabbit. “You got here early” his voice smooth as butter as he offers his paw.

Rico adjusts the collar of his button-down flannel shirt and looks up at the taller fox, “You... uh... sure I didn't underdress?” Rico's voice is a little unsteady, thick with a bundle of nerves, “What if um... I'm not used to eating this well, you know... I uh...” Rico was cut off with a drawn out “shhhhhh.”

“Tonight is about you enjoying yourself.” he leaned down, “I know you've wanted this. You deserve it because you're a beautiful guy... and my best friend. And uh...” The normally-put together fox wavered a moment, “I... really appreciate what you did for me on Sunday.” he dropped eye contact. He meant it. “I've... never seen you show emotion like that and...” the fox took a deep breath, “I'm really proud of you... I could tell it was hard for you too.”

Rico, who was a fair bit shorter than the fox, looked up with a twinkle in his eye at the fox and his face plastered with a crimson blush, “I'd... never seen you like that before, Blaise. I didn't want you to take the fall alone, ya know?” The somewhat shorter ferret closed in the short distance between the pair. “I won't lie I'm still crazy nervous about being in there, though... I just... I feel so out of place.” he pulled on his collar, “You sure it won't be like a whore in church type deal? I've not like... been to a fancy banquet before.” The ferret pictured a royal king's banquet would be awaiting him in here and he wouldn't even know which utensil goes on which side.

Blaise chuckled and shook his head, “Nah... nah it's just... normal animals, Rico. Just cause they come from a different spot doesn't mean they ain't just like you – don't be self-conscious, it'll be alright.” he comforted the ferret with a little pat on his shoulder.

“I... yeah. You're right. I'm just nervous is all.” Rico admitted.

A waft of something delicious came out through the open foyer, riding on a small breeze of wind. Rico's nose picked it up and his eyes half-lidded as he studied the scent, tongue licking subtly around his chops as he felt the familiar pang of hunger, “That's probably the ginger-soy marinade for their unagi. I tried creating it at home but it wound up way too salty. Ever try eel?” The ferret looked up curiously at Blaise, as if the words were foreign, ''My guy, I'm gonna nerd out so much cool cuisine stuff to you, I hope you're ready.”

Rico was ready to listen to this gorgeous fox nerd out.

As they walked in, the smell of soy sauce, ginger, and a hint of fresh roasted vegetables filled the air, making Rico's pink and black-splotched nose flare and his whiskers twitch. He was indeed hungry, and the promise of food, real food, made the ferret feel a mixture of imposter syndrome and eager anticipation, Blaise held his paw as they walked in together. The host stand was black with red trim, made from bamboo, and a well-dressed bear stood at it, “Hi there, welcome! Will you be dining in or ordering to-go?” she asked, sounding quite professional yet still retaining a conversational personability.

“Dining in, I had a reservation – Worthington.”

“Worthington...” Blase thought, never realizing what a wealthy-sounding last name it was.

“Two of you?” The bear confirmed as she began to file through the menus. The menus were hard-bound books. The ferret gulped again in his nerves, but also from his incessant salivating which his mouth had been doing the last few minutes since his nose picked up a whiff of that unagi marinade.

Blaise nodded in affirmation and the two were led into a slightly-dimly lit dining room. Fine China decor embellished the banisters separating the walkway from the dining area, affixed to it – of course, and booths lined the left side – even the tables were fancy – smoked black marble tables with red trimmed black leather lining the seats, the centerpiece on the side wall was a shimmering blue fish tank which extended down the entire side wall, live lobsters encased within them – for meals, presumably.

The restaurant was marginally busy – not every table was full, but Blaise kept his eyes on the smaller ferret who was in awe of the place, watching a tanuki and genet at a table across the banister having a full bottle of wine serviced by a particularly tall cat waitress, and another table nearby of a lion, marten, and lynx looking pretty full with hardly scraps left on their plates.

The strong scent of soy sauce filled the air until the aroma of something particularly savory hit them both and made the ferret's stomach rumble and he had to swallow again. While usually Rico didn't care about his overactive salivary glands, his fish-out-of-water self-exclusion in this place made him aware of his salivating, and he was constantly swallowing to keep it under control – he didn't see anyone else drooling, so he didn't want to make a fool of himself. He didn't want to look low class.

The hostess guided them to the third booth, and Blaise joined him on his side rather than sitting across, their selected booth the one closest to what appeared to be a hibachi grill – giving them small glimpses of a show already in progress for a family of dingoes. Rico watched in awe as the grill master masterfully tossed a spatula full of noodles into the youngest dingo's bowl. He slowly drew his tongue out and lapped it across his lips.

“That's yakisoba!” Blaise spoke softly, “The noodles they use aren't like your typical spaghetti – they're wheat flour noodles and they toss them in a sweet and savory garlic sauce... kinda like Worcestershire if you've ever had it but sweeter and more tangy. Classic street food, but they do it exceptionally well here. Trust me, they're so soft and...”

Slurp. Smack.

Blaise curiously looked to the young weasel beside him and saw him leaning his hands in his paws and just working his mouth, tongue lapping out a little, little smacks of his lips. “Dang, I knew you'd enjoy the food here hon, but I had no clue you were such a drooler.”

Slurrrp. Gulp.

“Gah...” Rico self-consciously wiped his mouth in a panic, hoping there was no evidence of his salivating. Thankfully there was none... yet. “I'm sorry, I just don't wanna look like a desperate idiot in here. But uh...” _Smack smack. “..._my mouth is going nuts right now.”

“Don't worry about it.” Blaise scoffed, watching Rico’s small muzzle working overtime and his Adam's apple bob in his throat, “I know it smells good, huh? But you know… you don’t have to act like royalty - if your mouth is watering, then it’s a compliment to the chef you cute little dook.” He leaned in and whispered softly in the ferret's round ear, his longer and pointed muzzle pressed up close so Rico could feel the heat from his breath tickle his fur as he whispered, “And honestly, I'm not far behind you.”

Rico's fuzzy brown ears stood up, his whiskers stood on end, and a deep crimson blush plastered across his face; he could indeed hear quite a wetness in Blaise's speech, “That's uh... kinda hot not gonna lie...” Rico wasn't sure where this comment came from, but owned it - a rarity for him - he grinned a dastardly grin to hide a flush of his cheeks as Blaise pulled his muzzle back, also blushing at the comment, though he didn’t try to hide it.

“Oh what a time to develop a new kink” Rico thought.

Blaise took a moment to regain his composure before pulling up a menu and scooting closer to Rico so they could read it together. In that moment, the tall cat waitress came by and greeted them, “Welcome on in, gentlemen. My name's Kyla, I'll be your server today – can I start ya'll out with a nice drink? We're featuring a Tequila Mockingbird for on sale for $10 in the bar today, or if you're not feeling like alcohol we have a delicious sparkling cucumber lemonade.”

“That lemonade sounds pretty dang good.” Blaise exclaimed, “I'll take one of those. Rico, want anything?”

Rico suddenly felt a twinge of anxiety – he knew this was on Blaise's dollar, but he didn't want to look like he was taking advantage, “Can... I get a soda?” he asked Blaise. The waitress confirmed “What kind of soda would you like?”

“Um... do you have... 7Up?” Rico asked, still feeling awkward as all hell. He had not been to a lot of sit-down restaurants before, so to be given actual waitstaff type service was still pretty foreign to him.

“They have those cool Eastern sodas with the marble cap. You ever try one of those?” Blaise asked Rico gently, Rico just stared at his date blankly. “If you haven't you gotta. They have like... every fruit in existence.”

“They do, they got lychee, melon, grape, peach, tar-”

“You have me at peach. Peach please. I love peaches!” Rico was like a kid at Christmas the way his eyes lit up at peach.

Blaise gave a sinister grin, “Peaches, huh?” then began to thumb through the menu.

“Yeah they're like... my favorite fruit.” Rico said, “They remind me of my grandma. She used to get us a bag of peaches every Thanksgiving. She made this amazing peach cider one year – man it was like heaven on my taste buds, Blaise. You had to be ther--”

“Ruby chicken, lightly battered boneless chicken breast wok-fried and coated in a sweet and slightly-spicy jalapeno peach sauce, topped with crispy tempura flakes and scallions, over a bed of hot jasmine rice. What's that do for you?” Blaise finished his sentence with a little wet slurp of his own, but it was simply an echo to the chorus of slurps Rico was doing staring at the picture in the menu. Blaise watched the ferret's mouth, tongue pressing between his lips, trying to stop any stray drops of saliva from escaping.

“You know, watching you struggle against your own biology like this is quite endearing.” Blaise prodded again, with a slight bit of comforting warmth in his gentle teasing.

The little mustelid blushed again at the comment, “I'm... ugh this wait is gonna be torture. You uh...” Slurrrp. “...seem to know how to push my buttons quite well and this is like... our first date.” gulp “You bastard.” Rico spat out the last word venomously, but with obvious sarcasm.

“You know, or you could do the salmon tengoku, which is a pan-fried salmon – skin on or off depending on your preference, coated in a ginger-honey-soy reduction served over a bed of asparagus and a couple pieces of fresh tamago.” The fox knew he was unabashedly tormenting the poor ferret now, but he was having fun. He wanted Rico to enjoy the experience – to be excited – to savor things that he normally wouldn't be able to have. He wanted those genuine expressions and reactions from the normally walled-off mustelid, even if it meant-

“Happy now? I'm drooling...” Rico sighed, defeated. Blaise turned and glanced at the smaller mustelid as he was wiping his wedge-shaped muzzle clean of a small wet trail that had oozed down his chin, “Told you I'd look like a hecking fool.” Rico spoke through the thickness of his saliva, ears flat against his head in a bit of embarrassment.

“Aww, poor thing.” Blaised teased as the waitress approached again, the ferret still wiping his mouth with a napkin. “You do know that the 'only low class people slobber like that' thing is just an old wives tale right? It's a classist stereotype. I do it too sometimes.”

Rico gave a half-hearted smile with his ears still flat against his head, feeling a little uneasy still. He checked his mouth again. It was dry.

“It's an annoying thing.” Rico shrugged, not making eye contact and voice going back to his usual monotone, “I've never really thought about it much, it just... happens when I'm really hungry.” he swallowed again and licked his lips, “I don't get to eat out at places like this...”

Blaise nodded in understanding.

The waitress quickly reached a paw over and placed down Rico's soda which had a foreign language label on it. Rico curiously looked at the non-traditional top as the fox exclaimed at the gorgeous presentation of his cucumber lemonade.

“Are you folks ready to order or did we have questions about the menu?” the waitress asked gently, placing a couple of tattooed fingers gently on the edge of the table.

“I mean I'm ready. Are you, hon?” Blaise asked the curious little ferret who was studying the edge of the bottle.

Rico's ears perked up again. He liked being called 'hon'. “Yeah I want that peach chicken thingy that sounded so good.” Rico sounded like a child at Christmas, poking his tongue out at the end of his speech, trying not to visualize it too hard with the way his mouth had been behaving.

“Ruby chicken, I'm gonna have a bowl of deluxe house ramen with tonkotsu broth, add an extra bamboo chute, and can we get an order of mushroom gyoza to start with that amazing sauce?” The fox seemed to know this menu in and out, and Rico was quite impressed.

“Got it” The waitress said, “You gentlemen enjoy your drinks and I'll have that gyoza out for you in a few minutes, okay?”

The smaller mustelid started fiddling again with the bottle, looking at the label for instructions on how to open, “I want peach.”

Blaise had never seen the smol bean act from this ferret before and he found it adorable coming from a friend who had just come out to him less than a week ago. Damn we any% speedran our way full-on uwu gay. Blaise felt like he too could loosen up a bit, but Blaise – who's issue wasn't so much vulnerability as it was being private and putting on a bit of a stoic leadership type role with his friends, felt like maybe he could relinquish a little bit of that. For the first time, the empathetic fox felt he could trust someone with his deepest secrets and worries, and give genuine experiences to that same person. He could give some of the blessings that life had given him to a kind-hearted soul that saw him for who he was inside instead of the money he came from. He assisted the ferret in opening it with the marble and the popper, which the ferret looked at and then gave a little laugh at how convoluted it was.

“But you see?” Blaised turned the bottle upside down and a little bit of peach soda dripped out, Rico instantly sticking out his wide tongue under it to catch the stray drops before it stopped spilling thanks to the marble, “Uh... well, I guess unfortunately for you, no spilling.”

Rico's smile at receiving the peach drops on his tongue turned comically to a frown recognizing that it didn't spill further, but it was tasty!

“Did uh...” he tugged his shirt collar a little, “Did your parents ever find... anything out about you?” Blaise was very nervous with this question. It was still new to him, despite his 24 years of age, to fully feel like he could be himself – and this was the first time sober he could verbally express it.

Rico sighed, “I can't... mom is pretty religious. I don't think she'd kick me out.” He swallowed, “But it would make things very awkward, especially with my dad's brother. He comes over every now and then for holidays.”

Blaise put his paw on Rico's shoulder comfortingly, “Well, I think mom would be fine with it, her denomination of the church teaches compassion.” He tightened his lips a bit, “but my dad would probably cut me off from my college money.” He whispered the last part, “I... don't want to flex because like... I know your history... and you're honestly... you're an inspiration to me in a lot of ways, Rico.” His ears flattened with the emotional delivery, “In a lot of ways, I'm a spoiled brat... but you aren't. And I know you went through a lot of shit, but look at you – you're going places.”

Rico had trouble expressing himself, but this comment did a number on him, causing a very obvious blush to appear on his face, “I...” He stammered, looking directly into Blaise’s striking brown eyes, “Th...thank you.” he said softly, “I don't really know what I did.” Rico said with a faux-dryness; the 'One Braincell' voice. It was probably a defense to looking vulnerable. He then took another bubbly fizzy sip from the bottle as Blaise got the signal Rico was a little uncomfortable with the genuine and direct emotions – he also took a sip from his lemonade. He’d have to be more patient - Rico was very walled off, but prying for more than he’d given tonight might be a push too far. “I should let him go at his pace I think…” the fox pondered as he took his first sip of the lemonade

“Damn that's good as hell.” Blaise chirped before taking another big sip.

“I like the peach soda. Thank you.” said Rico, half-feigning an innocent kiddish voice again. This was so nice – he could talk... openly, and be himself in front of someone in real life, despite it still being new and frightening.

Just then, a large steaming fish with a ton of citrus on it went by, wafting a very strong umami aroma rich with citrus and grill smoke towards the sensitive noses of the canine and mustelid. “Uh oh.” Blaise said before licking his lips a few times, “That's gonna be torture, huh?” Blaise turned towards Rico with a knowing look, and as expected, Rico was licking his chops and and swallowing repeatedly.

A few moments later, another tray passed going towards the same party on the other side of the room, this one carrying a few bowls of tonkotsu ramen. The rich, meaty, garlicy smell assaulted both of their noses and caused the pair to salivate even harder. The vulpine's stomach rumbled a bit and he made a low “Mmmmm” noise, licking his own lips a few times, “That's what I ordered.” Blaise glanced at Rico again who was struggling, his tongue was lapping constantly around his lips and it was quite loud, “Still fighting it huh?”

Rico blushed and dipped his mouth down towards the chair, wiping his mouth before looking back up at Blaise, his nose still flaring, leaning on the table with his elbows, “I guess not…” Rico breathed, defeated.

Blaise grinned mischievously and got a fox-like impulse of straight diabolical mischief, loving watching his friend's - his date’s - thick veneer drop at the call of good food. He watched as the ferret gave into instinct - his wide tongue flopping out and starting to loll in a canine-like pant. Blaise noticed the ever-so-slightly raspy texture on the surface of Rico’s tongue - a contrast to his own somewhat smooth one – an intimate detail of the shy ferret that he never noticed, and he decided to use it to his advantage – and hoped it wasn't cringy or too far, “Just imagine” he said, leaning his head into his right paw as he watched Rico react, “A cut of that medium rare salmon that just went by, seasoned and grilled just enough to still be juicy – the meat so soft and tender it just melts across every one of those little bumps on your tongue.” Blaise's voice was low and breathy, taunting the little mustelid who dropped eye contact midway through, pointing directly at Rico’s tongue at the end of the sentence.

Despite the awkward staring from Blaise, the cheesy little teasing session worked, and Rico had closed his eyes, picturing it vividly in his mind like it was a D&D campaign story, causing his stomach to tighten and his salivary glands to work even more desperately, “Nngh! Thtop!” Rico shook his head a bit, his speech so wet he was spitting as he talked, little lines of drool oozing down his chin and starting to dribble onto his shirt, his mouth ached with hunger at this point, “Nnngh.” _smack “_It thmells so good...” he looked up blushing heavily at his date, finally opening up and letting the saliva ooze unrestrained, feeling a little uncomfortable being this open with his annoying quirks.

Blaise wiped Rico's chin with a bare white paw and lifted it up to press his nose against the ferret’s, “Love watching someone truly appreciate a good meal. It's so wholesome.”

Rico giggled nervously.

“Your breath is peachy.” Blaise whispered at his little companion, again being mischievous in a uniquely fox way, watching Rico’s nerves ignite in a huge blush. He knew he was getting to the weasel and was pushing just far enough.

Just as they exchanged a romantic glance the appetizer arrived – a plate of 8 fried gyoza arranged into a circle around a divided sauce ramekin with one side a dark sauce and the other one an orange aioli-type. Rico's nose wouldn't stop sniffing as the plate was set down and he leaned forward staring with desire and appreciation, placing his hands strategically on the sides of his mouth so he could stop the saliva for a moment so the waitress wouldn't see.

“You guys enjoy!” She said before quickly heading away.

“Here you go, my cute little ferret!” Blaise excitedly before placing his tongue between his lips and grabbing a gyoza, dipping it in the darker sauce and offering it to the drooling mustelid, placing it on the small appetizer plate in front of him. Then immediately dug in himself, dipping another in the eel sauce and lifting it to his own mouth, watching Rico intently for his reaction to the first bite.

Rico removed his hands from his face with a couple of strings of saliva extending between his lips and paws before hanging his tongue out and just enjoying the smell, letting a few dribbles of saliva ooze out onto the marble table before finally licking his lips, lifting up the gyoza and taking an eager bite. Crispy, salty, tangy, and the texture of fresh mushrooms filled his mouth. “Mmmm” Rico grumbled as he closed his eyes and savored the bite, slowly chewing and swallowing before immediately turning to the ferret, “Uh... can I double dip?”

Blaise smiled and nodded, enjoying watching Rico's first experience with a five-star meal.

As they enjoyed and savored the appetizer, words seemed to stop. Rico was experiencing flavor sensations he had no idea existed, and he just wanted to keep eating – his body receiving high-quality nourishment for the first time he could truly think of.

“I'm so happy you're enjoying it.” the fox said as he munched on his third crispy, flaky gyoza, “This is probably the freshest batch I’ve had from here. We gotta try the cabbage ones next time.”

“Next time…” Rico was almost taken aback by that. “Someone who wants to spend more time with me… a boring nobody…” He shook off the self-deprecating thoughts - he knew better than to let them be the driver.

Shortly after that, the waitress came back with their meals and Rico nearly started bouncing in his seat as his chicken entree was placed down in front of him, his tongue lapping around his lips again in anticipation, then immediately after followed the fox's ramen – even Blaise could hardly contain his salivating this time as he took a deep sniff.

“Everything look tasty?” The waitress asked.

“Oh my god yes *slurp*.” Rico said in a low voice, nearly drooling again.

Even Blaise had to hold his mouth shut, “Mmhmm.”

The waitress wished them a good meal and the little mustelid inhaled his dish deeply, his mouth partly open and this time he didn't even bother to hold back – a steady trickle of drool oozed from the front of his lips and onto the table. The fox and ferret exchanged glances and this time the ever-stoic Blaise even had a little saliva at the corner of his lips as well, humbled by the call of a good meal. They both laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation before wiping their mouths dry with a napkin and getting started on their entrees as well.

After a few rich and hearty spoonfuls of the broth, Blaise watched the shorter ferret take the first bite and fall back in his seat, “mmmh!” Rico moaned as he chewed.

Blaise watched Rico intently while slowly working on his own ramen, loving the little weasel's reactions to the flavors his tongue was experiencing.

“God... that's so good I could cry.” Rico said before going back for another bite.

The two ate greedily and happily, enjoying the closeness and the comfort of each other's company. At one point Rico asks to taste the ramen, to which he responds “That's also really good... but it needs peach.”

Blaise then rebutted, “You peach fiend.”

The ferret stuck his tongue out at the fox before continuing his meal.

The meal ended with a breath mint and a discussion around a new open-world adventure game that recently came out that they both want to play.

“I've just been too busy with work. I have the money for it but I'm being good.” Rico confessed.

“The gameplay looks good but I dunno... those first reviews are kinda concerning me.” Blaise sighed, “I want it to be good and I think I'm just afraid of being disappointed.”

“Maybe uh... ” Rico shyly offered. He was fighting intense nerves and anxiety in opening up, but Blaise’s soft eyes and friendly face made it a little easier. His breath caught in his throat and he shook a little as he asked, “Maybe I can come spend the night and we can try it together?” Rico's ears flattened against his head – he was relieved he said it, but then came the fear of rejection.

Blaise's smile widened, he was afraid he may have pushed the sheltered Rico a little throughout the dinner with his coy teasing, but he truly felt a connection with him “I... uh.... I'd like that.”

A smile came over his face, he pushed further, fighting the anxiety. “Blaise...” Rico said, his voice nearly a whisper, “I... uh...” He was tense.

Blaise rubbed his back, “I know. It’s hard. You’re doing great, though.” There was such genuine compassion in the delivery of this line, it was so soft, so buttery smooth.

Rico hyperventilated a bit, he knew what he needed to say in the moment, the fear of looking so emotionally vulnerable choked him up. He swallowed, then squinted his eyes shut, “This is hard for me to say so I'm just gonna say it all as quickly as possible, I am incredibly imperfect, fear I am boring as a plank of wood, and dry as a desert. But I am trying.” His voice quivered, he held back tears in his eyes. He dare not fucking let those out. Not in public. “I… am trying. I don’t want to bottle everything up for the rest of my life because I want to share my feelings with someone, it’s just so hard for me and I’m really scared… but I really liked your company and the texts you’ve been sending me and how you believe in me… please can we do this aga-”

Before Rico had opened his eyes, he was interrupted with a paw on his cheek and a long, slender fox tongue in his mouth. His eyes widened and his breath hitched for a moment – his best friend's tongue was in his mouth! And he could feel it with his own! He could taste Blaise's saliva and smell a little bit of the mint lingering on Blaise’s breath. He was being kissed! He bashfully lifted his own tongue and tried to tangle it with the vulpine's, and was careful to be gentle, but he was so nervous that his entire body shivered. Without thinking, he pushed his mouth deeper and gently placed a paw on Blaise's cheek, thinking about what to do with his tongue but loving the sensation of his best friend's. The kiss broke and Rico looked left to see the waitress laying down the bill side-eyeing them.

Rico’s stomach rose to his throat as he and Blaise scrambled to get back to a proper sitting position, Rico looked away from the waitress in humiliation, and Blaise chimed in fearing he may have gone too far, “I am so sorry! I-”

She lifted a paw up as if to say “Don't worry about it”, but her actual words that followed were, “Ya'll cute as hell anyway.”

Blaise and Rico both exchanged another glance before Blaise set down his debit card on the bill with a 20 for tip. Blaise was relieved to see that Rico wasn’t upset or afraid anymore… he was just… smiling. He never wanted that smile to go away ever again. He knew he did something right.

“You've never been kissed like that, have you?” Blaise asked with an empathetic tone, facing the goofy-smiling weasel.

Rico just shook his head with an innocent smile, “I'm happy it was you.” he laid down against Blaise’s arm, “You really helped me come out of my shell. It’s scary but… I needed the push.” Rico nuzzled his arm and grabbed it with both paws as if it was precious cargo “Can I call you boyfriend yet?” He asked Blaise.

Blaise just smirked back, overjoyed at the question but maintaining the stoicism, “Only if I can call you lover.” then he laughed a little, returning a soft embrace and resting his chin on Rico’s cream-colored head fluff, “Your tongue feels good, by the way – you don't have to be so shy with it next time.”

Rico felt like he was going to melt into a puddle.

“I’m… trying. It’s… it’s okay to just be trying.”