A Wider World
Naked trees lined the quiet suburban streets as the minivan navigated the maze. What had once been brilliant reds and yellows were now browned, covering the grass. Winter was coming. In the back seat, Chuck shivered. It was warm in the car, but he still felt utterly terrified.
He had no reason to fear Dan Langley. Intellectually, he knew that. Dan was his best friend's dad, his therapist's husband. If there was an adult male he could unequivocally trust, it would be Dan. But still, he didn't really KNOW the adult. He was more a quiet presence when he was at Robbie's house. The car ride was the longest he'd ever been alone with the fox.
"Looking forward to the big sleepover?" Dan called from the front. When the pup didn't respond, the adult continued. "I remember my first boy girl sleepover. It was... I think late September 1984. Maybe early October. I'd gone over to my friend's house, and he'd invited over a couple girls from school. I didn't tell my mom that, and thankfully she let me ride my bike over so she didn't have to find out. Oh, the mischief we got up to..."
The border collie half-listened to the adult's tale as they drove. It wasn't that he wanted to be rude. He just didn't really know what to say to the adult. How could he even respond to that story? It all sounded so weird, so alien.
Thankfully, it wasn't a long drive to the school. He shivered as the van pulled into the parking lot at the middle school.
"Ha! Timed it just right," Dan said.
The pup looked out the window. Hundreds of cubs were spewing forth from the front doors of the school. Almost all of them looked bigger than him. He shivered as the memories of his old school came flooding back. He shook his head to clear it.
His ears perked up as he saw a familiar face emerge from the crowd. Robbie! He waved to the fox, though the tinted windows of the minivan would have hidden the gesture. The chubby fox waved to his dad, then made his way to the back of the van.
Four other furs followed close on his heels. One he likewise recognized: the wolf boy Martin. He was glad to see that he'd be here, too. But the others were strangers to him. There was a chubby white bunny, a slim golden retriever girl, and an equally scrawny bat. Those must have been the other friends his mommy had mentioned.
The trunk door opened, and the chatty group of cubs tossed their backpacks in.
"Heya, Chuck," Robbie said.
"Chuck, my man!" Martin cried. The wolf boy dashed around to the side of the van and pulled the door open. "What up, dude?" Martin said.
"H-hi," Chuck said. He trembled a little in his seat as Martin climbed into the back with him.
"This is gonna be so awesome," Martin said. He leaned in conspiratorially, and whispered, "Don't worry, bud, I'll keep you safe from the girls."
"I heard that," the bunny girl said. She climbed into the van and took the seat opposite the open door. "Aw man, full van today. Just like at home!" she said. She turned around to the border collie and offered a paw. "I'm Becky."
Chuck reached a trembling paw forward and shook it. "I-I'm Chuck," he whispered.
"Nice ta meetcha!" she said. She looked around the van, then giggled. "I think Tanya's gonna have to sit in the back with you guys. She's the smallest of us!"
"Excuse me, are you calling me fat?" the golden retriever said.
"No, Sophie, I'm just pointing out that Tanya's smaller than you are! Less developed and all," Becky replied.
"She has a point," the bat girl said. She eased past the golden retriever and slipped into the back, settling in between the wolf and the border collie. "Hi," she said. "Tanya Iancu."
The golden retriever girl climbed into the van and brought her legs in, her knees held firmly together as she got her paws as far from the door as possible. The door slid shut, pulled by the chubby fox outside. The front door opened, and Robbie climbed in next to his father.
"Think we can get home without you guys killing each other?" Robbie asked.
"No promises!" Becky replied.
Chuck started whimpering. What had he gotten himself into?
The bat girl laid a paw on his knee. It was oddly comforting, even from a total stranger. "Don't mind those two," Tanya whispered. "They're just teasing."
"Or are they?" Martin said.
Becky slapped Martin's leg. "Martin, don't scare Chuck already! We've got all night to do that!"
That only got Chuck whimpering louder.
"Martin, Becky, both of you behave! I have no qualms about bringing you both back to your homes instead of ours!" Dan yelled. He turned around in his seat to look into the back. "Don't worry, Chuck, they're just playing."
Robbie groaned. "Dad, let's just get home, please?"
The elder fox glanced at his son, then looked back at Chuck. "Everything will be alright, Chuckie. You'll see."
The border collie pup wasn't so sure. But what choice did he have now? He was here, and he was committed. He swallowed the lump in his throat, then nodded.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
It was an incredible relief to get home. It had been a long day at school anticipating the big sleepover, and now it was actually happening! Robbie just had to make sure his friends didn't scare Chuck. No problem, right?
The moment that his dad pulled the van to a stop in the garage, Robbie unbuckled his seatbelt. He stared eagerly at the door.
"Come on, dad, hurry up and park it!" the fox urged.
Dan laughed and ruffled his son's headfur. "Hang on, kit, we're almost in. You know how anal your mom is about parking it perfectly."
From the back, Martin choked out a giggle. "Your dad said 'anal,' Robbie!"
"What? It's a medical term!" Becky said. "My mom uses it all the time!"
"Not the way Mr. Langley meant it!" Martin replied.
"Yes, and I didn't mean it in the way YOU'RE taking it, either, Martin," Dan said. "There we go." He killed the engine and unlocked the doors. "Go, be free, my cubs."
A collective cheer rose from the cubs. The passenger side doors flew open. Robbie was out first, quickly followed by Becky and Martin. The fox opened up the trunk and grabbed his backpack.
"Alright, guys, try not to stampede," Robbie said.
Becky scoffed and pushed the fox aside. "Let me handle this. I'm an expert at herding cubs. I have to do it all the time with my siblings!"
"Isn't herding Chuck's job?" Sophie asked as she got around to the back. "He's a border collie, isn't he?"
The fox cub rolled his eyes. He saw Martin lean in and whisper something into her ear. She shrugged, then grabbed her own backpack from the trunk. The wolf followed suit, then the rabbit.
A pair of black and white ears still stuck up over the top of the back seat. Robbie leaned in as Tanya walked around to the back. "You okay, Chuck?" he asked.
"Hey, now, don't break the door down!" Dan called.
Robbie stifled a groan, then walked around to the open door. He peeked inside the van. Chuck was rooted to his seat.
"Chuck? What's wrong?" Robbie asked.
A small whimper rose from the border collie. "I-I dunno if this is such a good idea," Chuck muttered.
"Sure it is!" Robbie said. He climbed in and grabbed onto Chuck's paw. "C'mon, let's go in. I'm sure our friends will like you just as much as we do."
Reluctantly, the border collie allowed himself to be removed from the van. Robbie held his paw as he led the pup around to the trunk to grab his bag. When they got there, Tanya stood by, the only of the cubs who hadn't already rushed into the house.
"Uh, hey, Tanya," Robbie said. "You need anything?"
The bat shook her head. "N-no. I just wanted to talk to Chuck."
The fox grinned and released the pup's paw. "See? You're making friends already!" He patted Chuck's shoulder and handed him his backpack, then pulled the trunk door shut. Satisfied that his work was complete, he ran into the house.
It wasn't hard to find the rest of his friends. The noise alone led the fox right to the den. He found Martin sprawled out on the recliner, engaged in a heated argument with Becky.
"Come on, we always play video games at our sleepovers! That's like the best part!" the wolf cried.
"Yeah, and how many six player games do we have, huh?" Becky replied.
"I really don't care for video games," Sophie said. The golden retriever had perched herself on the couch, sitting as far from Martin as she could get. She ran a brush through her headfur.
"Ugh. See, this is why I don't date girls for real," Martin said.
The rabbit huffed. "Excuse me. I play video games! So what does that make me?"
"A fake girl?" Martin chittered. He burst out laughing as Becky grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at him.
"Becky, Martin, behave!" Robbie cried. He ran in between the two, and glared first at Becky, then at Martin. "Do you wanna scar Chuck for life?" he hissed. "You be nice to the girls, Martin," he chided, then turned his attention to Becky. "And you. Can you try to keep calm, for Chuck's sake? Please?"
Becky blushed. "Sorry, Robbie," she said. "Hey, where is Chuck, anyway?"
"Uhhh..." Robbie looked around the room. "Tanya'd wanted to talk to him. Guess they're still at it."
The rabbit giggled and looked at Sophie. "Maybe we've found her a boyfriend!" she hissed.
Sophie flung her hair back and scoffed. "What, can't boys and girls just be friends?"
Robbie sighed and flopped down on the couch opposite Sophie. "Guys, chill. But seriously, anyone have any suggestions for stuff to do?"
"We coooould play truth or da--" Becky began.
She was cut off as the other cubs in unison yelled, "No!"
"Gosh, you hated it that much, huh?" Becky said. "Sheesh. Well, what about board games? Your dad has a ton of those, doesn't he, Robbie?"
"Ugh, you're not gonna make us play the Game of Life again, are you, Becky?" Martin asked.
"What? I like that game!" Becky said.
"I do, too!" Robbie said.
"I can third that," Sophie said.
"Three against one!" Becky cried.
The wolf scoffed. "We're still missing two. What if they don't wanna play it? Then we're at a tie!"
"And Robbie's the tie-breaker, 'cause he's the host," Becky shot back. "And you'll play Life with me, won't you, Robbie?"
That caught the fox off guard. "I plead the fifth!" he replied.
"Spoil sport," Becky muttered. "What's taking Tanya and Chuck so long?"
As if on cue, the bat and the border collie entered the room.
"There they are!" Martin said. "Tanya, Chuck, do you guys like the Game of Life?"
The two cubs froze. Chuck tucked his tail between his legs.
"I kinda like it, yeah," Tanya said.
"W-what's 'the game of life?'" Chuck asked.
Becky clapped her paws. "Well, that settles it! Let's play that! Your parents have a copy, right, Robbie?"
"Course we do," the fox replied. "But, uh... wouldn't it be better that we do something we can ALL agree on?"
The rabbit pouted. "I gueeeeeess." She sighed, defeated. "I still think Truth or Dare would be fun, too."
"Becky, you remember how that went last time," Robbie said.
Martin shuddered. "Yeah, and we're trying to introduce Chuck to more furs, not scar him for life!"
A soft whine rose from the pup.
Becky patted Chuck's shoulder. "Oh, don't mind him," she said. "But seriously. Your parents must have some other board games for six players, right, Robbie?"
"We could save the board games for later and find something else for now," Sophie said. "Like 'Never Have I Ever.'"
"Ooooo, that's a good one!" Becky said.
Martin raised an eyebrow. "How's that work?" he asked.
The golden retriever put her brush down and looked around the room. "We all sit and a circle and we go around the circle. One player starts with saying, 'Never have I ever,' and follow it with something they haven't done. Anyone who's done it has to say so, and they get a point. When someone gets 10 points, low score wins."
The wolf chuckled. "I could get behind that. Robbie?"
The fox considered the proposal. "Sure. Anyone not wanna do it?" Silence met his question. "Well, that settles it. Let's get in a circle, then."
The cubs all sat down in a circle in the middle of the room. Becky seated herself at Robbie's left, Martin at his right. Chuck sat down next to Martin, and Tanya next to him, Sophie perching herself between the two girls.
"Who starts?" Martin asked.
"I think Robbie should do it," Sophie said. "It's his house."
Robbie flicked his ears. "Sure, I guess." He rubbed his chin. "Let's see... Never have I ever... gone swimming at a public pool."
"Whaaaaat? Seriously?" Martin asked.
The fox shrugged. "I don't like getting undressed around strangers," he said.
"Hey, I've never swam in one, either!" Tanya said.
Becky giggled. "Well, I'm getting a point on that one."
"As am I, and I suppose you, Martin," Sophie said. "You're next, Becky."
The rabbit girl grinned. "Never have I ever peed my pants at school!"
Robbie gasped. "Aww, geeze, Becks, you're really never gonna let me live that down, are you?"
Becky burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, Robbie, but it's still too funny!"
He sighed and shook his head. He'd almost forgotten that time in the first grade he'd peed himself while presenting a book report to class. Why did Becky have to bring that back up?
"Anyone else get a point on that, or just Robbie?" Becky asked.
Tanya blushed. "I get a point on that one, too..."
The other girls gasped.
"Really, Tanya? You?! When?" Becky asked.
"My first day of school," Tanya whispered. "I was so scared when I walked into the classroom that I just... let go..."
"It wasn't at our school, was it?" Becky asked.
Tanya shook her head. "No, no, this was back in the old country. Luckily right after it happened my dad got a job in America. Saved me from having to live with that."
"Th-the old country?" Chuck asked.
The bat grinned. "Yeah. I was born in Romania. My mom's American, though, so I grew up speaking English and Romanian."
"Careful, or she'll start talking like a vampire at you!" Becky said.
Tanya rolled her eyes. "For the last time, not all bats are vampires!"
"But you're from Transylvania! That's, like, vampire central!" Becky replied.
"I never should have told you that," Tanya muttered.
"But you did," Becky said. She reached over and pat Tanya's leg, then took another look around the group. "Anyone else score on that?"
Robbie's heart sank when he saw Chuck start to shiver. "Uh oh," he muttered.
Martin noticed it, too. "Oh, dude... did you?" he whispered.
The border collie buried his face in his paws. "Y-yes," he muttered.
"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Robbie said. He reached around Martin to pat Chuck's shoulder. "I mean, mine was in first grade, in front of the whole class. Everyone saw it. But I'm still here, right?"
Chuck sniffled. "I-I guess," he muttered.
The fox shot Becky a dirty look.
"Oops," Becky said.
Robbie sighed and settled back down. "Maybe try to keep 'em a little less embarrassing, okay?"
Could this sleepover have had a worse start?
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was a curious feeling, attending these boy girl sleepovers. Even a few weeks ago, Tanya would have balked at the idea. What could be worse than having a bunch of gross boys at a sleepover? But now that they were doing them, it didn't seem all that wild. Well, maybe having just Robbie and Martin there got awkward, but with this new boy, Tanya felt a lot more comfortable.
Maybe it was because they were both outsiders. They were both quiet, seemingly overwhelmed by the much bigger personalities of their friends. Whatever the reason, Tanya felt a kindred spirit in Chuck. It didn't hurt that the boy was cute, too!
The afternoon passed in a blur for the bat. After a rocky start, they got into some less embarrassing 'Never Have I Evers,' though they had quickly run out of ones that weren't too embarrassing for the border collie.
Thankfully, Robbie had a lot of movies on DVD, and they'd watched two before his mom called them all in for dinner. She was a little disappointed to have to get up -- she'd managed to convince Chuck to snuggle with her for both of them! -- but he sat next to her for dinner, which made up for it.
"Now, this feels like dinner at my place!" Becky said as the group sat down at the table.
The elder vixen laughed. "I'm sure it does. You've got, what, seven siblings?"
"Eight!" Becky replied. "And mom's gonna have another one soon, too."
Terry giggled. "I guess it's true what they say about bunnies, then?"
"Kinda hard to deny," Becky replied.
"Just keep 'em away from me," Martin said. "Unless you have brothers. THEM I'd like to meet!"
The rabbit elbowed the wolf in the side. "Eww, gross!"
Martin laughed and shrugged. "I like what I like," he said simply.
"I thought you wanted to keep that a secret!" Sophie said. The retriever seemed shocked at how easily the wolf let that comment out.
Tanya was thrown off by it, too. Hadn't the whole point of Sophie and Martin dating been to HIDE the fact that he liked boys?
"Mrs. L is cool," Martin replied. "She's not gonna tell my dad I'm dating her son, right, Mrs. L?"
The vixen drew an imaginary zipper across her lips. "Your secret's safe with us," Terry said.
"Martin's father, I'm sorry to say, is a bigot and a bastard," Dan said. "We're certainly not going to put him at risk by letting his secret out of the bag."
"Is that why we're having the sleepover here instead of at your place, Martin?" Sophie asked.
"Pretty much," Martin replied. "Robbie's parents are cool. They know what Robs and I do." He leaned against Robbie, then gave his cheek a quick kiss.
"Eww, PDA!" Becky cried.
"Uh oh," Dan said. "You know what that me--"
He was cut off when Terry leaned in and kissed her husband on the lips. "Hush, you. Let's just have a nice dinner, shall we?"
"Thank you!" Tanya said. She squeaked and immediately clapped her paws over her muzzle. Did she really just say that out loud?
The other cubs broke out into fits of giggles. All of them except for Chuck. Tanya blushed and looked down at her plate, focusing on her pizza.
It didn't take long for the others to start chatting again. Her outburst was forgotten. She let out a little sigh, and looked at Chuck. The border collie seemed just as focused on his food as she was. Gosh, he was cute.
"So how'd you meet those two?" Tanya asked.
The pup jumped when he realized he'd been addressed. He blinked a few times and looked around at the table before looking at the bat. The other cubs were still engrossed in whatever tale Martin was regaling them with. "I-I met them at s-s-summer camp," Chuck muttered.
Tanya perked up. "Lucky! My parents never let me go to camp. They're not big fans of the outdoors," she said. "What was it like?"
Chuck shrugged. "Was alright, I guess," he said. He kept his eyes firmly locked on his plate, as if he were afraid to look Tanya in the eye. It seemed pretty obvious that it wasn't something he wanted to talk about.
"I guess you're not a fan of the outdoors, either." Tanya shrugged, and changed the subject. "So what do you like to do?"
He was quiet for a moment before answering. "Umm... I like reading books," he said.
The bat girl giggled. "What kinds? I really like fantasy novels. Tales of swords and sorcery, dashing heroes and devious villains!"
That seemed to catch the boy's interest. "Fantasy stories are nice. I've been reading this one series by this author, James Woolf, that's a kind of epic fantasy series?"
"Oh, you mean the Crimson Mountain series? I love that one!" Tanya said. "It's soooo good! Who's your favorite character?"
The rest of the table melted away as the Tanya fell into conversation with the border collie. She had found a connection to this shy boy, and he was opening up to her.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
After dinner, the group of cubs retreated back to the den. Becky finally convinced the group to try The Game of Life. In a twist that amused everyone except the rabbit, Becky didn't end up having a single kid.
"Wow, bunny, what a fail!" Martin said.
Becky pouted, then stared at the wolf, her arms crossed. "At least I made more money than you! So nyeh!" She stuck her tongue out at the wolf boy. He in turn stuck his tongue out at her.
"Guys, can we not be sore losers or sore winners?" Robbie said.
"Fiiiine," Becky said. "But only for you, honey."
Martin leaned over and wrapped an arm around Robbie's shoulders. "He's MY honey, and don't you forget that, rabbit!"
"What, don't wanna share?" Becky teased.
"Guys, please, not tonight," Robbie groaned.
Chuck scooted back from the board game as the three bickered back and forth. It made him uncomfortable seeing his friends arguing like this. Tanya scooted back with him.
"Those three are something, huh?" Tanya whispered. "You should see them at school."
"Relax, bunny. You'll get your babies another time," Sophie deadpanned.
That caught the rabbit off guard. "Ooo la la. Too bad I can't make them with you, huh, Sophie?"
"Girls are weird and gross," Martin said. He grunted as Robbie elbowed him in the side. "Ow! What?"
Robbie gave Martin a stern look. "You know what."
The wolf shrugged and stretched his arms. "It's gotta be getting pretty late." He leaned into Robbie and poked the fox's nose. "Whattaya say to a quick yiffy before bed, hm?"
Becky perked her ears. "Oooo! That sounds delightful! Who gets Robbie?"
Martin looked at the rabbit, incredulous. "Who do you think?"
"You're certainly not going to find any competition from me," Sophie said.
The rabbit girl giggled and leaned toward Sophie. "Right, 'cause you want this all to yourself, don't you?"
Robbie cleared his throat. "Umm... guys, aren't you forgetting someone?"
Four pairs of eyes fell on the border collie. Chuck shivered. Of course it was gonna come to this. "Oh, uh..."
A black paw came to rest over his. The border collie nearly leapt out of his skin. He wasn't expecting to be touched. His eyes followed the arm back to its owner.
Tanya caught his eyes, the bat blushing furiously under her fur. "Umm... do you think... maybe you and I could..."
"Huh? C-could what?" Chuck stammered. His heart was beating in his ears. What the heck was the bat girl talking about.
The rabbit girl giggled. "Oooooo! Chuckie, I think Tanya wants to get naughty with you!" she sang.
Pup and bat broke eye contact. Tanya's paw squeezed Chuck's. Was that what she was really suggesting?
"I don't wanna kick you guys out," Robbie said. "But, uh... you could also go to the living room while we do our thing, if you're not comfortable joining in..."
Becky's voice cut in. "Might be a little less scary without all the rest of us around, huh?"
"A-and you don't have to!" Tanya added.
Chuck was at a loss for words. It was so overwhelming to think that the rest of his friends were going to be yiffing, and he wasn't. Sure, they kept saying he didn't have to. But the rest of them were doing it. Wasn't not doing it just making him stand out even more?
Before he could say anything, he felt Tanya grab his other paw. The pup squeaked as the bat girl tugged him to his feet.
"C'mon," Tanya whispered. She held onto one of the boy's paws and led him out of the room. The door squeaked softly as the bat turned the handle. They slipped out quietly, and she pulled the door shut behind them.
It was darker in the hall than it had been in the den, nearly pitch black. Tanya led the way down the hall toward the living room. She paused at the threshold and groped around on the wall for the light switch. Both cubs blinked as the light came on.
The bat girl led Chuck over to the couch. She sat down on the far end, and guided Chuck down in the middle, next to her. Neither cub looked at each other.
"We, uh... we don't have to do anything yiffy, if you don't wanna," Tanya said after a minute. "I understand if you don't... I know I'm not really sexy or anything..."
Chuck blushed deeply. He didn't want to disappoint his new friend. At the same time, though, yiffy stuff was scary. But Tanya seemed really nice. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad with her?
The pup cleared his throat. "I-I-I... umm... i-i-it's not that I don't like you or anything," Chuck whispered. "I-i-it's just... w-w-we only just m-met, a-and I--"
His voice caught in his throat as Tanya took his paw. He looked at her. She smiled at him, a light blush showing through the fur of her cheeks. "It's okay," Tanya whispered. "I mean, we just met, right? No need to rush things."
Relief flooded the border collie. He let out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding, and relaxed on the couch. He took a few deep breaths, his heart still pounding in his chest. "Th-th-thanks," Chuck said. "I-I-I mean... y-you're nice an' all, but..."
The bat girl giggled and gave the pup a kiss on his cheek. He yipped and blushed furiously, hiding his face behind his paws.
Tanya giggled and gave the pup a quick hug. "Can I tell you a secret, Chuck?"
A secret? No one had ever told him a secret before. He peeked at Tanya from behind his fingers and nodded.
"I was kinda nervous about tonight," Tanya said. "I thought you might be like my friends. Like, really yiffy and stuff. But I guess you're just as nervous as I am about that, huh?"
She was nervous? But what did she have to be nervous about. "Y-y-you were nervous, t-t-too?" Chuck whispered.
Tanya blushed and sat back on the couch. "Well, yeah. Kinda," she said. She rubbed her arm and looked down at her lap. "But I'm glad I met you. You're nice."
What madness was this?! Someone actually happy to meet him? But then, she had only just met him. Plenty of time for her to discover how broken he really was.
"Th-thanks, I guess," Chuck whispered. "Y-you're really nice, t-t-too."
The bat girl grinned and gave the pup another hug. Chuck tensed up a little when she wrapped her arms around him, but relaxed quickly in her grip. It actually felt nice when she hugged him. She held onto him for a few seconds before releasing him.
"So... while those four are doing... well, each other," Tanya said, sticking her tongue out in mild disgust, "Do, uh, do you wanna watch a movie or something? Snuggle up here together?"
Chuck lowered his paws, no longer hiding his face. His blush had subsided considerably. He smiled at the bat girl and nodded. "I-I-I'd like that."
"Hey, uh, are you two doing alright?"
The pup nearly leapt out of his skin when he heard Robbie's voice. He hadn't expected the fox to come check up on them.
"Yeah!" Tanya said. She slipped off the couch and smiled at the fox. "We were just gonna watch a movie."
"Ah," Robbie said. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea." He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. "DVD's are under there," he said. "Have fun." He smiled at Chuck, then left the two alone.
Tanya walked over to the entertainment center and began looking through DVD's. "I guess Robbie's alright, too. I sometimes wonder why he's friends with Becky and Martin. They're so intense!" She paused. "But then, why am I friends with them?" She shrugged, then pulled out a DVD and put it into the player. "This one's a good one!"
Her task completed, Tanya ran back around to the couch and turned off the light, then grabbed a blanket and sat down next to Chuck. She threw the blanket over the two of them and snuggled up against the border collie.
A flutter ran up Chuck's spine as the bat girl leaned against him. If it were anyone else, he would have backed away immediately. Indeed, his mind was still screaming to do just that. But something about Tanya kept him still. She was warm, physically and emotionally. Comfortable. It actually felt nice to be that close to her. Much to his own surprise, he found himself leaning back into her.
As the movie began to play, Chuck registered one of the bat's arms wrapping around his. Her paw gripped his and squeezed. He squeezed back, earning a soft giggle from the girl.
"You're cute," Tanya whispered.
Almost as soon as she said it, she slapped her free paw over her mouth.
Chuck felt his face burning. She thought he was cute? Sure, his mom said it all the time, and Robbie's little sister had said it a few times... but a girl his own age thinking he was cute? That was totally new. But he had to admit, he thought she was cute, too...
"Umm... th-thanks?" Chuck whispered. "Y-you're c-c-cute, too."
Tanya squeezed his paw and looked at him. "Y-you mean that?" she whispered.
Chuck blushed and tore his eyes from the screen to look back at her. It took a lot of effort to maintain eye contact with her, but he managed it just long enough to give her a nod.
She beamed back at him. Before either cub knew what happened, she leaned in and kissed him, right on the lips. It wasn't a long kiss, just a quick peck. But their lips met for that brief moment. Both cubs looked away shyly. Their arms and paws remained intertwined. Was that his first kiss?
The cubs composed themselves and turned their attention back to the movie. Chuck could feel his eyes getting heavy. He yawned softly, and heard Tanya do likewise not long after. Before the movie ended, the two drifted off to sleep on the couch together.