FSE

Furry search engine

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"Have you seen this one?!"

Field, sitting on the couch in his parents' living room, glanced at his mother's phone. Anotherbaby picture? "Yeah, I saw it." And the one before that, and the one before--

"Why didn't you leave a comment?"

The golden-furred harvest mouse shrugged. "What am I supposed to say?"

"You could've at least left a heart emotion!"

"Emoji," Field corrected.

His mother scrolled to another image. "What about--"

"I'm part of the group text, mom," he said quietly.

"Oh." Done with her eldest son's lack of excitement, the older rodent got up and went to someone else, showing off her first grandchild.

His sister, who lived out of state and had married into a very well-to-do family, was sending a steady stream of baby pictures to the Indiana contingent. It was his parents' first grandchild, and they couldn't get enough. But after the hundredth photo of his nephew lying there looking exactly the same as last time, Field was growing unimpressed.

It didn't help that, as an amateur photographer, Field's photos were roundly ignored in the group convo. But baby pictures? Bam! Instant replies. Not that I'm jealous ... _ _

Whiskers twitching, Field exchanged a look with his mate, Adelaide. The pink-furred bat was lounging beside him. She flashed a reassuring smile.

They were at the family farmhouse for Sunday lunch. They'd already eaten and were idly hanging out, chitter-chattering and watching TV.

"What is this show?" Adelaide asked, waving a wing-arm at the screen. They didn't have a satellite at home, so she wasn't familiar with anything on the SCRY Channel. 'Programming to chew on!'

"Mouse Your House," Field said. His mother's favorite show. Five mice, all with disparate personalities and styles, went into a predator's home to tidy and reorganize it, leading to the predator's inevitable bewilderment.

"Who are these two that are bickering?" Adelaide asked.

"That's, um, Monty?" Field said.

"Cello," his mother corrected, now sitting in a recliner.

Adelaide squinted at a fuzzy pop-up graphic. "Monticello."

"Close enough," Field and his mother said simultaneously.

The 'high-definition' signal certainly wasn't looking it. Something must've come loose on the dish during a recent storm. When Field had mentioned this earlier, his mother had replied 'tell your father,' to which his father said 'looks fine to me.'

I'm going to have to fix it, aren't I?

"The other guy is Billings," Field's mother said. "Cello's in charge of the walls. Paint, color, décor. Billings is the hardware guy. Furniture and DYI's. He's always wearing a toolbelt."

A third mouse entered the picture.

"That's Edina. She's a planner, keeps everyone on schedule. She and Billings have a 'thing' going on."

"A 'thing'?"

"Yeah, you know ... that's what all the websites say."

Mom loves her gossip about famous people.

Adelaide watched as the scene cut to the remaining two mice flustering a puma, who flattened his ears and put his paws on his hips.

Field's mother laughed, slapping her knee. "Hah! Predators! They just don't get it ... "

Adelaide chuckled, more because of her mother-in-law's reaction than what was happening onscreen.

Field, crossing his arms, could admit the program was weirdly addicting. But it's basically mental junk food.

"Mom, I'm changing it to the game," said Field's youngest brother Dover, swiping the remote.

"Hey!" she squeaked. "I'm watching that!"

"It's a rerun."

"No, it's not!"

"They don't air new episodes of anything on Sunday afternoons." Changing it to the college basketball tournament, the younger mouse took a seat on the floor. He grumbled when he saw the score, tail whipping through the air. "Why did I pick them? I knew they were going to lose ... "

"Field's bracket is already busted," Adelaide told Dover.

"I didn't pay much attention this season," Field mumbled.When your own team is bad, it makes other games feel less relevant. His other brother, Dandy, was winning the family's bracket pool. _ _

Buzz!

"Oh, look, your sister dressed the baby in her school colors!"

Buzz!

Removing his phone from his pocket, he saw the picture, and then more buzzes as everyone in the family 'liked' the image. Animated hearts began to float around it.

He put the phone away.

When Field's mother got up to go to the kitchen (where Dandy, Dandy's mate, and Field's father were chatting), Adelaide leaned in and teased, "Something wrong, Uncle Field?"

"Don't call me that." Field's whiskers twitched. "It makes me sound old." At thirty-four, he was approaching the window for a 'midlife crisis,' right? Not that he needed a window for worrying and fretting. Every day is a crisis in my mind.

"Well, we're the same age, and I don't feel old," the bat insisted.

He gave her a side-eye. "Wonder why."

She showed her fangs and winked.

Field's family, back when they'd first met Adelaide, had been rather ... standoffish. Their firstborn son dating and marrying a bat? Why couldn't he have settled with a nice, sweet mouse girl, instead? There were plenty of them around! Bats were just so ... well, not just weird, but _openly_weird.

Had Adelaide corrupted him? They'd heard the longstanding rumors and innuendoes regarding bats. That they had vampiric tendencies, leeching off innocent souls. Maybe she was some sort of succubus, feeding off his masculine energy!

As if I had much of that to begin with.

Privately, his parents, aunts, and uncles had asked him about children. He wanted them, right? _Right?_Well, why not? You just don't know it yet! Mice and bats were barely compatible, though! Even if he managed it, their offspring would be sterile! What about the family line?

My sister can afford to have kids. Even if we wanted to, where's the money coming from?

As the years passed, their concerns gradually faded. More or less. The faux outrage was tiring to maintain, and Adelaide's chemistry with Field was hard to deny.

Buzz!

"Aww!" Field's mother squeaked, having returned to the room. She immediately showed Dover.

I'm happy for my sister. I am. But-

Buzz!

Field opened his maw to say something, but his mother anticipated this and cut him off.

"I'm sixty years old. Been waiting a long time for a grandchild! Was beginning to think I'd never get one."

"Well, Field and I still put in plenty of attempts," Adelaide said with a grin.

Field bit his lower lip and said nothing.

His mother blinked and shook her head, ignoring Adelaide as she sat back down on the couch.

"Another baby picture?" Field asked, his phone buzzing again. They were on their way home. With most of the roads being gravel in these parts, Field took it slow. They only lived a few miles away, so there was no hurry.

The fields they passed were muddy, mostly barren. Nothing had been planted in them yet. It was too wet and chilly. But the grass was turning green and leaves were forming on the trees. Maples, sycamores, tulip trees. Even the flowers are starting to show themselves. I saw daffodils this morning.

"No. My phone would've buzzed, too." Adelaide replied. In the passenger seat, she picked up his phone. He'd set it in the cupholder. The pink bat's big, bendy thumbs tapped at it. She barked out a laugh.

"'One of the interesting things about Adelaide is how she never feels she has to apologize'." Adelaide rolled her eyes and put his phone down. "Guess who?"

"Mom."

"She is so passive-aggressive! What did I even do? Besides 'stealing' you from them and whisking you a whole five miles down the road?"

Field let out a breath. He thought for a moment. "Oh. It was probably, uh--"

"Making fun of that show?"

"We didn't _really_say anything critical about it," Field insisted.

Adelaide restlessly adjusted her seatbelt. "I should've changed one of her presets to Channel 4. They have reruns of Belfry Bats on the weekends. Last time I was at Ketchy's, I got her hooked on that."

"Is that the one in the small Great Lakes town? Where quirky stuff happens? And there's a will-they/won't-they romance?"

"Yup. Early 90's."

"I remember." Field, one paw on the steering wheel, rubbed at his blue eyes with the other. Spring also meant allergies, and his eyes and nose were faintly burning. "Anyway. Mom's probably upset cause you implied that we ... you know ... "

"What?"

"Make a lot of ... I mean, have a lot of--"

"Sex? You can say it, Field."

"I was going to!"

Adelaide tilted her head. "Is three times a week considered a lot? How many times did we do it last week?"

"I don't know."

"Four?"

"Let's just split the difference and go with three-and-a-half."

"Is the half where I just sucked you off?" Adelaide asked.

Field's ears burned.

Adelaide searched on Field's phone. "For our age group, two times a week. That's the average. Huh. Guess we're doing pretty good!"

"Well, we don't have kids, so that accounts for more time and energy."

"Probably."

"And we live in the middle of nowhere." There were only so many fun ways to pass the time out here. Especially in the colder months.

"True." Adelaide looked out the window. "When we were in our 20's, we did it all the time," she recalled. "Seemed like it, anyway."

"Young love is more feverish," Field said.

The bat looked back to him. "We used to be more idealistic."

"Yeah ... "

The pair went quiet for a moment.

Then Adelaide asked, "Why does your mom always go through you? Why doesn't she say these things to my face?"

"Is that rhetorical?"

"No."

His whiskers twitched. "You've been around us ... my family ... long enough to know that we, uh, have a tendency to--"

"Beat around the bush?"

"Well ... "

"I can handle them not liking me. I'm a bat. We're 'freaks of nature.' It's a badge of honor for us."

Field wasn't so sure she believed that.

"But them thinking I'm bad for you? After all this time?" Her voice got quiet. "I don't know where you'd be without me ... "

Taking a paw off the steering wheel, he curled his fingers around one of her long, bendy thumbs. "I wouldn't want to find out," he whispered.

Adelaide gave him a warm, tender smile.

"I'm sorry I don't defend you more. I just ... I don't like confrontation. When you're a mouse, it's best not to call attention to yourself. That's how we do things."

"Society sucks, doesn't it?"

Field nodded and put both paws on the wheel, again. "I guess." He slowed for a stop sign, looking both ways and turned left.

"I'm _not_apologizing," Adelaide decided, back on the topic of the text. "It's not like there were kids in the room. We're all adults. We should be able to handle knowing we're all having sex."

"Yeah ... "

"I mean, she asked for more grandchildren. Did she forget how they're made? If Dandy or Dover's mates had said it, she wouldn't be upset." Adelaide bristled.

"I'm on your side," Field reassured, wanting the debate to be over. He didn't consider it an argument, cause if it were an argument he'd have completely shut down by now.

"I prefer you on your back," she replied.

Field rolled his eyes.

More seriously, Adelaide added, "I can tell how much it bothers you that your family ignores your photos but fawns over your sister's."

"I'm used to it."

"That's your reply to everything. Maybe you need to get used to something else."

"We're sorta stuck here," Field said, of their environment. "It's not like we can just move anywhere we want."

"Could always visit my parents, though. It'd be a change of scenery. They'd probably pay for the trip."

"They're always traveling, experiencing new things," Field pointed out. Adelaide has gotten her name from the place she was conceived, all the way down in Australia. "I feel boring when I'm around them."

"So, you're the life of the party the rest of the time?" the bat teased.

"Anyway, it would be hard for me to get off work." Field didn't work any jobs that provided benefits or paid vacation. Adelaide, working for the nearest town's public library system, did.

"You don't need to shoot everything down so quickly," Adelaide said. "It's okay to entertain things." She gave him a lingering look. "You're just afraid of raising your hopes and getting hurt."

Field's whiskers twitched. "You're the only one who's never disappointed me."

"Aw ... "

Field blushed.

"I love you just the way you are, you know. I just ... there's always room for growth. For the both of us."

"I know," Field admitted, slowing the car. They were almost to their driveway. "Are we still having Kody and Ketchy over tonight?" He'd almost forgotten about that.

"Yeah, around 5."

"Oh." It was just after 4-o'clock now.

"Too much socializing for you?"

"I'm an introvert. I need time to recharge." Especially after spending time with his family.

"You'll be fine, Field. You and Kody can talk sports."

"That's the _only_thing we have in common. You and Ketchy are best friends."

"You're just full of excuses today, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you mean," the mouse replied stubbornly.

"I'm not going to let you be a hermit today. We've gotten together with them a million times. And even if you've got a crush on Kody, that doesn't mean-"

"What?!"

"Hmm?"

"That's ... no!" His ears turned red. "That's ridiculous!"

She jabbed a wing-arm at him. "Then why are you getting so defensive?"

"I'm not!"

"Even Ketchy's noticed. You were the same way when you got that driver's autograph last year."

"That was different. He's my all-time favorite! I was just starstruck, is all."

"Maybe Kody can sign something for you," Adelaide said in a singsong tone.

"Adelaide ... "

"He's a hunk." The bat shrugged. "I mean, if I can admit that, you can, too. I think it's cute."

Field's whiskers twitched. "What is?" He pulled the car into their driveway, parked it, and turned it off.

"You getting bashful around another guy." Adelaide huffed, undoing her seatbelt. "Also, you being unable to admit it ... kinda does something for me."

Field got out of the car. "Oh, my gosh."

An hour later, their friends had arrived. The boys lounged in the living room watching the games.

"So, Field, you excited for racing season? That's your favorite, right?" Kody asked, taking a bite of pizza. He and Ketchy had brought over two boxes. One 'veggie lovers' and one 'plain cheese.'

"What?" Field asked, grabbing a garlic breadstick. One slice of pizza was his limit, and he'd already had it.

"Racing?"

"Oh, yeah. It's--" He paused while his mouth was full, then swallowed. "It's already started, actually." The mouse kept his gaze on the TV.

Not that he was afraid of making eye contact with Kody. Why should he be? Guys were allowed to look into each other's eyes. So what? He'd done it plenty of times. Kody's eyes were chocolate-brown, very rich and warm and ... well, they were brown. Anyway, that stuff Adelaide had said earlier was crazy.

"It has? Didn't hear anything about it." Kody took a swig from a soda can and then leaned back on the couch. The rabbit was effortlessly relaxed and confident at all times. Field admired that. Adelaide was like that, too. Sorta. It was more practiced with her. With Kody, it was a second pelt. Speaking of the bat ...

His ears swiveled. Her and Ketchy were laughing at something in the kitchen. But he couldn't hear the details over the television.

"Field?"

"Yeah, it started earlier this month. It's just that--"

The rabbit spread his arms out. One of them went behind Field's head, accidentally grazing an ear.

Field froze, holding his breath. That hadn't been on purpose, had it? No. Of course not. Everyone knew mouse ears were erogenous. Common knowledge, right? But it was an accident, so it didn't mean anything. And he wasn't aroused by it. Definitely not.

After waiting a few seconds, he finished, "No one pays attention 'til the Indy 500."

"I went a few times. To the 500. It was impressive! Huge crowd."

"This year will be my twentieth."

"Wow. Diehard." Next, Kody propped his legs up on the coffee table. Strong legs. With big, hopping foot-paws.

Field had seen enough wuxia and martial arts films. Rabbits cartwheeling and kicking all over the place, jumping off walls and stuff. He swallowed. Of course, that was the movies.

"I'm at the track all the time in May," Field said. "Practice and qualifying. The races. You should come with me." He cleared his throat and mumbled bashfully. "You know, if you wanted ... "

"Heh, we'll see." The rabbit winked at him.

Field, having ventured a glance, caught the wink and blushed. He quietly finished his breadstick and took a sip of water.

"You have a hoop out back, right?" Kody asked.

"Yeah."

"Wanna play?" The rabbit nodded at the screen. "It's not dark yet, and this game's a total blowout. Next one doesn't start for another half-hour. We won't miss anything."

"Well ... "

"I won't dunk on you. I'll even spot you points."

"I won't need it," Field said immodestly.

"That so?" Kody grinned.

Field was already on his way to the porch. "I'll go get the ball."

It was overcast with a light, chilly breeze outside. The hoop was right behind the house, out of sight of the road and in front of future fields of corn, soybeans, and alfalfa.

Kody dribbled, getting fancy with the ball. Stance wide, it passed in and out of his open legs.

Field tried not to look, keeping his eyes raised. But doing so invited a closer view of the rabbit's bare, toned chest. Off-white fur. Short and soft. Kody had taken his shirt off because he was 'getting hot.' Field hadn't objected. Why should he?

Kody clearly worked out. Like, 'lifting weights' kind of stuff. Field was plenty physically active, but he didn't have a physique like that! But, then, he didn't pound down food the way Kody did.

Field swiped for the ball, a pink paw barely missing it.

Kody hopped back, then spun, presenting his rear to Field.

The mouse's eyes widened. The ball out of reach, his eyes couldn't help but go to that signature bobtail. It flicked and fluffed like a furry flame.

Kody shuffled back, back, back.

Field tried to plant himself, but the rabbit was thicker and more muscular, and he moved the mouse with ease. Bumping into him with his rump, the slender mouse squeaked and stumbled back a step or two. He raised his arms to prevent what he assumed would be a sky-hook.

Instead, Kody used the Field's disorientation to pivot, spinning and scooping the ball underhanded instead of over. It soared up to the glass, where it bounced off and went through the net.

"Whoo! Six to two," Kody said, panting and raising both arms.

"We're going to twenty-one," Field reminded in a perfectly passive-aggressive mouse tone. He had to get his mind in the game! He had home-court advantage. He _wasn't_going to lose.

Kody checked him the ball.

Field took a deep breath. Ears swiveling, he heard the door to the back porch swing open and slam shut. The girls had seen them and were coming out to spectate.

"Field, take off your shirt, too!" Ketchy shouted, leaning against a tree trunk not too far away.

"Yeah, pander to your fans," Adelaide said, sitting down in the grass.

The mouse gave the bat a look.

Kody flexed playfully.

Ketchy whistled.

Adelaide, seeing how red Field's ears were getting, mouthed something to Ketchy. They both giggled and the bat said, "You need some water, mousey?"

"I'm fine," he mumbled, dribbling around the three-point line. He felt a determination welling up in him. He wasn't going to fail in front of his mate because he had a so-called 'crush' on his opponent. Kody may have been stronger, but Field was quicker, and more accurate from longer range.

Kody held back, expecting a layup or drive to the hoop.

Field took advantage of this, pulling up without thinking. Arms raised, the ball sailed in a clean arc. He kept his follow-through and clenched his jaw as the ball swished through the net.

"Gotta guard that jumpshot!" Ketchy warned her mate.

"Lights out, Field!" Adelaide cheered. "What's the score?"

"Six to five, me," Kody said, getting the ball back. He grinned at Field. It had been a casual contest before, but now that they had an audience, the competitive juices were flowing.

Field met the rabbit's gaze, panting. The mouse removed his shirt and tossed it to the grass.

Adelaide leaned to Ketchy and said, "Game on."

Kody, after some fancy dribbling, charged to the basket. With an expert jump, he soared past it on purpose and delivered a reverse layup off the backboard.

Field responded with some evasive perimeter moves, hoping to put up another three. Kody shadowed him. Having been distracted by the rabbit's muscular legs and surprisingly sharp-clawed foot-paws allowed him to notice they were tensing, as if poised to jump. He wanted to block Field's shot.

Field decided to fake him out. He acted like he was about to shoot. Kody took the bait, extending himself and leaping at the mouse. Field pulled the ball back and bounced it off Kody's thigh so as not to double dribble, then took off to the hoop.

Eight to seven, Kody.

"Is that legal?" Ketchy asked Adelaide on the sidelines. She'd left the tree and now stood beside the bat, arms crossed, bushy tail flickering at random.

"Pretty sure," the bat replied. She shifted from her rump to her knees. It was clear that Field wasn't as athletic as Kody, but the mouse's obsessive way of thinking was allowing him to strategize through it.

The shirtless males traded a couple more interior shots. Kody with a hook-shot and another layup, Field with two fadeaway jumpers, one of them off the glass.

Twelve to eleven, Kody.

"How do we know who wins?" Ketchy asked.

"First to twenty-one," Adelaide said.

Kody, getting impatient, jacked one up from distance. The delivery was too strong, however, and it clanked off the back of the rim. The rebound was high and to the side. Field anticipated it first, quickly tracking it down.

Retreating beyond the arc, the mouse turned and instantly let it fly. It was a high, arcing shot. A deep three. Swish!

Field had his first lead of the game, fourteen to twelve.

"What," Kody went in disbelief. "How? You didn't even square yourself up! You were still in motion."

"Muscle memory," Field said.

"Mm." The rabbit, getting the ball back, squinted and bumped his way forward with his greater bulk, stopping inside the foul line and rattling one home.

Tie game, fourteen all.

"You two having fun out there?" Ketchy asked, having picked up on the competitive tension.

"Yeah," the guys insisted in unison, their eyes not leaving each other.

"We can go back inside if you need any privacy," Adelaide said lightly.

Field's whiskers twitched, not responding to that. It was his possession. He tried for another jump shot, but this one bounced off the rim and into Kody's paws. The rabbit bolted back, then attacked Field directly, Euro-stepping around him and to the rim.

Sixteen to fourteen, Kody.

Field shot Adelaide a look, as if to say 'thanks for distracting me.'

The bat blinked, taken aback by the fire in the mouse's eyes.

Field, regaining possession, dribbled steadily. Kody hung back this time, as if daring him to shoot it. The rabbit had seen Field badly miss the last shot and could see the mouse was flustered. Kody knew Field would try to get a closer look. But every time the mouse feinted to drive, the rabbit side-stepped into his path. He was going to have to get creative.

"What's he doing?" Ketchy asked Adelaide, of Field's sudden zigzagging movements.

"Classic mouse stratagem," Adelaide replied, standing up. She grinned widely.

The squirrel, confused, watched as Field ran back and forth across the court, inching forward each time, then skirting back. Kody, not knowing whether to pursue or hold his ground, began to get antsy. Eventually, he lunged. And missed. Field circled around him and to the hoop.

"Didn't he burn a crazy amount of energy doing that?" said Ketchy.

"He's good for a few bursts."

It was a tie game, again. Sixteen to sixteen.

Kody slowly dribbled at the top of the key, whiskers wilting slightly. His tall, slender ears were also tipped forward. It wasn't hot out. Lukewarm, at best. But his bigger frame had heated up quickly.

Field was equally disheveled. Panting heavily, the mouse didn't allow himself to think about fatigue. Or the fact that pizza and garlic sticks weren't meant to be eaten before strenuous exercise.

Kody dribbled once, twice, and then spun around, backing Field up with his bobtailed rump again. Field was prepared for a spin move. He wasn't prepared for the muscular jam that Kody threw down. The rabbit jumped up so high that Field backed away in awe, eyes widening, as the handsome, big-eared male emphatically dunked the basketball. The hoop was still shaking when he returned to the ground. Almost as much as Field's knees.

Even Adelaide had to whistle at that.

Kody, bouncing Field the ball, didn't say anything.

The mouse's ears flushed with blood. After the initial admiration, steam began to emerge from his lobes. Or so he imagined. Kody had promised not to do that! Was that the only way he thought he could win? The rabbit was on a game-sealing point, now. All he needed was three points. The mouse needed six!

Field took the ball back, back, his heels almost in the grass. Locked in, jaw clenched, he chucked it up. Straight as an arrow, off the backboard. In.

The cream-colored rabbit huffed, unable to believe it.

All tied up once more, each of them three points away from victory.

Field knew Kody wasn't a strong three-point shooter. The smart thing to do would be to let him go in for an easy two. _I'll still be alive for the win, then._But if Field missed the next shot, all the rabbit would need was a simple layup.

Kody took the opening Field gave and began to bolt by him, but the mouse whipped his prehensile, ropy tail toward the basketball. It was a precision strike, altering the ball's trajectory by just enough to make it bounce off Kody's foot-paw. The ball rolled away.

Kody, looking around for it, spotted Field dashing to the far, left corner of the court. It was too late. The mouse turned and let it fly. He kept his paw in the air, dangling until the result was clear.

Swish!

"Whoo, Field!"

"Damn," Ketchy muttered, both impressed and disappointed.

"Tail interference, any?" Kody panted, paws on hips.

"Nice dunk," was all the mouse said lightly.

Kody chuckled and walked back to the house.

Field took a deep breath and followed.

An hour later, Kody and Ketchy had gone home. The sun was nearly set. Field, in the fur, turned on the shower. Waiting for the water to get warm, he stepped inside the smooth, yellow tub. Before he could close the curtain, the bathroom door opened.

"Want some company?" Adelaide asked, peeking in.

"Alright."

"Might want to control your enthusiasm there, mousey." Already naked, his pink-furred mate entered the tiny room. Steam soon filled the air. She left the door halfway open to better disperse it, joining Field beneath the silver shower head, hot water raining on them both.

Field slid the curtain to the wall and hugged the bat.

In return, she wrapped her wing-arms around him. They began to sway together, foreheads touching as the water soaked into their head-fur and ran down their backs to their tails.

Field ran his pink paws up and down her back.

"Something on your mind?" Adelaide whispered against his cheek.

"I don't know ... "

Adelaide didn't push. That was Field's way of saying 'yes, but I don't know how to express it.' She just said, "I was proud of you today."

Field looked into her purple eyes. "For what?"

"Beating Kody. You showed your dominant side! You know, the thing you said you didn't have?"

"I'm just competitive. It was testosterone or something. That's all." He listened to the water splashing against them, against everything.

Adelaide slowly moved her wing-tip between them.

"What are you doing ... "

"Thought I should check the source. Make sure you didn't strain anything."

He gave her an 'oh, you' look.

The wing-tip went back up. "You're always downplaying what you can do."

"Yeah. Well. My family's always been ... practical."

"I know. A little _too_practical," she insisted. "Of course, mine's the opposite. They think anything is possible. Their standards are so high I could never possibly meet them."

"Yeah, cause they're rich and you're not. When we have money, they'll take us seriously."

"Ah, so never?" Adelaide asked.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be in their will, at least."

"So, twenty-five years from now, I'll finally be able to receive validation from them, only they won't be around to bestow it? Hmm. Yeah. Seems like a stunt they'd pull."

"It's amazing we both turned out like we did. And that we found each other." Field smiled happily. "Makes me feel all--"

"You're such a sap, mousey," Adelaide murmured, tilting her maw and accepting a slow, simmering kiss. When it broke, she mumbled against his chin, "We really have to visit them this summer."

"Why ... "

"It's my parents' fortieth anniversary. They want all their immediate kin there."

"Mm."

The pair stopped talking for a minute, nuzzling and nosing, hugging and rubbing. The water was still plenty warm.

Field sighed against his mate's cheek. He thought back to the basketball game. "I'm glad I won. I would've been mad if I'd lost. But I wasn't even consciously thinking about it. I just ... played, you know? Just did it. I feel so much more confident when I don't think."

"Been telling you not to think for years."

"You just want me all docile and suggestible, don't you?"

"You know it." Adelaide grazed her sharp, curvy fangs along his neck. "Kody made you think a few times," she said in a sultry tone.

Field shivered a little. "That why you're in the shower with me right now? You want me to give you what I'd give him?"

"Oh, he'd definitely be the one giving it to you," Adelaide said.

Field's ears burned. "I don't want to ... I don't even want him like that! It's just--"

"A crush. And it's bloody cute," she said, kissing him again. After thirteen years of marriage, any bit of spice they could add to their love life was welcome. "You might be quiet as a mouse, but you make my heart beat loud."

"Now who's being a sap?" Field murmured, guiding the bat to the tiled shower wall.

Adelaide answered by lifting one leg and hooking it around his hip.

Field smiled. "I guess we'll call it even." Not everything had to be a competition, after all.