Grayscale

I watched the ember burning near my fingers, the dim light reflecting lightly off the thin fur. I let the cigarette smolder, holding my arm away from my body while pinning my elbow to my knee. I remained leaning forward, too enraptured with my own thoughts to take another drag. As I mulled the night over in my mind, I stared blankly into the mirror embedded in the wall. I observed the bookshelf behind me, its expanse taking up the entire wall. Tomes of varying length and width marched from ceiling to floor, with some of the books nearly squashed into the shelves. I then gazed at my feet, ignoring my talons and toes in favor of inspecting the loosely scattered clothes among the shag carpet. The lighter gray fabric allowed for good visibility against our darker clothes strewn about. Missus Robinson collected herself next to me, turning over in the tangled sheets.

"You're a master of your craft." She complimented, the cougar stretching as she spoke.

"Mmm."

She rolled towards me. My eye caught hers as she rested her cheek against her arm, her whiskers pressed up and away from her light toned arm. Her fur remained monochrome against the sheets, only highlighted by the light from the bedside lamp. I inspected the depths of the shadows, finding her slim figure as it sank into the bed covers.

"You can talk to me, you know."

"What do you mean?" I played dumb, wanting to avoid a confrontation.

She gave a breathy exhale, before resuming.

"I'm not sure how much your employer told you about me, but--"

"Missus Robinson." I interrupted, "Lives at 45 North and Burkshire, cozy home with a black roof and blue wood siding, not that blue means anything to me anymore. Husband is away on a business trip to Brazil, won't be home for a few more days."

Missus Robinson huffed, managing to force it into a smile.

"By night I may enjoy some...spicier company. But by day, I'm a Psychiatrist."

"Ah." I feigned being impressed, finally pulling the stogie back to my lips.

"That being said," she resumed, "I could tell by your performance tonight that you're...distracted."

I exhaled a plume of smoke, looking away from her.

"You may be a big bear, but you're not impossible to read. There's something on your mind."

"If you're dissatisfied with your service, we can go again, if you'd prefer."

"I...prefer the fence at the peak as opposed to the ambulance in the valley."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Come again?"

"Sorry. It's an old tale. It's a way of saying I prefer to deal with problems at their source, rather than putting bandages over a persistent issue."

Her tail caught my eye, leading me to quietly inspect the faded black tip, the darker shade fur graduating into a lighter tone of fur as I looked closer to her rear. It waved lazily behind her bare ass, unburdened by the sheets tangled around her sleek figure.

"I was under the impression that you were my client," I joked, "not the other way around."

She chuckled.

"True, but, would you like to talk about what's bothering you?"

"I'm not sure what your rates are," I began, pausing to smoke, "but I'm not paying for therapy, and I'm not lowering your fee for tonight."

Missus Robinson released a hearty chuckle while rolling back.

"Oh honey, you are getting paid, make no mistake on that." She clarified as she came up.

I put out the cigarette in the bedside ashtray, before leaning towards her.

"Then, madam, would it please you to psychoanalyze me?"

She held back, though our snouts hovered only centimeters from each other. I could feel her breath on my nose as her eyes studied my expression. She finally leaned in and kissed me, her lips curling, likely at the taste of the ash. She whispered after her lips parted from mine.

"Only if you're comfortable."

"If I wasn't," I began, locking my eyes with her gray irises, "I wouldn't be here."

"So, Dan," her sultry tone dripping like caramel, "what's been bothering you?"

Pavement stretched like an empty field before me, white lines dividing the surface like cubicles neatly arranged. My eyes drifted up as I left the vehicle, seeing the lively grass as dark gray as it ever was. Bushes served as the transition between the building ahead and the lawn. I noted the gray roses, surrounded by dark leaves. Varying shades of gray bricks secured the walls, only broken up by the white window trim. Black tiles marched upwards, propping a white spire at the center of the roof. The church stood taller than any of the houses nearby, the lone spire reaching towards the cloudy sky.

"The architecture of a prison..." I thought quietly, "...Just with better PR."

I sighed a childhood of religious rebellion away, closing the door of my car behind me. I tugged on and adjusted my tie as I approached the entrance.

"Hey, wait for me goofball!"

I turned slightly as I stopped, viewing the Giraffe as she clambered out of the vehicle behind me.

"Sorry," I apologized, turning back to face her, "guess I'm zoning out again."

She approached, her sandals flopping against the pavement as she leaned down and planted a kiss on my cheek. She then pulled me in for a hug, Maxi clearly worried for me.

"I understand you're upset." She excused, "I know she meant the world to you."

I nodded, feeling her soft hands as they rubbed my back through the stuffy suit. She broke the hug, offering a weak smile as she looked at me.

"There's hardly anyone here." She observed, looking around the nearly empty lot, "Are you sure this's the right church?"

"I'm...I'm sure." I answered, turning back towards the brick structure, "We're just early."

Maxi followed me. As we walked, I gazed up at the curvy clouds. They stretched from the mountain at my front to the horizon long behind me. Each dip in the overcast threatened to release rain onto us. Given my heat in the suit and the mood, rain would be welcome. I gazed back down as we traversed the glass vestibule entrance to the church. A gaudy vegetable-soup patterned carpet met our tread. The plain walls around were occasionally broken up with religious paintings. Below many paintings sat oddly textured couches, with chairs scattering the hallway on either side of the entrance. Straight ahead sat a pair of double wooden doors, their presence preventing me from seeing the basketball court beyond. At the foot of the door, blocking most of its visibility was an amassed group. They caught my attention as my brother separated himself from them and approached us. Wordlessly, and with tears welling in our eyes, the wolverine grabbed and held me. I embraced him, feeling his unsteady breathing as he fought a breakdown.

"Glad you came, bro." He admitted as we hugged, his voice nearly cracking.

"Of course." I returned, sniffling, "I had to be here."

"I..." He paused, "I was worried you wouldn't come."

I sighed, patting his back.

"I'm here for family." I reminded him, "We're all family here."

I finished patting him and broke the hug, stepping back to allow him to hug Maxi.

"I'm so sorry Josh." She consoled him, "I'm so sorry for you both."

"Thank you." He said as he broke the hug, "Come, join us."

We took his invitation, before he pointed while turning.

"You can put your coats up there."

I turned to Maxi, taking her coat as she offered it, leaving her in a plain sundress. I hung our coats up on a busy coat rack, before turning back to meet the other members of the assembled party. Maxi had joined them in conversation, her tall figure towering above the congregation. Among them was Isaac, a spotted hyena who was a long time friend. Marty stood next to him, the plump boar from Minnesota, friendly as he was funny. June and his girlfriend Juniper stood slightly back from the group, the cheetah girl latched onto the arm of the antelope man. Brett also stood beside them with his girlfriend, the beaver wrapping his arm around the smaller shoulders of the mouse girl beside him. My lip curled down slightly upon seeing her, Hannah being a less-than-welcome addition to our friend group. I sighed, fixing my maw, before adjusting my pants, feeling that my tail nub had slipped back in. Once I could feel the cool air on my short tail, I joined them. As I stood beside Maxi, I realized her tall stature had been blocking my sight of an individual.

"Oh." I thought, "Fuck."

Curly black hair ran like whitewater rapids down her head, stopping shy of her neck to form a messy mangle of curls. A form fitting black dress with dark gray highlights clothed her Aphrodite figure, curvy and standing confident while conversing with the group. Chara's eyes caught mine, lightning striking between us. The cat held my gaze, the colored highlights around her perky ears illuminating a single twitch. The dark shade of her iris made it nearly indistinguishable from her pupils, only her sclera preventing her eyes from being completely antithesis of alabaster. Eons eroded around us as we stared. It felt like a lifetime since I had last held her gaze. And in that lifetime, I lost myself.

"So you knew her?"

"I had, yes." I answered slowly, picking my words carefully, "But we hadn't spoken...or really seen each other in the three or so years before that."

"And she just showed up at your sister's funeral?"

I rolled back, looking at the mirror after my labored movement brought me upright.

"She was her sister, too. We were all family there."

"Biological?" Missus Robinson inquired, leaning in.

"Not expressly, no. We were a close-knit group, called each other brothers and sisters. We all knew family went deeper than blood...much deeper. We had to be there for each other. I just wasn't expecting to see her."

"Was it mutual?"

I watched as I raised an eyebrow in the mirror. Missus Robinson rolled up next to me, looking into the mirror and seeing my expression.

"Between you two," she clarified, "was it mutual that it ended?"

"Kind of." I muttered, "I used to be kind of a shit head."

She chuckled, brushing my broad shoulder with her hand.

"I think we all were."

"Right, but I was a whole different breed of shitty."

"Elaborate."

"Pretending to be someone I wasn't, putting on a facade, lying through my teeth about damn near everything in my life."

"Mmm," she grumbled as she reached up and kissed my neck, "honesty is a valuable commodity these days."

"That is true," I agreed, "and in the time separated from her, and quite a few others, I learned."

"You grew." She insisted.

"I did, I began to recognize a lot of what I'd done wrong. I began apologizing and coming clean with a lot of people in my life."

She paused, seeming to search for her words.

"How did that go?"

"Rough." I summarized.

"Care to elaborate?"

With a hefty sigh, I resumed.

"Quite a few people I looked up to cut me out of their lives. More than a few just stopped talking to me altogether. I expected Maxi to leave...she was actually the first one I came clean to."

"Seeing that she was still with you at the funeral, I take it she took it well?"

"It took her a while." I remembered aloud, "She wasn't sure how to feel at first, and had a lot of questions. Once the dust had settled, she decided that she'd fallen in love with my actions rather than my history."

Missus Robinson nodded, continuing to hold me. I watched her breasts rise in the mirror as she took a deep breath.

"What were you lying about? If you don't mind me asking."

I huffed.

"I pretended to be Russian. Rewrote and retold my entire history, pretended my family was deceased, and that I was alone in this new world."

"Accent and all?" She inquired.

I cleared my throat.

"Only every so often." I began, mustering the accent, "American pig-dogs will buy almost anything. You tell them you drink wodka, and they are sold."

She chuckled.

"It's not even remotely convincing." She added with a smile.

"True," I resumed, dropping the accent, "but I'm well beyond the mindset of trying to trick people."

"So you tricked Chara?"

I chuckled.

"Not expressly. She saw through it pretty much immediately."

Missus Robinson and I shared the silence for a moment. I soon realized she was waiting for me to continue.

"We met in high school." I added, "I'd moved from a different city and my response to a new environment was to pretend to be a new person."

"Even though no one knew you?"

I nodded.

"I recognize that it was a defense mechanism, built up from a childhood of being forced to cope with various degrees of abuse, neglect, and certain overbearing figures."

"A mature thing to recognize." She pointed out, "I sometimes work with clients for months to get them to realize that something they're doing is a defense mechanism."

"I'd realized well beyond that in those three years." I resumed, "I learned to be more honest, to open myself up and to not be as critical of the people around me. I stopped doing little tests with people, running them behind their backs...often with the intention of getting the results I desired."

"So...help me build the puzzle." She suggested, "How does this play in?"

"It plays in because I was effectively a new man when I ran into her again. I recognized the wrong I had done to her, and felt the need to apologize, even if she wouldn't hear me out."

"So you apologized?"

"I wanted to." I began, "But first I had to talk to her. With everything going on, I wasn't going to apologize for everything that night."

"So you hatched a plan?" She guessed.

"I did, yes."

"And how did it go?"

Maxi joined me in the vehicle as I slumped down. I sank into the seat, the weight of the evening still on me. She gazed over at me as she slid her seat belt on.

"How...um."

She paused, clearly searching for the words. As she did, I put the keys in the ignition.

"How are you holding up?" She finally asked.

"I'm...I'm here."

"I'm sorry." She excused, planting a kiss on my cheek, "I didn't realize she'd be here."

"Yeah, neither did I."

"We don't have to go over to their house..." She explained.

"I know. I...We should go."

"Are you sure?" She asked as I similarly secured my seat belt.

"I'm sure." I finalized, "If it's too much, then we can leave."

I sighed.

"And besides, everyone will be there." I said, before chuckling and starting the car, "If Nikky would have wanted anything, it would be for us to have a good time."

I began driving, taking us away from the gray brick church. I steered out onto the road, both of us shifting as I slightly cut the curb. We passed in relative silence through the backwater town, the mountains towering over us in the background. I activated the windshield wipers, scraping an array of rain clear. I focused on my breathing, doing what I could to pull my attention away from the funeral.

"I didn't think that many people would show up." Maxi said, pulling me back.

"I know, when they upgraded us from the small event room to the main chapel...that was easily 300 people."

"It felt like more. It's crazy." She remarked.

"It's a small town." I clarified, "When someone dies, especially someone like her...well...everybody shows up."

We pulled up and joined the volley of cars parked around the duplex. I shut the engine down, killed the lights, and prepared to exit. As I unclipped my belt, Maxi gently grabbed my wrist.

"Are you sure?" She verified.

I sighed, knowing that her growing concern was justified.

"I'm sure." I excused, "Let's head in, we'll have a good time, alright?"

She nodded, before leaning in. I kissed her, feeling her soft lips as they graced mine. As we broke away, Maxi awarded a weak smile, and we exited the vehicle. A few people stood outside the duplex, Josh once again singling himself out and waving us up onto the porch. We joined him on the simple concrete structure, hugging us again.

"She'd be happy we're all here." He concluded, the wolverine wiping some tears away.

"Agreed, bro."

I broke my hug with him, before gazing at the structure. The simple one story house before us had been split in twain, leaving the other half to the neighbors. The roof was slanted very slightly, leaving it likely that you could walk along it upright. Two windows faced the street, one hovering just slightly over the porch we stood on. The blinds had been drawn closed, but light illuminated the area out here. With his invitation, we followed him inside, finding the home packed with people. Many friends and family had decided to join the celebration, leaving little room for us to mingle in. I stayed relatively back, Maxi leaning in to speak.

"Sorry hon, I need to use the restroom. Do you know where it is?"

"I think it's back in that hall." I suggested, barely remembering the floor plan.

"Thanks love."

Maxi disappeared into the crowd, though her tall figure left her highlighted as she pushed her way through. I sighed, leaning back against the wall next to the front door. As my social anxiety kicked in, Chara emerged.

"It's, uh, it's a bit stuffy." She admitted.

"Yeah." I agreed, "I might sit outside."

"I'll join you." She suggested, her black dress twirling as she spun the door open.

We both exited, and I closed the door behind us. Nobody seemed to really notice we'd slipped out, and I was welcoming towards that outcome.

"Oh, good. The rain let up." She reported, seating herself on the edge of the concrete step.

I gazed up at the stars. Peering through the breaks in the cloud cover, their light twinkled through our wet atmosphere. Chara sighed, leaning back and letting her legs dangle into the loose approximation of a garden below.

"You were pretty distant at the funeral." She pointed out, "Everyone's worried about you."

I huffed.

"You know me, I just need some time."

"I get that. I can...I can leave you be if you'd like."

"Actually, I'd like to talk to you."

"Yeah?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow, "I didn't notice."

She very much had. I'd fought all evening to keep from staring at her. I turned further as laughter erupted from within the small home.

"Sounds like they're having fun." I jested.

"Yeah, they were getting ready to play Crabs against Humidity."

I chuckled.

"So...you want to talk?"

After a deep inhale, I nodded.

"I realize this isn't the place...nor maybe the time."

"It isn't." She agreed.

"So, I'd like to--"

"Dan." She interrupted, "Emotions are high, we're all stressed. We just lost Nikky, and right now really isn't the time."

"I know." I accepted, "Which is why I'm asking if you'd like to meet later. Maybe sometime this weekend. I'd...I'd like to apologize."

Chara exhaled, looking to the stars.

"Apologize."

I thought she was asking at first. Then it struck me that she wasn't asking, but more mulling the word around her head as she dissected it. Her curls bounced as she looked to me.

"You want to apologize?"

I nodded. She took my answer and gazed back up at the stars.

"That's..."

"And there's no pressure." I added, "You...You don't have to hear me out. I know what happened between us. I'm not daft, and I know it really affected you. It affected...well, all of us. But you're right, tonight isn't the time, so whenever you're ready, if you're ready, you let me know."

Chara gave a single nod as she looked at me, before following my gaze up to the starry sky.

"I...I would like that." She accepted, "I'll let you know when."

"Thank you. How...H--" I choked up a bit, "Sorry, how are you holding up?"

"I'm...I'm here." She finally muttered, keeping her eyes on the great burning balls of gas hanging like ornaments in the sky.

"I hear that." I echoed.

Silence. The air between us held only the muffled chuckles from the party inside, each of them motivated in lifting each other's spirits. Chara and I shared the dim, moonlit company. In the welcome quiet, I reached out, offering a hug. Chara gave a weak smile, before collapsing lightly into my arms. She brought hers up and wrapped them around my thick shoulders, hugging me back.

"Thank you for hearing me out."

She gave a soft snort, before breaking the hug.

"Thank you for not being an ass about me coming."

"Of course." I granted, "She's your sister, too."

"Yeah." She agreed, gazing back up, "Josh...Josh told me you might have been the last to see her."

I nodded.

"Maxi and I had her over for dinner the night before." I elaborated, before realizing I needed to change the subject, "How's...uh...how's Dillan?"

She exhaled, gazing back down at the street.

"We're...separated at the moment."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, "I'd rather not get into it."

"Fair enough." I returned.

After another few moments of silence, she returned with a question.

"Would you, uh, would you like to go for a drive? I need to get gas before I head home."

"Uh, sure."

She rolled up to her feet, her flat shoes helping her keep balance as she moved towards her vehicle.

"Well?" She asked, looking back at me.

"Right, coming."

I snapped out of my head and joined her. We entered her SUV, where I sat in the passenger's side. After securing my seat belt and settling in, she turned on the seat warmer for me.

"Snazzy."

She clicked her tongue, before putting the vehicle into drive.

"It was..."

She paused, looking around the street.

"Yes?"

"Sorry, trailed off." She excused, "It was good to see you tonight."

"Likewise." I agreed, sitting back, "You...you look good."

She gripped the steering wheel, tightening her grasp.

"You do too." She returned, keeping her eyes on the road.

The white streetlights overhead illuminated the wet pavement below. Her vehicle cruised along as she made her way further into town. I inhaled slowly, letting my ears take in the sound of the rain as it began splashing against her windshield. For a moment, I noticed more than my world of black and white. The sounds of her soft breathing paired with the rain and wet tires painted more for me. I exhaled slowly. The moment was interrupted as she brought the vehicle to a halt at the light. I looked up. The top illuminated, indicating a stop. She waited patiently for the bottom signal to turn on, allowing her to turn. The three gray lights only meant anything to me due to their position, and I prayed that I'd never encounter a sideways traffic light. As the light turned, she too moved her vehicle towards the gas pumps. With compression on the brakes, she brought the vehicle to a stop. I unbuckled and got out.

"Getting something?" She inquired.

"Indeed."

I grabbed my card, putting my wallet away as I swiped for the pump.

"Oh, you...you don't have to do that." She excused.

"I know I don't, but I want to." I clarified, punching my pin in.

She smiled, sitting back in the seat. Her expression soon became stern, before she turned back out to face me.

"Why are you being so nice?" She asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"Why are you being nice?" She repeated, "You were a...well...an absolute fucking asshole the last time I saw you."

"An insufferable tool?" I guessed.

"A right bag of dicks."

"Perhaps even a swollen, festering stew of rancid ass?"

"Something like that," she agreed, "yeah. So why are you being nice?"

"Perhaps," I stated as I pulled her gas tank open, "it's because I recognize what a sack of shit I used to be, and decided to change."

I slid the pump in, pushing the nozzle to the base, before giving it a good shove to ensure it was flush. I then pulled the nozzle, pumping gas into her tank.

"I...I did a lot of self reflection." I clarified as she listened intently, "I dropped the whole "Viktor" thing, and I..."

I caught her eyes again. Her hopeful yet inquisitive gaze caught me on the back foot.

"So you don't...you don't want anything out of me?"

"No, heavens no." I dismissed, "I'm beyond that, thankfully."

She sighed.

"I...I want to believe you."

I jostled the pump as it stopped. I tapped the end of the nozzle on the brim, shaking the last few droplets into the tank. I put the pump away.

"I learned a valuable lesson," I began, "A dishonest man expects your trust..."

I looked at her again, Chara standing before me with her thin black fur and curly hair. I waited for a spark of color to enter my gaze like it had all those years ago, but it was fruitless. She stood, grayscaled against everything around.

"...an honest man earns it." I finished.

She sighed, walking slightly forward and hugging me again.

"I'm glad you've grown." She expressed.

I hugged her back.

"I am, too."

She sniffled and pulled herself away, wiping some tears.

"Alright, let's get you back, I'm sure Maxi's worried about you."

I laughed, before joining her in the vehicle again.

"She'll be fine." I excused, "She's a big girl, she can take care of herself."

"Big is right."

"What's that?"

"Nothing."

Missus Robinson laid her head on my lap, snuggling closer. I lit another cigarette as she spoke.

"Were you afraid that she'd promise to meet you and then leave you hanging?"

I shrugged, watching my bulky, black fur covered shoulders as they rose and sank.

"As a quick aside, when I was a cub, my mother was dating a...man, who turned out to be a thief and a scoundrel."

"Oh?"

"One of the first Christmas holidays I remember was when they got my sister and I a bunch of presents, only for my mom to come in the next night and rip them all away. Turned out that Eli had stolen all of them, and she felt they needed to be returned. I found out later that she'd actually sold them off; gave her more money for drugs."

Missus Robinson snuggled in closer, kissing my thigh. I smiled down at the gray cougar, before taking a drag.

"No one that young should have to go through that."

"Perhaps not." I agreed, exhaling and bringing a hand down to massage behind her ears, "But it taught me in the long run not to expect anything. I stop getting excited for things until they happen, and even then, I temper myself."

"Defense mechanism?" She asked.

"Defense mechanism."

"So...how did that play in with Chara?"

"Well, we agreed to meet, and it made it so that I wasn't actually expecting her to meet me."

"Always preparing for the worst can be a rather defeatist and unhealthy outlook on life."

"Rather pessimistic." I agreed, "But that's where I draw the line for myself. I grew, through my father's AA meetings, to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can, and garner the wisdom to tell them apart."

"Both parents, huh?"

I sighed.

"I wasn't expressly inflating the truth when I mentioned being a product of my upbringing."

"In my experience," she began, taking a few deep breaths, "people who struggle against parental authority can end up cycling around in defiance, and performing acts of self harm or self destruction just because they wish to rebel."

She sat up, looking in the mirror.

"I had one client, a younger girl, who ended up falling deep into drug addiction because her parents warned her not to, and she wanted to rebel. Would you say that description fits you?"

"Not expressly." I disagreed, blowing smoke into the open confines of the room.

"So how would you say your relationship with your parents has affected you these days?"

"My mother taught me how to lie." I began, taking yet another drag, "And my father, much later in life, taught me when to lie."

"How do you mean?"

"Sunflower would get mad at my sister and I if we told her what she didn't want to hear, even if it was the truth. So we learned how to read the room, gather what people want to hear and learn how to mimic that."

"And your father?"

"Well, I should say my dad."

"Your dad?"

With a sigh, I resumed.

"When I was out of high school, I met with my mother. She'd returned from being missing for the better part of three years. She came back clean, or so she told everyone. I met her for dinner, and bit my tongue when she ordered a few drinks. She began venting to me, told me a lot of my history that had been obfuscated, and...she told me that Lando wasn't my father. At least not my biological one."

"Woof." Missus Robinson remarked.

"A few years later, he and I worked together for a Father and Son handyman business. While on a particularly quiet job, I asked him if he knew about it. He admitted that he did, and that he'd suspected for a long time."

"So who is your biological father?" She asked.

I met her with a shrug.

"I don't know, and I don't know if I want to know. I don't think knowing the man whose balls I swam out of really changes who I am, or who I need to be."

She chuckled, resting herself back against me. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder as I reached over and extinguished the nearly spent cigarette.

"What's your relationship like with your parents?"

"Easy now, we're doing therapy for you, remember?"

I sighed, smiling.

"True, but maybe I want to get to know you a little better."

Missus Robinson stretched, before bringing her arms up and around my body. She kissed my neck, her whiskers tickling my fur as she embraced me.

"Right now, you can know my body."

I leaned in, kissing her colorless forehead.

"And a beautiful body to know." I returned.

Her hands resumed exploring my bare body. I pulled her closer, kissing down her neck. She exhaled slowly, growling in anticipation.

"Tell me." She grumbled.

"What would you like to hear, ma'am?" I returned, adopting a low and sultry tone.

"Tell me what happened with Chara."

She moaned as I brought my teeth against her neck, applying enough pressure to part her fur and press the skin in.

"Tell me what happened when you met her."

I slid out of bed, Maxi stretching as I moved.

"God," she cursed, bringing a finger between her legs, "there's so much."

I chuckled, bringing my torso back over the bed and kissing her. The giraffe smiled after I broke away and stretched.

"I'll get you a towel," I remarked, "then I should probably get ready."

As I brought her a clean towel, she leaned up and showed me her concerned expression.

"Are you sure you want to do this alone?"

She accepted the cloth and began cleaning up. I watched as she dried her labia off, taking some of the semen that spilled from her pussy as she brushed. I sat beside her, resting a hand on her large thigh.

"I'm sure." I excused, taking the towel as she offered it. "I need to do this alone."

"But you're not alone." She argued, "You have me."

I wiped my dick clean, before discarding the towel toward the laundry as I responded.

"I know I do. But she may feel ganged up on if it's more than just me."

"And if she brings her husband?"

"He lives in Colorado." I explained, "And even if he does show up, I'll just leave."

"Wait, why does he live out of state?"

I shrugged.

"It's not my business," I added, "but that's why he wasn't at the funeral."

"I see." She added.

She kissed me again, pulling me in aggressively.

"I just want you to be safe." She explained, holding me closer.

"I will. Do you want to shower with me?"

She nodded, getting up and stretching further. I traversed the small apartment we shared, entering the restroom and kicking on the light with a gentle swipe. I started up the small shower, knowing it'd be packed with both of our bodies cramped in. As the water warmed, she joined me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"I really just want you to be safe." She echoed.

"I know, baby."

I reached over my shoulder, letting her head rest against my neck. I kissed her cheek, before putting a hand out to test the water.

"That should be good." I concluded, letting her step in first.

She cleaned her crotch as I stepped in, washing semen down and away. I passed her the shampoo and let her begin lathering her fur.

"You mind getting my back?"

"Certainly."

She poured some of the white liquid into my offered palm. I then rubbed my hands together and began massaging her back. The bubbles and suds began to cover her gray spots, causing them to fade in against her lighter gray fur. I began thinking about the trip ahead as I covered her back. The then turned, washing herself off as I got some shampoo for myself.

"Want me to get your back?"

"Sure."

I offered her some shampoo, letting her lather behind me as I cleaned my front. The wet giraffe then reached around, wrapping her grasp around my flaccid shaft. I exhaled as she pulled her body flush with mine. Her breasts squished against my back, and she began gently massaging my member.

"Still feisty, eh?"

She giggled, transitioning into a groan as she pulled me even closer.

"Are you sure you have to go?"

"Yes, I'm sure." I excused, guiding her hand gently away from my penis.

I turned around letting the warm water wash over my back as I looked up to kiss her.

"When I come back," I began, "I'll pin you down all you like."

She moaned as I kissed along her neck.

"When I come back, " I resumed, sliding two fingers between her legs, "I'll fuck you into the sheets, and then some."

I slid inside, her lips parting to my curled digits. Her hips grew slightly weak, the giraffe sinking and moaning as I fingered her.

"When I come back, I'm gonna make you squirt so hard."

She offered a wet pinky, stammering between breaths and moans.

"Promise?" She whimpered.

I pulled my fingers free, her wetness following me with a thin bead. I then locked my pinky with hers.

"I promise."

We kissed again, before I reached behind her and shut the water down. I opened the curtain and passed her a fresh towel. I then grabbed one myself and began drying off. I finished drying quickly, before beginning to go through the drawers.

"Hey handsome." Maxi encouraged as I got dressed.

I finished putting my suit on, smiling at Maxi as I got ready to finish with the tie. I reentered the restroom, gazing into the mirror as I fixed my tie up. I stared at myself, pulling the tie tight. The mirror held no secrets, it held no punches. It was as honest as it needed to be. It showed the thick gray fur that coated my face. It showed the small scar that ran across my right eyebrow, where the fur was parted and did not grow. It did nothing to hide my fat frame and chunky build. Even through my choice of outfit, the mirror told me I was large. I pulled up my lips, inspecting my fangs. I wished, for half a moment, that I could tell what color they were. I lowered my snout, gazing into my own eyes.

"Hazel."

The grayish coloration of my iris did little to stand out from the fur around. I had always assumed they were the same color. But then she came along, she'd taught me exactly what hazel meant. And as I stared into my own gaze, I could only contemplate that I was about to go face her again.

"I'm sorry?" Maxi asked.

"Oh, sorry." I remarked, looking in her direction for a moment, "Just thinking about color."

She huffed, crossing her legs as she laid further back on the bed.

"You're nervous." She identified.

"A bit." I admitted, continuing to inspect the fur on my snout.

"If...if you'd like, you can call me on the drive." She offered.

I sighed, before conjuring a weak smile.

"I appreciate that. But...I should collect my thoughts. I...I don't want to misspeak around her."

"You always told me she was vicious." Maxi pointed out, "She--"

"She's precise." I corrected, "Vicious if given cause."

I looked away, resting my gaze on the mostly nude giraffe sitting on the bedside.

"I gave her cause to be vicious then. I don't intend to tonight, or ever again for that matter."

"So..." She paused, "What exactly are you hoping for?"

"I want to apologize for everything I did back then. All the pain I caused...stuff like that."

"That's it?" Maxi pressed.

"That's it." I answered truthfully, "I'm not expecting anything beyond that. She's agreed to hear me out, so I know she'll at least do that."

"So don't give her cause." Maxi recommended, "Be honest with her."

"I plan on that much."

I pushed myself off the counter, before clapping my hands and extending my arms.

"How do I look?"

The giraffe stood, rolling onto her hooves and hugging me.

"You look like my baby," she said, "and I'm so happy to have you."

I kissed her lower neck, wrapping her like a gift in my arms.

"I'll return soon." I added.

"I'll keep the bed warm." She returned.

With a huff, I released her, before shuffling towards the door. Maxi saw me out, slowly sealing the apartment behind me. I waltzed down the hall and made my way down the concrete stairway. The soft echo reverberated with each step. I reached the outdoors, opening into the cool night air. I drew the car door open upon reaching it, before slumping in. As the engine flared to life, I gave another sigh.

"Here goes nothing."

"Was it a long drive?"

I watched Missus Robinson in the mirror as her tail drifted lazily about. Having the short nub sticking out of my ass, I had always pondered what having a long tail would be like. I took a drag from the freshly lit stogie before I answered.

"About an hour or so."

"Where at?"

"Sunfish."

"The sushi place?"

I nodded while she stretched again, her dexterous limbs elongating. As she finished, I heard a low grumble originate from her stomach.

"Sorry, all this talk of food awoke the ol' girl." She joked.

"I can make something up for you, if you'd like."

"You're sweet, you don't have to do that."

"I know I don't have to. I want to, but only if you'd like that."

She smiled, blinking slowly as she answered.

"Sure. I'd like that."

I extinguished the cigarette as I got to my feet. I seized the immediate moment after to stretch, pretending not to notice as Missus Robinson eyed me through the mirror. I turned around, helping her to stand. She walked quieter than a mouses' heart beat, her limber figure practically gliding out through the door and down the stairs before me. I gave chase, following through her home and down into the kitchen. She took a seat at their open-air bar, claiming one of the black steel stools to sit on.

"Mmm," She groaned, "you've got quite the volume."

I watched as she claimed a paper towel from the roll, using it to wipe her crotch. She discarded the paper towel, before resting her arms on the gray granite counter. I entered the L shaped kitchen, eyeing the appliances and stove top laid before me. I found her sink on the bar, turning the tap on and beginning to wash my hands. After drying them, I placed myself before the stainless steel fridge, opening to an assortment of foodstuffs.

"Do tell, what would you like, madam?"

"That...I don't know."

I inspected the contents of the fridge, assembling recipes as ingredients came into view.

"I could make...a veggie omelette, or chicken Alfredo...perhaps a tomato bisque, or even chicken and waffles."

"I don't have Alfredo sauce." She commented.

I turned partially and gazed at the nude cougar, her breasts partially blocked by the clean counter.

"I make it from scratch." I returned, "You've got red onions, milk, and about enough Parmesan. If you have some garlic, I can throw that in, too."

Her flabbergasted expression brought a smile to my face.

"Good sex, and he can cook. You can't be real."

I clicked my tongue, before she resumed.

"Though, I'm curious, what is chicken and waffles? Those don't go together."

"You--you've never had--alright, hang on, I need to fix that."

I opened the fridge back up, retrieving a handful of eggs, along with the milk. I sifted through her cupboards, locating the bowls and pans I would need. I fetched a whisk and a spatula, before getting the pans preheated.

"Do you have frying oil?"

"Oh, honey, I have some frozen chicken strips, should be in the freezer, you can use those."

I slid down the counter, positioning myself in front of her. I rested my forearms on the granite as I spoke.

"If it's all the same to you, madam, if I'm going to take you on a chicken and waffles journey, I want to do it right."

She awarded a sultry, low purr as her gaze dissolved into mine.

"Very well, Dan, there should be some coconut oil in the pantry."

"Perfect."

I pushed myself up and opened the thin door to the pantry. I fetched the coconut oil once I found it. I also dragged out the flour and sugar. As I searched for more ingredients across the gray shelves, I spotted an unopened box. The face depicted a waffle iron, surrounded by the usual dressings and accessories manufacturers pose their appliances with. I pulled the box down, noting that it had yet to be opened.

"Don't make waffles often?" I asked, returning to the kitchen.

She shrugged as I placed the box on the counter.

"We got it as a wedding gift. Neither of us really wanted it, but...I guess that was how it was with most of our wedding gifts."

I nodded, before resuming.

"Would you have maple extract?"

With her chin still cupped in her hands, Missus Robinson slowly blinked at me.

"Dan, dear gentleman suitor, why on earth would I have that?"

I shrugged back at her.

"Wedding gift?"

Her smile grew as she quickly exhaled. I once again watched her tail drift behind her shoulder.

"You're funny. But, you're welcome to look around. I might have something."

I returned to the pantry, combing the shelves. I brought myself back to the kitchen empty handed, pondering if I could use a fruit instead. I opened the fridge, a small container of blueberries catching my eye.

"Do you like blueberries?" I inquired over my shoulder.

"They're my favorite."

"Excellent."

I placed the container on the counter next to the stuff for the syrup. I then scooped up the container of coconut oil, fetching a spoon to feed some of the oil into a frying pan. I then returned to the fridge, claiming the chicken breast packaged neatly in white Styrofoam. I began searching the cabinets for a cutting board, Missus Robinson prompting me as I looked.

"So, you met Chara for dinner."

"Indeed."

"How did it go?"

I collected my thoughts as I finally found a cutting board. I gripped the gray wood grain board, sliding it up onto the counter top as I began to speak.

"Well, at first I was happy to see that she had also dressed up for the occasion."

"You were in a suit, right?"

I drew a knife from the block, inspecting the blade with my claw to test the sharpness. It glided cleanly against my talon, the chef's knife looking nearly unused. Satisfied with the blade, I returned my attention to the chicken as I answered.

"Yep. She wore a pantsuit herself. We ordered food, and while we waited, I launched into my apology."

I sliced thin strips, setting them on the border of the cutting board once I was satisfied with their size.

"I started slow, apologizing for the things I'd done to our friend group, and the community around us. Then I moved on. I began apologizing for the ways I had wronged her personally. I acknowledged my shitty behavior...then she surprised me."

"How so?"

I finished the chicken, fetching the pair of bowls and continuing the story.

"Three years before that, we'd fallen out before my birthday. She presented me a little box at dinner, then launched into an apology of her own. She rambled off on some of the things she'd done, how she'd made my life harder...and sabotaged my car."

"What?!"

"Yeah, that was about my reaction."

She sat quiet for a moment as I cracked a few eggs into one of the bowls.

"You weren't hurt, right?"

"Well, no, but my wallet was." I explained as I whisked the fresh eggs.

"Huh?"

I sighed, putting the fork in the sink. I then fetched a measuring cup, scooping some of the flour into the other bowl.

"She put iron nails in my gas tank. They rusted, and made my fuel efficiency fall through the floor."

"That's...that's fucked up." Missus Robinson concluded.

"Indeed, you want to know something funny?"

"Hmm?"

I focused for a moment, taking a few of the chicken strips and putting them into the egg wash.

"It was the same car sitting outside the restaurant."

"You're kidding!?" She exclaimed, putting her arms forward, "It still ran after all those years!?"

"I know!" I said as I rolled the strips around, "It still ran after all that time."

"Damn." She exclaimed, watching as I transferred the egg-soaked strips to the flour. I then grabbed the salt and pepper shakers located on her stove top, dressing the flour mixture with them.

"But, beyond that, it was just an evening of back and forth about the years that'd passed."

I pulled the strips from the flour and returned them to the egg wash.

"Uh, you already did that." She pointed out, using her finger to point at the bowl.

"Just trust me." I said with a wink, before sloshing the wet chicken back into the flour.

"I...okay."

"Anyway, we ate, we talked, and...we laughed. Then we were asked to leave."

"Being too loud?" Missus Robinson guessed.

"No, Sunfish was getting ready to close. We hadn't realized how late it had gotten."

"Oh, I see."

I placed the finished and breaded chicken strips onto a plate I'd set aside earlier. I then prepared another batch as I explained.

"So, we went to the bar next door. I'd actually only ever been to a bar once before that, and she still wanted to chat."

"Did you want to as well?"

I nodded, sticking my tongue out slightly as I finished another few chicken strips.

"So we talked in the bar." I continued, "Then it came time for them to close."

"Uh oh. So then what?"

"She asked, seeming somewhat reluctant, if I wanted to see her home. The home she'd built for herself in our time apart."

"Because her husband was in Colorado, right?"

I nodded again.

"So wait, why?"

"Why was he in Colorado? At the time, I wasn't sure. I hadn't asked her, I figured if she wanted me to know, she'd tell me."

I took the plate of chicken strips over to the frying pan. The coconut oil had melted and spread out evenly, leaving a few inches for me to dip the strips into. I placed the first one down as a tester, letting it simmer in the hot oil. As it started, I turned my attention to the oven, setting it to broil.

"But did she ever tell you?"

"She did." I answered, keeping my attention on the frying chicken, "He found work up there as a Rigger. He'd even joined a union and was practically guaranteed work. It was her that stayed behind. She'd told me something kept her there, she wasn't sure what. Her relationship with her father had entirely broken down, and she'd cut him out of her life. Her relationship with her mother was strained and stressful, and seemed easy to leave behind. Her little brother...maybe, but I'm ultimately not sure why she stayed in this hell state."

Missus Robinson chuckled.

"Come on," she egged, "it's not that bad here."

"True," I returned, "but either way, she'd stayed. And she'd built a lovely home for herself. It was also an apartment, a few couches, lots of art and plants. It was cozy."

"So she was beginning to trust you." She guessed.

I turned the chicken strip over, a satisfying gray color indicating it was done on that side. I let the other side simmer, before resuming.

"We'd both gone in, quite honestly, expecting the whole thing to be stepping on eggshells around each other. But we were both surprised. She gave me that gift from all those years ago, and I'd been honest with her for the first time in years."

"What was the gift?" Missus Robinson pined for answers.

"It was a necklace, of an Amethyst wrapped in leather bindings."

"Is that your birthstone?"

I nodded, pulling a long wad of paper towels in preparation for the full frying line.

"But we sat in her home and talked for...well...hours."

"Geez, even after a bar had closed?" She asked, watching as I plugged the waffle iron in.

I finished installing the device after unboxing it, then returned to fish the sizzling chicken out of the oil with some tongs. I placed it on the paper towel wad, then covered it. I came back and blew some of the Styrofoam bits out of the waffle iron. She watched intently as I then proceeded to turn it on and let it heat up.

"Yes, even after all of that." I added, working slowly on the food, "I eventually managed to pry myself away, but she asked if we could hang out again soon. I told her I would see what my work schedule looked like, and then we swapped numbers."

"Were you an escort at that time?" She inquired.

"Oh heavens no. I hung Christmas lights."

Missus Robinson blinked at me a few times, watching as I stirred up the waffle batter I'd compiled.

"You...what?"

"Not my proudest job." I admitted, "But it was work. Either way, I couldn't get her off my mind as I was driving home."

"I take it Maxi was pissed."

"Well, not expressly." I returned, "She was asleep when I got home. Her vibrator had been well used, and I knew she'd stayed up as late as she could. But ultimately, it was around three or four in the morning when I got home."

"Jesus, what did she say the next morning?"

"Well, before we get there. I'd been driving home, thinking back between Chara and Maxi, looking forward to one, while reminiscing on my history with the other. I was so happy that I was finally going to have Chara back in my life..."

"Uh oh."

"Uh oh indeed." I resumed, pouring the waffle batter in, "When I found that Maxi was asleep, I went into the bathroom to, uh, relieve myself."

I closed the waffle iron, before fishing the remaining crispy chicken strips out of the oil. I pulled the pan off the heat, before placing a much smaller sauce pan on the burner. I left it at its set temperature, before dumping the blueberries in. I then introduced a cup of sugar, a cup of brown sugar, and a cup of water. As it reduced, I brought the chicken strips to a steel baking sheet. I put everything down and located the tin foil, continuing as I got it ready.

"As I was masturbating, I thought of Chara, but...it was beyond just re-visualizing her body held against mine. It--"

"Wait, re-visualizing?"

"Yeah?"

"You'd slept with her before?"

"Well, yeah."

"When?"

"We were engaged." I informed her, pulling up the waffle iron as it dinged.

"You--What!?"

"Yeah, did I not mention that?"

"No?" She asked, leaning very far forward, "That would have been important to the story."

"Sorry," I returned, plating the waffle, "I thought I'd mentioned it."

"So, when you say you guys fell out, you fell out of an almost marriage?"

I nodded slowly, confirming as I put the plate with the waffle aside. I then turned my attention to the reducing syrup mixture, watching as the blueberries dissolved into the sugary mix.

"We'd been dating for a few years out of high school, we'd moved in together, and I proposed to her under some...well, shitty conditions. She said yes, but as time went on, I got distracted. I allowed myself to fall further and further into the Viktor thing...it was a mess."

'I'd say."

"I lost sight of our relationship, I let things slip, and I got content thinking that our future was secured. She called off the engagement, and things were steady for a bit. She started dating another guy, I started dating another girl..."

I stopped, a rancid memory bubbling to the surface. I blinked and flashed it away, before resuming.

"We fell out shortly after that. Right before my birthday, as I'd said."

"So who else were you dating?"

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not say." I began, pulling the chicken strips from the oven, "She wronged me and I'd rather not think about it."

"That's fine." She excused, "We don't have to cover that."

I sighed, using a located thermometer to temp the chicken.

"One sixty eight," I read aloud, "Should be good to go."

I plated it up, before inspecting the syrup. I watched as it had completely reduced, the berries no longer visible as solid objects. I pulled the saucepan up, drizzling the syrup over the chicken and waffles. I then fetched a fork and a knife, offering them and the plated food to Missus Robinson.

"This has been quite a show," she added, accepting the dish, "thank you."

"You're welcome."

I then began compiling the dishes, placing them in the sink and getting them prepped to be cleaned.

"Aren't you going to eat?" She inquired, still not touching her food.

"Oh, I'm not hungry." I lied, "I'll grab something later. But thank you."

"Alright, and you...gosh, you don't have to do my dishes, too."

I turned the sprayer on, cleaning my hands first.

"I know, but I want to."

She huffed.

"You want strange things, sir Dan."

I chuckled, cleaning the pans and collecting my thoughts.

"As I was saying, that's about when we--"

"Hang on." She said, a bite of the mixture in her mouth.

"Sure thing, something wrong?"

She closed her eyes, clearly savoring the bite she'd taken. She mulled her cheeks around, the movement highlighted by the dark gray fur around her muzzle. She slowly swallowed, before opening her eyes and gazing at me.

"That's...That's..."

"Yes?"

She collected herself, putting a knuckle against her lips.

"That's delicious." She added, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh, oh honey, don't cry."

I shut the water off and dried my hands, quickly darting around the counter. I sat beside her, wrapping my arms around her nudity as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"It's delicious." She repeated, sobbing.

"Then why the fuck are you crying?" I thought.

I hushed her gently and patted her back, letting the elder cougar cry. She sobbed as she set the fork and knife down, turning to bawl into my chest.

"Shh, it's okay." I comforted her, "Just let it out, it's okay."

She let it out, her warm tears soaking into my breast fur. I sighed, humming low to attempt to comfort her.

"I'm sorry." She sobbed.

"Shh, shh, it's okay."

She collected herself, coughing as she caught her sobs.

"I'm so sorry." She dismissed again.

"It's okay, honey."

"No, you don't understand." She excused, "No one has ever...no one has ever done that for me."

"Done what?"

"Cooked a meal!" She said, "Made stuff from scratch, sourced the ingredients, asked what I wanted...How are you so sweet?"

I shrugged, looking into her wet eyes.

"Wait," I began, "no one?"

She shook her head, sniffling.

"My parents never really made dinner, we always ate out...and my husband he...he cooks, but not like that."

"Not from scratch?"

She shook her head again.

"It's always assembled, and it's always what he wants to eat. He does the meal plans...he buys the groceries, he doesn't let me contribute..."

I hugged her again.

"Your feelings are valid." I assured her, "And I understand your frustration."

"Hey," she sniffled, "don't use my tactics on me."

I grinned, patting her back.

"Then savor this." I motioned, "Pine for greater things in your life, and grow."

She sniffled again, before releasing me to grab a paper towel. She blew her nose, before looking over the food.

"Seriously, this might be the most amazing thing I've ever tasted."

"I'm almost afraid to make you chicken Alfredo from scratch." I added, "You might cum."

She burst out laughing. I grinned as she cheered up, turning her attention back to the food.

"I'm sorry, tonight's supposed to be about you." Missus Robinson excused as her humor died down.

I leaned forward with her.

"It's really not." I argued gently, "I'm sharing my history because it was what you asked of me. I made you food because it's what you asked of me."

I brought my finger under her chin, turning it up so she could look me in the eyes.

"I painted your insides because it's what you asked of me."

She snorted, turning away as it grew into a laugh.

"You're too much sometimes, Dan, you know that?"

I clicked my tongue again.

"Feeling better?"

She nodded, directing her attention to the plate.

"I guess I was hungrier than I'd anticipated."

"I aim to please." I added, getting back up.

I returned to the sink, the dishes now having had a few moments to soak in warm soapy water.

"I said it before," She continued as she chewed, "I don't believe you're real."

I scoffed, igniting the faucet and beginning to scrub.

"The fact that I can find the clitoris and make pasta doesn't make me that remarkable."

"You'd be surprised." She cautioned.

"I really wouldn't." I resumed, "If my client base is anything to go off of, it really doesn't."

She swallowed. As she chewed, I got ready to resume. But, she interrupted.

"So you met Maxi in those years between?"

"Yeah." I confirmed as I set the sauce pan aside to dry, "We met under the pretense that I was Viktor, and the whole story thing, you get the idea."

She nodded as she ate.

"But we quickly grew fond of each other. She was daring, risky, outgoing and...different."

"Different how?"

"She was in-tune with her body. She knew what she wanted, but she knew when to wait. Some nights, I just wouldn't be feeling it, or would be too tired from work, and she'd back off."

"Good."

"Agreed, and I did the same. But our relationship wasn't all sex."

"Just a big part of it?" Missus Robinson guessed.

"Something like that, yeah."

"So how did she end up handling you coming home late--Oh, that's right, you were mentioning that you were masturbating while thinking of Chara, right?"

"Right," I confirmed, bringing myself back to that thought stream, "phew, boy."

"So, you were conflicted." She pointed out.

"It was more than that." I returned, "In chatting with her, in spending all that time, in examining how I'd wronged her and how we each had grown...I'd remembered why I'd fallen in love with her in the first place. And as I laid beside Maxi...I looked into my heart."

"Oh?"

"In order to cope with the loss of our friendship, and our relationship, I'd thrown a metaphorical tarp over the flame that had once burned for her. I snuffed it out, ignored it. Left it for years."

"Until that night?"

"I came in the toilet bowl, but she was still...you know...on my mind."

"More than just sex?"

"More than just that, yes. So I pulled the tarp up, because that had to be coming from somewhere. Turned out the fire was roaring, burning white hot embers, nowhere near extinguished."

"Uh oh."

"Uh oh indeed."

"I think I see where this is going." Missus Robinson added as she pushed her empty plate forward.

I fetched it and added it to the dishes, letting the warm water run over her cookware as I scrubbed.

"Where it was going required that she felt the same way." I pointed out, "And as I tried to sleep beside Maxi, I pondered exactly how Chara felt."

"That's a tough one," she guessed, "it would be impossible to know without talking to her about it."

"Right."

"But she was married." Missus Robinson pointed out, "How do you even have that conversation?"

I stopped washing, looking up and staring at her for a few seconds.

"Is...Is the irony of that lost on you?" I inquired.

"Well, I know, this is different though. We don't have history."

"And you're paying me."

"That, too."

"But you're right, how exactly do you have that conversation?"

She leaned forward onto her elbows again, getting closer to me.

"Yes Dan, how do you?"

Chara met me with a smile, stepping out of her vehicle. I closed the door to my car behind me, waltzing towards her. Her face suddenly became stern as she stopped. I stopped as well. We faced off, several empty parking spaces between us. As the wind blew gently along, she suddenly moved, striking a crab pose. Her hands came up into a claw shape, her legs bending in her tight jeans as she crouched.

"Ep ep ep!" She declared while tilting her snout to the sky.

Struck and unprepared, I crouched into a similar pose, responding appropriately.

"Ep ep."

"Ep ep ep ep?"

While crab walking sideways, we began towards the entrance of the botanical gardens. Lush, vibrant trees towered through the parking lot, providing shade as we navigated the curbs and rock beds, moving sideways the whole way.

"Ep ep ep ep ep ep ep ep."

"Ep ep."

"Ep?"

"Ah, ep ep."

"Ep ep ep ep ep ep ep ep ep ep ep ep ep ep ep."

"Ep ep ep ep ep ep ep ep ep."

We reached the entrance, a set of automatic doors parting to allow entry. We continued our crab walk all the way to the reception desk. Chara's eyes caught mine and we finally broke, both of us laughing. I worked quickly to calm down, turning to face the concerned and confused badger who worked the desk. I met her cocked eyebrow with a prompt.

"Hi, uh, two tickets for the garden, please."

"...sure." She agreed, typing the information in, "Just so you're aware, we close in an hour."

"That's fine." I added, "We'll be quick."

I turned to look at Chara, who had once again struck a crab pose.

"Ep."

I reached forward as her hands were parted up and away, her claws unable to prevent me from touching the tip of her nose.

"Boop."

"You fiend." She declared, standing straight and glaring in a mocking intensity.

"Two tickets for you."

I spun back and swept the passes up, prompting Chara to follow me further towards the garden entrance. We walked back outside, now enraptured among dense foliage and flora. A wide variety of shades of flowers and leaves hung around us, though all still appeared gray to me.

"We can walk it in an hour, yeah?" I asked.

"Sure." Chara returned, "Sorry, I wish we had more time."

"It's okay," I excused, "I'll take any and all time I can get, so long as I can spend it being goofy with you."

"Thanks for being goofy with me." Chara stated, bumping my arm with hers.

"Well only of course," I shot back, "life's no fun if you take everything sober and serious all the time."

"I know." She returned, looking over a long array of vines, "I just...it's nice to be around you."

"Likewise." I said, granting her a smile.

We walked quietly, inspecting the various flora through the winding paths.

"What's your favorite flower?" She asked, looking over some exotic looking plants.

I thought for a moment, picking my answer delicately.

"That's a tough one," I admitted, "but it's probably the Dahlia."

"Yeah? I don't think they have any of those here."

I shrugged.

"Maybe not."

As I returned my shoulders to their resting position, I gazed around the bazaar we'd entered. I spotted an open pit, brimming with sand and toys intended for little cubs to play in.

"Maybe not." I repeated, "But they do have this."

"What?"

She watched as I gently jogged over to the sand pit, diving in with little hesitation.

"H-Hey!"

Chara caught up with me, setting her phone at the edge. She then slowly took off her shoes as I began burying myself in the sand.

"What are you doing, goofball?" She asked.

"Come, be a worm with me."

"And do worm things?"

I reached through the sand, my arms tunneling through the coarse grains. I allowed my claws to pierce the surface. I wiggled them, imitating the mouth of a worm.

"Worm." I repeated, mocking biting at her with my submerged hand.

Chara, still beaming across her maw, crawled into the sand beside me. We laid together, both slowly sinking into the sand pit as we played. We shared a hearty giggle, each of us pushing buckets and scoops out of the way as we made our arms travel like worms. Soon, our hands nearly collided. Her hand surfaced first, making a face as she spoke.

"Hello?"

I brought my hand up.

"Ba ba."

"Oh, ap ba pa."

I grinned, moving my hand in time with my mouth motions.

"Ahh, nom."

Her hand curled back, feigning defeat as I reached forward and curled my fingers around her wrist. I brought her hand down, continuing to pretend to bite her wrist. Our arms laid flat against the surface of the sand, Chara kicking her pitch higher as she spoke.

"Ah, oh no!" She feigned alarm.

"Nom." I repeated.

"But wait." She interjected, "A second worm?"

I had failed to see her other hand pushing through the coarse sand. She brought it out, flicking sand over my body as she gripped my wrist back.

"AH!"

I rolled my arm over.

"I'm dying! Dying of death, oh no."

I fell limp, letting her wrist go slightly. We laid together close now, our arms intertwined in a mess of fake worms and sandy fur. I looked up, my eyes catching hers again. She was staring at me, grinning warmly.

"Hey."

"Hey you." I prompted back, "What's up?"

She shrugged.

"Just really enjoying your company."

"In the sand?" I asked.

She responded with a nod.

"Even though it's coarse, it's rough, and it gets everywhere?"

She blinked slowly, still seeming comfortable with our arms lightly intermingled.

"You're a goof." She concluded, sitting up, "Shall we continue?"

"Sure."

I rolled up with her, shaking some of the sand out of my fur. I then stood up, balancing on my boots as I began shaking fur out of my cargo pants and off of my flannel shirt. I looked her over as Chara brushed herself off as well, stepping carefully out and dusting her socks. She stepped into her shoes again, before picking up her phone and looking at me.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

I continued shaking sand free as we walked, a trail heading up the hillside catching our eye.

"Sun might be setting soon." She prompted, "Should we head up there?"

"Sounds lovely." I answered.

We turned and walked uphill, following the trail through more tree groves and neatly trimmed bushes. Eventually, we came up over the tree tops, the trail leading to a patio overlooking the valley. Given the west facing hillside, we squinted and were able to watch the sunset over the mountains on the horizon. Chara and I found a stone bench, seating ourselves as we looked over the bustling valley before us.

"The sunset's pretty." Chara commented.

I closed my eyes and let the sun warm my fur. I laid back, tilting my head up to let the sun soak my chin.

"Describe it to me."

"Well, the sun's yellow. It's warm, just a really warm color."

"Mhmm."

"Then the sky above it is...well it's pink. That color is..."

I listened as she struggled, yet kept moving on.

"It's warm the same way two bodies intertwined are. The pink dissolves into a purple, it's a cooler color, like sitting around a campfire in the winter."

"An intermediate between hot and cool?"

"Precisely, the sky above us is a deeper blue. Think of it like cool stream water running over your hands."

The fur on the back of my neck stood on end as she described the colors and their feeling. I melted into the seat, relaxing in her company.

"What's your favorite color?" I asked.

"Royal blue." She answered quickly.

"What's it feel like?"

She thought for a moment.

"It feels like blueberries, fresh and cool."

"Ooh."

"It's a good color." She added, "I...I know you can't...but do you have a favorite?"

"Gray."

"Is it because it's what you can see?"

"It's because it's how the world is." I returned, "Nothing's black and white. There's no objective right or wrong. Some people do good things with bad intentions, some do bad things with the best intentions. Even space, as vast and wide as she casts herself... the black of the emptiness meets the vibrant white of the burning stars. It equals out to gray."

"I...I like that."

"Thank you." I changed the subject, "For this little adventure, it's been fun."

"No, thank you. This was what I was talking about earlier."

I brought my head down and gazed at her, opening my eyes.

"Oh?"

"You're...you're tactful. You know when you can be goofy, and when it's okay to mellow out. I like spending time with you."

"These past few months have been super nice." I added, "And I enjoy your company."

We shared some silence for a bit. I looked back out, the sun having sunk behind the mountains in the distance.

"How's Dillan?" I asked.

"He's..."

She huffed.

"He's being an ass right now."

"Oh?"

"He wants me to move out there with him."

"But you don't want to go?"

"I...I'm not sure."

I turned towards her, crossing my arms across my lap as I leaned forward.

"If you'd like to vent, I'd be happy to hear about it."

"I shouldn't." She dismissed, "It's not your issue."

"No, but you're my friend, a dear friend at that, and I'd like to make you feel better if I can."

Chara rolled forward, putting her head in her hands as she spoke further.

"I just...I don't know why I don't want to move out there. We're paying two separate rents right now, it's eating our budget."

She paused, waiting for me to comment. I refrained, allowing her to continue.

"He...He doesn't like that we've been spending time together."

"I can imagine."

"He thinks you're going to steal me away, or something."

"I mean, you're your own person." I pointed out, "You make your own choices and you have free will. You don't belong to him, anyway."

"I know that." She returned, "But he's been pushing me. I'm sick of it."

"So what is keeping you here?" I questioned.

"I...I still don't know. I think I'm scared to go out there and have things go wrong."

I nodded, listening intently as she resumed.

"When he proposed it...it reminded me of yours. He was sweet, and I love him...I do..."

"But you didn't want to let him down."

She shook her head, her maw still sticking out from between her hands. She rolled her ears down, getting sad.

"I...I don't regret it. But I'm giving it three years." She finalized.

"Three years?"

"If things don't change...If he doesn't grow...If he still acts like a child...I'm calling it off."

"Three years is a long time." I pointed out.

"I know that."

She sighed, sitting up and looking out across the horizon.

"Do you feel that I'm trying to, as he put it, steal you away?"

Chara snorted, looking at me.

"Dan, if I felt you had any ulterior motives; we wouldn't be talking."

"Good."

"Do you plan to steal me away?" She fired back, putting a flare on the term.

I responded first with a chuckle.

"Like I said, you're your own person. You make your choices, and I make mine. Having a plan would be silly, I'm just here enjoying your company."

She sniffled.

"And crab walking?"

"Ep ep."

With a soft chuckle, she leaned her head on my shoulder, her ear flattening against my wide frame.

"Thank you, Dan. For being my friend."

"Dan?" I asked, "Nay, I am Crabzalon Percy-eye, High King of the Grand Crustacean Court."

"Ah, tell me, your highness, what's on your mind?"

"You."

"Me?"

"A lot of you." I confirmed.

She nestled in, getting comfortable.

"You're goofy." She returned.

"And you're gay."

"What?"

She shot up sharply, her eyes darting around.

"Yo-you're gay!"

I burst into laughter, Chara sitting flustered as I rolled.

"I--I didn't know how to respond." She explained, attempting to hide her blush by pressing her hands against her cheeks, "I--"

She began laughing alongside me, both of us relishing the humor. As we slowed to a chuckle, I looked over, realizing the badger attendant was making her way up the hill.

"Ah," I said, gazing at the already set sun, "might be time to clear out."

"We can go back to my place, if you'd like." She offered, bringing her hands down.

"I would like that."

I stood up and stretched, hearing my stomach growl.

"Ooh," she commented, "we can stop on the way down."

"Where you thinkin'?"

"Alright you two," the badger prompted as she reached the top, "we're about to close."

"We're coming." I assured her, "Thank you."

"Yeah, alright."

She turned and began hobbling down the hill. Chara and I followed quite a few paces behind her, our conversation resuming as we walked.

"I was thinking...how do you feel about wings?"

"Chicken wings?"

She nodded.

"Hmm, I could fuck up some wings."

After a chuckle, she resumed her suggestion.

"How about 'Flown the Coop'?"

"I've never been."

"What?! Alright, we're going there."

We reached the bottom of the hill, watching as some night lights kicked on through the foliage to illuminate the path ahead. Chara and I followed it towards the exit, before she stopped me.

"Hang on."

"What's up?"

She rested her hand in front of me to stop me from walking. I looked around, attempting to discern what she had paused me for. As I looked to her for answers, her finger came into contact with the tip of my nose.

"Boop."

I gasped, before she darted towards the exit.

"You!"

I chased her, keeping pace as we sprinted under the trees. We raced through the visitors center and passed the ticket desk. She laughed excitedly as we made it into the parking lot, our two cars sitting alone on the far end. She rushed for her car, almost making it before I caught her. I rolled and lightly bumped into her SUV as we stopped. With her wrapped in my arms, we giggled, sharing a moment beneath the thick branches.

"You know what I learned today, Dan?"

"What's that?" I asked as I caught my breath.

"I learned that you're gay."

"You're gay." I fired back, releasing her.

"Do you want to follow me over there?" She asked.

I nodded, pulling out my keys, a volley of sand following suit.

"Oh, shit."

"Sand?" She asked.

"Sand." I concluded, shrugging.

"It's okay," she returned while opening her door, "it's shoved right up my ass crack."

I chuckled, turning and walking towards my vehicle.

"Mine, too."

I pulled to a stop behind Chara, resisting the urge to let my vehicle drift gently into her bumper and declaring "boop". While I was sure she would find it at least amusing; I figured her husband might not locate the humor as easily. She stepped out of her nicer SUV, greeting me as I stood up.

"Long time, no see." She joked.

"Truly, it's been ages."

As she grinned, she turned and we walked towards the wing shop. We pushed inside, a bustling joint sprawling before us. It stood nearly packed, a line curving from the kitchen all the way around the side of the shop nearly to the door. Every table was taken, no empty seats left to even consider.

"Ah." She began, "I didn't think it would be this busy."

"Do they offer to-go?"

She shrugged, shuffling and prompting me to join her in the line. I followed her, standing at the end of the line as we waited. She scanned the patrons, her eyes slowly drifting across the busy restaurant. She then turned her attention to the front, whispering to me.

"Do you see the lady sitting by the window?"

I glanced around, stealthily gazing to search for the woman in question. My eyes rested on a zebra, a stern looking business woman in a tan pantsuit.

"The zebra?" I whispered back.

Chara nodded.

"What about her?"

"Her ass is huge."

I gazed back, pretending to look out the window at the dark night beyond. Instead I looked her seated rear over, indeed observing her rotund posterior.

"That it is." I agreed.

"Do you think..." She paused.

"What's up?"

"Do you think zebras have the largest asses?"

I thought about it, before she resumed.

"Because their legs tend to be smaller proportional to their body. So their butts just look bigger."

"True," I added, "but Bison I think have that more-so."

"You think?"

"I do."

She shrugged in response.

"I think it's mostly fluff with them." Chara resumed, "Zebras...just something about them."

I grinned as we moved through the line steadily.

"So it is just hooved cervids?" I inquired.

"Not expressly, though I know you're with Maxi."

"Yeah...yeah."

She paused for a minute, before tilting her head to look up into my eyes.

"Something bothering you?"

"It's just...I don't know."

"Is it Maxi?"

"It...yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I huffed, looking around. Only strangers sat or stood within earshot, and my trust of Chara had grown considerably in the previous few weeks. As my eyes rested back on her, I began.

"Well, where do I even start? Things were going well for a while, she took the whole Victor thing especially well."

"Uh-huh."

"But it started, I think, around the time I rekindled with Josh."

"How so?"

"She was nervous, felt that he was dangerous and what not."

"Josh?" Chara fired back, "I mean, he can be, but towards you? You're his brother."

"I know. You remember that we didn't exactly leave off on the best foot. But like you and I, as I processed stuff and matured, I realized that I was being childish, and hanging on to pride I hadn't earned."

"Right."

"So when Mama reached out to both of us, begging that we bury the hatchet for her birthday; I accepted knowing that I was ready to leave it all behind."

"But she wasn't?" Chara guessed.

"Indeed. She was worried he'd use that opportunity to lash out at me, or hurt me like he'd threatened to before."

"But that was, what, a year before that?"

I nodded, moving with Chara as the line shortened.

"When we met, we went alone to meet with Mama. She moderated as we apologized to each other, and we effectively made up."

"Okay, so what was Maxi's issue?"

"It was that I didn't end up getting home until around 3 AM."

"What? Why?"

"Because Josh and I went for a night drive through the canyon."

"Oh."

"We shot the shit, rekindled, and bonded more than we had before we'd fallen out. Plus, if he was going to do anything to me, if he held any ill-will, he would have acted on it then."

"But I know you." She said, "You wouldn't have taken that drive if you suspected he did."

"Precisely." I confirmed, resuming, "She was furious. She wanted to know why I'd do something so reckless, and wouldn't hear that I'd used my better judgment, and beyond that, was perfectly capable of defending myself."

"Right." She added.

"So when I told her that I was going to meet you alone, she got extra worried. She wanted to talk during the drive, but I knew I needed to collect my thoughts."

"Did you guys talk on the way back?"

"I didn't call her, no. Even if I had, she might have been asleep. She was when I got home."

"Ah."

"Even then, she's still worried that you might slit my throat or something."

Chara scoffed.

"Your neck is too thick."

"Plus you're more likely to poison." I jabbed.

She winked, turning to see that we'd reached the front of the line. We stepped up to order, a chalkboard menu hosting our options.

"I think I'll get six of the Tangy Barbecue." Chara ordered.

"What dressing?"

"Blue Cheese." She replied to the teller.

"And for you, sir?" The baboon morph manning the register inquired.

I looked up from the man and gazed across the menu.

"Ooh, let's do some of the Honey Habanero."

"Two, four, six, or eight piece?" The baboon inquired.

"Uhh. Six."

"Any sauce?"

"No thank you."

He typed the information in, before gazing over us.

"Is that for here or to go?"

"To go please." Chara stated, not needing to look behind at the crowded establishment.

"I buy yours, you buy mine?" I inquired, pulling out my wallet.

"Fair trade." Chara accepted.

We paid in turn, the baboon masterfully inputting our cards and quickly getting us our receipts. He then passed off a number plate without looking at us.

"Thank you, have a wonderful night. Next!"

We moved off to the side, Chara picking up the conversation as we found a spot to stand.

"Does it bother her that we hang out?"

"I think so." I guessed aloud, "It's not that I don't take time for her, it's just...I think she's jealous."

Chara cocked her eyebrow forward, leaning her snout down.

"Jealous?" She inquired, "Aren't you guys in an open relationship?"

"Well, yes. But it's not about that."

"I'm not a danger to you." Chara clarified, "To either your life or your relationship...right?"

"Right." I confirmed quickly, "Again, if I had any inkling that you--"

"34!"

We both looked at the number in our hands.

"Ah, no dice," Chara claimed, "36."

"Right."

"So...what is it then?"

I huffed, thinking and picking my words carefully.

"If I'm being honest..."

"You should always be honest." She encouraged.

"Yeah, but I think this whole thing is bringing her insecurities into focus."

"How do you figure?"

"35!"

"She can get...self conscious about how tall she is. She bumps into stuff all the time, and loses her balance pretty often."

"So you end up catching her." Chara guessed.

"Sometimes. She'll get flustered even though I try and assure her that it's alright."

"But it's more than that." Chara pressed on.

"How do you figure?"

She gazed at me.

"I know you, Dan. And I know she can be a bit top-heavy. But that's not really it, is it?"

"...perhaps not. She knows about our history."

"Ah." She added, clicking her tongue, "That would do it."

"37!"

I looked at our number again, seeing it was still 36. I watched a boar waltz up and pick up the only order on the counter, handing them a 37.

"So, your husband."

"What about him?"

"How's he taking that we're hanging out."

She sighed, rolling her tongue across her teeth in a sign of restrained frustration.

"He's...he's been an ass about it."

"How so?"

She crossed her arms and leaned back against the trashcan we were standing beside.

"Well for one, he demanded that I move out there with him immediately. I said no, so he threatened to move back himself."

"What did you say to that?"

"I told him not to throw away his career."

"Would he be if he came back?"

"Effectively," she explained, "they don't pay as well here, and the unions aren't as big. Out there he's got support, and a bigger paycheck."

"That's good for you, right?"

She shrugged, blinking slowly as she stared into the kitchen ahead of us.

"He spends most of what we have left on...on stuff."

"Weed?" I guessed.

She nodded slowly.

"You smoke, too though, right?"

"Not several hundred dollars worth." She exclaimed quietly, her emotions held back by a net of restraint.

"Ah. So he's being an ass." I concluded.

"But like you said. If I had any inkling that you were up to no good, we wouldn't be here."

A rat morph waltzed up to the counter from the kitchen, holding a larger bag and looking at us.

"36! She called out.

We both walked up, Chara seizing the bag of goodies as I handed the number off.

"Enjoy!" The employee wished us as we turned and walked off.

Once outside, Chara sighed, gazing over at me.

"See you at my place?"

"Sure." I agreed, "I can take the food if you'd like."

She shook her head with a smile.

"I've got seat warmers." She hinted, "See you there."

I closed the car door behind me, locking my car and gazing down the parking lot. Her car stuck out of a marked stall, Chara leaning against the hood as she waited. I approached, earning a glance from her as I got closer.

"Sorry. Got stuck at a light."

"You're pretty slow these days." She remarked, picking up the bag of food, "Come on up."

I followed her up the stairs, thinking up a retort. She however cut me off, resuming her observation.

"I remember when you used to risk getting pulled over. You've slowed down quite a bit."

"Yeah," I returned, "I guess I'm just more safe-minded these days."

She opened her apartment door after unlocking it, allowing me to enter before sealing it shut.

"That's good."

Her smile met mine, and she pushed further into her cozy apartment. The kitchen sat segmented by a wall from the main living room, a large entertainment center and TV pressed up against that wall. I followed her into the kitchen, scooting around the couches that made a mini hallway towards the front door. As I entered the little kitchen, I noticed her sink was piled up with dishes. Chara began opening the bags, dividing up our boxes.

"You mind if I try a few of yours?" She asked.

"Only of course." I said, moving around her and picking up a plate from within the sink.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping."

I turned on the hot water, waiting for it to get to an adequate temperature.

"You, ah, you don't have to do that." She remarked.

"I know, but I want to." I added, soaping up the crusty dish.

She bopped her head against my shoulder.

"You're sweet, Dan."

I clicked my tongue at her, before she pulled out some fresh plates.

"I can, um, I can feed you while you wash."

I smiled, glancing at her.

"You don't have to do that." I fired back.

"I know, but I want to." She remarked, her gray hand already clasping some of the wings she'd plated up.

"Alright, sure."

I moved the soapy dish to the other half of the sink, pausing to let Chara bring a hot wing up to my mouth. I bit it, claiming it from her and beginning to suck on the spicy meat. She released the bone and let me continue washing. I watched as she began working on one of her wings. The rich Habanero clashed violently against the sweet honey, my mouth watering as I suckled the chicken. I cleaned a few more dishes as I used my tongue to scrape the meat and sauce off the bone. I swished the bone around in my mouth for a bit, being sure to get everything off.

"Done?" Chara asked.

I nodded, watching as she offered the trash can to me. I delicately let the clean bone fall, Chara quickly picking up another wing for me.

"This one's mine." She added.

I bit into it, seizing it from her once again. I kept washing, Chara and I sharing a quiet meal together.

"Ooh!" She quickly huffed, "Yours are hot!"

"They're Habanero." I informed her passed the bone in my mouth.

"Ah!"

I quickly turned the water to cold, reaching up to her cabinet and fetching a glass. I filled it and offered it to her, allowing her to quell some of the spice on her tongue.

"Fuck, that's hot." She excused, coughing as I took the glass and filled it again for her.

I watched her drink down the second glass, attempting desperately to combat the heat. Her throat moved with each gulp, her breasts moving up gently with each swallow. I shook my head quickly and returned to the dishes, shifting the water back to hot. I turned and spit out the bone, before prompting her.

"All good?"

She panted, sticking her tongue out as she huffed.

"Fucking hot." She concluded.

I chuckled.

"I'm used to heat." She assured me, "But not that much."

I finished washing her dishes, setting the last of the forks aside to dry. I then reached for her hand towel and dried my fur off, being sure that nothing had been left behind on the dishware I'd just washed. After I concluded my inspection, I looked at Chara.

"Well, should be good to go."

She nodded, pulling her tongue back in.

"Now that the heat's gone, I like that honey aftertaste."

I smiled.

"There's a reason we love honey." I added, "A little goes a long way."

"It's normally too sweet for me." She informed, "I'd say let's go sit, but I'm still all sandy...as are you."

"Indeed." I confirmed, feeling some of the grains that had made their way deep into my fur, "I think I'll head out soon and shower when I get back.

She waved her hand dismissively.

"You can use my shower."

"You sure?"

She nodded.

"I wouldn't want you to drive back all uncomfortable, it's fine."

I rubbed the back of my neck, thinking on it.

"Well, yeah, I guess I could."

She paired her smile with a prompt.

"I'll get you a towel. You can use the shampoo on the lower rack; I don't use that one often."

"Okay."

I followed her back into the bedroom half of her apartment. The short hallway divided into two neat sections, the bathroom sitting off to the right with the bedroom itself just across the hall. Straight ahead was a washer and dryer set side by side. Just shy of the doorway to her bedroom was a closet. She opened it, fetching a massive gray towel for me.

"Just let me know when you're done." She added, "I need to get the sand out of my ass, too."

"Can do."

She left me alone, closing the hallway door and giving me privacy. I waltzed into her bathroom, closing the door and turning on her shower. I placed the towel onto the refill tank, then sat on the toilet as the water warmed up. I stripped, starting with my boots and ending with a sandy pile of clothes. I guided a hand into the stream of water, watching the steam rise. Satisfied with the temperature, I clambered in and closed the curtain behind me. Sand quickly accumulated as mud on the shower floor, the water running waves through my fur. I soaked for a bit, before fetching the shampoo she'd mentioned. As I got ready to soap up, I looked at the steam.

"If she's going to shower behind me, I'd better leave some hot water for her."

I reached down, turning the temperature down. The water did indeed get colder, but I bared my teeth and washed. I then stepped out of the water for a bit, lathering myself with the shampoo she'd recommended. I huffed, soaking up the eucalyptus scent as it spread over me. I made sure to coat each nook and cranny, deftly guiding my fingers across my larger figure. I reached my crotch, now unable to ignore my erection.

"Calm down, you fool. You're not getting anything."

He didn't listen, choosing instead to stay standing straight. I sighed, washing around him. I then stepped back into the stream of water, hissing as the cold liquid coated me. I watched the suds gather around the base of the drain, creating a white foam whirlpool. I then closed my eyes, turning my muzzle up into the stream of water. I thought of the blue Chara had brought up earlier, imagining what the color felt like as it soaked my face. I sighed, rubbing the water out of my eyes. Upon opening them, the bottles on the bathroom shelf were still grayscale. I leaned down, shutting the water off. I reached to the toilet after opening the shower curtain, fetching the towel. I did my best to quickly dry off, before realizing that only my boots were on the ground. I looked around, pondering where they could have gone. I wrapped the towel around my waist, holding it in place with my offhand as I opened the bathroom door.

"Chara?"

"Yes?" She asked from the kitchen.

"Did you grab my clothes?"

She leaned out, looking at me through the open doorway.

"Well, yeah, silly. I put them in the wash."

"Oh."

I thought about my phone still sitting in my rear pocket, along with my wallet and keys and other fixtures I tended to carry.

"You, uh, you emptied my pockets, right?"

She smiled, walking out of the kitchen and propping herself against the door frame in front of me.

"You're silly." She added, "I know how to empty pockets."

"So you got the rags?" I asked, thinking to the white bar towels I carried for my allergies.

"Of course. And your wallet, phone, and keys."

"You got all the pens?" I continued, propping myself against the door frame beside me.

"And your lighters." She confirmed.

"What about the buttfor?"

She clicked her tongue.

"Nice try."

I shrugged.

"Worth a shot. Shower's all yours."

"Thank you."

We traded spots, her dexterous figure moving passed me as she grabbed a towel of her own. I entered the main living room, seeing my items collected in a neat pile on her coffee table. I fetched my phone, sitting down and opening it as I heard the shower kick on in the back. Two missed calls from Maxi stared up at me. I hit return call, pulling the phone up to my wet ear.

"Hey you." She answered, "There you are."

I chuckled.

"Sorry, lost track of time a bit."

"You're fine." Maxi excused, "Just wanted to check up on you."

I listened carefully, noting a hint of relief in her tone.

"I'm fine." I assured her, "What's up? You sound shaken."

She sighed.

"I'm just...I'm glad you're okay. You haven't seen the news I take it?"

"I haven't, no."

"There's an overturned fuel truck on I-15." She informed me, "A few cars got caught in the inferno...I just...I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm fine." I reassured, "Though that might have traffic backed up for a good long while."

"Yeah." She agreed, "When do you think you'll be home?"

I thought about it for a moment.

"How far is traffic backed up?" I asked.

"It's blocking all seven lanes." She added, "There's no traffic getting passed. I'm not sure how far it goes."

"Yeesh." I returned, "It might be better for me to just stay the night here."

She was quiet for a moment. I could hear her apprehension as she eventually spoke.

"Are you sure?"

"Well we've got work in the morning." I reminded her, "If I'm sitting in traffic until 4 AM then that'll defeat the point, wouldn't it?"

She sighed.

"I guess you're right. Is she comfortable with you staying the night?"

"If she's not, then I'll make my way back."

"...okay. I love you."

"I love you, too." I replied, "You sleep well, okay?"

"I'll try."

She hung up first, allowing me to slowly look at my phone. I sighed, pulling up the GPS. I clicked home, watching as the map showed a seven hour delay on a normally one hour trip.

"Jesus."

"What's up?"

I looked up, seeing Chara had emerged, wrapped in a towel herself.

"Uh, there's a semi overturned on I-15. It's on fire, and apparently there's a seven hour delay."

"Jesus." She added, "Do you need to stay here tonight?"

"I wouldn't want to impose." I returned.

She waved her hand, turning back into the kitchen.

"Not imposing at all. You certainly didn't turn the semi over yourself."

She then paused at the kitchen entrance, tilting back out and looking at me in a mock seriousness.

"Did you?"

I laughed.

"No, I most certainly did not."

"Good, I was going to say I didn't think my shower took that long."

She came out of the kitchen, holding a set of mugs. She set one down in front of me, a steaming brew of tea looking up at me.

"Oh, thank you."

"Of course."

She sat beside me, her figure barely making a dent in the couch.

"I noticed there wasn't any steam on the mirror when I went in. You take cold showers these days?"

I shrugged.

"I wanted to leave some hot water for you."

Chara grinned, bumping her head against my shoulder again.

"You're a dork. I have a big water heater."

"I wasn't sure." I returned.

"You're also sweet, thank you."

"You're welcome...and, uh, I can sleep on the couch." I offered.

She shook her head, sipping her brewed tea.

"You're my guest, you can sleep in my bed."

"Where will you sleep?" I asked, before taking a sip.

Rich pomegranate graced my lips, a soft undertone of honey following as I sipped.

"In my bed, silly."

I glanced at her, before she resumed.

"It's a king." She assured me, "Plus, I know you."

Chara paused, taking a sip.

"I trust you." She added.

"Well, thank you."

"Your clothes should be done washing soon. Would you like to watch something?"

"Uh, sure, what did you have in mind?"

She reached forward, picking up the remote and bringing her large TV to life.

"There's this show I've been watching, I think you'd like it."

She scrolled through the menus ahead of us. My attention drifted off of the TV, moving instead to her figure. The white towel covered her torso and part of her thighs. Her sleek, black fur glistened in the lighting of her front room. Her lighter gray spots and accents stuck out, almost glowing. She leaned forward, her back slightly arched as she rested her elbows on her knees. Soon, she looked over at me, catching my gaze.

"Hey."

"Hi." I returned.

"What's up?"

"Nothing." I excused, looking away, "Sorry."

She reached up slowly, gently grasping my lower jaw. She turned my nose down to face her, her eyes meeting mine again.

"You're allowed to look at me, goofball."

"I just don't want you to think I'm staring."

She huffed, smiling.

"You were staring."

I sighed, cracking a half smile. She released my jaw, allowing me to look at the screen as she started to let the show play.

"So what is it?" I asked.

"Just watch." She assured.

Chara set the remote down, leaning back into the sofa. I leaned back as well, keeping my arms in my lap as the show began playing. A vibrant intro, though colorless to me, sprung up and introduced the host.

"Hi!" A spunky armadillo greeted us, her short Afro hugging her head, "I'm Regina Wilde! And you're watching Young Fangs!"

"What is this?" I asked as the intro resumed.

"It's a cooking competition." Chara explained, "They get celebrity and world-class chefs together to cook--You know what, just watch."

"Okay." I said, turning my attention back to the TV.

"Hello and welcome everybody!" Regina prompted the audience, "Today I'd like to ask you all a very special question."

She paused for effect, looking around the stage she stood on.

"Who is the greatest chef in the world?"

The assembled audience cheered, Regina waving her hands to welcome the praise.

"Now, we have fourteen contestants for you tonight! But in two weeks, we'll be down to one!"

Another volley of cheers brought her smile back.

"They'll get fifty thousand dollars, and be crowned the greatest chef in the world!"

I tilted my head to the side, attempting to identify what set this show apart from the dozens of other cooking competitions I'd watched.

"Let's bring out our contestants!"

More cheers accompanied the fourteen contestants as they emerged, lining up neatly behind Regina. They stood as a variety of species, a mix of tigers, elk, otters, birds, and even a Komodo Dragon stood near the back. Regina allowed the chefs to bow.

"For our first challenge, as a warm up, we'll give our contestants a simple challenge."

She paused for effect.

"You can assemble any dish, any dish your heart desires, your best work even. But, it must contain Eggs."

Regina looked back at the audience.

"They'll have one hour to complete their dishes for our judges, ready?"

"Ready!" The audience cried.

"Go!"

As she called it, the chefs scattered. I leaned forward, fetching the mug of tea and taking another sip. I watched as the chefs began preparing, the camera crew focusing on the short otter. They brought the cameras closer to her, Regina making an appearance.

"So who are you, and what are you making?" Regina asked, leaning on the counter.

"I'm Faith," she introduced, her full name coming across the bottom of the screen, "and I'm the head chef at Chateau Delicé."

"Excellent! What will you be preparing for our judges today?"

"I'll be preparing a special version of Eggs Benedict."

"Ooh, what makes it special?"

"Well," she began, focusing on her work instead of the camera, "instead of an English muffin, I start with a four-cheese spicy jalape?o grilled sandwich. Then I make the Hollandaise with grated garlic and red onion."

"Sounds delicious!" Regina commented, pushing herself off the counter, "I'm sure our judges will love it!"

Regina then turned, winking at the camera. Faith seemed to miss this detail, far too focused with her cooking to pay the armadillo any attention. I laid the mug down, leaning back against the couch again. As I did, Chara prompted me.

"Would you...would you mind if I laid against you?"

"I'd be fine with that." I answered, pulling my arm up.

She leaned in, nestling herself up against me. I then lowered my arm, resting it over her shoulder. Having let her snuggle in, I turned my attention back to the show. We watched as the contestants compiled their dishes, some taking the time to discuss their strategies and how they intended to impress the judges. I stayed quiet, attempting to piece together why this show was different. I began to give up as we reached the end of the hour, and Regina called time. The chefs threw their hands up, some of them barely managing to squeeze the finishing touches in. The music went quiet, highlighting the tension hanging over the stage. Chara tapped my belly with her hand.

"This is it." She declared softly.

"Contestants, you've been cooking your little hearts out. This all smells, I have to say, delicious. I'm very sad that I can't try these, our judges, however, are certainly looking forward to it."

Regina glanced around.

"That being said, let's bring them out."

The cameras shifted to the entrance, revealing as a series of young cubs, easily 5 or so years old, were shuffled out by chaperons.

"Oh." I said, "Ohhh."

My surprise mirrored that of the contestants, who mostly stood in front of egg based dishes suited for five star restaurants.

"My favorite judges in the world." Regina explained, the kids standing beside her, "Here we have Molly."

"Hi." The little panda greeted, waving bashfully at the camera.

"And here's George." Regina resumed.

The tiny moose sneezed. He then composed himself and waved at the camera.

"And then we have Jesse."

The young jaguar gripped the sides of her pink dress, before nervously bowing. A few chuckles emanated from the audience, accompanying the oohs and awws that had come before.

"And who could forget my main man, Tom."

Tom greeted the audience with a much more exaggerated bow. The young bull clearly exhibited a confidence deserving of a small cub.

"We'll bring the kids around to try your dishes." Regina then mentioned, glancing around the contestants, "chefs, we really hope you brought your best game."

I chuckled.

"So they bring kids in." Chara explained as they went to the first contestant, "The idea is that they'll be more brutally honest, and they can eliminate a contestant based on, like, not liking cherries or something."

"Intriguing." I added, "So do they do this every season?"

"There's only one season." She responded, "But, watch, watch!"

I turned back, seeing as little Tom took a bite of the spicy Eggs Benedict.

"Uh oh." I said.

He spat it out, predictably.

"Spicy!" He called out, rubbing his tongue in an animated fashion with both his hands.

The otter hissed, her body tensing as she sank back.

"Sorry." She softly apologized.

A crew member came from left field, offering Tom a glass of milk. He accepted it and began chugging.

"Did you want to show me this because of earlier?" I asked.

"What? Oh, the Habanero thing?"

"Yeah."

"Eh, it made me think of it, but I figured you'd like this show. We can change it if you're not feeling it."

"No," I excused, "it's getting good now."

She smiled, looking back at the TV and sinking into me as she relaxed. I felt her give a long exhale, as if to let her body deflate.

"Comfy?"

"Very."

We watched as they moved through the contestants, each of the kids complaining about some more complicated element to each dish. The episode came to a close, Regina warning that they'd eliminate someone next time. A small alarm went off in the back room, Chara quickly sitting up.

"Laundry's done." She informed, allowing me to release her so she could stand.

She then walked through the apartment, leaving me to start the next episode. As the intro played, I reached up, sipping more tea and grabbing the remote. I paused the episode, rolling to my feet. I stretched, my claws nearly touching her ceiling. As I brought my head back down, I cracked my knuckles and made sure my towel was still around my waist. I then walked forward, joining Chara at the set of laundry machines. She looked over her shoulder as I leaned against the doorway.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Nothing, just joining you."

"Ah."

She went back to transferring my soaked clothes into the dryer.

"Thank you again for tonight," Chara added, "it's always nice to spend time with you."

"Likewise." I agreed.

She closed the dryer, before starting it. She then rested her palms flat on top. She then yawned, and collected herself.

"Sorry, I'm getting a bit tired."

"We can lay down, if you're ready."

She turned back, smiling at me.

"Sure."

"I'll get the front sorted." I assured her.

I turned back with little argument from the sleepy-looking cat. I turned off the TV, before scooping up our mugs. I delivered them to the kitchen, being sure to pour out the leftover liquid. As I turned back, Chara had made herself known, her towel still covering her torso. She came closer, quietly wrapping her arms around me in a hug.

"I'm serious." She added, "Thank you."

I hugged her back, pulling her in gently.

"You're welcome, and thank you."

"For?"

"For allowing me to apologize to you. For letting us get back to being friends. I cherish this."

She nodded, releasing me.

"Come on, goof. Let's go lay down."

I followed her back into the bedroom, turning off lights as we went. Upon entering the bedroom, she turned to look at me.

"Um...If you don't mind."

"Oh, sorry, I can let you get changed." I excused, stepping out.

"No, no. That's the thing."

"Hmm?"

"I...it's more comfortable for me to...sleep in the nude. Is that okay with you?"

I shrugged.

"It's your house. I want you to be comfortable. I can put something on if you need.

"It should be alright." She said, dropping her towel and kicking it into the laundry hamper.

In the same motion, she flicked the light switch. My eyes adjusted quickly, the gray shades soon standing out from one another. I let my towel flop down, before leaning to pick it up and place it onto hers in the hamper. I turned my attention back to the bed, where Chara was. She crawled onto the sheets, pulling up her phone.

"I also listen to music before I sleep." She clarified, "Is that okay?"

I laid down beside her, getting comfortable.

"That's fine." I added, "Though I do remember way back in the day, back when I'd talk you to sleep."

"Oh yeah." She said with a chuckle, "I...I never meant to offend you with that."

"And you never did." I clarified as she settled in.

Smooth jazz began playing softly through the speakers across the room. I laid further down, feeling Chara as her hand gently clasped over mine.

"I always knew you were tired, even then." I added, "Hell, if you'd like, I could try and do it now."

She chuckled softly, her figure sinking against the nearly white sheets beneath her.

"You can try, if you'd like."

"Before I do, you've got an alarm set?"

"6:30." She clarified, "Should be early enough for us, yeah?"

"Yeah." I agreed, thinking about the commute ahead of me the following morning.

I looked up, laying on my back to face the ceiling. Her hand still held mine as she faced me, before I noticed soft vibrations emanating through the bed.

"Are you...purring?"

"Shut up." She excused, "I can't help it."

I chuckled, my body rolling over, getting ready to plant a kiss on her forehead. I stopped myself mid motion, catching myself in the act. I looked, seeing that Chara's eyes were closed, her whiskers twitching as she laid beside me. I rolled back gently.

"It's just that your voice was always so low, it was soothing." She explained, "I never found what you were talking about boring, you were just relaxing."

"Am I relaxing you now?" I asked, intentionally making my voice lower.

"Very much so."

"Yes." I confirmed, sticking with the low tone, "Barry, the bumbling buffoon, a babbling mess of--"

"Boop."

She quickly shielded herself under the blankets, hiding her nose to prevent me from booping her back. I attempted to bring her out, but she was too quick. No matter which angle I tried from, her nose remained hidden from me. I thought on the problem from a wider field, finding her exposed sides. I brought my hands down quietly, before tickling her exposed ribs.

"Oh no!"

She shot her arms down, covering her sides. But, she quickly turned before I could react, digging her face under the pillow and into the sheets.

"Ha." She said, muffled by the surrounding fabric.

"Very well," I caved, "you win."

"Really?" She asked, turning slightly out.

I reached forward, tapping her nose gently as it became exposed.

"Boop."

She gave an exacerbated sigh.

"Fine, I guess you win."

"Really?" I asked, egging her on.

She came up at me, grasping my wrists and rolling me onto my back. She pinned them down, her leg wrapping up over the top of me.

"Can't boop me if you can't reach me." She said, "I win."

I craned my neck, straining to press my nose against hers.

"Nice try." She excused, huffing with a smile, "But you can't boop me that easily."

I looked down, thinking about bucking my hips to throw her front end down towards me. She instead craned her neck down, pressing the tip of her nose gently against mine.

"Boop." She whispered.

She then released my wrists, crawling off of me. She laid her head against my shoulder, snuggling in.

"Goodnight, Dan." She stated with a yawn.

I wrapped my arm gently around her, holding her as close as she'd permit.

"Goodnight, Chara."

She nestled in further, getting comfortable. I closed my eyes as well, listening to the hum of her purr and the soothing jazz music behind it. I breathed, gently, my chest moving slowly with each inhale. I felt myself beginning to fade, Chara's company and the comfort of the evening doing me in. Each breath got more distant, the waking world slipping gently away.

Missus Robinson sank into the couch as she sat back, cocking her eyebrow up at me.

"So, nothing happened?" She inquired.

I nodded.

"I don't believe you."

"I assure you, we just slept."

Missus Robinson shook her head, crossing her arms as she brought her legs up onto the couch with her. Her tail continued to sway playfully as she argued.

"Come on. She was naked, you were naked, she jumped on top of you, asked you to sleep in her bed. She was practically begging for it."

I shook my head.

"But she wasn't." I informed, "She wasn't asking for anything."

Missus Robinson clicked her tongue, shaking her head back at me.

"I still don't believe you."

"I'm serious." I added, "It doesn't matter if she was _practically_asking for it; she wasn't asking for it."

"So nothing happened?" She pressed.

"Nothing." I confirmed, "She wanted to sleep, I wanted to sleep, that was that."

"But you could have taken her." Missus Robinson pointed out, "Nothing was stopping you."

"There sure was." I argued, "Me. I was stopping me."

"Why?"

"Because I have self control?" I blurted, raising an eyebrow as I directed the question, "Because she was my friend, and the lack of a no doesn't mean it's a yes."

She sat back, her eyes slowly guiding up to the ceiling.

"You..."

"Hmm?"

"You're a rare breed, Dan."

"How do you figure?" I returned.

"When you said you'd only do things I wanted to do, interacting with me earlier...I thought that was just part of being an escort."

"I mean it is." I clarified, "But I harbored that sentiment long before I became one."

She hugged her knees up to her torso, looking back down at me.

"I can't think of many...men...who would have that kind of self control."

"It's simple empathy." I continued, "Don't do to others what you wouldn't want done to you."

"A laudable goal." She complimented.

"I appreciate that, but it's just how I live."

"It's a good way to live." She added, "I...I wish I had more empathy sometimes."

"Why's that?" I inquired, leaning forward.

The couch beneath me creaked, my nude figure causing the wood supports within the leather structure to flex.

"I...no, this is therapy for you." She returned, "So how did Maxi take all of this? Or did she ever find out?"

"As far as that night went, she stayed under the impression that I slept on the couch."

"So you'd lied to her?"

"More than once, yes. I think she knew in the back of her mind, but either didn't want to say anything, or couldn't think of anything to say."

Missus Robinson nodded.

"That's often the case with some of my patients. Some know in their hearts that someone is going behind their back, but they lack the opportunity or self drive to say anything. Some don't want to challenge the status quo, so they live in feigned ignorance, possibly looking out for that undeniable proof."

"Undeniable proof?" I inquired.

"Two wine glasses in a sink, a pair of panties that don't belong to them in the laundry, or a lipstick mark on a collar. You know, the movie stuff?"

"Ah, yes. Some of my clients will put down rubber sheets before we start."

"Sounds uncomfortable."

"Usually is." I confirmed, "But I have other clients who will openly film it. It's a broad spectrum."

She shrugged.

"Usually is." She agreed.

I sighed, leaning back and unclasping my hands.

"But what were some of the signs that Maxi might have known?"

"Phew...the main thing I noticed was that she got more resigned anytime I said I was going to hang out with Chara."

"Did she ever join you two? Like out and about, spending time together, et cetera."

"Every once in a while." I added, thinking back on it, "But after a while, Chara expressed her discomfort around Maxi."

"How so?"

I shrugged.

"I usually read the air between them when we spent time together. I thought things were fine, all things considered. But I guessed wrong, or there was something I wasn't seeing."

Missus Robinson nodded.

"So then it was either me spending time with Maxi, or me spending time with Chara."

"Who did you spend more time with?"

"Maxi, easily." I added, "We lived together, we ate together, we shopped together, we were partners. Chara lived in another city, an hours drive away."

"Mmm. Were there any other signs that Maxi might have known?"

"One more I can think of." I added, "She'd usually want to have sex before I left to spend time with Chara."

"Ah."

"Not sure if she just wanted to spend me to reduce the risk in her mind. I'm...I'm not sure what her reasoning was."

"Maybe it was for her?" Missus Robinson guessed, "Put her mind at ease, as she felt your carnal desires had been sated."

"Maybe." I agreed.

"So, did it work?"

"So what did you guys have planned?" Maxi asked, walking over and resting her elbows on the counter.

I put another clean plate on the drying rack, before turning my attention back to the sink full of soapy water.

"She wants to show me the season finale of Young Fangs, then we might watch a movie." I returned.

Maxi pushed herself up, before waltzing around the island counter and standing next to me. Only a white shirt covered her breasts, her legs fully exposed to the open apartment air.

"Sounds fun." She added.

"Should be." I returned, smiling at her, "What're you up to tonight?"

Maxi rested her head on my shoulder, craning her neck as I continued washing the last of the dishes.

"I'll be missing you." She stated, closing her eyes as she stayed beside me.

"I'll miss you, too, love."

I turned slightly, kissing her exposed cheek.

"You could always play more DigItUp." I suggested.

"I could." She added, "I need to finish the castle wall and add the guard towers."

"That's an idea." I reinforced with a smile, "I know you were also planning that flour mill."

"Oh yeah, and maybe the shovel statue."

I pushed the last plate through the warm running water, the suds flying off with the flow. Once I was satisfied with its cleanliness, I put it on the rack to dry, shutting off the water as I brought my hands back. I then reached down, prying up the drain plug and letting the messy water drain out. I put some more soap on my hands, washing them clean. I then reached over, grabbing a towel and drying off. As I rubbed my hands through the cloth, Maxi turned her neck slightly. Her teeth then sank into my neck, the giraffe displaying her eagerness.

"Mmm," I began with a groan, "and how's my insatiable darling tonight?"

She continued biting, keeping me in her grasp as I turned towards her. My hands found her hips, and I pulled her body closer to me. I reached around now that her torso was against me. She wobbled her hips playfully as my hands found her bare rear. I pried on her exposed bottom, pulling her ass cheeks apart. Her hands remained on my shoulders, balancing herself against me. I guided one hand down her ass crack, finding the thin fabric of her panties. Maxi leaned into me more as I pressed my finger against her anus, rubbing in circles through her panties. She moaned into my neck, still latched on with her teeth.

"What are you in the mood for, baby?" I whispered, adopting a sultry tone as I asked.

Her left hand left my shoulder. She moved it down around her rear. She then parted her panties for me, pushing them to the side of her labia. After, she guided my hand lower, pressing my fingers into her wet muff. As I prepared to slide my fingers into her, she stopped biting and spoke.

"You can have my ass when you get home." She promised, "I'll get it warmed up for you."

She then moaned, finding my digits as I buried them inside her. She returned her hand to my shoulder as I fingered her, pulling her body into mine with each motion. She spread her legs slightly, her rear sinking lower. I leaned up and kissed the side of her neck, before grasping the other side with my open hand. She gasped as I cut off her wind pipe, prying my fingers out of her. I then pulled her body up slightly, moving my wet fingers between her thighs from the front. With the better angle, I was able to dig up to my knuckles. Maxi groaned, her knees growing weak as her pussy clamped onto my middle and ring fingers. I pressed my pointer and pinky against her labia, my thumb balancing on the front of her large thigh. I held her up as her legs grew wobbly. I pulled my thumb away from her windpipe, granting her breath.

"Ugh, fuck! I need you inside me." She begged, leaning in as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

Her breasts fell heavy against my chest, only my shirt and hers parting the bare fur. The bottoms of her biceps rested on my shoulders, her weight maintained against me as I fingered her.

"Then get on the counter." I instructed, pulling my fingers out again.

She released me, turning and pressing her chest into the counter. Her tail stood nearly erect over her bare ass, her puffy labia shining with a thin layer of juice. I brought my hand forward and gave her a light, playful spank.

"Not quite like that, goofball." I corrected, rolling my finger on the other hand.

She got the message, grinning as she got up and turned around. She hoisted herself up, before laying back on the bare granite. She brought her legs up, allowing me to grip her panties. I deftly removed them, guiding them up her legs with her aid. I tossed them to the floor, before looking down to the exposed giraffe. She'd pulled her shirt up over her breasts, one slightly larger than the other. I brought myself over her, taking her hint and beginning to worship her. I took one nipple into my mouth, Maxi groaning with the attention her breasts were getting. I gently squeezed her other tit, massaging it as I suckled. Her moaning continued as I switched, pinching her soaked nipple while taking the other into my mouth. I felt her hips moving beneath me, pinned against the granite by my weight. I still had my pants on, but I could tell she could feel my bulge. Once satisfied with her breasts, I kissed down her torso, then down her belly, then down her appendix. Her gray fur parted neatly at her groin, leaving her moist lips exposed. I then kissed her clit, and began eating her out. Maxi brought a hand to hold my hair, the giraffe groaning as my tongue explored her insides. I could smell her peachy perfume, nearly tasting it even inside her.

"Fuck! Dan!"

I continued licking, bringing a set of fingers up to part her lips. As her clit became more exposed, I focused on it, guiding my textured tongue against her flesh. Her legs curled, almost encasing my head as she rode out her excitement. I brought my other hand up, moving my tongue lower to let my thumb rub against her clit. I lapped up her excess gush, Maxi's hooves curling beside me as I ate her pussy.

"How's that, baby?" I asked in a low tone, bringing my mouth away for a moment.

"Don't you dare stop!" She demanded, her eyes locking with mine.

I grinned at her, before closing my eyes and returning to her womanhood. I moved my thumb and dug my tongue into her clit, pressing it down hard into her pelvis. Her moans grew in intensity as I pressed down, only aided as I returned two fingers to her opening. I curled them up, keeping my claws retracted as I rubbed her G spot. Maxi's grip on my hair only grew more intense, indicating to me that she was close. I pulled my tongue away and traded for my thumb, choosing to dirty talk her the rest of the way.

"Cum for me, baby." I cooed, "Let it all out for me."

"Dan..." She groaned, biting her lip, "Please, I'm close!"

"I know, baby. You're so hot, do it for me."

"Fuck, I'm gonna cum!"

"That's my girl." I egged her on, "Cum, and then I'll pound you senseless."

"Please! Ple--Ah! AHHH!"

I cupped my mouth over her sex, her squirt landing in my mouth. Her body convulsed, her grip on my hair straining my head. I continued rubbing her clit as she came, her soaked pussy relinquishing more fluid. As she finished, I swallowed, letting her release my hair so I could stand up. She rolled her head back up, looking at me as I licked my lips and undid my belt.

"Ready baby?"

As I freed my erection from its cloth prison; Maxi brought her legs up and pushed her hands to the sides of her thighs. She gripped her ass cheeks, spreading herself in her horny stupor. I ran my bare head through her soaked folds, massaging her pussy up and down.

"Ahh!" She hissed, "I'm sensitive."

"I know." I egged her on, "I'm gonna fill you up."

She groaned as I pushed in, my cock filling her. I grasped her thighs, pulling her body against me. I felt my balls push flush with her ass, the soaked fur meeting my dangling pair. She groaned, leaning up. I released one of her thighs, grabbing her upper neck and pulling her lips to kiss me. As we made out, I began humping. Maxi moaned into my lips, her walls squeezing against my girth with each thrust. She leaked passed me, my balls soaking up some of the out-pour with each slap. She moaned into my lips, and I groaned back. She broke the kiss and laid back again, her bare breasts shaking with each impact I delivered to her hips. Maxi reached down, continuing to moan as she rubbed her own clit. I watched her, witnessing as my erection disappeared inside her time and time again. With the sight and the stimulation, I felt a pressure building above my groin. I'd normally pause, let myself cool down, but tonight was different. I kept humping, warning her as I did.

"I'm getting close."

"Inside, please!" She begged, her fingers catching my appendix with every hump, "Cum in me!"

I stood on my tippy toes, planting my cock as deep as I could with each thrust. Her hips curled around me, Maxi squirting again. As she gushed, I came. A load of hot semen spilled up into her guts, aided by me thrusting with each pump. Maxi held my body firmly against hers, our soaking hips sucked against each other by passion and ferocity. I gritted my teeth, feeling my balls curling against her soaking ass with each jet. The giraffe panted, laying in our stewing mess. I leaned down, kissing between her breasts. As she chuckled, I quickly turned it into a moan. I pulled out, some of the cum following me out. I stared down at her gaping pussy, her gray flesh oozing some more of the white cum. She reached down again, her fingers scooping some of my liquid up. She guided it to her mouth, suckling on her fingers as I kissed down her thigh.

"How was that, baby?" I inquired.

She smacked her lips, before sitting up. She looked down between her legs, seeing the mess that continued to leak out onto the counter and down to the faux wood floor beneath.

"You fill me up, every time." She complimented, before kissing me again.

She broke the kiss, leaning down and inspecting her gaping pussy.

"Can't wait for my ass to look like that." She teased, winking at me.

I smiled and kissed her again, pulling her gently to her feet.

"I'll get you...and the floor a towel."

She giggled, leaving me to wrap up my spent erection and locate a towel. I walked back into the laundry room, fetching a spare and bringing it back. She accepted the towel and began cleaning herself. I then grasped the wet towel I'd used to dry my hands earlier, taking it and wiping up some of the semen that had sloshed onto the floor and cabinets. As I stood up, Maxi kissed me again.

"You be safe, okay?" She prompted, holding me.

"I will." I assured her.

"And don't stay out too late." She added, "I don't want you too tired to drive."

I looked out the window, the evening sun threatening to set in the next hour or so. I looked back up to her, Maxi's gray eyes staring into mine intently.

"I won't." I reinforced.

"Plus," she added, smirking, "you still gotta fill my butt."

I reached around her again, spreading her now-bare ass cheeks.

'I could do it right now." I teased.

"Ooh, don't tempt me." She cooed, kissing my neck.

I kissed her back, before breaking the hug. I accepted the towel she'd offered and unzipped my pants. I cleaned my erection off, doing my best to get everything up and out.

"There." I concluded, "That should do."

"Drive safe, okay?"

"I will. Love you."

"Love you, too." Maxi returned, beaming.

"I see." Missus Robinson added, "So Maxi enjoyed anal?"

"More so than me, I think." I returned, giving a light shrug.

"I've never tried." She admitted, "Didn't seem that appealing."

"It's not for everyone." I added, "But she craved it, though it took her time to warm up and prepare. There were times were sex lasted four, maybe five hours for us, most of that consisting of anal."

"Jesus." She cursed, "Does it take that long to get accustomed?"

"Not for everyone." I returned, "And not even in those cases. It was usually that she'd get warmed up in about half an hour, and we'd spend the rest of the time riding it out."

"Riding it out?"

"Soaking, not humping, letting myself cool down so as not to cum too quickly. Stuff like that."

"I see."

Missus Robinson suddenly shuddered, flexing her legs.

"Something wrong?"

"No, nothing." She excused, "It's just...when you talk about your volume. I normally wouldn't believe you."

She spread her legs slightly, some of my cum lightly oozing from her.

"Had I not experienced it myself, I would doubt you."

I clicked my tongue, before she cocked her head up at me.

"Do you have cubs?"

"I do not." I clarified, "Why do you ask?"

"Anyone blasting that much cum has to have cubs somewhere, with someone, right?"

I shook my head.

"Maxi and I went bare because I'd discovered a few years before that I was sterile."

"Oh, oh my god, I'm so sorry."

"Why?"

"Well, um...that can be devastating for some people."

"Yeah." I agreed, "Not me."

Missus Robinson tilted her head slightly.

"Why is that?"

"I don't want cubs," I explained, "with anyone."

She paused, seeming to collect her words carefully.

"Is there a particular reason?"

I shrugged.

"The world's crowded as is." I began, "Enough people with too many cubs, some little kids running around with no parents, or worse. Plus, I didn't exactly come from the grandest upbringing myself. I don't want to bring another soul into this world. Especially if I can find one that needs me more."

"So adoption?"

"It's on the table." I admitted, "But I'd much rather have that, you know, rather than putting someone through the labor of...well...labor."

"Ah. Anyway, so you had sex with Maxi, then you left to go spend time with Chara."

"I did." I resumed the story, "She wanted to show me the season finale."

"You'd mentioned." Missus Robinson reminded.

"Right, but after we watched that, she snuggled up with me and we watched a movie."

"Which one?"

"I...I don't remember. I wasn't exactly paying attention."

"Why was that?"

Chara leaned on me a little heavier, relaxing her body as we cuddled. Her head rested neatly against my bicep, my pudgy figure curving around her. Chara's attention was neatly focused on the movie ahead. My attention was on her. I studied her fur, inspecting the little light gray spots that stuck out from her black fur. I then glanced over her curly hair. Short, weaving locks made up a nest on her head. Her ears stuck out, their large stature highlighting them over her curls. I watched her ear twitch, likely moving involuntarily from my muzzle grazing it. Chara glanced up at me, our eyes locking.

"Hey." She stated.

"Hi." I returned.

"What's up?"

"Just admiring you."

She grinned, slowly closing her eyes and nestling into me yet again.

"You're comfy." She complimented, "And sweet."

"As are you."

"So why look at me?" She asked, seeming to change the subject.

"I..."

"There's a perfectly good movie right there," she jabbed, "I think you're missing it."

I huffed, running a hand over her back as she laid against me.

"True, but I appreciate your company more than any movie."

She gave a short chuckle.

"I'm not that interesting." She shot herself down, "In fact, I'm surprised you haven't grown bored of me."

"I could never." I argued quietly, "You're awe inspiring, you're neat, and fascinating."

I felt her cheeks curl into a smile against my body. She looked back up, opening her eyes.

"You're too sweet." Chara added.

"All for you." I said, clicking my tongue after.

She gazed into my eyes, something shimmering deep within her. I wagered she'd seen the same in my eyes. Her smile slowly faded, but the look remained.

"What is it about you...?" She whispered, trailing off.

"What's on your mind?" I asked

"You." She answered simply, "What's on yours?"

My better judgment caught me. I knew I shouldn't say it, but the words slipped out anyway.

"That I want to kiss you so badly."

Her eyes remained locked, and she didn't seem shaken by my advance.

"So why don't you?"

I restrained myself. I visualized myself walking through the halls of my mind and turning everything off. I held myself back, and reason spoke for me.

"Because I don't want to hurt you." I stated, continuing to rub her back, "I don't want to go behind Dillan's back. You made a promise to him."

"Right." She agreed, "You're right."

We continued staring at each other. Chara eventually breaking the silence.

"I think it would be all over if we kissed."

"How do you mean?"

She granted a half smile, resuming.

"If I kissed you...it would just be a dam breaking. A wave of emotion, and I don't know if I'd be able to stop."

I could feel her heartbeat against my body. Like a distant war drum, racing but deliberate. I took a moment to exhale, attempting to calm myself down. As my breath left my body, I watched as her whiskers curled, highlighting just how close our muzzles were.

"Ditto." I agreed, "But you're right, there's a movie to watch, and--"

Our lips collided. Chara pushed up, closing her eyes as she kissed me. Fireworks ran through my body, my blood suddenly becoming energized. Everything I'd tried to turn off earlier flipped right back on, a sudden wave of heat washing over me. Chara broke away quickly, wrenching her eyes open and gazing back at me. We both breathed, each of us seeming unsure of how to proceed. As though it were fated, we both leaned in simultaneously, closing our eyes as our lips met again. We shared a fiery embrace, her hands coming up to hold my cheek as we made out. The world around became a distant thought, the moment encompassing everything I desired and craved. She brought her other arm around my neck, pulling me down into her. I held her in turn, passion rocketing through my system like a tidal wave. My body felt light while connected to hers, as though a tremendous weight had been tossed away. She broke away first, opening her eyes and staring at me as I opened mine.

"Dan." She whispered.

I noticed a stark difference. Her eyes still held the same spark that had ignited the flame between us, but they looked somehow different. I wasn't sure how to describe what I saw in the fiery gaze before me, but the color seemed warmer than the gray I was used to, though still a dark shade compared to her sclera surrounding the iris.

"Chara, your eyes..."

She huffed, moving back in to kiss me. I met her lips once more, letting her fall on top of me as I rolled back onto the couch. We shared a tender embrace for a blissful minute. I broke the kiss this time, electing to speak as I looked into her eyes.

"I...I know what you said, but we don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

Chara huffed again, running her hand off my cheek and onto my neck.

"I know." She returned, "And I...Just this once, alright?"

She sighed, before quickly resuming.

"Just one time. We'll get it out of our systems, then that's it. Is that okay?"

I nodded.

"Just tonight." I promised her, "But tonight belongs to us."

She cracked a half smile, kissing my covered chest.

"Tonight it's just us. Just you and I." She reinforced, tugging at my flannel, "God, you smell amazing."

I helped her get my arms out of the over shirt, leaving me with only my T-shirt below. She pulled me up for a moment, aiding me in removing the shirt as well. Chara then pinned me back down, planting her tender kisses across my now bare chest. She moved her lips up as she kissed, running along my neck and kissing me fully once more. I closed my eyes to embrace her, savoring her touch and smell. She smelled like the deep forest, like hidden and unobtainable exotic fruits. Her fur proved soft against my grasp, even through her shirt as I moved to pull it up over her head. She stopped kissing and sat up. She ripped the shirt up and over, tossing it far across the room. She then ran her hands along her own neck, biting her lip down at me as she moved her hips like an ocean wave. I growled low, pairing it with a smile to express my pleasure. She reached behind her back, unclasping her bra and sliding it off over her arms.

"Wow." I gasped, her breasts coming into view.

She then brought her arms down, her bra resting flat against my chest now as she hovered over me. I rested my hands on her shoulders, noting that she was getting ready to kiss me again.

"You're so beautiful."

She huffed.

"You're sweet."

"May I worship you?"

Her smile grew, only breaking for her to kiss me again. As she broke it, she spoke softly.

"I'm yours for tonight, love." She purred.

I leaned up with her, propping myself up with my arm while the other stayed on her shoulder. She gave a soft gasp as I brought her up, helping her to toss the black bra aside. I examined her breasts for a moment, choosing her right side to start. She groaned and held me as I began suckling on her exposed tit.

"Dan..." She whispered, trailing off as I switched breasts.

I felt her hips grinding over my thigh, her jeans and my cargo pants preventing full contact. I switched back, taking my hand off her shoulder to massage her exposed breast. Her grip on me tightened, and she bit her lip at me again.

"I forgot how gentle you are." She added.

"You haven't seen anything yet." I promised.

She chuckled.

"You talk a big game, mister."

I aimed to deliver. I shifted my legs, moving my arm around her to gently let her down. She rested against the armrest of the couch, watching as I loomed over her. I kissed between her breasts, before working my way down. She huffed and her body swayed to and fro as I kissed down her exposed belly. I reached the seam of her jeans. She watched as I brought my teeth out.

"What are you--Ah!"

I pushed my top fangs beneath her jeans, using my tongue and lower jaw to undo the button. I then rolled my tongue around her zipper, pinning it to my lower lip and moving my head down. She giggled as I unzipped.

"Smooth." She added.

I then brought my teeth back, kissing right over the seam of her white panties. Chara sighed blissfully, before turning her full attention back to me. She watched as I gripped the seams around her ankles, prying her jeans up. She shifted her weight and tail to allow the jeans to slide off smoothly. I stood up as I tossed them aside, undoing my own belt as she laid before me.

"You're handsome." She fired back, grinning at me as I pried my own pants down and off.

I crawled back onto the couch with her, only our undergarments remaining on our fur-covered bodies. I kissed her lips, embracing her once more as her hands came up to explore my chest. As I broke off, she posed a question.

"Done worshiping?"

"Not even close."

I kissed her neck, before pecking gently down her torso again. Her body rolled with me, her breasts raising and lowering with her excited breathing. As I moved down, I spoke between kisses.

"You're. Sweet. Like. Honey."

I kissed her appendix, her pudgy stomach bowing slightly with the pressure from my muzzle.

"That's why I savor you, love." I resumed, "Plus you're smooth, like caramel."

I hovered over her white panties, her full attention on me as we shared this small little slice of the world. In that moment, as we'd stated, it was only us.

"You could almost say..." I said in a low grumble, my light whiskers gracing the inside of her thighs, "That you're my honeyed caramel."

"Oooh." She groaned, opening her legs up slightly.

I planted a kiss right on the fabric, feeling the hot, wet lips concealed within. Chara moaned, her body still moving like a wave as I worshiped her.

"May I?" I inquired, my breath falling heavy against her covered womanhood.

"Please." She begged.

I pressed my nose fully against her wetness, licking the fabric to tease her. Chara's moans grew in intensity, before her excitement got the better of her. She shot a hand down, manually pulling her panties to the side to expose herself to me.

"Please," she begged again, "please Dan, I need you."

"As you wish."

I drove my tongue into her folds. Chara reacted positively, using that same hand to grasp my hair. I hummed, vibrating my throat as I ate her out. I then turned my attention up, parting her lips with my slick tongue to focus on her clitoris. Chara's head rolled back in a much deeper groan as I paid particular attention to the small, gray bulb centered in her upper folds. She rolled her thighs up, pressing them against either side of my head as I licked. I grasped the outside of her thigh with my right, reaching the left around. Her body shuddered as I pressed my hand into her lower belly, putting pressure on her with a light press. Chara squeezed me, her moans growing into questions.

"My god, how? Dan, how?"

Before I could break to ask her what she meant, she squirted. I reacted quickly, attempting to cup my mouth over her pussy. She made it difficult however, her thighs locking my head tightly in place. The mess spilled out passed my lips and onto the couch below. Her body convulsed, her grasp on my hair nearly tearing the follicles out. I hissed and closed my eyes at the pressure, though ultimately welcomed the pain, knowing that it originated from the intense pleasure of Chara. She relaxed, releasing my hair and bringing both her hands against her mouth.

"Haha!" She laughed, "How!?"

I licked my lips and attempted to clean up more of her mess as her thighs released me. Rather than answering her verbally, I dove back in.

"Oh fuck!"

Her body shuddered again, her thighs growing tight against my cheeks once more as I licked. I put the pressure on, my tongue slowly and deliberately grinding her clit against her pelvis. She brought her hands down, and I watched as she gripped the couch. Her pussy juice tasted sweet, her clean and well kept pussy providing a delicious experience. After only a few more moments of licking, she cursed and tightened up again, a second wave rocketing through the eager cat's body. This time I was able to cup my maw over her squirting mess, drinking it down.

"How!?" Chara repeated, giggling in what had grown into a stupor.

"Would you like me to stop?" I asked once she released my head.

"Oh don't you dare." She threatened, "Keep going, please!"

I took my hand off her thigh, lining my fingers up with her folds. I slid inside her, curling to find her G spot. She rolled her hips, grasping the couch cushions again.

"Fuck! Dan, yes!"

As I laid my pointer and pinky flush against her labia, she leaned up. She guided me out, before sitting up and sliding her panties off. She curled her knees to get them up and over, before sliding them passed her feet. The soaked garment joined the pile of clothes we'd amassed next to the couch, before she laid back and spread her legs.

"Please." She reinforced.

I drove myself back in, closing my eyes and licking her clit with intent. I shoved my fingers inside her slowly, working to curl them and grind her innards once more. Chara screamed in a moan, rolling forward with the intensity.

"Fuck! Don't stop!"

I had no intention of doing so, and demonstrated that as I continued eating her out and fingering her. Chara's pussy flesh curled with force around my digits, but I kept them embedded. She grasped my hair again, and I welcomed the force as she pulled my snout into her loin even harder.

"Yes! Yes! YES! FUCK!"

The force of her orgasm ejected my fingers from her. Chara's thighs gripped my head like a vice again, pinning me down and forcing me to swallow her immense output. She rode my face out, squirting into my mouth with newfound ferocity. I swallowed as it came in, but more than enough leaked out onto her thighs in the back-blast. Her intensity settled, her thighs soon parting to allow me to come up for air. I gasped softly, licking my lips after. I looked down at Chara, who was laying back with both hands cupped over her mouth again. She stared at the ceiling, her brown eyes dilating as she attempted to calm herself down.

"Fuck." She concluded, parting her hands, "How?"

I chuckled, sitting beside her and letting her rest.

"Anything for you my darling, honeyed caramel."

Chara purred, slowly rolling up to sit beside me. As she did, I watched her continue the motion, moving herself up and sitting in my lap with her knees parted to either side of my hips. Her eyes locked with mine, harboring a new ferocity. I'd clearly woken the animal within her, her hungry gaze highlighting her need. She reinforced it by grinding her soaked lips against my covered shaft, my boxers still holding my erect member back. Reason caught me for a moment as she spoke.

"I want you, Dan. Fuck, I need you."

"Are you sure?" I inquired back, "I need to know you're okay with this."

She brought her torso against mine, pulling herself closer and grinding even harder against me.

"Fucking please." She huffed.

"I'm serious." I added, adopting a sobering tone that caught her attention.

Chara pulled herself back for a moment, allowing me to bring my hands up and grasp her cheeks gently.

"Chara, I...I love you. I love you so much. I don't want to hurt you, I need to be sure that you want this, and that you really want it. In your heart, not just your loins."

She smiled slowly, her grin growing as she leaned into my hands.

"You're sweet." She reinforced, "I appreciate you, and I love you. I love you so much."

She leaned back in, hugging me instead of grasping my shoulders.

"I love you." She repeated, "And it's just tonight. Tonight's for us."

"Just tonight." I repeated.

"Just tonight." She echoed, "Now, don't make me beg."

I clicked my tongue, wrapping my arms around her back.

"But I like when you beg. You get all flustered and hot."

She groaned again, her hot body melting into mine like the caramel I called her.

"Please, Dan."

"What would please you, baby?"

She huffed, her body moving eagerly against mine.

"Make love to me." She whispered.

I brought my hand down, gently prying my boxers down. I cleared my erection, letting the elastic band rest on the back of my balls. I brought my hand back up, cupping Chara's cheek and kissing her. As she embraced me back, I shifted her weight. I felt my head push against her tender flesh, her wetness kissing my tip. She moaned into my lips as she slid onto me, sitting fully in my lap. We shared the moment, trading saliva as I filled her. Chara broke the kiss, pushing her hips up slightly to pull off of me. She then sank back down, her drenched lips kissing the fur around the base of my shaft. I growled as she rode me, egging her on and aiding her in humping me. I bucked up to meet her in the middle, our hips colliding with muffled slaps. Chara gripped the back of my neck suddenly, pulling my muzzle back against hers. She met me with a new ferocity, her eager body slamming down into me as I pushed up into her. She rocked her hips, slowing down as she broke the kiss.

"Do you still like being bit?" She asked, huffing as we kept going.

"Only one way to find out." I teased.

Her teeth met my neck, restraint keeping her from breaking the skin. However, she applied too much force for me to ignore, and I hissed with delight. I curled my toes, feeling her pussy clamp down on me. She groaned against my neck, another orgasm rocking her body. I held her as she convulsed, her humps slowing to a crawl. I shoved myself as deep as I could go, feeling her tightness as she brought her knees against my sides. I held her through her orgasm, letting her regain herself once she finished. She sucked in some saliva as she pulled her teeth away and sat up. I took my opportunity, bringing her neck into my mouth. I snarled, my teeth pushing through her fur and sitting heavy against her warm flesh. She squealed, especially as I kept humping. Her hands found my shoulders, and she gripped my fur.

"Mmm, god don't stop!" She moaned loudly.

I could feel the pressure building in my loins, and I got ready to release her neck to warn her. She seemed to sense this, speaking her eagerness.

"Cum in me, Dan." She ordered, gritting her teeth, "Fill me full!"

I growled into her neck, causing her to involuntarily moan. I then pulled down on her shoulders, pushing her pussy lips as flush with my body as possible. With a loud groan, she welcomed each jet of hot cum as it shot up into her eager body. I kept my teeth pressed against her neck, holding her down as I came. She tensed up, another orgasm rocking her and squeezing against my manhood. I felt some of the cum slosh out passed my erection, or it might have been her squirt, I honestly wasn't sure. Either way, we stewed in the wet passion, climaxes intertwined like our bodies against one another. We simmered down, and I let her neck go. I licked my lips, feeling her fall heavy against my torso. She brought her hand down, finding mine and grasping it. I held her hand back, raising her body each time I inhaled.

"Fuck." She concluded.

"Agreed."

"How many was that?" She asked, prompting me to think back.

"I...I lost count."

"As did I." Chara added, exhaling, "Can't remember the last time that happened."

I moved to pull out, but she stopped me.

"No, no, leave it in." She prompted, "Just for a moment. I wanna savor you."

I held her, remaining embedded inside per her request. We breathed against each other for what felt like a blissful eternity. Soon, I looked over her shoulder, seeing that the movie had ended, and gone completely through the credits. The screen now offered more options for us to watch, and I chuckled.

"What's so funny?" She inquired.

"We missed the movie."

She returned with a laugh, before it turned into a low purr. Her walls clenched me again, some more of my seed slipping out of her. I kissed her neck, still electing to hold her close.

"I love you, Dan." She added, "Thank you, for this opportunity."

"I love you, too. You know what I learned from this?"

"Hmm?"

"That you're gay."

She scoffed.

"You're gay." She fired back, leaning away from me as she broke the hug.

With a soft gasp, she lifted herself up, more semen dripping from her as she rose. She huffed, looking over the couch.

"We're definitely going to need to clean this." She concluded.

"Indeed. Can I help?"

She smiled at me.

"You made the mess."

I stood up beside her, stretching as she hugged me again.

"In all seriousness, you don't have to help me clean up."

I chuckled.

"You're absolutely right, I don't have to. But I want to."

I kissed her again, before we broke away. She waltzed back into the laundry area, fetching a towel and beginning to mop herself up. I followed her, locating a spray-able carpet and upholstery cleaner. I returned to the couch, seeing the sizable puddle we'd left behind. I pulled the pillows and blankets away from the couch, spraying the area with a hefty coat. She returned as I finished, plopping a larger towel on the area.

"There," She added, "we'll let that soak. You can...you can come shower with me, if you'd like."

"I'd love that." I added.

I set the cleaner down as we passed through the laundry area again. She leaned into the restroom and started the shower, allowing me a moment to fully remove my boxers. I stepped in to join her, watching as her long tail swayed gently by her calves. I looked at the rug sitting before the toilet at her feet, noticing that it was a different shade of gray than I was used to. It was lighter, had more volume, and was maybe a bit closer to white than I had expected. I blinked a few times, before Chara prompted me.

"Should be ready."

She stepped in first, holding the curtain open.

"Well goofball? Come on."

I stepped in with her, letting the warm water coat my front and chin. I turned back around, watching as she eyed me up and down.

"See something you like?" I teased.

"Very much so." She responded, biting her lip.

I smiled, leaning down and kissing her forehead.

"Thank you for tonight." I added, trading spots with her.

She let the warm water run over her body, her brown eyes trailing off as she seemed to lose herself in thought.

"You'll..."

"Hmm?"

"You'll stay the night, won't you?"

I huffed.

"I should..."

The words hung in my throat. I weighed everything that was waiting at home for me, as well as how furious Maxi would be if I didn't drive back.

"Well," I rephrased, "it is getting late, and I would hate to impose."

"I don't want to pressure you," She said as she cleaned herself, "I just want you to be safe."

"Right, no sense in driving back tired."

"Exactly." She affirmed, "Plus, you snore so loud in my bed."

I chuckled.

"I'm sorry, I just get comfortable."

She chuckled back, looking up at me.

"And I'm comfortable around you, Dan. Thank you."

"Of course, darling. Or should I say my sweet honeyed caramel."

"Ooh." She said with a shudder, "I like that a lot."

I kissed her neck, before she traded me spots again. She fetched the large bottle of conditioner and began rubbing it over her body.

"I can get your back, if you'd like." I offered.

Wordlessly, she passed me the bottle, allowing me to scoop some of the pale liquid into my hands and massage her back. I started at her shoulders, massaging my way down with sudsy paws all the way to her rear. I cupped her bare ass, before she quickly looked over her shoulder.

"Don't finger me." She warned.

"I know." I added, 'Soap in the cooch is no fun."

"It isn't." She agreed, relaxing, "Sorry, just...I've had to deal with some stuff like that over the last few years."

"I'm sorry." I returned the apology, "I'm...I'm here if you want to talk about it."

She shook her head, offering me a smile as she turned around.

"Tonight belongs to us, remember?"

"Toning belongs to us." I repeated, letting her scrape passed me in order to wash off.

As she did, I lathered myself up, the strong Eucalyptus scent coming over me again. Chara growled, keeping her eyes closed as she washed herself off.

"I love that smell." She added.

"As do I." I began, "It's one of the smells I love here."

"Yeah? What's some of the others?"

"You." I fired back quickly, prompting her to smile a little wider.

"You're a dork." She returned, before leaving the water, "It's all you."

She stepped out of the shower, allowing me to have the basin to myself as I washed. Water ran warm and heavy over my shoulders, getting me to relax as the Eucalyptus continued to occupy the air around. Once I finished, I shut the water off, drawing the curtain fully back to find Chara. She stood with her towel wrapped around her torso, her arm extended towards me with a fresh towel. I accepted it and began drying myself off, Chara giggling.

"What's so funny?" I inquired.

"Your cock bouncing around." She explained, "It looks so silly."

I stopped rubbing and looked down, seeing my flaccid member as it dangled between my thighs. I rolled my hips around, causing my softness to slap back and forth. Chara burst out laughing.

"You're an absolute dork." She concluded, moving herself towards the bedroom. I shut off the light and wrapped the towel fully around my waist.

"Oh yeah, the cum."

I diverted towards the front room, beginning to wipe up our mess that had been soaking. Chara joined me.

"That should get the smell out at least." She added, "As for what's in me..."

I looked to her as she tapped her belly.

"It'll probably come out over the next few days." She concluded, "You, uh, you didn't hold back."

"You didn't seem like you wanted me to." I added.

She clicked her tongue.

"But you're sterile, and I'm on the pill. So we're good."

"We're good." I reinforced, picking up some of my clothes, "Shall we?"

"Yes, let's."

I followed her to the bedroom, plopping my clothes down and fetching my phone from my pocket. I looked it over, seeing no new messages or missed calls.

"So what are you going to tell her?" Chara inquired, losing her towel to the laundry bin.

"Probably what I usually do. Just that I fell asleep and didn't wake up until morning."

"Convenient that your phone always gets plugged in and is fully charged." She pointed out.

"Even more convenient that I have an hour or so drive before I get to work, letting my phone lose some of its charge along the way."

"Ah."

I laid down beside her after plugging my phone in, the bed once again sinking with my weight. I laid on my back, Chara quickly laying her head on my bicep and snuggling.

"Oh, I can get the light." I offered, realizing it was still on.

She let me roll up, watching me waltz over to the bedroom door. I shut off the light, basking her apartment and the room in darkness. I shuffled back over as my eyes adjusted, finding her sprawling out comfortably. She welcomed me back, moving her head up to let me lay down. I sighed as she again plopped her head on my bicep and snuggled up to me.

"Tonight was lovely." I added, "Thank you."

"Yeah, anything for you." She replied, "And thank you."

She sighed, snuggling in.

"I trust you Dan. And what happened tonight was a one time thing."

"Agreed."

"And no one can know."

"Of course."

"This stays between us."

"Until death and even beyond." I added.

She reached up, grasping my hand.

"I'm serious, you can't tell anyone."

I squeezed her hand gently, adopting a low and reinforcing tone.

"I won't. I swear to you."

I then leaned down, kissing her again.

"Goodnight Chara, sleep well."

"With you...I always do."

She chuckled, nestling in again.

"Goodnight."

"So...Why tell me?"

"Hmm?"

Missus Robinson looked up at me, her eyebrows cocked slightly up. The top of her head squished against my bicep, the snuggling cougar's ears also flattening against my torso.

"If you promised that you'd never tell anyone, then why tell me?"

"Because I feel I can confide in you." I answered, "Plus, I felt this was all necessary context as to what's been bothering me."

I sighed, resuming in her silence.

"I don't think talking about it this way is necessarily breaking that promise." I added, "While I can tell you what happened, the gritty details and the smallest moments, it's never going to be the same as being there. It's not the same without knowing the full histories behind everyone involved."

"I get it." She added, "And...I think I get where she was coming from."

"Oh?"

Missus Robinson let her snout fall, looking down at my arm wrapped around her belly. She snuggled in, relaxing against me on the couch.

"I don't think Chara did it out of an obligation to you. She didn't feel like she owed you anything, so it really was her choice. You allowed her a freedom, something she craved more than perhaps even the sex itself."

She breathed slowly. I sensed that she wasn't completely done, and was proven right as she continued.

"My husband is...well...he's a driven man. He's a go-getter, he's proactive, and when he wants something...he gets it. It's difficult to get him to back down from a challenge."

"Sounds like you've tried."

She nodded solemnly.

"Nights with you...with other suitors...it's freedom. It's choice, I feel like for once in my life; I have actual control. I'm sure it's a fabrication; that if you really wanted something from me; I might be powerless to stop you."

"Far from it." I argued, "Strength is far more than raw physical power. Civilization exists because the pen is ultimately, and truly, mightier than the sword."

She chuckled.

"That may be true; but the pen and the sword have their places. In this culture...under this church...it's a different story."

"I know all too well." I added.

"They push you, they push you so hard from day one to pair up and find 'that special someone'." She explained, venting, "They teach you to be subservient, to be good little girls...I get sick thinking about it."

I stayed quiet, letting her speak as her claws gripped my forearm.

"When I didn't get married until my late forties...my family wouldn't let me hear the end of it. I kept being told it would be too late to have kids, to promote the church's numbers...I..."

She huffed, before realizing that she was gripping my arm tightly. She loosened up a bit, retracting her claws.

"Sorry." She excused, "I didn't mean to--"

"You're fine." I dismissed, "I'm here for your comfort."

"But I don't want to cut you."

I smiled.

"You've got to squeeze a lot harder than that to get me to bleed."

She huffed again.

"Sorry."

"There's no need to be." I resumed, "Please, vent your frustrations."

"You're too sweet." She added, "I see what Chara was on about. You...you're really like this, huh?"

"I wasn't always." I replied, "There were the aforementioned shithead days."

"Mmm."

We breathed against each other for a moment, before Missus Robinson picked up the conversation.

"Was that the only time between you two?" She suddenly asked.

"Not exactly..."

I set down the box I'd been heaving, Maxi making her way out of the bedroom to meet me.

"Oh, good." She prompted, opening the box and digging through it.

"There's two more down there." I told her, "What are you looking for?"

"I think my work shirt is...yes! Here it is."

She pulled out the green uniform. She quickly threw it up over her head, pulling it down and putting it on. I looked back as Chara pushed the front door open, using the boxes she was carrying to brace the door.

"Thank you, dear." Maxi said, quickly giving me a peck on the cheek, before turning back into our new bedroom.

Chara sighed as she set down the boxes, the cat stretching after.

"This should be the last of it." Chara stated, lowering her arms, "I think it's just the couch left."

"Right." I agreed.

Maxi returned to our new living room, before gazing out the apartment window. We were much more elevated now, having moved from the first floor to the fifth in the same building.

"I can't wait to get used to this view." Maxi stated, "But, I'd better get going."

She kissed me again on her way out. She pushed passed Chara with no comment, a cold tension emanating between the two of them. I sighed as the door closed behind Maxi.

"Sorry about her." I apologized.

"You're not responsible for her, or how she treats me." Chara excused, "Besides, I'm here to help you move."

"Which I greatly appreciate. I was going to order some food."

"Should we get the couch first?" She suggested.

"That...yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

We exited together, entering the hallway and walking towards the elevators. She hit the button and we began waiting, before Chara spoke up.

"Is this place more expensive?"

"Unfortunately," I added, "but we'll be less at risk for break-ins."

The elevator dinged and the doors parted. Chara and I entered. She hit the first floor button with her elbow, before resuming our conversation.

"Yeah, that was scary." She added, "What did they take?"

"Nothing." I replied, "I heard them enter, came around the corner with my gun, and they booked it."

"Yikes."

The doors opened to reveal the first floor. We exited and walked down the hall in the same direction, heading for the old apartment. I pushed the door open, revealing the nearly empty space. Only the couch sat in the middle of the empty wood floor, the apartment window on the far side sealed off by the blinds. I sighed, gazing around.

"It's crazy seeing it so bare."

"I know." I added, "We've still got to vacuum, and sweep, and--"

She rested her hand on my shoulder, prompting me to look down at her. She wore a warm smile, moving her body closer to mine. I turned and hugged her, welcoming the sudden contact. She wrapped her arms up under my armpits, letting my heavy arms rest on her shoulders as I hugged her back.

"You give the best bear hugs." She joked.

"And you give the gayest hugs."

She snorted.

"You're gay." She fired back, picking a mocking tone that highlighted the way she'd first uttered those words.

I chuckled, breaking the hug.

"Should we get the couch?"

"I was thinking...that we never really got to break this place in."

"That's right. Maxi would never have let you stay the night."

"It's a shame." She added, running her hands up my chest and resting them on my collar, "I miss when you'd spend the night, and when your body would warm mine."

She purred, causing me to grin as I responded.

"Oh. Well, Maxi will be at work for the rest of the evening."

"Right, it's a shame that no one else showed up to help you two move."

"I know," I replied, "A real shame."

"No one to walk in."

I moved with her, slowly spinning in a small dance before we reached the front door. I reached it, turning the dead bolt.

"Nobody to bother us." I added.

"A whole apartment to ourselves."

"Just us."

She pushed me gently against the door.

"Why are you so irresistible, Dan? What is it about you?"

"That's funny," I said, moving my muzzle closer to hers, "I was just thinking the same thing."

Chara scoffed, moving her mouth away.

"Come on, you can do better than that."

"Ah, well, hmm..."

I thought on it for a moment, feeling her slowly moving back and forth in my arms.

"I'm a bear..." I began slowly.

"Yes...?"

"Which means I should enjoy the simple, the plain, the monotonous."

I ran a hand along her cheek, Chara closing her eyes and melting into me as I rubbed my fingers through her dark fur.

"But I often find a more refined taste, an irresistible ambrosia, and I pine for that sweet flavor."

She smiled.

"What flavor?"

I leaned down to put my nose beside her ear.

"Sweet, honeyed, caramel."

Her purrs grew in intensity, her body melting against mine.

"My darling Chara.

"Dan..."

She pushed her muzzle up, and I moved to meet it. I closed my eyes as we kissed, feeling Chara's grip as she pulled me into her. I pulled back, moving my lips against hers. She broke the kiss gently, only pulling back to speak.

"There's a perfectly good couch over there."

"There sure is." I replied, planting a kiss on her again.

She gave a soft yelp as I pulled her up into my arms. I waltzed with her to the other side of the apartment, making sure that the patio door was also locked. I then maneuvered us to the couch, sitting down with her still in my arms. Chara did nothing to hide her eager, wild side as she pressed her lips against me again. I met her with a matched intensity. I felt my morals tugging at me again, so I pulled back slightly. She opened her eyes, showing me they were still the odd, non-gray that I wasn't used to yet.

"I just want to make sure you're okay with this."

She huffed, grinning.

"I am."

"I know you said that it was just going to be the one night."

"I did."

"So what's changed, my love?"

"I..."

I brought my other hand off of her hip and up to her cheek.

"I just want to make sure you're okay. No pressure."

"No, no of course not." She muttered, "You never pressure me, that's...that's what I love about you."

She leaned in and kissed me again, breaking it after a few seconds.

"You're so gentle and careful with me. You always were..."

"I aim to please." I stated, "I'm willing to be yours for the night. But, I'm just as willing to back off."

Chara moved herself, sitting with her back to me and getting my hands off of her cheeks. She moved them to her sides, her tail moving to the left as she pushed her back against me. She sat fully in my lap.

"I appreciate you, Dan. So very much. I love you, I do."

"So we shouldn't?" I guessed, "And that's fine, we--"

"No, no. I want you." She muttered again, "I want you so badly."

I read the temperature of the room, attempting to garner if her body movements and tone of voice matched what she was saying. As I did, she began grinding her hips against my body, her tail waving lazily to the side. I gripped her hips and helped her move, my erection pressing up through my pants.

"Tonight can be ours, too." She said, "Just us."

"Just us." I agreed, moving my arms around her torso and hugging her.

"Plus," Chara added, "if you railed me up there; your downstairs neighbors might complain."

I chuckled.

"Should we give the denizens of hell a reason to complain?"

She grinned, her beaming maw turning to let her look at me.

"Absolutely."

I let her torso go, moving a hand down gently to unclasp the button above her tail. The denim parted, allowing her pants to slip down. She slid them around her thighs, before giggling.

"I've never tried it like this before." She admitted, wiggling her hips.

As she pulled her panties down to match her pants, I helped by picking her up a little. I also undid my zipper, working swiftly to free my erection. She exhaled softly as I set her back down, letting her flesh sit flush against mine. Still clothed, our bodies sat connected by our grip on each other, and by the bare loins. Her pussy felt hot against my shaft, her wetness seeping down to soak me. She moved her hips again, balancing her hands on either of my thighs as she moved. Her purring resumed, accompanied and interrupted occasionally by low groans.

"What are you in the mood for, baby?" I asked.

"You." She answered, "A lot of you."

"Come on," I teased, "you can do better than that."

She huffed, sitting fully on my shaft. I pushed my hips up to buck her, gaining a soft moan from the eager cat.

"Well..."

"Yes...?"

She bit her lip, pulling one of her hands up to wrap it around the back of my neck. She rested her back fully against my torso, her other arm still balancing her on my lap.

"Mmm, fuck." She groaned.

"Take your time," I encouraged her, "we've got all night."

She turned her head, digging her muzzle into my neck fur. I tilted my head up to make it easier for her to get in there.

"I want you inside me." She egged, "I want you to fill me, Dan."

She huffed, before resuming.

"I wanna feel all your hot, sloppy cum as you pump it into me."

"Oh." I grumbled, adopting a sultry tone.

"Fucking please, Dan. Get in me and don't you dare pull out."

I moved one arm down, pressing tightly into her appendix as she still moved her body over mine. She groaned, gripping my neck tighter.

"So, you want me to put a cub in you." I teased.

"Please, Dan!" She begged softly.

Her horny eagerness continued to leak onto me.

"You want me to fill you full of hot, creamy seed?"

"Yes!"

"Pressing my balls flush against you to make sure none of it escapes?"

"Fuck!"

"Breeding you hot and heavy...I can do that."

"Please!" She said with an exhale, "Please I need it!"

"I'll make sure you feel every drop swimming through you, baby." I promised, lifting her up slightly again.

I moved the hand that had been pressing against her appendix down, my rounded talon finding the tip of my cock. I pushed it up into her wetness, our loins mingling further. She writhed eagerly, still gripping and holding herself up by the back of my neck. I lowered her gently, my head slipping inside. She moaned as I entered her.

"Fuck yes!"

"I got you, baby." I cooed, filling her.

She soon sat fully against my hips, my balls squeezed between my pants and her compressed thighs. I groaned, the furnace that was her vagina squeezing me with her tightened position. My hips couldn't help themselves, and I started humping gently, bucking her and letting gravity bring her buxom figure back down into me. She whimpered, digging her claws into the back of my neck as her teeth met the side. I growled, pushing her hips down a little harder into me. I moved my hand back against her appendix, pressing it down. I could feel my own length moving inside of her, the hotness getting me even more excited. I flexed inside of her, and Chara responded by squeezing me. Her teeth came unclasped, and she spoke.

"Fuck, you feel so good, Dan!"

"Ambrosia." I repeated, growling, "You're beautiful and wonderful."

She grinned, before gritting her teeth and slamming her hips down. I groaned, feeling her as she then moved her hips in a circular motion, her lips flush against my balls and base.

"You're sweet." She commented, "Too sweet."

"Says the honeyed caramel."

"Oooh."

With her groan, I pushed up again, bucking her up over and over. She began moaning louder, her breath becoming heavier with each slap. She soon hissed gently, getting me to slow down.

"What's wrong, love?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just clothes are getting a bit tight."

She huffed, leaning forward as she released my neck.

"And I'm getting a bit sweaty." She added.

I felt myself, noting the sweat beading around the areas where she'd been gripping. I helped her up, our loins separating as she stood. She quickly kicked her shoes off, allowing me to lean forward and undo my boot laces. As she finished getting her pants and panties into a pile, I was just finishing getting the boots. I stood up, watching eagerly as she ripped her sweater off. I finished kicking my pants away, turning back in time to see Chara finish unclasping her bra. She came towards me, her hands gripping the bottom of my shirt. She pulled it up with a newfound ferocity, letting me take it to maneuver it up over my large head. As I finished getting it off, I noticed that she had started kissing my chest. She kissed down, kneeling before me. She got ready to pull my shaft into her maw, before I reached down. I grasped her chin gently, tilting it up.

'You don't have to do that." I mentioned, "I want to pleasure you, love."

She smiled.

"Pleasing you does please me." She returned, "You worship me so much, let me repay that a little."

I released her chin, returning her smile as I let her continue. I then held her head, my fingers hanging gently in her curly black hair. She licked my head first, before pulling my shaft into her mouth. I groaned, moving my hand as she moved her head.

"God, baby." I groaned a little louder, "That feels amazing."

She resumed, her mouth grasping my shaft as she sucked on me. I felt myself getting close, so I gripped her hair a little harder and pulled her back. Her lips popped as she came off of me, looking up with some saliva dripping down the side of her maw. She wiped it away, prompting me.

"Getting close?"

"Yeah." I admitted, "I don't wanna pop just yet."

She giggled, coming up as I helped her stand.

"What are you in the mood for, love?" She then asked, echoing me.

I answered by pulling her into me, sinking my teeth into her neck. She moaned, her knees growing weak. I held her up, gripping her hips and holding her body aloft as she struggled to stand. I then spun her around, releasing my grasp on her neck. I leaned her forward, letting her balance herself on the armrest of the gray couch. Her tail waved eagerly over her back, her excitement barely contained as I kneeled down to return the favor. I stuffed my muzzle into her lips, running my tongue along her clit on my first pass. She melted a little, moaning as she gripped the edge of the couch she suspended herself on. I ate her out, gaining more juice as I pressed harder into her loins. She soon huffed, rolling herself over. She moved her leg up over my head, falling onto her back and exposing herself again. I adjusted and began licking her again. Her new position allowed me to grab her thighs to pull her body into me. And she reached forward, gripping my hair as I continued to perform cunnilingus. Chara groaned into the open apartment, the noises of our love echoing across the bare walls around us.

"Fuck! FUCK! Right there, please!"

I kept going, dragging my tongue against her exposed clit and pressing it down. Her legs suddenly curled, and I welcomed her grip as she squeezed. I cupped my maw over her again, her squirt going right into my mouth. I gulped, moving to lap her clean after she released her legs.

"Fuck! I don't know how you do that." She huffed.

"Pleasing you pleases me." I teased, kissing her clit after I finished.

She gripped my hair and pulled me up, getting me to hover over her. I gazed longingly into her eyes, her expression mirroring my hunger.

"Do you want me?" She asked, narrowly gasping.

"More than air."

"Then you may have me."

I lowered my head as she released my hair. I kissed her appendix, working my way up.

"See, that's the thing, my dear." I said, pausing my kisses for a moment, "You have that agency."

I kissed, moving up her torso.

"You have that freedom."

She huffed, her body squirming as I got closer to her exposed, sweaty breasts.

"You're a woman and a goddess."

I nestled my maw between her breasts, resting and looking up into her eyes.

"And you sharing your body with me is an honor. Sharing these nights, these moments. I...I find myself looking forward, only to be looking back."

She tilted her head.

"How do you mean?"

"I'm not sure there's a word for it." I said, "But I'm nostalgic for this moment, yet it's happening now."

She smiled, bringing her hand down to cup my cheek.

"Then cherish it, my love, because I'm loving these moments with you."

"I love you." I stated, the flame in my heart burning brighter than a supernova, the sheer intensity piling up within me as we embraced.

Chara leaned up, her eyes watering and our lips meeting. I held her against me, and she held me in turn. I broke the embrace, wrapping my arms up under her to pull her body up into me. She returned the connection, her arms gripping my back as I lifted her. Still kneeling with my knees against the couch, I pulled her body down. Her soft gasp met me as I pressed my flesh into hers once more. The slickness guided me in, her labia soon kissing the base of my shaft again.

"God, love." She huffed, "Take me!"

I began humping, still holding her hot, sweaty body against mine. Our hips met with purpose, my cock sliding in and out of her with each pass. She groaned as I growled, her claws digging into my back again. Her flesh tensed against me again, her thighs gripping my hips as she started squirting again. I closed my eyes, digging my face into the couch as I kept humping through her orgasm. I felt myself building up, and my attempts to flex my abs were unsuccessful in preventing the upcoming out-pour. Her buxom body gripped me like a vice, squeezing with sexual intent. She succeeded in her goal, her teeth finding my neck as she squealed into my fur. I pumped hot and heavy jets of semen into her body, her walls curling with each addition. I panted into the couch, taking a moment to feel her heartbeat against my chest. Her breasts rose and fell, even with my torso against hers, the racing drum of her heartbeat echoing through me. I finished cumming, her loins still flush with my pelvis after our fiery embrace. I felt light headed, a whirlpool forming in my mind as I attempted to stay balanced against her. I opened my eyes, the gray fibers of the couch meeting my sight. I sat lightly up, Chara releasing my neck. I looked down at her, my eyes widening as my head continued to spin.

"Chara?"

She opened her eyes, leaning up to look at me, her blissful expression melting away somewhat.

"Hmm?"

"What, uh, what color is your fur?"

"Um, black."

"No, no. The other parts."

"Uh, they're blue." She added, "Why?"

"Royal blue?" I asked.

She huffed.

"Kind of, why?"

"Because I can see it."

"What?"

She flexed on my cock as she leaned up, looking into my eyes.

"Dan, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm...I'm--"

I looked around. The walls were all different colors, no longer the intense and overbearing shades of gray. I looked at my hand, noting the new colors as they filled my eyes.

"I can see." I added, "I"m seeing color."

She pulled herself all the way up, some of the cum sloshing out of her. She gasped, before collecting herself.

"Are you, are you serious?"

"Yeah, they're...it's odd. I'm not sure how."

"But how?" She asked.

"I don't know." I repeated, "I think...I think that was just so intense, maybe it broke something in me?"

I continued looking over my hand.

"What color am I?"

"You?"

"Yeah, like my fur?"

"Uh, brown." She added.

"Brown."

I looked up to her eyes, seeing that they were also brown, but much darker.

"But your eyes, what are they?"

"They're brown, too." She informed me, "Come, come sit, love."

I sat beside her, feeling her soft breath as she leaned against me.

"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked again.

"I think so." I guessed, "I felt a bit light headed, but...but this is color."

I gazed across my talons, seeing that they were mostly black, but held bits of other colors as well, small cracks that I thought had previously been just gray. I looked around the apartment. My fur was about the same color as the wood flooring, and the granite counter top looked almost exactly the same. I gazed through the doorway into the empty bedroom.

"What color is the carpet?" I asked.

"That's tan." She informed me.

"Tan." I repeated, "The rug in your bathroom, isn't that also tan?"

"Yes." She said, before gazing up at me, "How did you know that one?"

"When we first shared that night, I saw what I thought was color in your eyes, spattered here and there. I saw the rug too, but when we showered, everything else was black and white, and gray. Just like it had always been...this is crazy."

"Yeah," Chara added, rubbing my thigh, "we should get cleaned up, and then I can...I can teach you what colors are."

I chuckled, leaning in and hugging her.

"I think you already did."

"So, wait." Missus Robinson began, interrupting me, "You really started seeing color?'

"For a few months, yes." I responded, "But we got dressed, moved the couch, I quickly did our laundry in the new apartment while she and I showered. I made her dinner, and then she went home. Maxi didn't get back for a few hours after that, so I just sat playing video games, and just...taking in the colors."

"Did you tell Maxi?"

"Oh," I responded, taking a mocking tone on, "hey honey, welcome home. I had sex with the girl you hate down in our old apartment, on this very couch I'm sitting on now, and now I can see color. Welcome home."

Missus Robinson chuckled.

"They say sarcasm is a defense mechanism."

I shrugged slightly.

"For me, it's coping. But no, I did not tell Maxi that I could now see color. It lead to me seeking out a lot more adventures with Chara."

"And sex?"

I nodded, before reforming myself and speaking.

"It was more than sex, it was always something more. Passionate embraces, tender moments, I'd call it love making."

"But was it always that?" She pressed on, "Chara strikes me as the kind of girl who liked things a bit spicier here and there."

"Oh, sure. There were moods, but that's what made it love between us. We played off of each others' moods, and what the other desired."

Missus Robinson leaned forward, a wry smile crossing her face.

"You wanted her butt, didn't you."

I gave a half smile.

"She." I started, "She actually wanted to try that first."

"Oh."

"I had pressed her on it back in the day, but never got anywhere because I'd tried to be pushy about it."

"Right."

"But given the new me, my patience, and my lax attitude; turned out it was something she wanted."

"How did that go?"

The fur of her thighs pressed in like earmuffs, barely hiding her roaring moans as she climaxed again. She laid back, gasping for a moment as she recovered. She kept her thighs squeezed against my head, locking me against her soaking pussy. I breathed through my nose, taking in the musk of the nearly spent cat laying before me.

"Fucking Christ." She murmured, "How many was that?"

I shrugged, kissing her exposed clitoris. She gave a short, hyper laugh, her body jolting as I put the pressure against her loins. She then relaxed, opening her legs. She groaned quietly as I pushed her legs back slightly, looking at her asshole. Plenty of her fluid had drenched down onto her clean rear, most of her expended juice collected on the towel below her on the bed. I pressed my nose in, beginning to lick her butt. Chara moaned, bringing a hand down to pry her ass cheek aside for me.

"Ooh, you know something?"

I continued eating her ass, leaving her to resume.

"I've been dreaming of that, lately. Just you, my big, handsome bear...ugh, fucking god, I need you inside me."

She pushed my head away, leaning up in the same motion. She opened her night stand, the brown wood structure opening to a cluttered drawer. She then passed me a purple bottle, resting her chest against the towel and the bed sheets before me. I inspected the bottle, discovering it was water based lubricant. I squirted some into my open hand, working it over my shaft. I crouched down behind her, watching her tail drift above her plump rear again.

"Are you sure?" I reinforced, kissing her bare cheeks.

"Just go slow, baby, I know you can."

"I can do that."

I worked my tongue into her ass again, massaging my member dangling between my legs as I did. Chara moaned, gripping the sheets as I worked her rear. I slid my tongue out after a bit, a trail of saliva dripping along her black fur. I brought my arm up, pressing my thumb against her opening. Chara groaned a little louder as I worked it in, her hips humping back gently into my advancing digit. I got to the base of my thumb, her ass suckling on it. I worked her gently, moving in and out with plenty of lube still coating my fur.

"How's that feel, baby?" I asked.

"Fuck." She muttered slowly, "Keep going."

I pumped her with my thumb, before retracting it slowly. Her anus flexed for a bit, before caving as I introduced my middle finger. Chara groaned, her body relaxing into the bed as I drove it slowly inside of her.

"You can pick up the pace." She advised, "I'm feeling good."

"Just say when." I stated.

I began sliding in and out of her faster, slowly increasing the speed as I waited for her to yield. She never did, only seeming to get more excited as I pulled my finger all the way out, introducing both my middle and ring fingers. Her anus flexed against my digits, squeezing me gently as I worked her loose. She huffed, and I watched her grip the sheets with each pass inside her. Her fingers curled around the fistful of bed sheets, helping her to push back into my fingers. She soon had them buried knuckle deep, allowing me to gently pull them back out. I pressed them in again, her anus giving a little more with each gentle push. I stood up slowly, continuing to finger her.

"How're you feeling, baby?" I cooed.

"Fucking amazing." She huffed, "I think I'm ready."

"I'll work slowly," I assured her, "you push back at your pace. Tap me or say something, and I'll pull out."

"Can do."

I retracted my fingers, giving Chara a moment to wiggle her hips up at me. I returned her smile, guiding my shaft towards her rear. I let the tip kiss her slightly gaping opening, Chara groaning in anticipation. She pressed back into me, before relieving herself.

"Fuck." She groaned, pushing back again.

"Easy, baby," I encouraged, "take it slow, like the honeyed caramel you are."

She grinned, gripping the sheets a little tighter as she pushed herself back. I watched beneath her tail, my head slowly slipping inside of her. Chara moaned as she got passed my head, her anus flexing on my shaft.

"Take it slow, baby." I reminded her.

"I'm good." She returned, "You just feel so fucking good!"

I chuckled lightly, resting a hand on her hip while I rested the other on the edge of the bed.

"There you go," I cooed, "that's my girl."

She had it most of the way in, before stopping to rest. She panted, her anus continuing to squeeze the middle of my cock. I groaned, fighting the urge to hump. Chara pulled herself forward, more of my cock sliding out of her. She then gently reversed, sliding further onto my member. I bit my lip, straining to keep my hips from rocking into hers. She finally braced, her butt sitting flush with my base. Her tail waved across my belly fur, Chara seeming to melt into the sheets as she reached my base.

"Fucking fuck!" She moaned quietly.

"Atta' girl." I encouraged, "How's that feel?"

"This is so fucking intense!"

"Like camping?" I whispered in a low tone.

She chuckled, her anus squeezing my cock again.

"Shut the fuck up." She fired back.

"Make me." I challenged, grinning at the stuffed cat.

Chara accepted, making her move by pulling herself forward, before slamming back into me. I groaned and gripped both sides of her hips, beginning to gently hump back into her. Her moans grew in intensity as our hips made repeated contact. Her flesh curled around my lubricated member, squeezing me like a donut contracting and gliding over my penis. She chuckled again, looking to the side and eyeing me. My eyes met her brown irises, the cream-colored sheets beneath highlighting her black and Royal Blue buxom figure.

"You can pick it up." She stated, "I'm not made of spun glass."

"I know," I returned, stepping forward and getting ready, "I just want to make sure you're good."

"I'm more than good, baby." She returned, practically growling as she braced against the bed.

I pushed into her, my balls sitting flush against her gushing labia. Her lips kissed my sack, and I felt the front of her thighs compress into the mattress as I laid my weight into her. Chara groaned loudly, choosing to quiet herself by biting the sheets. I watched her teeth sink into the mess of cloth and linen, though her moans continued. I pulled out of her muffled pleasure, driving my hips back against her with a mild ferocity. Her anus squeezed me the entire way through, her ass providing a unique and intoxicating pressure. I growled low, electing to dirty talk her as she bit the sheets.

"My goddess, you feel amazing." I grumbled in encouragement, "Can you feel that? Can you feel my balls pressing against your pussy? Can you feel my weight as you bring me into you?"

"Fuck!"

Even through the sheets, I could make out her blissful pleasure, though muffled. I started to feel myself getting close, so I warned her.

"It's coming, baby." I cooed, "Are you ready?"

She released the sheets, leaving a damp spot behind. She looked over her shoulder at me, a ferocity living within her gaze.

"Pull my hair." She demanded, "Pull me into you, please!"

As she requested, I pried my hand away from her hip. I gathered a fistful of her black, curly hair, before gripping and pulling her torso up and back. Her breasts swung freely in the open, night air. Her moans echoed off the bedroom walls around us, her bed creaking as I picked up the pace. I slammed into her, my balls clapping against her wetness. I growled, feeling Chara tightening against me ever more.

"Fucking fuck!" She cried, "Cum in my ass!"

"God, baby!"

"Let it all out!"

I hilted her, pulling a little harder on her head as I felt mine release. Her ass squeezed me ever tighter, my cock pumping a tsunami of semen into her guts. Chara whimpered, her hands still gripping the sheets.

"Fuck! It's so much!" She commented with excitement dripping from her tone, "God!"

I pumped her hips with each jet of cum that I blasted. Her sloppy wet pussy deposited more juice with each thrust, my soaked balls taking even more from her. Chara gave a last groan as I released her hair, letting her rest calmly on her hands. I set that hand back on her hip, my cock finally finishing. As the last torrent left me, Chara wiggled her hips, agitating my sensitive head against her intestinal walls. I groaned, my knees curling slightly with the pressure.

"Oh, ho, ho!" She began, wiggling her hips a little harder, "You like that, eh?"

"You..." I began, exhaling as she made me weak, "You asking me to cum in your ass is the second hottest thing you've ever said to me."

"Yeah?" She asked, pulling slightly forward and slamming back with a groan, "What's the first?"

I pushed my muzzle next to her ear, adopting a sultry tone as I quoted her.

"I love you."

"Aww, that's gay."

I chuckled, sitting up and beginning to slowly pull out. Chara moaned, leaning forward and letting my cock leave her butt. A trail of cum followed my member out, more of it gushing down passed her lips. She rested on the bed, letting the previously soaked towel beneath her collect my seed. I watched her anus wink at me, more cum spilling as she squeezed it out.

"Fuck, that's warm." She commented, releasing her grip on the sheets.

I laid down beside her, before prompting her.

"Need me to get you an ice pack?" I requested from experience.

"I...nah. It should be fine." She excused, picking her torso up again and crawling to me.

She rested her head against my bicep, allowing me to cuddle her as we laid together.

"That was...Mmm." She groaned, "That was hot."

"Yes you were." I agreed, "Should we shower?"

"Mmm, not yet." She excused, snuggling in.

I welcomed her embrace, pitching my head down to kiss the top of her snout. She grinned, beaming as she got even more snuggly. She then groaned, reaching a finger back around her waist. I watched as she pulled up a few sloppy strands of semen.

"Your volume is no joke." She stated, wiping her fingers on my belly fur.

"H-hey!"

"Oh come on," She teased, "look at your groin, you're messier than me."

I looked down at myself. The fur around my groin was a considerably darker shade than the rest around it. The moisture collected around my balls and inner thighs highlighted by the darker tone. I looked to her inner thighs, the black fur doing well to hide exactly how wet she was at the moment. I sighed, conceding.

"I guess you're right." I agreed, before kissing her muzzle again, "Though I distinctly recall you cumming, what, seven, eight times?"

"Hey, unrelated." She argued, smiling.

I laid my head back, Chara getting more comfortable against me. I welcomed her embrace, catching myself in that moment where I was looking forward in order to look back. Chara brought me back from my nostalgia trip as she spoke.

"Where do you want this to go?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Like, what is your hope for us?"

I exhaled, the heavy question somewhat blindsiding me.

"I...I'm going with the flow right now. I like what we have, and to expect anything would be defeatist."

She sighed.

"What about you?" I asked.

"I...I..."

She swallowed, before collecting herself.

"I agree. I like what we have."

Chara exhaled again.

"I don't know what we're going to do if Dillan comes back though."

"Do you think he will?"

She shrugged lightly against my arm.

"He's been getting less predictable. He's not doing things I ask him to do, or claiming that he's forgetting more and more stuff."

I hissed lightly.

"If I'm being honest, sounds like what he was already doing."

"You should always be honest." She reinforced, "But...I guess."

"He'd be throwing away his career if he came back, if I recall."

"To a degree." She agreed, "There is work here, but it's nowhere near as consistent, and doesn't pay as well."

"So you'd become the main bread winner?"

"I already am." Chara huffed, "It just means even more would be coming out of savings."

She curled into me, her body attempting to relax.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to talk about this with you."

"It's alright," I excused, "you can vent to me about anything. I'm here for you, love."

She kissed my bicep.

"Thank you, you're sweet."

"Not as sweet as you."

She rolled her eyes, before tapping my chest.

"Alright, I'm getting crusty. Let's go shower."

"Let's."

Missus Robinson gave a soft chuckle as I finished.

"Yeah, I get where she's coming from."

"I did, too."

"So, you can't see color anymore." She pointed out, "So what happened?"

I sighed.

"Though we'd become fairly regular, things started to decay a few months after that. Her husband did end up coming back."

"Oh dear."

"Indeed."

"How did she take that?"

"Her husband wasn't exactly the brightest. She confided in me that he'd done some pretty stupid things with her. She told me he'd tried to use soap as lube."

"Ooh," she hissed, "no, no, no!"

"Agreed." I stated, "I knew better, but he hadn't. He'd also tried to blow into her vagina before."

"Ack!"

"But his worst slight of all..."

She looked up at me as I trailed off.

"Yes?"

I sighed again, looking down at her.

"Sorry, it makes my blood boil thinking about it."

"Take all the time you need, though I think I know where this is going."

I swallowed.

"He was, per her words, really bad about taking no for an answer. And that was well beyond just things in their day to day life. Even if she said no, he'd still try to sneak around her, or get her in the mood."

"Eck." She added, "I...I know that struggle."

I clenched my fists, being sure that Missus Robinson was clear of either palm.

"She told me that most of the time, she would just lay there and cry until it was over."

I unclenched my teeth, relaxing as I attempted to calm down.

"I wanted to rip him apart when I heard that." I admitted, "She talked me down, made me promise that I wouldn't hurt him."

"Was that hard to agree to?"

I thought on it for a moment.

"There's been a war inside me for a long time." I began, "Being nice and being considerate to others doesn't come as naturally to me. That's not to say it's an act I put on; it's just that seeing me with resting bitch face is not uncommon. Over the years, I've come to a mutual agreement between the two sides of myself."

"Which is?"

"Arm one hand, offer the other."

"Meaning?"

"It means when people need help, whether strangers or close friends, I offer to help. I reach out, I do what I can. But, I never let my head off a swivel. I watch my back, and I do what I can to never be in a position where I'm not capable of defending myself."

"So what does that have to do with Dillan?"

"It means that in order to promise her what she wanted, whether it made sense to me or not, I had to compromise. He would remain safe so long as he never engaged me, or anyone around me."

"That seems a little less than easy with him coming back."

"My thoughts exactly."

"So why did he come back?"

I shrugged, admitting my lack of knowledge.

"I'm honestly not entirely sure, though I could foster a guess. Chara was very upset about it. He basically showed up with little to no warning, much earlier than they had agreed upon. She had to miss work to help him unpack and get things situated."

"So that was it for you two?"

I clicked my tongue, angling my head to the side.

"Not exactly. Things between Maxi and I had quickly deteriorated outside of Chara and I's relationship. Partially due to me letting it."

"You'd set your sights on Chara." Missus Robinson guessed, "So what happened with Maxi?"

"It was new years." I began explaining, "December thirty first going into January. I'd worked a super long shift, and had just gotten home."

"Doing Christmas lights, right?"

"By that point, Chara had gotten me a job with her repairing ATM's."

"ATM's need to be repaired?" Missus Robinson inquired.

"Some more than others, yes. But that's a story for a different time."

"Right."

"It was about eight in the afternoon, I was supposed to be home by five."

"Long day indeed." She agreed.

"And when I got home...everything was gone."

"Everything?"

"The bed, the entertainment center, the dressers, all the cookware. She'd moved out, and taken everything."

"Jesus, what about your clothes and stuff?"

"She'd dumped them in a pile in the laundry room, left her key, and didn't pay for her half of the rent."

"Christ, I'm sorry." She said, turning slightly and kissing my bicep.

"I appreciate that. I'm well over it these days. I understand that we'd officially broken up a few months before that, and I hadn't exactly created the most comfortable environment for her. I've come to recognize the parts that were on me, though I can't ignore that she burned me."

"So what did you do?"

"I built everything back slowly, and worked extra hours to pay for her half of the rent for the remaining few months I was there."

"Did you ever find out what happened to her?"

I shrugged.

"She severed all ties. She didn't want to be found, and I didn't want to find her. Due to the...well...fickle nature of my heart, I still love and care about her, even today, even after all this time."

"I can imagine."

"But ultimately, I recognize that it ended where it ended."

"Do you...Do you think you let that relationship falter because you wanted one with Chara? Or was it something else, perhaps?"

I sighed.

"Maybe?" I guessed, "I knew she was married, but we just felt so close and so natural around each other. She was the one person I could let my guard down around."

"So you haven't let your guard down around me?"

I shook my head.

"Not entirely."

"Give me an example." She stated, "You seem super relaxed and open."

"Well, for one, Chara isn't her name."

"Ah...I guess I should have seen that one."

"Right."

"So is Dan your real name?"

"Let's not get bogged down in details." I persisted, "Anyway. I was alone then, but Chara's husband had moved back."

"Dillan, right?"

"Right. She'd have to get permission from him to visit me; which also ticked me off."

"Understandably."

"But...we kept going. I felt our relationship was blossoming, surpassing even the fire that had built all those years ago."

"So what happened?"

"Before I get into that, I should mention that he had visited to celebrate her birthday back in August. A few of us got together up at her grandparents log cabin. He'd flown in and was staying with her, so I couldn't see her during that time."

"Right."

"But back to the cabin. Dense forest, miles away from civilization, we were mostly alone. But of course, Dillan had to be there."

"I take it he wasn't too terribly happy that you were there?"

"Not exactly, but she asked him to play nice while we were together. She also asked me to play nice."

"Did you?"

"Well..."

I finished laughing, Josh scooping up the pile of cards and sorting them into the discard pile. The position of host moved on to Chara, who drew a new prompt card.

"Oh no," she read aloud, "there's a blank in my hole."

She laid the card down in the center of the table. Navi and Josh were quick to throw down cards, the wolverine and the xolo dog fist-bumping as they drew new cards. I looked through my deck, Saddam Hussein sticking out to me. I laid it face down on the others' cards, watching carefully as the remaining party picked out their selections. Dillan sneered, laying down a card and drawing up a new one. Angel took another moment, before laying down her card. She then guided her slick, white furred paw to draw another card. The white fox looked pleased with her selection, slightly sticking her tongue out as she waited for Chara. Chara scooped up the selection we'd laid forth for her. As she sorted through them, I looked among the other members of the party. Dillan sat across from me, beside Chara on the other side of the table. The tall-ish polar bear had a messy look about him, and y eyes drifted away to avoid direct confrontation. Sliding off of his hostile personality, I ended up looking at Chara. The birthday girl was wearing her favorite black sweater, leaving only some of her Royal Blue spots and highlights visible. Her ear twitched as she looked through the cards presented to her. I looked beside her, seeing Navi and Josh sitting side by side. My brother and our dear friend sat practically thigh against thigh.

"Some of these are good." Chara admitted, getting ready to read them.

Navi leaned in, his sleek black splotchy skin shining under the overhead light. A simple fan sat above the light, spinning lazily to provide airflow through the small cabin. My wolverine brother reached to the side table, grasping his soda and taking a swig, before returning his sharp face to the game.

"Alright," Chara began, "oh no, there's bees? In my hole?"

The party laughed, some for longer than others.

"Next we have...Oh no, there's Phil Collins in my hole."

Another laugh reverberated against the wooden walls of the cabin.

"And then...Oh no, there's The Challenger explosion in my hole."

"Oh no." Angel gasped with a grin, all of us chuckling.

"And...Oh no, there's Saddam Hussein in my hole."

Josh curled over, laughing harder than anybody. Chara grinned, placing the card down and fetching the last one.

"And finally, oh no, there's the worlds' largest ant colony in my hole."

After the laughter died down, we all turned our attention to Chara as she decided.

"Hmm. Saddam Hussein was pretty funny." She concluded.

I swiped the last black card, leaving me with seven total. Per the game rules, I had won.

"Hey, hey!' Josh began, "Nice!"

"Good game." Angel concluded, grinning.

"Of course that was yours." Chara jabbed.

I clicked my tongue at her and then began cleaning up. We made short work of putting the card game away, Navi stretching as we finished. The dog looked outside, inspecting the setting sun that had long since disappeared over the mountainside.

"Alright." He concluded, "I should probably get going."

"Yeah." Josh added, "Mind if I ride with you?"

"All good."

"Sweet."

"Thanks for coming, guys." Chara said, seeing them to the door.

I put the card game up on the bookshelf, letting it join all the other games we could have played that night. As I looked over the shelf, I felt a presence looming behind me.

"Yes?" I asked, directing my attention to Dillan.

He stood slightly taller than me, his ears comprising most of what stuck over my head. Despite his species, the polar bear was rather slim, almost bony. His facial fur was considerably shorter than mine, and his white fur wasn't as clean nor sleek as Angel's, who stood slightly behind him with her attention on Chara.

"We need to talk." He prompted, trying and failing to hide his stern tone.

"Very well. Outside?"

"Outside."

I walked first, opening the door in time to see Josh and Navi pile into Navi's car. Their lights flickered on, illuminating the gravel driveway ahead. They then darted into the night, Navi driving his sports car as it was intended. As the black frame of the vehicle disappeared into the night, I felt Dillan's shoulder bump against my back.

"Come on." He egged.

I moved towards my car, choosing to sit on the hood as I turned to face him. The lime green metal hood caved slightly under my weight. My boots dug into the gravel driveway, balancing me against my vehicle.

"So, what would you like to talk about?" I asked.

He gazed around the trees surrounding us, the light flare in his eyes demonstrating his capable night vision. He then glared at me, speaking in a hushed tone. His yellowed teeth looked grim, even in the dim, afternoon light above.

"You need to stay the fuck away from my wife."

I crossed my arms, leaning back slightly as I flattened my boots against the gravel.

"Yeah? I don't think you have the power to dictate that."

"I don't like how much time you two've been spending together." He resumed, glaring into my eyes.

I watched his expression grow even angrier as I met his glare with unapologetic apathy. Despite my adorned look, I positioned myself with a willingness to fight him should fists come to contact. I readied myself to roll off of my hood to dodge an attack, only to catch his skinny-jean wearing ass off-guard.

"That's tough." I excused, "She's my friend, and I'm her friend. Friends spend time together, they have adventures and they chat. I take it you don't have many friends?"

"Do not test my patience. I do not like you."

"Feelings mutual, bud." I excused, "Still, Chara is her own person and she can dictate who she wants to spend her time with."

"She should be spending it with me!" He barked.

"Then take that up with her. Though, I have to say pushiness and desperation are not good looks on you."

"Don't you...Listen, I can and will kill you."

I snorted.

"Sure thing, bud."

"And if I find out anything is going on between you and my wife--so help me--I will kill you."

I rolled to my feet, putting my arms at the low and ready. He stood poised to attack, and I prepared for his fists to come flying.

"And I'll kill your family." He added, "The whole lot of you are rotten."

"What is happening." I began, pausing for effect, "Between your wife and I, is friendship. Nothing more, alright? And for reference, I really don't take kindly to threats against my family. Threaten me all you like, but leave them out of this."

"Just stay the fuck away, alright?" He warned, showing his teeth after.

"No." I argued, "She's my friend. You can't control her, nor me."

As he appeared on the verge of attack, Chara blared a shout from the porch.

"Dillan!"

She stormed up, his aggression melting away in her presence.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing." He excused.

"We were just talking." I added, "Something about threatening my family."

She cupped her hands against her forehead and stepped away from him.

"On my birthday, you two!? Are you serious?!"

She stepped fully away, retreating towards the cabin. Dillan glared between myself and her, his mixed expression proving somewhat entertaining.

"I--You--fuck."

He turned fully away to chase after her. I sat back down as he slammed the door behind him. Angel approached as they locked themselves inside the cabin.

"It was good to see you." She said as she sat on the hood next to me.

"Likewise." I added, "Sorry about that."

"He's...he's a hot head." She added, "I know you didn't start it."

I smiled, looking down at her.

"I appreciate that. I think he thinks there's more going on between Chara and I than there actually is."

"Is there?" She inquired.

I shook my head, lying through my body language.

"We're just friends. I think it's our history that spooks him."

She nodded, looking towards the cabin.

"How long do you think they'll be?"

I sighed.

"As much as I want to be here for her...I know he won't let me. Hell, if they don't talk it out, he might come out here and fight me."

"Would you fight him?"

I shook my head again, lying through my body a second time.

"Only in self defense. He'd throw the first punch, I'd throw the last."

Angel nodded slowly, crossing her arms.

"I...don't think I'd want to see that." She stated.

"Me, either."

"Sorry to impose." She resumed, "But can you move your car so I can leave?"

"Yeah." I agreed, "I think I'll leave, too."

She pushed herself up and I got into my car. I brought the engine to life, backing slowly out of the driveway as Angel followed me. We both turned onto the main road one after the other, and I began driving behind her. Her tail lights soon disappeared around the forested bends before us. I drove slower, soaking in the afternoon in both its good moments as well as its bad ones. I sighed, feeling sorry for Chara as I drove. I blinked a few times as I came to the stop sign at the end of the canyon. The bright red I'd come to know had faded, only a grayish tone showing to me.

"Fuck." I muttered, realizing what was happening.

"Yeesh." Missus Robinson exclaimed gently, "He sounds an awful lot like my husband."

"I'm sorry to hear that." I apologized back, "Either way, I didn't take kindly to his threats."

"You're really not bothered by him threatening your life?"

I shrugged gently.

"I'm an optimistic nihilist." I explained, "I don't think anything put me on this planet in this form other than random chance of billions of years of forces so far out of my comprehension. If I leave this plane of existence, then so be it. I've enjoyed the time I've had, and cherish the beauty that harbors within the notion that it wasn't permanent."

"Sound brave."

"It has its scary moments." I admitted, "But ultimately, that's why threats against my life don't really bother me."

"But against your family?"

"That's different, measurably so." I argued, "I spent years ignoring them and pretending they didn't exist. I actively told people that they were dead. All while not bringing friends or partners over. Maxi was the first in a long time that I had brought over, and it was after confessing to her that I had been lying."

"Yikes."

"But back to Chara. I meant it when I said I wasn't expecting anything."

"But you were." Missus Robinson interjected.

"I can't say I was."

"Really? I know you said you didn't harbor expectations, but you said she got mad at both of you for that fight, er--argument."

"Right."

"I think she may have had the impression that you were wanting something to come out of you two."

I sighed, thinking on it and reminiscing on the past.

"I...I guess I was banking on their relationship to fail...I guess I really was just waiting for her. But the months went on, time marching in its ever-present monotony. She told me they started going to therapy together, and that he was actually improving on his previous behavior. I was happy for her, but she still seemed upset that he was around. She'd tense up whenever he got mentioned in passing conversation."

"Did you talk about him often?"

"I tried not to." I added, "I knew that whether my points were correct or not; that everyone was always going to take what I said about him with an understandable bias. I mean, she had been my Fiance. And he was married to her. I remember watching their wedding tape, and her smile..."

"Her smile?" Missus Robinson directed.

"Her smile looked so fake, so fabricated. I knew her eyes, she looked absolutely miserable. I asked her about it, and she admitted that she had been that night. Her father and a bunch of people she despised were there, she felt like the whole thing had been planned without her, she said it had been a mess."

"Did you go?"

"Oh, of course not. It was in the years where we weren't talking. I didn't even know she was married until much later."

"Ah, did that upset you?"

"In a way, yes. Like I said, I was waiting for her marriage to end."

"So that you could be with her?"

"So that she could be free." I corrected, "She lived with his consequences, under his influence. It wasn't so much that she was under his thumb, more that he would do things to actively make her life harder. Like with him spending their money and harassing her friends."

"So you weren't the only one?"

"Of course not. He was wary of all of her male friends, told her to have more female friends. I laughed when she told me that."

"Why?"

"Because she's pansexual, a fact that he staunchly refuses and tries to ignore."

"Oh."

"I'm just the only one who didn't take him seriously, at least at first."

"Oh?"

"As time went on, and their marriage continued, we stopped seeing each other as often. We also stopped...well...we stopped sleeping together. That's when I really pushed for her freedom, for her to separate from him."

"And when you stopped seeing color?"

I sighed.

"Seeing her lose hope...seeing her give in to him time and time again...It broke my heart. But she kept echoing, three years."

"What?"

"She wanted to give him three years, then she'd decide if she'd continue the marriage."

Missus Robinson was quiet for a bit.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"We've been married about that long." She finally spoke, staring off into the distance, "I...I think I get where she's coming from."

I sighed again.

"And as time went on," I resumed, "I began to lose hope in her. I watched her grow stagnant, seeming to just accept the shitty situation she was in."

"Ah."

"And then...I thought more about his threats."

"What about them?"

"His family...well, they're big gun nuts. They have rifles and other assorted weapons. They're hunters."

"And you don't?"

"Oh no," I argued, "I'm armed most of the time, remember?"

"What about right now?" She asked.

"Well I'm naked." I pointed out, "But there's a Glock in my boot upstairs with the rest of my clothes. Plus I have my claws."

I drew up and demonstrated the sharpened talons for her, letting her eye the sharp, black claws.

"Your tips are rounded." She pointed out, running her finger along there.

"True, these aren't for stabbing, they're for slashing."

"Plus you've got the muscle." She pointed back, reaching over her shoulder to squeeze my bicep.

I chuckled softly.

"Muscle is all well and good, but it's useless if you don't know how to apply it. It's the technique, same with sex. You can have the longest dick in the world, but if you don't know how to use it; it's worthless."

She chuckled back.

"Yeah. I can see that."

"So yes, I'm armed most of the time, if not always."

"I see."

"But, my family is big."

"Because you're bears?" She joked.

I chuckled.

"That, too. But really, there's so many of them. They're spread across many different cities, and I realized that if he wanted to...he could track them down. They're publicly online, and they wouldn't know to look out for him without me warning them."

"Oh. So did you warn them?"

"How would I?" I began, "Hey, I'm having an affair with a woman, and her husband might come around and try to kill you guys. Just FYI."

"Yeah." She agreed, "It sounds a lot worse out loud.

"And with their relationship growing ever more strained...I realized he might actually act on it."

"Oh..."

"So as I visited my grandma one day. She's wise, even beyond her years. In conversation with her while visiting...she made me make a very tough decision."

"How so?"

I sighed, collecting my thoughts and recalling my visit.

I walked up to the front door, maneuvering through the garden that sprawled across either side of the walkway. I looked over the gray flowers as I walked through, appreciating the scent of the wild garden far more than its coloration. I reached the door, an electronic lock preventing access. I looked it over, before typing in my grandmother's birthday from memory. The door chimed, before unlocking itself. I clicked my tongue, entering. Her quaint abode met me upon entering. Her entryway held a long, hand-carved wooden table, a white fabric doily keeping several picture frames and a flower vase aloft. The pictures were of the various grandchildren, all at different ages and points of their lives. I saw myself beside my sister, the picture highlighting a memory of swimming illegally in a national park pond. I moved further in, my boots making little sound against the marble tile. I entered the kitchen, passing through a short arch to get there. Ursa put the newspaper down, her glasses shifting off of her muzzle as she looked at me.

"Well hello!" She greeted cheerfully, waving me in.

"Hi Grandma."

I entered the broad kitchen, scooting around the large granite island and hugging her. She moved her broad arm around my shoulder, hugging me back. She soon broke it, sighing and gesturing towards the comfortable wooden chair beside her. I took a seat, relaxing as she prompted me.

"How've you been, mister?"

"I'm alive." I answered, "How about you?"

She patted my thigh, before folding up her paper.

"I'm here." She answered, "So, how's work?"

"It's going." I told her, "It's been busy."

"I can tell." She stated, seeming chipper, "You don't visit as much as you used to."

"I know, I'm sorry." I apologized, "I feel bad because I can't even remember the last time I came over."

"I think..." She said with a pause, turning her snout up, "I think it was when you brought Chara over."

"Oh yeah."

"How is she?"

"I..."

I huffed, leaning in and clasping my hands.

"Well, I've been having a dilemma recently."

"Do tell." She encouraged, giving me her undivided attention.

"We'd been spending time together, and hanging out. But...her birthday last year was...rough."

"Aww, I'm sorry, honey."

"It's okay, I feel far worse for her. But, her husband threatened me that night."

"Oh dear."

"Well that's the thing, right? I work with money all day; he can't scare me. There's no threat he can pose that I haven't already accounted for from my job."

"Well, you are prepared." She added, leaning in, "But I sense there's more."

"There is." I confirmed, "Ursa...he threatened my family. He threatened you guys...I took that a little more personally."

"Understandably." She replied, "Did that rattle you? I've never known you as one who's easy to anger. Your cousins...sure, but you were always such a patient and kind little bear."

"It didn't, at first. But the more I've thought about it, it has shaken me up quite a bit."

"What did Chara have to say about that?"

"Well, I told her, and she didn't really seem to believe me. She assured me that he wasn't a threat."

"Well, honey, he's not."

I cocked my eyebrow up.

"We're a close-knit family," she stated, "we look out for each other, and we've got your back. There's no way he can harm us without the clan getting the better of him."

"I...I guess you're right."

"But, I suspect he threatened because he thinks you're moving in on his girl."

"Chara."

"Right, they're married, sweetie, you know that."

"I do." I added, "For the record, I'm not."

She chuckled, her muzzle tilting down as she raised an eyebrow at me.

"When you had her over last...I knew that look in your eye."

"Grandma."

"You're my boy." She resumed, "I've known you since you were in diapers, I know when you fancy someone, honey."

"Well I care about her," I agreed, "I care about her a lot, and I'm worried about how her Husband's acting."

"Well, if it's stressing you, then perhaps you should take some time." She recommended, "Get some distance and let him cool off."

"I..."

I wanted to argue, but found the lump in my throat preventing me from doing so. Ursa seemed to sense this, and she stood slowly. She fetched her cane.

"Come, honey. The plants need watering. Some fresh air might help."

I stood up, fighting back tears. She led me outside to her back garden, allowing me to compose myself as we walked. The fresh June air met us, a few birds taking flight from the tree overhanging her porch as we came into view. She waltzed to the far side of her deck, leaning over to pick up a gray watering can. She passed the plastic receptacle to me, before instructing me.

"Take all the time you need." She began, "You can fill up by the faucet down there."

"Okay."

She walked with me down into the lower yard, following and watching as I filled the can.

"When I was a bit older than you are," Ursa began slowly, "I had a similar conundrum."

"Oh?"

I shut off the water and made my way to a raised garden bed, Ursa pointing to it first.

"Uh-huh. Get the strawberries, dear."

"On it."

I poured the water out, dispersing it with the nozzle over the dry soil beneath the plants. I lifted the leaves with the tip as I went, seeing each of the little berries growing on stems. They stood out as a lighter shade of gray to the other parts of the leaves and stems. I sighed, longing for color to return to my world. Ursa continued as we walked.

"His name was Clyde, and it was a little bit after I met your grandfather." She resumed, following me around, "We became great friends, we even went on a road trip with Ross and his brother."

"Where to?"

"Oh, it was Yellowstone, I think? Your Grandpa Russ just filled up the back of the car, invited Clyde and me, and off we sailed. His brother met us down there; I think those two wanted to get up to shenanigans."

I chuckled.

"Sounds like Grandpa."

"But Clyde and I had a lovely time. What I didn't know until we got back was that he had a sweetheart. Turned out she was a bit of a vixen, if you catch my meaning."

"I don't." I replied, going over her basil plants a second time.

"She was...well...fierce, possessive, you know?" She explained as I moved on to her tall rosemary plant.

"Ah, I see."

We moved slowly through the garden. Ursa stopped as I ran out of water, letting me run to fetch more. I returned and she resumed.

"His girl was less-than-kind to me once she found out that I was the tramp that took her man on a trip."

"But nothing happened, right?" I inquired, spreading more water over a set of daisies.

"Indeed." She agreed, "Nothing happened between him and I. But she wouldn't hear it. Eventually...it didn't really matter. I couldn't stay around him. Ross tried to help me, but ultimately it just wasn't worth her toxic energy."

I gave a deep sigh, watching as the water spread and sank into the dry soil of her garden bed. As the water dispersed, I collected my thoughts and spoke.

"I get that." I began, moving the watering can along, "I think I know what you're saying."

She nodded, before I realized she was waiting for me to say it out loud. I sighed.

"I should give her some space, let her settle things with Dillan, then maybe our friendship can resume."

"Maybe." She stated outright, "You're a good kid, you've always been patient and kind. If her marriage isn't meant to last; then it will peter out on its own. I don't think you being around would be a good reason for it to end."

"No," I agreed, "perhaps not."

"And if it is meant to last; then you'll let her grow as the person that she needs to be."

Ursa sighed, leaning on her cane.

"Chara's a sweet girl. But she's hurt you, and I've seen you hurt over her. I can see you hurting now."

"I do." I agreed, "It's because I care about her so dearly. I don't want something to happen to her, anymore than I want anything to happen to you guys."

Grandma Ursa reached up with her elder arm, pinching my cheek as she spoke.

"You can't stop things from happening to her anymore than you can them to us. Life happens, little bear, the river flows and it goes on. The real question is whether or not we're running with it."

I finished the last of the water again. Ursa turned me towards her instead of letting me get more.

"If you love something, eventually, you have to let it go. Now I was devastated, utterly broken when your Grandpa Ross died. But I had more in the river for me. I had the cubs to look after, and grandcubs to care for."

She gripped my wrist a little harder.

"I know you, Danny, I know you'll do the right thing. I have faith in you, and I am here for you. We all are, as family."

I hugged her, feeling her cane as she brought it to rest over my back. A warmth washed over me, like a heavy weight dripping away as she held me. The world felt a little smaller in her arms, reminding me of a more docile and simple time in my life. Warm tears streaked down my cheeks, soaking my fur as they fell.

"I love you, Grandma. And thank you. Thank you so much."

She chuckled, shaking her head against my shoulder.

"No dearest, thank you. I always love when you visit. Now, have you eaten?"

I broke the hug, sniffling and wiping some tears away.

"I haven't." I admitted, "I was just gonna make myself some eggs when I got home."

"Pah." She scoffed, "Come, let's get you fed."

"She helped me come to terms with what needed to happen." I finished explaining, Missus Robinson listening intently.

"So what terms did you come to?"

"That Chara needed to live her life and deal with her husband, and that I couldn't be a part of that trio. That ultimately it didn't matter how good our friendship was; it couldn't outclass his danger and negativity."

"Mhmm."

She sat up, stretching her arms over her head. She looked out the window.

"Is that...Is that the sun?"

I gazed out as well, noticing a lighter tint of gray lining the mountain top in the distance.

"Sure enough." I pointed out, letting her fall back into my arms, "It's, uh, it's been a long time since I've chatted with someone all night long."

"Likewise." She returned, "Though, if you're resolved on Chara, what's still bothering you?"

I sighed.

"See, I'm not exactly resolved on Chara, not entirely anyway."

"Oh?"

"The more I've thought about it, the more I dwell...the more I realize that we really shouldn't be together. Like, at all."

"Even without her husband in the picture?"

I nodded.

"He's a huge sticking point, sure. But she and I had been on and off for years before that. We'd been coworkers, lovers, dearest friends, but we'd also clashed spectacularly at times. I realized I didn't want to drag her down anymore, I didn't want to limit her, no matter how much color she helped me see."

"I see." Missus Robinson explained after a lengthy pause, "I should...I should get some sleep. I'm sorry to cut this short."

I snorted.

"It's been hours, you're not cutting anything short."

"I greatly appreciate your time, Dan." She said, rolling over and kissing my bicep.

"And I yours, Missus Robinson." I said, kissing the top of her head.

"Please, call me Lauren."

"Lauren." I echoed, "Thank you."

She got up, the cougar stretching again and offering me a hand.

"You can come get your things," she suggested, "I'll have to schedule you with Ben again, won't I?"

I nodded.

"He'll handle the payment, too."

"Right." She confirmed, leading me up the stairs, "There's a lot to digest from tonight, I'm sure it'll all pass in a dream."

I chuckled.

"Glad I could give you stuff to think about."

"It's just strange. I've always known your body, just never thought to get to know the man within it."

I clicked my tongue, reaching her bedroom with her.

"I aim to please, and surprise."

She laid once more in the tangled sheets, allowing me to pick up my boxers and affix them. She watched me get dressed, her eyes clearly getting heavy as she laid down.

"Where is your river flowing, Dan?" She asked.

I slid my socks on as I sat on the edge of the bed next to her.

"I'm...I'm not too sure these days." I admitted, "I'm just taking it one day at a time. I work, I sleep, I do some of my hobbies, and rinse and repeat."

"What are your hobbies?" She inquired, her eyes closed now.

I chuckled.

"We'll be here a whole other night if we go over that."

She grinned, before responding.

"Fair enough."

I slid the other sock on, before pulling up my shirt and putting it on. She opened her eyes back up and continued to watch as I got dressed. I then sat back down, my boots being the last things to put on my body.

"Where is yours headed?" I asked in turn.

She shrugged lightly.

"After tonight...I might talk to my husband."

"What about?"

"Maybe it's time we went our separate ways." She suggested, pretending in her tone that I was him, "Maybe I need to see more of the world, learn more about people like you. I think I've been stuck at this dock three years too long."

I leaned in, planting a kiss on the cougars' temple. She smiled as I pulled my muzzle away.

"I think the most important thing I've learned from all of this is who I am. Search for that." I suggested.

She nestled into the sheets, her eyes remaining closed.

"Goodnight, Dan."

I sat up, leaving her in peace as I closed the door behind me. I shuffled quietly down the stairs, my boots absorbing a majority of the sound of my step. I reached the front door, being sure to lock it before closing it behind me. I stood in the cool morning air, a brand new day facing me down.

"Good morning, world."

I secured my shirt and possessions, making sure I had everything, before I walked towards my vehicle.

"Home." I thought, "I should sleep, too."

My stomach grumbled, indicating that it had different plans for me. My mind drifted to a little coffee shop atop the hill not too far from Missus Robinson's abode. I started the vehicle after getting in, before plugging my phone in to charge. I pulled up the maps and located the coffee shop, a helpful gray line guiding me towards my destination. I pulled out of her driveway, casually driving towards the intended destination. Upon arriving, I found only a few cars posted out front, the early morning seeing few customers. I stopped the car and shut it down, before getting out. The small building was mostly windows, with an extended patio going out over the hillside. I approached, wrenching open the front door gently. A small bell rang to indicate my entry. An Elk barista looked up at me, his warm smile welcoming me into the warm atmosphere. Gray walls enclosed the small shop, leading my eyes to the slim, gray wood slats that ran from wall to wall. A counter separated the elk and myself, the clear glass providing a view of the various pastries and breakfast treats they had for sale.

"Mornin'." He began, throwing the bar towel over his shoulder, "What can I get ya'?"

"Something with blueberries, and honey." I requested, fostering a chuckle from the younger Elk.

"We've got a blueberry muffin, I can drizzle some honey over that."

I looked at the muffins, which appeared to be deflated, looking somewhat sad.

"I meant in my coffee." I clarified, pointing at the portable cups.

"Ah, any pastries for you then?"

My stomach fought my eyes, realizing that for as hungry as I was there; I could make better at home. The lingering scent of chicken and waffles brought me back, snapping me to my decision.

"Just the coffee, thank you."

"Coming right up, that'll be three eighty five."

I slid my card out of my wallet, paying as he prepared the drink. I watched him brew the coffee, before adding the blueberry flavoring and a drizzle of honey behind it.

"There you are." He stated upon delivery, "And would you like your receipt?"

"No thanks."

"Splendid boss, enjoy your day."

I picked up the drink and walked through the cafe. I found myself on the other side, pushing through a second door to the open patio overlooking the valley. The sun had barely shown itself, beginning to slowly illuminate the valley before me. I stood beside the railing, taking a quick swig of the hot drink. I sighed, remembering that the last time I'd been at this hillside cafe was with Chara. Part of me imagined what it would be like if she were here beside me. As I tasted more of the blueberry with the honey background, the thought slowly faded, leaving me with only the color Royal Blue in my mind. I tried to remember what it looked like, equating it to the blueberry flavor swishing around in my mouth.

"Is the river Royal Blue?" I asked in my mind, "Is that where I want my life to go?"

I slowly shook my head, sipping more coffee.

"Of course not," I whispered, "everything's a little gray."