FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

All characters in this story are figments of my imagination. Any resemblance to real persons or other fictional characters not owned by me is purely coincidence. I don't get out nearly enough to know this much about real people...

The only exception, so far, is "Chris". He is a part of my multifaceted Fursona.

Also, all business names and brand names used in the story are there for purely immersion purposes! No sponsorship or product placement is going on here. PLEASE don't sue me for writing this, I really don't have the money to pay you. T_T

This story is set in a fictional depiction of the real world. Real locations are used.

For a vague description of the past, and how the world evolved to it's current state, please read the Intro and Prelude chapter...

Chapter 2

It was a strange new sensation. Being woken by the stirring of a beautiful girl cuddling back into your arms. Something Chris just wasn't used to. He wasn't going to complain, of course, as he felt Corsi turn toward him and nuzzle into his chest. She was still asleep. Good, it gave him time to enjoy this moment. Time to think.

How did he get into this sort of situation? Bravery, she said. Being a 'hero'. All he did was whack a guy in the head with a set of keys and almost get fired. It helped her out of a bad situation, but got him into one almost as bad. Oh -crap-. It hit him like a brick wall. The psychiatrist appointment!

"Psst... Corsi! Wake up!" he growled into her ear somewhat menacingly.

"Hnn..? Mrrrr..." She didn't really respond. Just a few cute sleepy noises, and another nuzzle against his chest. Damnit! He had to wake her up. A flash of inspiration hit him like a big geeky hammer. His lips curled into a goofy grin.

"In brightest day..." he mumbled to himself, and slowly wiggled down into the blankets. As he did, she murrred softly, and curled her arms up around the pillow his head was on before.

"In blackest night..." he mumbled again as the room's dim light was snuffed by the cover of blankets. Thankfully his feline eyes let him see well enough to make out the mostly naked curves of her body. A moment was taken, lightly purring, staring in disbelief at the gorgeous young woman that he managed to bring so close. She wasn't tall, but she was fit. Curves where they mattered with an athlete's figure. Hips you could hold onto, a squeezable ass, and breasts just big enough to spill out of your hand with a good grip. All covered in a beautiful coat of sleek black fur. After admiring for several seconds he shook himself out of his little daze.

"No nipple shall escape my sight..." he mumbled once more, nosing up at the bunched bottom of his shirt she was wearing. Green Lantern, appropriately enough. Exposing one of her lovely breasts, he loomed inward. No warning, he jerked in and dragged his coarsely textured tongue over the sensitive little nipple, before biting down on it firmly but playfully!

"Wh.. AHH!" She jerked awake, twitching away from him while bopping at the top of his head from above the blankets with her paws.

"What the hell are you doing...?" she asked, sleep crackling up her voice a little.

"Trying to wake you up!" he answered, completely honest as he poked his head back out of the blankets, an arm draping over her side to pull her close again.

"... You coulda' just kissed me, or licked my ear or something..." she whined, head falling back to the pillow with a soft smirk on her lips.

"Nah... That's too movie-romantic. I was going for something more Manga, or fan-fic."

"... You're such a geek..." she said with a little laugh, shaking her head against the pillow.

"You're the one wearing the Green Lantern shirt, which might I add is a wonderful look for you with nothing else on..." He finished with an appreciative purrr.

"You're -bad-..." she laughed, playfully bopping and pushing at his chest. Rolling onto her back, she reached under the blanket to pull the shirt back down her body. At it's full length it reached half way down her thighs, and that was just good enough.

"I have an appointment today... Work appointed psychiatrist. Need to prove to them I'm not crazy so I can keep my job." He explained with a bored tone. It didn't truly concern him, but he did know the obligation behind it. He probably should be more worried, but he just wasn't.

"Oh... When's that...?" she asked, peeking over at his alarm clock.

"... Eleven in the morning..." he groaned, flopping onto his back as well. She blinked a few times, squinting at the clock.

"... Chris. It's ten after ten."

"... Oh, crap. Guess I better get ready."

"Yeah, no shit. Get up! Get ready. I'll find something of yours to wear... we didn't really get a chance to dry mine..."

Thunk. Something fell against the floor just outside his bedroom door. Karina's voice barked from the other side, seeming in a bit of a foul mood. "Here's her clothes, dry again! You're welcome!" Corsi winced, looking over at him with a worried face.

"Is she okay...?"

"Yeah.. She's always cranky in the morning." he answered as he slid to the edge of the bed to get up. Pulling the blanket back let her admire him from behind. The unusual fluffiness of his tail and the somewhat royal pattern of black fur along his spine. As part of the royal cheetah species, his fur was a bit more rare than others.

"I'll kick your stuff in before I go shower." he said as he stood up and pulled on a pair of shorts.

* * *

On his way out of the bathroom after finishing his shower and getting himself ready, he was almost pushed aside by Corsi as she rushed in behind him, closing the door. Now stuck on the outside, he wasn't quite sure what caused her to want to rush in so quickly, but he just assumed the usual female stuff. Though, how Karina was staring him down in the hallway should have given him a bit of a hint, but still.

"Girls will be girls..." he said, shrugging his shoulders lazily. Meandering out toward the apartment kitchen, Karina made room for him to pass by, an unusually passive thing for her to do.

"Is she gonna' be coming over more...? Your new girlfriend...?" she asked while heading for the couch again. One paw pulled a blanket over her legs as the other grabbed a Wii-mote to continue playing whatever game it was she was playing. He wasn't paying attention enough to notice.

"Corsi? Girlfriend? I wouldn't call her that really... But she is a friend. Is there a problem with her being here?" he asked in reply as his paws opened the refrigerator to peek inside.

"... No... Just don't keep me up all night again, mmkay? Wolves have good hearing..." The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable this time.

"Awh... Shit, sorry." He turned around with a bit of a lop-sided grin on his lips.

"C'mon, though... After like eight and a half years I finally get some and it's me being raped in a bathroom. How bad is that? I think I deserve this, y'know?" He said quietly, knowing she could hear. "Besides... I could pass wind in a hurricane and you'd hear it. I don't think it's fair that one of us has to abide by those kinds of rules, and the other obviously doesn't."

"Not my fault you don't listen to me..." she replied with a tone dripping with acid.

Corsi peeked her head from the hall, peering out at Chris.

"Ready? Let's go! You'll be late!"

Chris nodded quickly, Karina rolled her eyes, and Corsi all but dragged the cheetah out the door. On the way down she peeked back at him with a curious look.

"What were you guys talking about...?"

"Nothing important. She's just cranky in the morning. Smoothing down some fur, so to speak." he answered with a shrug. He slipped around her, taking the lead as they got to the bottom, habitually holding the door open for her. A quick smile was flashed at him as she passed through.

"So, where is your car, anyway?"

"... Should be back at McDonald's, if they didn't tow it..."

"... Oh, well shit, we better move fast." He turned in place, not giving her any time to resist as he scooped her up into his arms. She gave a surprised mrowl, slinging her arms quickly around his shoulders to hang on. He turned a bit, getting his bearings, and started to run! Feet pumping quickly, gaining more and more speed the further he went. The blessings of being a cheetah! He wasn't taking full advantage of his speed, since he wasn't dashing along on all fours, but it was fast enough to get them to where she parked her car.

"Hey! Hey! Wait-wait-wait!" Corsi cried, yelling toward what looked like a supervisor or manager on a cell phone near her car.

"Don't get me towed!" Corsi yelled to the manager as Chris stopped and put her down. He couldn't help but chuckle as she scurried up to the manager, putting on her cute-face and pleading him to put down the phone.

"Pleeease? I just had to leave it here when I got stuck in the rainstorm yesterday!" Trying her most adorable Puss-in-Boots watery-eyes face on him, she was surprised when the manager just laughed.

"Take it easy, girl. I'm just talking to my wife... It's my smoke break..." he said, before tossing a cigarette butt to the ground and snuffing it with the heel of his shoe. He gave a little wave and a chuckle before heading back inside.

"... That was anti-climactic." Chris mumbled, stepping up behind Corsi to give her a little nudge from behind.

"Wasted the cute face and everything..." she grumbled, smirking up at him before tugging her keys from the pocket of her pants. As he watched her, he did notice something. The button-up shirt she was wearing when she got there the day before was comfortably half-buttoned over his Green Lantern shirt! She did steal it!

"Hey! That's my shirt!" he blurted at her, half-growling and half-laughing.

"Shut up! I told you I was stealing it. You're not allowed to complain." She giggled wickedly, climbing into her car. A cheap little thing, just enough space for Chris to climb in and not be a hunch-back. A nice color though, deep forest green. Only a few seconds were spent admiring the car before he continued pretending to brood in dismay at the loss of one of his favorite shirts.

"Oh, cheer up jungle boy... This just means I have to come over again to bring it back."

"... True..." he said with a soft grin.

* * *

It didn't take long for her to get him to the clinic. Any self-respecting girl who isn't a prude in the city knew about the clinic. This was where people went for things like birth control prescriptions, regular check-ups, physio-therapy, and pretty much anything else the hospital didn't want to deal with. This also included the psyche wing of the building, which was nearly half of the entire structure.

After arriving, he lingered in the car for a few moments, staring up and out at the building. He didn't know what to expect, honestly. He'd been here a few times before, mostly with his grandmother to keep her company at the pharmacy on the ground floor, or to get an on-the-cheap eye exam for those contacts he tried out a few years ago (god what a disaster that was).

"Getting butterflies...?" she asked, peeking around at his face as he was lost in thought. Her question quickly snapped him out of the thoughtful daze, and he turned to smile at her.

"Nah. I'm just wondering what the psychiatrist will have to say that I don't already know. Hopefully I won't have to waste much time here today and she'll just label me as a controllable sort of crazy so I can go back to work and not go homeless." He finished with a little chuckle, shifting in his seat as he took his seatbelt off and started to get out of the car. "Oh... thanks a lot for the ride. Karina was really not in a helpful mood."

"Hey... it's no problem. You saved me, remember? It's the least I can do." She flashed a sincere smile, and glanced at the time. "Awh, jeez'... I gotta' be to work in like two hours and I need to go home first..."

"Then that's my sign to gee-tee-eff-oh your car. Thanks again!" he said, chuckling as he got out of the car. After closing the door, he leaned in and peeked his head in the window. "I'll see you tomorrow at work, Corsi." Flashing a coy little grin, she could only reply with a laugh, and drove off. He just chuckled to himself and turned toward the door, making his way inside.

* * *

After navigating the maze of halls, waiting rooms, and offices in the psychiatric half of the building and waiting for his appointment time to come around, he'd been there for almost half an hour. For someone like Chris who got bored easily without internet access or someone to gabba-gabba with, this was as close to hell as he figured he could get these days.

After all he'd endured in his high school years being the only cheetah anybody had ever met that didn't like sports, or the one that needed glasses despite a cheetah's usual superb eyesight. Even his rare fur pattern, which was now a point of pride for him, was a target of ridicule among his own species as he was growing up. It was a sad little sob story. Socially, emotional, and sometimes physically abused during his most sensitive years, it was no wonder he had such a low self-image, and even the occasional suicidal thought.

Thinking back on it, he mused about his grandmother's reaction when he told her it was either quitting high-school, or ending his life. She changed her preachy tone pretty quick at that point. It also landed him here as well, but only for a single meeting. It went strangely well. He would talk in a calm and intelligent manner, and she would ask more questions based around what he said. He was so put-together about it all that she eventually told him that he probably didn't need a second session. All of his problems were at the school and the atmosphere he was surrounded by on a daily basis. And thus started what he called 'the good old days', being lazy at home in his room playing video games for a few years.

When the psychiatrist came out to call him in, he broke that reminiscent trance and finally found something more attractive to think about. Why was she so familiar? A soft figured lioness with golden brown hair and gentle blue eyes. Her demeanor was almost perfect to be a psychiatrist, welcoming yet observant, not critical or judgmental. He only had one problem with her so far. She seemed a bit young. There was experience in her eyes that he didn't find familiar like all the rest, but he couldn't help but think she was too pretty to be stuck in an office listening to peoples' problems.

That wasn't too important though. As soon as she got him inside and closed the door, she beckoned for him to sit on the small two-seat sofa near her desk. As he did just that, she sat in her chair behind the desk and opened his folder.

"Well, it's good to see you again, Christopher..."

He immediately scowled and shook his head.

"Oh right... Chris, sorry."

"Yeah.. I feel like I'm..."

"Being scolded by your grandmother again whenever someone calls you by your full name. I remember. I found it easy to relate to when you told me almost ten years ago."

That's it! She was the psychiatrist that he came to see in high school! He'd found out back then that she moved away to get some sort of criminology degree to compliment her career. A good choice, he had to agree, but found it funny that she did that shortly after she 'helped' him.

"Ohh... I knew you were familiar. How've you been, anyway? How did that criminology thing go for you back then?"

"Wow, you remember that? That was almost ten years ago." she answered, shifting more comfortably in her chair. She seemed casually at ease with him now that the ice was broken and they were talking like this. Possibly using it as a tactic to get him to open up, but he was quick to her devilish schemes!

"I have a good memory... I remember running naked down the hallway of my old place butt-naked when I was five, giggling like a demon with something to prove." He chuckled lightly as he let that little blurb about his past out, shaking his head slowly at how hyperactive he was at that age.

"No kidding? I bet that was cute." she answered with a little snicker. Tugging a few sheets aside, she went over a few things in his file. "As for my criminology, well... That's why I'm here, isn't it? You did have a violent outburst at work, attacking a customer."

"Is that what they wrote? Seriously?" He mused inwardly that it must have been Krista that wrote the report. She's pretty much always pushing his negative side to the surface.

"Well... Forget the report. Why don't you tell me what happened, and why you did what you did...?" She closed the file, only leaving out a those two pages she shifted earlier.

"Sure... As I was coming onto the floor from the back room after swiping in at the time-clock, Jasmine told me to look out for this asshole bulldog that was harassing Corsi near our game-case cash register. I went out there prepared to keep an eye on him, and run distraction if she needed me to..."

"... Run distraction?" she asked, waiting for a pause to interrupt him for a clarification.

"Yeah... A usual tactic. Ask a troublesome customer, or a suspicious one, if they need assistance of any kind, and put the good old aggressive Walmart sales tactics to good use. But he wasn't falling for it. He just went back to try and hit her."

"He was going to attack the girl?" she asked, calmly as before.

"Yep. Maybe half a second later and he'd have smacked her real hard with a backhand." He raised his hand to demonstrate the posture of the thuggish bulldog, before slapping the palm of his other hand swiftly and strongly. "So, before he could, I just went with my instinct and tried to stop him. I swung my keys and they hit him square in the head. After that it was technically self defense. He went to hit me, so I went for a take-out shot, right in the... ahm'.... little puppy so to speak." He leaned back into the couch after finishing his tale.

"Hm... So no malicious intent. You just wanted to help her. Was there jealousy involved? Are you interested in her?" she asked, continuing on with her questions.

"Corsi? Are you kidding? Well... I guess you haven't seen the girl. She's gorgeous. An athletic little kitten with a great figure, gorgeous eyes, and the cutest little bow in her hair when she comes to work." He chuckled softly after cutting himself off. "You get the point... I'm a geek, and not exactly the prime example of the attractiveness of my species. Guys like me don't get chances with girls like her." And of course, he had to leave out how he'd gotten a chance last night. That was just prudent, and polite to keep Corsi's personal life private and whatnot.

"You shouldn't underestimate yourself, Chris. You have a lot to offer the right girl when she comes along." she added this with a soft smile. Positive enforcement, part of her best qualities as a psychiatrist.

"Yeah, well... When a girl finally settles on me, I'll make them the happiest girl in the world. Until then, girls like Corsi will probably continue to browse the waters around this fish." He shrugs, demeanor passive about the topic. No apparent care in his features at all. She had to note this, a strange change from her last session with him so long ago.

"Tell me how you've been feeling recently after your..." She pauses, peeking back into his file with a raised brow. ".... incident... at work."

"Oh... since you don't seem to be talking about the assault anymore, I'll assume you mean when I was raped and set on fire." Again, no visual concern about the event on his features. Very strange to her, but signs of something deeper that he may not know about.

"Yes, that. But I was trying to be polite and gentle about the subject."

"Oh, It's alright. I don't really think about it much. It doesn't bother me. I can't even remember what happened. Whenever I try to remember what I was doing before I woke up in the hospital, all I can remember is what I ate the night before, and that I was playing some StarCraft 2 before bed. That whole day is a blur. And I guess I was out for a few days after, too."

"Strange..." she said, noting some things in the file as he talked, pondering about what he was saying.

"I know, right? You'd think someone would be more concerned with what happened to him in a situation like this. I'm just... not... at all." He stopped talking for a moment, considering the words he was saying. It wasn't normal, and he knew that. He just didn't know exactly what was going on.

"Well... Here are two theories." she said softly, clearing her throat before she continued. "It sounds like it's possible that the chemicals I read in here that were used to start the fire, effected or poisoned you mentally before and during the event. Fire is a major trigger for instinct in anthropomorphic people, which could have lead to the memory loss. With your easy-going demeanor, you may just not really care." She paused a moment, and shifted a sheet to the side, glancing over it and making a notation midway down the page.

"Or..." she continued. "... you're experiencing a rare case of atarexia. A mental condition sometimes caused by trauma, and sometimes by intensive mental training, where the mind simply does not consider the consequences of your actions any longer and... unprofessionally speaking, reaches a state that some people might call nirvana. Worry free, more or less. Some psychological research has revealed that in most cases, the patients who have developed this disorder no longer display the symptoms of fear."

Almost a minute of silence passed after she finished explaining what she thought might be wrong with him. It didn't feel right to consider the first option. He didn't feel it settled well in his head. The second, however, was almost spot on. He didn't even flinch when he was in Randal's office. He didn't even feel a like he should hold back his advances toward Corsi either, despite how potentially awkward that could have been if he pushed too far, too fast, and she pushed him away.

"That being said, Chris... Almost eighty percent of people who develop atarexia due to trauma also stray toward excessive risk-taking, or criminal activity."

"You don't have to worry about that, my moral compass didn't explode or anything. Right is right, and wrong is not right."

"I'm glad to hear that." she affirmed, once again smiling at him. After a quick glance up a the clock, she shuffled the sheets back into his folder. Pushing to stand, she let out a soft sigh.

"Well, our time's up for today. I'd like to schedule you for another appointment. I was told to give your personnel manager a call to clear you for work, which I'll do before I leave tonight. They should call you by tomorrow to tell you when you can go back to work."

"Sounds good to me. This was more of a paid vacation for me anyway, being part time and all." he replied with a light grin. After standing, he moved casually toward the door with her. As she opened it, her tail curled into the air quite femininely, the soft tuft of fur flicking calmly at about shoulder height. He couldn't help but spare a glance down her figure, admiring the lioness' professional beauty.

"I just wanna' say, by the way, that you haven't really changed much since last time we met. You still don't look a day over twenty-five." Him saying that made her pause at the door and let out a soft laugh. Half-turning, she smiled much more casually at him, but it was obvious she appreciated his comment.

"Thank you, Chris. Your flattery skills have improved. When you were fifteen all you did was stare at me." She shook her head then, and opened the door, gesturing for him to let himself out. "My husband agrees, by the way. He keeps telling me the same thing."

Chris's brows lifted slightly as she mentioned a husband. A quick glance to her hand, and his eyes found the ring that was rightfully supposed to be there.

"Well, he's a lucky man, and thanks again. Looking forward to not having to loaf at home waiting for something to happen."

"My pleasure. Check your email within the next few days, to see when the next appointment will be. I'll try to make it two weeks from today."

"Sure thing!" he answered, waving goodbye, before making his way out. Upon arriving on the sidewalk and glancing from side to side, he realized a few minutes too late that he forgot to establish a ride home.

"... Damnit." he cursed under his breath, fishing in his pocket for his phone to call a cab.

* * *

It didn't take long for a cab to get downtown, pick him up, and get him home. That was sort of a benefit to being downtown in the first place. Everything was easily accessible by cab if you're downtown, especially in a small river-valley city like his. Fifteen minutes and ten dollars later he made his way up four flights of stairs and into his apartment.

His first stop was the kitchen, inspired to inspect the area by the fragrant aroma of one of his favorite flavors. Chicken. What he found was a little disappointing. Not any sort of fresh made chicken, but simple chicken strips. Probably from a box, previously frozen. He couldn't be picky, though, while living on a budget as poor as his.

In the living room, within plain sight, was Karina. Her face filled with rage at whatever was happening on the tv. She just couldn't catch a break, it seemed. From the sounds Chris heard from the television, combined with the tell-tale mashing of buttons and very simple 'combos', he deduced she was playing Smash Brothers.

Swish! Pew-pew-pew! Swish! Pew-pew! Ca-tink! "Uwoooo!" FWOOSH!

"Don't get mad at Fox, Kay." 'K', his nickname for Karina for as long as he could remember. Being such close friends for so long has made time blur for him, and he couldn't remember exactly when he started calling her that. As far as he was concerned it was always her name.

"He's the main character of all of his games. Wolf was a backup. Fox is just greedy with the spotlight."

"... Shut up! Fox is inferior. He should be a finely ground stain under my paw by now. Wolf is _ far _ superior."

"Yeah, well... Not like you're biased or anything..." he said with a chuckle, before gobbling back the chicken strip.

"Heyy!" she cried, "... those are mine!"

He didn't respond immediately. He was formulating an excuse in his head more to keep her from getting fussy with him while she was in her lingering bad mood. Upon opening the freezer, intent on checking his stash of liquor, he noticed something off. His tub of chocolate mint ice-cream was half eaten. Grabbing it from the freezer, he waved it about in her view.

"And wasn't this mine?" he countered light-heartedly, peeking out just in time to notice her frump back a bit and consider something.

"... Can I have another bowl? That stuff is good..." she asked, mumbling in defeat.

"Sure." He didn't mind giving her the stuff. As much as he adored how the mind flavoring made him feel (along with every other leaf and flower closely related to catnip), he just couldn't push himself to enjoy the flavor. After uickly serving a bowl of ice-cream for her, and grabbing a pair of hard lemon vodka coolers from the refrigerator, he padded over to sit down next to her. The bowl was offered, along with a cooler, both of which were happily accepted.

"You done getting your ass kicked?" he asked.

"... Mmhmm..." she answered around a mouth full of delicious chocolatey mint greatness.

"Good..." One paw picked up the remote, changing the input from the Wii back to the digital cable box. Fishing around for something to watch, he just waited for her to do what he knew she was going to do.

"Sooo... how did it go? Are you crazier than me, now?" she asked playfully, peeking over at him.

"Nah... Well, kinda'. Gave good enough answers to get an all-clear for work, and got a few answers to think about regarding my new-found bravery. Apparently I'm not a scaredey-cat anymore." He shrugged lightly, and slouched back into the couch, shifting away from her a little, but only to get comfortable against the arm of the couch.

After she finished the bowl of ice-cream Karina pushed the empty dish away on the coffee table. Her paw snatched up the vodka cooler and twisted the top open quickly so she could take a drink.

"You know, your jealousy shows easier when you're drunk." he commented idly, smirking to himself.

"Whaaat? I'm not drunk, I just opened the drink. And I'm not jealous... I just don't want her to steal you..." she barked back at him, glaring hard.

"I can't be stolen, Kay. I don't belong to anybody. I'm not a pet, and never will be." Though, he somewhat theorized that she just might try to be if her jealousy gets any worse.

"Shut up..." she answered, her tone carrying a firm finality. A couple of minutes passed, before she spoke again.

"Now I can't call you a pussy anymore, now that you're all heroic and stuff..." The tone she used to say the word 'heroic' was dripping with sarcasm. As much as she denied any sort of jealousy regarding the last few days, he saw it plainly. However, he didn't call her out on it. That's not what friends do in a situation like this. He had a more powerful weapon up his sleeve_,_ to pacify the savage beast.

"Hah, funny. I'm dying inside. Are you done with the belittling? I can't find anything to watch and kinda' wanna' finish the season of Shugo Chara..."

"Oooo! Yeah! Let's do that!" she barked quickly, nodding before taking another drink. To his surprise, as he was changing inputs again and setting the anime to play through the remaining few episodes, she slid right up next to him, and slumped up against him. Her body tentatively curling against his. He didn't make a fuss about it. It wasn't the first time they'd enjoyed a friendly cuddle, but it was usually after she was seriously upset and he talked her down. Maybe this whole thing with Corsi really did bother her more than she was letting on. He didn't dwell too much on the 'why' part of things for now. He knew he'd have to figure it out sooner than later, but until then he'd just be a friend. One arm lifted to drape around her shoulders, drawing an adorably pleased little 'murrf' sound from her.

As they cuddled up, the anime started. Colorful images of school girls, chibis, magical transformations, and family-channel messages of hope, love, and happiness for all the kids in the school assaulted their brains, riding on the back of addicting animation and theme music. A glorious thing to soak in, and even better when there was a bad mood to dispel. It worked it's wonders.

Before long, the signs showed that it was time to go to bed. Chris wasn't half as aware as he wanted to be, and Karina actually nodded off briefly during the ending theme (which was obviously a sign of tiredness, considering she was addicted to the theme music for the show). A light tap to her forehead roused her back to an aware state, and she glared up at him.

"What...?" she asked, blinking a few too many times.

"It's all over. Friendship, dreams, and individuality kicked ass. We won. Let's get you to bed."

She frumped again, slouching further to keep an even tighter grip on his arm. He knew where this was going, too. Another thing she liked to do and he couldn't complain about. Though this one had... boundaries.

"Teddy bear...?" he asked quietly.

"Mmhmm..." she mumbled, pushing to stand, dragging him with her. A light sigh slipped from his lips, but he followed along obediantly.

"Lemme' go. I gotta' go change, and so do you. Gimme' five to get fresh and I'll be right in." he promised, managing to convince her to let go for now. She trudged into her room, half-closing the door. He just caught a quick glimpse of beautiful white fur as she pulled her shirt over her head while facing away from him, but he didn't linger. Slowly shaking his head, he retreated off into his own room to change.

* * *

Once again, he fished for the lazy pants. Well... another pair of them. He had a few spare for situations like this when he needed to be comfortable and modest while sleeping. After he quickly changed, he made an effort to check his email to make sure he was working the next day. Confirmation had been sent. A long shift, just after noon 'until closing time. Fair enough. He made his way back out, and into her room. By now she had to be changed, so he didn't even bother knocking.

Inside, she was just tugging the blankets over her bare legs. She jerked head upward to look at him somewhat quickly in surprise, not expecting him back so soon. Before she got to completely cover, he did note that she was wearing a rather long black tee-shirt with a very suggestive and nearly life-sized picture of one of Karina's favorite game characters, Etna, on the front. She flopped down again, curling up a little, peering at him and waiting. He got the hint. Not wasting any more time, he climbed up into the bed, and slipped under the blankets up to the waist. It was the start of summer and far too warm to suffocate under a comforter like that.

"We haven't done this in a while..." he mused, remembering last time when he discovered a particular weakness of hers that he was sure to exploit tonight, to make sure she slept well. She seemed to have quite pleasant dreams last time he did what he was planning to do.

As he laid down, she rolled to face away from him and snuggle back into his side. Her long fluffy wolf tail flicked up under the blanket, curling over her own thighs to rest in front of her for her to paw at idly for a little while. She was so very vain when it came to her tail. He took a moment to shift in place, turning toward her and draping an arm easily around her waist, hugging into her much to her delight. As he moved to make his other arm comfy under the pillows, she nudged hers away and nuzzled into his now exposed bicep. He paused, leaving his arm where it was.

"You're a better pillow anyway..." she mumbled softly, tugging his hand up to hug around her upper body as well. A bit awkward for him to be honest, as he tried to avoid having his hand land anywhere inappropriate. That was one line he wasn't going to cross without some serious leading on her part.

"I suppose I am. For better or worse." he finished with a light chuckle, shaking his head before nosing comfortably against her shoulder, head comfy on the pillow she didn't nudge away. It didn't take long before idle comments and playful verbal jabs gave way into random gibberish, and they both drifted into comfy, cuddling sleep.

As was common for Chris, however, he only ever slept for a few hours at a time. This didn't bother him much, truth be told, as in situations like this he still got to cuddle with a lovely girl while he rested sleeplessly. This was also part of his plan tonight. The arm that she wasn't cuddling closely to her chest shifted up from around her waist, his paw reaching to slowly draw one claw out to brush her bangs over the soft fluff on her cheek. She stirred a little, giving a soft huff of breath while she slept. He couldn't help but smirk now. It was no wonder he had such a crush on her a while ago. Her face so peaceful while she slept, and he could already tell that her dreams were getting better. There was that tell-tale little blush on her cheeks like before. His paw brushed softly along her hair, petting gently, and applying the combing artistry of his claws here and there to make sure he didn't tangle anything.

This, of course, was her weakness. Her hair. So vain and careful with it most times, she took great care to make sure it looked good. The 'why', was something he'd yet to figure out, but that wouldn't take long. After every little tug when a claw found a small tangle or 'wild' spot caused by sleepy nuzzles, he heard her give out a little happy whine. He didn't think much about it for now, thinking it was just a combination of comfort and good dreams, so he continued.

This went on for nearly half an hour. What he didn't know, was that about fifteen minutes ago, she actually woke up from all this sensation. She knew the 'why'. She thought she told him well enough so that he'd know too, after last time. Apparently not. By the time she was stirred awake, it was already far too late to do anything about it, though. She needed... something more. The tugging into her hair was playing with her somewhat submissive mind. Being held so close, while her hair was so close to being pulled. It lit a little fire in her body that was slowly growing out of control.

She shifted, still pretending to sleep. One of her hands moved in such a way that moved that arm that she was cuddling so close, a little further downward, ending with his hand on top of one of her breasts. This made him pause, of course, peeking over to make sure she was still asleep. He dared not move now, continuing to pet her hair slowly, tugging here and there experimentally. He was starting to figure it out, finally. Combing his paw into her hair, he took a good grip, before pulling her head back to point almost straight up from her body. She let out the sweetest, most surprised moan he's ever heard from her (and she wasn't exactly quiet when she was self-indulging at night with her door closed). Eyes open half-lidded, she peeked up at him, softly panting through parted lips.

He smirked again, seeming entirely superior at the moment, a victoriously smug look on his face. She wanted more.

"It's been so long since I left him, Chris... please... I need... more." she begged, one of her paws reaching back to slide between them, her palm grinding against his groin. Despite his obvious arousal, he was somewhat surprised he was considering going through with this.

Not so long ago he'd been forced to pull himself back. What was long ago a huge crush had turned into genuine feelings for this lovely white wolf, but she'd kept him at arm's length. After so long of waiting and hoping, he had to leash his emotions and pull away. He just didn't feel the same anymore.

There was no denying that he was attracted to her. How could he not be, especially right now? Her (admittedly 'fluffy') body arched back against him, sweet voice moaning softly, nearly begging for him. Her adventurous paw grinding with desire at the bulge in his pants. His resolution to hold back caved in for now.

The paw he had gripping her hair let go to let it paw down the side of her body beneath the blankets. He didn't bother with her shirt for now. It would be dealt with later. The paw slid down to her rear, gripping it firmly. She arched against him a little harder, pushing her rear back against his crotch (still being pawed at by her groping fingers), her shoulders urging back into his chest. His muzzle leaned forward, nosing her hair away from her neck before nipping and biting along the base of it. She let out a soft howl of surprise!

This told him all he needed to know. He pulled back just enough to nudge her onto her back with one arm. Shifting to sit up, he smirked down at her as she peered up at him, her ears folded back submissively, showing no small amount of shy nervousness. As she started to try to curl up, he shifted down to her legs and pushed her back down, giving her a look that just growled at her to behave. Her eyes opened wide, and she offered very little resistance as he flicked the blanket aside. Both paws lowering to her panties, he tugged them up and over her knees before tossing them to the floor. Drifting upward again, he tugged up on the bottom of her shirt, pulling it quickly up and over her breasts.

Seeing her quivering before him like this, eyes so wide with nervous excitement, he just couldn't resist the urge to make her feel good. Falling forward, he pushed himself against her, muzzle falling to flick his coarse tongue along the soft fur around one of her stiffened nipples. Little squeaks of anticipation slipped from the wolf's lips, now parted to pant softly, betraying just how deep this needful heat of hers was. One of his paws curled in behind her head, combing back into her hair so very gently. A ruse of sorts, causing a soft smile to curl at the corners of her lips. Before she could figure out what he was doing, he simply gripped and pulled, forcing her head to point almost straight 'up' from her body, dragging another needful howl from the desperate wolf.

His muzzle darted upward, nipping and biting along her neck, exploring the soft fur. His other paw squirmed it's way between them, sliding between her parted thighs. Two fingers slid along the moist fur on either side of her slit, The other two slowly rubbed and teased between them. This new pleasure was turning her soft panting into a needful constant whine. A sound that proved to be a bit satisfying to his ears.

Before she got too compliant with the situation, he pulled away from her neck and sat up. Both paws reached out for her wrists, gripping tightly and pulling them beneath her back. Thankfully her bed was large enough to let him slide back and curl his legs beneath himself, chest almost pressing to the bed itself with him between her thighs. Firmly, he tugged her arms beneath her back, forcing her to arch upward a little and causing a soft whimper in her voice. One paw gripped both wrists tightly, keeping her like this, as the other arm wrapped around one thigh to bring his paw in from above, spreading her aroused puffy slit wide open for him to get a good look. She jerked her head to one side, trying to hide it against the pillow in embarrassment, but he didn't notice. His eyes were on the prize.

Leaning inward, he softly nuzzled the tip of his muzzle against the little blushing pearl making itself visible above her wetness. She quickly tried to close her thighs, letting out another lovely, yet quiet whine of surprised pleasure. Grinning, quite pleased with himself, he lowered his muzzle with lips parting, pressing a soft kiss to the soft pink petals spread before him. His tenderness didn't last for long. That long coarse feline tongue darted outward, flicking along her entrance from top to bottom, making her whimper yet again. That was her only warning.

He quickly pressed his muzzle firmly against her slit, that long tongue lashing outward, probing deeply within that twitching tunnel of hers. The sudden stinging sensation of his feline tongue going so deep made her growl softly in pain, but he quelled such defiance with a firm little tug to her wrists. His tongue flicking deeply within her before pulling back out and lapping slowly from top to bottom two or three times, each of them ending with a playful swirl of the tip of his tongue around her clit. Again and again he repeated this carefully torturous treatment, savoring the sound of her moans and growls. Each one growing in volume and excitement as he furiously worked her quivering canal. Her legs curled to grip at his back, pulling him a little closer. Muzzle grinding harder against her sweet snatch, he knew she was close. When her insisting growls gave him an idea just how close she was, he quickly thrust his tongue as deeply as he could, curling it upward to lap along the inside of her tightening tunnel. Probing and searching, he was just lucky enough to find what he was looking for. A slightly different texture. A slightly different taste. As he focused on that spot, her thighs gripped his head tightly, claws gripping and piercing the fabric of the bed, hips grinding so needfully against his muzzle.

Seconds later, his ears folded back as the quiet of the room was washed away with a much louder howl of full-body bliss. A sweet song of release. Her walls tightened around his tongue, forcing him out, but he spurred her onward, drawing out her pleasure as long as possible, until he was sure she was spent. As her body collapsed against the bed, no more sound was heard from her beyond the desperate panting for air. She seemed dazed, her body limp with temporary exhaustion. Pulling from between her legs, he licked the juices from his lips. As he sat up, he slid forward, legs pushing hers up a little.

Her eyes fell to focus on him, legs slowly curling around his waist. Despite the pleasure she'd just received, everything in her expression begged him to mate with her right then and there. Even as she tugged herself closer, grinding the wetness between her legs against the throbbing bulge of his pants, something clicked inside of his head. Something unexpected. He leaned inward, perhaps sending a mixed signal as his raging erection covered by his pants so teasingly rubbed against her. Brushing her hair away from her face with one paw, he turned her muzzle to one side and pecked a little kiss to her cheek.

"I can't cross that line... I'm sorry..." he whispered softly into one ear. Without another word, he pulled free from the grip of her legs, leaving her stunned and confused. What did he just say? Did she hear him properly? After all that, he was just going to leave? Yes. Yes he was. Pushing back away from her, he slid off the edge of her bed and quietly left the room. The click of the door behind him was the last thing she heard.

* * *

He wasn't sure what she did after that, but he just didn't worry about it. There was a line that he wasn't willing to cross with his best friend. Having sex with her was on the wrong side of that line. She wouldn't take him like that before, and he couldn't bring himself to accept her like that now. After a moment of thought, he decided that he probably shouldn't have done as much as he did, either, but he didn't dwell on it much. He couldn't change what had already happened, and it just didn't settle in his mind long enough to make him worry.

There was that way of thinking once more. He just... didn't worry. He couldn't even think of a reason to.

Settling on his bed after stripping off his pants, he casually set up his laptop on the dresser. A click here, a click there, and he found something good enough to settle his mind and help him relax. After about fifteen minutes and a wipe-down of the front of his dresser, he was spent enough to get back to sleep. A quick nap before he had to wake up and hope Karina was in a good enough mood after all that to drive him to work.