Homecoming
Homecoming
I always hated the weekly visits to Catti's place - at least, part of
me did.
The other part looked forward to stopping at the little, nondescript
building in a warehouse district every week. That part wanted the traces
of his scent, the feel of his furniture, the little reminders of the
felid that were slowly fading away as his absence got longer and longer,
until that part started thinking that maybe he wasn't coming back, ever.
That was why the first part of my mind hated it.
With the huge amounts of computer equipment stacked round the place,
along with the automated systems and so on, someone had to make sure the
roof didn't leak, or the dust bunnies weren't reaching sentience. When
Catti had swept into my office months earlier and asked me if I'd watch
the place for a while, he had to be out of town for a bit, out of contact, I'd never even give it a second thought.
That was the last time I'd seen him. And every week, I'd perform the same
ritual - wander through the dozen or so rooms that made up most of his
world and wonder where he was, whether he was alive, dead, running
away....
It's scary. After my mate was murdered nearly two years before, Catti
had been my strength, my sanity ... and, eventually, my lover, for what
that was worth. Then, suddenly, that solid pillar I'd been leaning on had
disappeared. It proved two things - that I'm still able to function
without my own ... and, damn it, I'm actually in love with the big cat.
A small hoverbot chuckled angrily at me as the security door slid open
with a "Welcome, Raven," just as it had every other time I'd come in.
Catti has me programmed into the system settings, so I can actually run
the parts of the place that need a being's help to run (which wasn't much,
actually).
I stood still as the bot swirled around my hindpaws and vacuumed my tail
for any loose fur. It was technically spring; I had noticed a few more
strands of grey and white in the drains recently. Shedding around Catti's
computers would be a bad idea.
Mollified, the bot preceded me out of the hall into the central foyer,
where one could see into the living room, which contained nothing more
than a couch, a chair and about a hundred pillows of varied shapes and
sizes; the dining room (a small table, two chairs - most of Catti's
eating was done over the sink, unless I actually forced him into a real
meal), down the hall to the bedroom (which actually saw use, occasionally
- usually only when I was over; Catti tended to forget to sleep ... for
days on end while he was on his machines) and into the large mainframe
room. I stepped in there.
Everything was its usual near-silent operating self, from what I could
tell. Half a dozen monitors ran endless commands that I didn't understand
at all; I figured that whatever Catti was doing, wherever he was, must
have been remoted into this room; either that, or the programs running
were just maintenance things.
Holding my tail to keep it from swinging, I circled, looking for dust but
touching nothing - with my luck, I'd brush something and fuck everything
up. The only thing that looked odd was one of the screens flashing a
different color than usual - green instead of blue, I believe. The
commands cycling looked even more frenetic than usual.
I stepped around another bot as I wandered around and made sure nothing
was smoking, melting or otherwise outwardly malfunctioning in the
equipment, then wandered back into the hall, humming tunelessly. The whirring of various pieces of computer equipment was getting on my nerves, so I stepped into the living room to fire up some music, dodging yet
another of Catti's little service bots that whistled through my paws,
steamed down the hallway, banked hard and barely made the turn into
the kitchen. I idly wondered what the thing was worked up about.
Flipping through the rack of music disks, I picked one out and turned to
the player, but was surprised to find the 'record' light flashing. I
blinked at the display, the frowned down at the little bot that was
apparently waiting for me to move so it could dust the cabinet. "What,
your favorite program on, or something?" I asked, whimsically; the
little 'head' atop the thing's extendable neck raised several inches
and swiveled to orient on me; it beeped. I shook my head wryly.
I keyed the vid on, and saw that the disk was saving a local news
broadcast; the on-screen display also showed that, for some reason, the
disk - which had not been in the playback rack the week before - had
recorded the last four evening news shows. Shrugging, I stepped back and
went to flop into the pile of pillows that Catti and I had left a couple
of days before he left (both of us believe in having a changeable surface
that allows for multiple positions)... and landed on the floor with a
yelp - not hard, but enough to bruise my tail a bit.
A bot finished restacking the pillows in their usual place and chuckled
apologetically as another whirled in and swept around my unplanned
landing site.
"All right, that's it," I grumbled. From my spot on the floor, I could
count at least five bots occupied in incomprehensible acts, just in the
living room and hallway. Another streaked past the entrance, and I heard
a 'clank!' from the kitchen. "What the hell? Is it bot mating season, or
something?"
I dragged myself up and followed three of the little buggers down the
hall; they did a precision turn - one into the bathroom, where I noticed
it hop into the shower; two little brushes popped out of it and started
to scrub. The other was up on Catti's huge bed, spreading fresh sheets on
the well-used mattress; his large stack of pillows were all freshly
covered, too. A creepy feeling started to wend its way through me; I felt
my hackles rise, and slowly backed out of the room.
...and tripped over a bot, which squealed at me as I fell, hard, against
a wall.
Apparently, that squeal got the attention of its fellows; four of them
there must have been one hiding in the bedroom) stampeded past me, back
up the hall; I followed, limping slightly and pissed off now.
Bursting into a storage room, I watched fifteen of the damned little
bastards forming an echelon and backing themselves into their service
stalls one by one, with a beeping chorus that sounded vaguely amused,
to me. I had no idea why, but as the last one shut off, it turned its
spindly head towards me and whistled what sounded like a laugh at me. It
lived because I didn't think Catti would like having to put it back
together again when he got back.
Cautiously, I peeked around the apartment, looking for strays; all I
noticed was that the place looked even spotless than before. Then I got
it. "Spring cleaning!" I muttered.
Good call, O great wise and intelligent investigator, I berated myself,
stepping to Catti's refrigerator and digging a bottle of water from the
back of the nearly-full appliance; the incongruity of a planned long
absence and a full refrigerator registered, but only on a subliminal
level. Leaning against a counter that looked clean enough to operate on,
I drained the bottle, took one last look around and declared the place in
order. There were several cases sitting on my office desk that needed looking at; I decided to run back and deal with those before heading
home for the night.
Gathering up my coat, an odd flashing from the mainframe room caught my
eye. The main console was awake, with commands flashing past madly. I stepped close, trying to make out anything on the screen, when it abruptly stopped dead, flashed a red-blue-green pattern, then cleared.
Writing appeared.
"Remote initiation and restart complete; system in full operation," it read
across the first line. Then,
"Welcome home, Boss."
I blinked.
Then the paw landed on my shoulder, and a voice that I had spent eight
long months yearning for rumbled, "Hi, Rey. Long time, no see."
Whirling, I found myself muzzle to muzzle with Catti.
I stood silent, just staring at him as I willed myself to start breathing
again, then got my heart going. Then I whooped, and dove at him. He
caught me in a crushing embrace that I returned whole-heartedly. We
just stood there, swaying back and forth against one another for long
moments before I pulled back and met his luminous grey eyes. He smiled.
"Good to see you, fox."
I actually felt tears starting to wet my cheek fur as I grinned stupidly.
"You too, cat. Dammit, I've missed you."
He drew me in again, nuzzling my shoulder. "Yeah, I've missed you, too."
I kissed him on the neck, worked my way up to the cheek, then our muzzles
met in one of the most glorious kisses I can ever remember getting. Being
in love with a male is something entirely new to me, so I didn't really
have a whole lot to compare it to, but it sure felt damn good to have his
arms around me, his mouth on mine, his claws scraping through my fur.
We broke away finally, breathless and panting. I ran my paws along the
fur of his bare arms, across the shirt he wore, tracing patterns along
the edges of his chest. His groin pressed against mine; I could feel his
excitement, and I knew he could feel mine. His hand wandered down to the
base of my tail and rested there, pulling me closer while his slim tail
twined around my thigh, and I kissed him again. Our tongues met, pressing,
and I reached up to caress his grey ears, with teir long-haired tufts. He
purred - that's one of his favorite spots - lifted me up easily and carried
me into the bedroom.
I think I actually tore his shirt as I hurriedly stripped it off; he
wasn't much less rushed with my clothes. We fell to the bed, caressing
everywhere.
Catti shivered as I nibbled at his neck, across his chest and lingered
at his nipples. "Mmh, Rey, you remembered," he whispered. I just grinned
and slowly made my way down to his crotch ... which I passed by, though
the hard, pinkish tip jutting from his sheath was sorely tempting. He
slowly stroked himself as I kissed and nibbled my way down one thigh and
back up the other.
"What, am I not good enough for you?" I teased, returning to the centre
of attention. He grinned. "No, you're better," he smiled, caressing my
cheek as I took his hand away from his swollen member and replaced it
with my own paw. Stroking gently, I watched as he closed his eyes and
sighed, a long, pleased sound. "Mm, that's beautiful, Rey. It's been
too long...."
"It has... too long since I last did this," I murmured, then leaned
forward and took him deep into my muzzle with one motion. His hips jerked
up to meet my tongue as I explored the ridges of his cock, gently sucking
as I bobbed up and down on it.
I let one hand trail across his balls and buttocks as I worked him, and
he rested one paw on my head, guiding me onto his shaft. With a grin I'm sure he could feel, I reared back and took him fully in, the tip dipping into my throat for the half dozen strokes I could manage before I felt my gag reflex try to assert itself. He groaned and pushed up into me.
The taste of his prick was heady; I felt myself stiffen as I tasted the
first small jets of his seed coating my tongue. His member jerked
slightly, and I could almost feel it start to fill as I took him deep
again, bobbing hard onto him, working him fiercely in concert with his
now-frenzied plunging. He growled as I slowed my pace, teasing him with
little nips around his head, running the tip of my tongue in tiny circles,
holding him with one hand, before inexorably drawing him back into my
mouth with a slow, deliberate motion.
"I'm close," he whispered, his paws gripping my ears. "Real... ahh!"
He yowled and thrust up and I felt his cock throb against my lips as he
came. I caught the first bursts of his warm cum in my mouth, then pulled
back and watched the remainder fountain out onto his belly. I slid up
next to him and spread the semen into his fur with one hand as he breathed
heavily, recovering.
Catti's eyes opened, and he drew me to him in a ferocious kiss, his paw
finding my engorged penis and stroking it firmly, the fur of his pads
feeling prickly against the reddening skin as we kissed. Focusing my
attentions fully on the sensation of his fist pumping my cock, I think
I surprised him when I suddenly tensed and shot my load across his hand
and thighs with a long groan. "You really did miss me, didn't you?" he
smiled. I nodded. "A lot." I made my point by starting to stroke his
erection back to full hardness, then drew him to straddle me.
Taking a small bottle of lubricant from the night stand next to the bed,
I spread some onto myself as Catti squatted, poised, over my crotch. I
nodded and he gently lowered himself down, engulfing my prick with his
warmth. He let out a quiet sigh as he settled down onto me, then leaned
forward to kiss me. "I love you, you know," he whispered, licking the
tip of my nose.
I nodded. "I know. I love you, too."
"Then fuck me, Rey. Show me."
It must have been a special occasion, because Catti rarely swears, or
talks dirty like that. I complied, lifting my hips and driving into him
as he pushed down and back, creating a sweet friction that sent shivers
through me, centred on my groin. He thew his head back and purred, loudly,
as we bounced crazily, up and down, circling on one another's grinding
pressure, our breathing getting harder and more raspy as I took his
erection in paw and pumped it in time to our energetic thrusting.
Suddenly, Catti tensed again, and I was rewarded with a jet of white
semen that matched the fur on my chest and neck, where it impacted. I
redoubled my efforts as I felt his ass pulse around me, the muscles of his buttocks and abdomen gripping my erection, and the pressure
built through my entire lower body until, with a burst of light and a
groan of pleasure, I came deep within him, filling my lover with my
liquid heat. We stayed like that for several moments before his legs
gave out and he toppled to lay beside me.
I rolled and hugged him to me. "Damn, it's nice to have you back," I
said. He grinned. "Why? Couldn't find anyone else to sleep with you while
I was gone?"
I tweaked a nipple. "No, I couldn't find _you_ while you were gone. Where
were you, anyhow?"
He looked uncomfortable. "I really shouldn't say, Rey. You know how it
goes."
"Yeah, I do. I can't see how you could have been gone for that long
and not had teh time to call, or write, or 'puter-mail me a picture of
your cute spotted butt" - I pinched it to emphasize the remark - "something!"
I darkened slightly as he rolled away from me, just a bit, but I could
feel the reluctance. "Rey, I would, but ... I really can't tell you."
"What, were you with the government? You know..."
He cut me off, laying one finger against my lips. "I know how curious
you are, love. But can you rein it in on this one? We've just had a
beautiful time, and I'd rather we not start to argue over something silly
like that."
Lifting up onto one elbow, I regarded him with a lifted eyebrow. He
smiled, hesitantly, and I gave in. "Fine," I said. "But I'm not gonna
give up that easily, pal."
He laughed and hauled me to him for another strong hug. "I never thought
you would, Rey. I really didn't."
We kissed again, and for a while, the question didn't even cross my mind.
"Homecoming"
Copyright 1997, Tony Greyfox.
Distribution limited to electronic media not-for-profit use only.
All other rights are reserved to the author.
Comments always welcome! [email protected]
Flames to [email protected], [email protected]
Author's note: This story is part of a series of projects in similar style and using the same settings and characters, tentatively titled "Darkside". The basis is what looks like a novel-length item that will probably be finished on my death-bed (which is probably a long, long way off). I'm writing these short "sequel" chapters to flesh out character ideas and concepts, and for a bit of fun. :) Watch for more as I get them finished. --TG