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Typical Disclaimer

This story is a work of erotic fiction, featuring anthropomorphic (furry) characters. If that disturbs you, don't read it. Any resemblance between characters portrayed here and people or characters under the ownership of another person or entity is both unintentional and coincidental.

The naturally curious may find illustrations of characters and events herein at [www.foxwoodstudios.co.uk](%5C), along with other stories and unrelated artwork.

Preamble

Testing the waters is set a few weeks after the events in [Artistic Inspiration](%5C), and sees fleeting appearance from Kerry and Scott from that story, as well as prominently featuring Jack Fairheart and Julie Freeman, secondary stars of [Lemonade](%5C), which can be assumed to occur about 4-5 years after this story. There are also mentions of other characters, including Sarah-Jane and Sapphira, who have appeared admid the other dodgy looking artwork in [my gallery](%5C).

As you may have guessed, I've used Testing the Waters as an excuse to stitch together these different works and ideas - which may go some way to explaining why it's come out as long as it has! Smutty stuff starts about 2/3 of the way down. I must admit, I think that the story deteriorates at this point rather than picking up, but I won't really blame anyone for skipping ahead.

Testing the Waters

The vixen yawned, covering her muzzle with one hand as the other idly tapped her pen against a tabletop that bore the marks of decades of student use; battle scars etched in biro ink. One scrawl caught her eye, a doodle of what looked like a puddle with eyes, and the caption "I'm melting!" Stifling a giggle, she agreed silently with the artist, wondering for a moment how long ago he or she had sat at this table, and where they were now. In any case, the feeling was still true, and the hall was still kept too warm, and kicking her shoes off under the desk just wasn't enough; she was feeling drowsy.

Must focus!

She had to finish this exam paper! Only thirty minutes to go, and nearly done, just another paragraph or two would do. A neat little summation to conclude what she felt sure were some good, reasonably articulate discussions. Chancing a glance upwards, she spotted the back of a familiar head, Maxwell the raccoon - personal saviour and provider of copious notes the previous week when she had confessed to him that she was lacking about a month's worth. He was sitting quietly, his hands folded in front of him, his paper pushed to one side, evidently completed.

Typical.

Smart boy, Maxwell. Slim and a little geeky, he still succeeded in being quietly handsome - something she noticed again as they filed out of the hall twenty minutes later.

"Thanks, Maxy," she sighed as they exited the silent-zone. "You are such a lifesaver!"

Putting a hand on his waist, she drew him next to her as they walked, hugging him gently, and as usual felt him tense nervously from ears to tail - the all too clear sign of a male who was trying hard not to react to her. Probably taken by some undeserving girl who didn't appreciate him. Shame.

"Um, that's ok, June. You can pay me back with a drink some time, maybe?" he suggested, sounding as nervous as he felt, but he smiled when she released him, and she resigned herself to maintaining the slight distance that he seemed to find more comfortable.

"Deal," the vixen grinned, allowing none of her disappointment to show in her face. "Catch me after first class next term."

"Right," the raccoon nodded. "Well I... better go. I'll see you in a few days!"

"Sure." Waving, June watched him disappear down a side corridor to be lost from her sight. Probably hurrying to meet up with his ungrateful girlfriend, who wouldn't realise what she had.

Shame indeed.

Maxwell flicked down his list of emails. Spam, spam, spam, porn (eww, that looked both unpleasant and rather painful), insurance renewal for a car he didn't own, spam, aha, hello email from a university address! That looked promising.

Dear Maxwell,

Attaching the list of bars, pubs, and clubs you asked for. Hope you have fun in them - look out for me some time, and I'll buy you one, you sound entertaining. My photo's attached too, just so you know who to look for ;)

An image of a leopard with an impressive purple stripe dyed down the centre of his head. Maxwell couldn't help smiling. At least he wouldn't be hard to spot, and, it had to be said, he was quite good looking. Certainly not the sort of company one would object to.

And really buddy, don't worry about it, it's a normal part of life around these parts; you are not remotely alone!

Take care, and don't hesitate to get back in touch if you need anything.

Terry

The raccoon's eyes scanned down the list, looking for something suitable, somewhere he thought he wouldn't be known, and ideally, somewhere he wouldn't be noticed. It wasn't that he was embarrassed - well, actually, yes it was, but the point was that it wasn't his fault that he was embarrassed, more that it was just the reactions of some idiots that made him so. He knew full well there was nothing wrong with him, it was just easier sometimes not to have to listen to people who believed there was. And it was more than time to break free of the past and move on. History was history, and the future was in lectures with June.

Oh god!

He slumped in his seat, burying his face in his hands for a moment.

Got to stop thinking about her, he decided for the umpteenth time, drumming his knuckles against his skull as if to physically crush the thought. It was all silliness on his part, he knew it was. Little too lonely, little too long, mind starting to wander and wonder - but no. He knew his choices, knew what he liked, and slender - no, scrawny - little vixens were not on the list! Certainly no other girls on the campus had piqued his interest, so why should this one be any different?

Even if she did have very warm hands and a smile that turned the pit of his stomach to water.

Time to go choose his outfit, maybe that would get these stupid thoughts out of his head!

Pausing, Maxwell spent several moments perusing the contents of his closet. He wanted something not too flash, not blatant, this was a choice of clothes to test the waters with, not to scream his status and inclinations to all and sundry. Still... it needed to be obvious enough to get the message across to those who knew what to look for... It was going to be a delicate balance. Frowning, he pulled three pairs of jeans out, and tried to narrow his choices to just two.

Bar Feral was one of those places that not everybody knows about. Tucked away down an old and narrow side street near the riverside, it could easily pass unnoticed amid the bright neons and loud music of other late-night watering holes; which by and large, was how the regular patrons preferred it. Not too showy. Less on-street advertising meant less crowds, and that meant more conversation - far more interesting than the heaving throngs shouting disjointed sentences that were now crammed into every other bar in the city.

Shaded without being dark, the low lighting levels complimented the clean pine wood tables, each of which was a slightly different size and shape to its neighbour. As if mimicking the tables they lit, each softly glowing lamp was subtly different in colour and illumination, providing a blend of shades and highlights such that a person could pick out the perfect spot for their own preferences. Deep, bass-heavy music thrummed gently across the scene, loud enough to be noticed but kept muted enough that conversation was possible without shouting.

Along one wall, full length windows allowed a view of the river beyond, the water looking oily black in the floodlights, a number of squashy beanbags piled up against the toughened glass. A large bronze Buddha smiled out from a niche in one side wall, facing the straight, unpredictable lines of a more modern sculpture tucked into a matching alcove across the room.

A sign behind the bar offered words of council to its customers; Welcome to Bar Feral, leave your coat in the cloakroom, your prejudices at the door, and enjoy our selection of beers and wines from across the world.

It was the sort of joint where there was equal scope for social groups to gather, lone people to hide in a corner with a laptop or stack of papers, boys to meet girls, girls to meet boys, boys to meet boys, or girls to meet girls.

It was not the sort of joint where one might expect to encounter a slender vixen in the uniform of a catholic schoolgirl to come threading her way through the tables and people towards the bar. Whether it was the clothing, or the gentle sway of her hips, or the way her fingertips seemed to come within millimetres of brushing those on either side, wasn't quite clear, but her arrival and passage caused more than a few heads to turn, drinks half raised to lips as the owners momentarily lost focus upon the contents of their glasses.

The bartender, a sturdy looking bear in his late twenties regarded the vixen through black framed glasses that were worn purely for appearance.

"ID?"

Clearly both surprised and affronted, the vixen looked back at him, and he chuckled, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the cool surface of the bar.

"You're ID'ing me?" she gaped at him, a furrow appearing between her eyebrows.

"June, dear, I love that outfit as much as you do, but if you come trolling in dressed and acting like you're fifteen while the chief exec is at the back of the room, yes I'm going to ID you," he said, resting his chin on one hand as he grinned wickedly at her.

"You're a pernickety old grouch, Mick," June sighed, swinging a laughably tiny backpack onto the bar and rummaging in it for a moment. "Satisfied?" she asked, holding up her driving license.

The bear took it, standing up so that the light behind him shone clearly onto the plastic, revealing a date of birth some twenty one years previous - as he was fully aware it would. He glanced up towards a dark booth at the far end of the bar, and nodded before handing the plastic card back.

"Sorry," he apologised. "Regs is regs. What can I get you?"

Humming quietly, June stretched up on tiptoes as she examined the contents of the glass fronted fridges behind him, her russet tail waving in the air. From the expressions of a couple of people behind her, she was inadvertently providing an interesting view, but Mick chose not to comment.

June made her choice, a lively, bubbly fruit beer of continental origin that suited her perfectly. She turned her head as the tall ursine uncapped the bottle and carefully poured the drink into an excessively fancy glass, looking around and spotting a familiar looking shoulder near the window.

"Thanks, Mick," she smiled, picking up her glass and making her way towards the table.

The large tiger looked up as the glass landed on the table in front of him, only to be almost smothered as June hopped into his lap. He blinked a few times as she pressed her lips lightly against his for a moment, then hugged him, her arms around his neck.

"Hi, Jack."

"Hey, Summer. You're bubbly tonight!" the feline exclaimed, chuckling and tossing the newspaper he had been reading onto the table.

"Exams are over!" she chirped happily, stretching out her sandal-shod feet and wiggling her toes. "Freedom!"

Jack laughed that deep laugh of his. "For a few months, at least. Another set in May, remember."

"Oh hush, you, don't spoil my mood!" the vixen told him, sticking her tongue out before pressing her lips to his again.

"Excuse me? Isn't that my boyfriend you're kissing?"

June looked up at the tigress standing behind Jack's chair, looking down at the pair of them, her arms folded across her chest.

"Yes, miss Julie," she said with a false innocence that perfectly matched her uniform. "I'm sorry, would you like one too?"

"Please," the feline grinned, bending down and receiving exactly what was promised.

"Strawberry lollies again?" running the tip of her tongue over her lips, the tigress eyed the vixen. "How can you drink alcohol after something so sweet?"

"I drink sweet drinks."

"All that sugar can't be good for you either," the tigress' striped head adopted an amused slant.

"Do I look fat to you?"

"No, you look like a skinny schoolgirl," she sighed, a hint of envy in her voice. "Now come on, hun," she reached out and lightly pinched the vixen's ear, tugging gently. "You know the rule. I don't mind during term, but holiday time is my time."

"Aww," June sighed resignedly, sliding off the tiger's lap and taking a chair to herself. "I don't suppose we could negotiate...?"

"Sorry, not tonight," Jack rumbled, purring as the tigress' hand landed between his ears.

"Tonight, he's mine," Julie confirmed, grinning as the tiger half closed his eyes as she stroked his head. "Haven't seen him for a month, and he's been a very good boy and saved up all his energies for a week."

"Oh that's why he's been missing in action. Nuts," June's expression fell.

"Precisely," the tigress said, then giggled as the vixen looked her askance.

"So who else is around?"

"You just missed Kat and Li," Jack told her. "They headed off together. Didn't look like they wanted anyone to come find them, either," he added, looking meaningfully at her.

"Figures." June sighed again, trying not to allow the mental image of the pair into her head, but failing. She knew the two were each other's preferred company, Katarina the boyish and very female-oriented snow leopard girl with that oh-so-sexy Russian accent, and the softly spoken, curvaceous panda who was determined that the only male she would ever sleep with was the one she would marry. June privately suspected that Xiaoli would never find that male.

"And Bobby?" she asked hopefully.

"Said he didn't feel up to being out tonight. He wasn't looking too great yesterday, probably in bed by now."

"Peter?"

"Still studying, nine o' clock exam tomorrow."

"Sapphi?" the vixen's voice wavered a little.

"Home with her parents for the weekend. Had her last exam two days ago."

"D'oh!"

"Sorry," Jack smiled as he watched the vixen bump her head gently against the table.

June swore softly, her head still on the wood, her eyes on a beermat just beyond her nose. "What's the point in clearing my housemate off to her boyfriend's place when there's nobody to keep me company?" she asked morosely.

"You could always dance naked with a tub of ice cream," Julie giggled and the vixen eyed her humourlessly. "What? Like we don't all do it when there's nobody else home?"

Her friends blinked at her.

"O...k, moving on..." the tigress averted her eyes, blushing.

"If you're lonely, we were going to go back and watch a couple of films, you're welcome to stay over..."

"On the sofa and listen to the bed creak? No thanks," June sighed. "But I appreciate the offer," she said, lifting her head, pulling the creases out of her short blouse and shifting her neck tie back into position.

"You know, there was a time when you'd have just picked anyone in here took your fancy and hit on them," Julie said, sipping her drink, looking at the vixen over the rim of the glass.

"Yeah, and there was a time I ended up in the clinic scared shitless!" the vixen shivered a little as she spoke, wrapping her arms about herself. "That was old, dumb, smokes-ten-a-day, stupid-ass June. This is new, clean, happy June who is never again going to go with someone she won't remember next day! I'm a strictly friends-only girl from now on. I mean, that's what we all do, right...?" she asked hesitantly, holding her hands out. "Friends only, nothing dumb?"

"Friends only, nothing dumb," Jack confirmed, taking one hand as Julie took the other. His watch beeped, and he glanced at it. "Restaurant booked in ten," he said, looking apologetically at the vixen. "We can probably get seats for three if..."

June extracted her hand from his and waved dismissively. "Nah, I don't want to be a third wheel. Least not tonight," she added, winking.

"All right. You gonna be ok?" the tiger asked, rising to a full height of over seven feet and looking down at her.

"Sure. I guess I'll dance naked with a tub of ice cream. Could be fun," she added, glancing at the tigress, who smiled.

"We do still love you," she told the vixen.

June laughed. "I know. Go on you sillies, don't let me make you late!"

"Right. Catch you later!"

"I do hope so," June whispered under her breath as the two felines departed, arm in arm, and clearly very much in love. It was an odd arrangement, she thought, how both of them seemed to simply accept that they both enjoyed spending intimate time with others, how neither of them objected or seemed jealous - as long as nothing was hidden, and all friends were mutual. Perhaps it was that same tendency to be apart that kept them together, ensured they never got bored, never felt trapped, always knowing that they had a lover to come home to.

Much as June knew both of them loved her, they were only in love with each other, and that was what really counted. It was the reason that Julie always got final call, and it was something the vixen was both slightly envious of, and a little afraid of. It wasn't that she wouldn't think about being a one-person girl, but she hadn't met the person yet who could hold her interest - and who wouldn't have made her feel caged. Free as the wind, as varied as the weather, June had her doubts she would ever settle down, but it didn't matter. She had friends like Jack, Julie, Bobby, Katarina, Xiaoli, Peter, and Sapphira, any of whom would (usually) have spare time for her.

Then there were the less intimate friends, those she talked to in class, those she'd shared laughs and drinks with but gone home alone afterwards... and one of whom had appeared in the doorway dressed in what June could only describe as the faggiest getup she could ever imagine him wearing.

She blinked several times before quite trusting that she had identified him correctly, then stood up.

The raccoon looked around, slowly taking in the décor, the deep but gentle thrum of the music, the gatherings of people, males, females, and one or two he really couldn't be sure of from a distance, standing and sitting in pairs and groups. He recognised none of them, and relaxed slightly. Good. The last thing he needed was to encounter someone he knew tonight.

Well, if the two male wolves in the corner were anything to go by, this was certainly the kind of place he had been led to believe. Oh, um, definitely. He looked away out of respect for privacy... and found his gaze pointed right at a familiar looking vixen as she appeared in front of him. For a moment, he looked at her, aghast, wondering if he could possibly slip out the door again, but it was too late.

"Maxy!" June exclaimed cheerily, hugging him briefly before standing back to look him up and down. "Whatever are you doing here?" she asked, grinning. "Maxwell?" she prodded as he looked at her in wide eyed silence. "Me June, you Maxwell, remember? You... alive?"

"Hi," the raccoon managed to say, weakly. Of all possible people to encounter... Maxwell suspected something somewhere was laughing at his expense and quietly filed a mental note to hate it later.

"Thank goodness," the vixen smiled. "Thought I'd lost you there! What's a straight ace like you doing in a bar like this?" She paused, suddenly connecting his choice of clothing - tight jeans, a size small sleeveless t-shirt - with the location, the sudden realisation she had never seen him with a girl in the last three years, and the look of abject terror on the raccoon's face. Reaching out, she lightly tugged on the thin silver chain around his neck, pulling the small pendant into view as he stood, apparently paralysed.

"Oooh..." she mouthed silently, holding the small silver symbol in her hand. "Well, I never would have guessed."

"Please don't tell anyone," Maxwell said quietly, his expression pleading as he looked at her.

"Say what?"

"In class. Please don't say anything..."

"Maxy..." June's voice softened, and she tucked his pendant back into his shirt before reaching down to take his hand, feeling him trembling. "It's ok. Not a word will ever pass my lips. Come on, let's get you a drink, you look like you need one."

Maxwell allowed her to lead him by the hand towards the bar, feeling his elevated heart rate slowly normalise. For such an unexpected 'outing' it seemed to have gone remarkably smoothly... He found himself studying the vixen's back, the short blouse that stopped above her middle, the little schoolgirl skirt, and the slightly emphasised sway of her hips.

"June?" he asked softly, and she looked over her shoulder at him. "Why are you here?"

June winked, but didn't answer. "Hey, Mick," she called to the tall bear behind the bar. "This is Maxy."

"Hey, Maxy," the ursine offered a hand across the stone surface and Maxwell shook it. "Let me know if I can buy you a drink some time. Still picking the good looking ones, I see," Mick added, glancing at the vixen.

"They just flock to me," she told him lightly. "And I thought you preferred girls?"

"Feel free to give me a reason to say so," the bear grinned, his broad cheeks lifting his glasses up a notch as he did so.

"My mother told me never to get involved with men standing alone at a bar. I'll take the same again."

"Ouch, that hurt," the bear held a hand to his heart as he opened the fridge behind him with the other. "And what can I get you, Maxy?" he asked, setting the bottle down.

"Um, maybe a light beer?" the raccoon ventured, the tone of his voice making it quite obvious he still wasn't sure he should be here.

"Bottled or tap?"

"Tap."

"Fizzy?"

"Not too much."

"Gotcha, I know just the thing," the bear nodded, pulling a glass from under the counter, tossing and catching it unnecessarily before heading towards a pump at the far end.

"You all right?" June asked, unable to resist patting the seat of the raccoon's tight pants.

"Yeah, I... I think I am," Maxwell answered as he looked around, apparently not objecting to the contact - or just too preoccupied to notice.

"Takes all sorts, Maxy," June said quietly, following his gaze around the room. "And you'll find most of them here."

"Mmm," Maxwell agreed, looking around.

"So how did you find the place? You can't tell me you just wandered in off the street because it looked good," June said, handing over the correct change and leading the raccoon to a quiet table by the window.

He blushed, and looked out through the glass towards the dark river beyond. "There's an, um, student club for... alternative lifestyles. I made a couple of enquiries there."

"'Alternative lifestyle'? Makes you sound like you're a druid or something," June smiled at him. "You could just say you're gay."

The raccoon flinched a little.

"It's not a bad word."

"Depends where you come from," he said darkly, his gaze still on the black water outside.

"Doesn't matter where you come from," the vixen told him softly. "You're here now. You're ok."

Maxwell made a non-committal noise.

"Well, suit yourself. I'll say what you want me to say, or nothing if you prefer. So how come you're here alone? No boyfriend?" She said it without any emphasis, and was pleased when he didn't react visibly.

"Not any more," he said simply, shaking his head.

"Recent break?"

"Not that recent. Few months ago."

"Ah. Good terms?"

"No."

"Oh. Sorry. Bad time?"

"He was seeing someone else and didn't bother to tell me. Silly really. If he'd said, I'd have been ok with it. I don't think either of us had ever really been thinking 'he's the one for me' - just that there was a mutual attraction there, and we were going along with it. If he'd been honest... we'd still be friends, though probably not together per se."

"Honesty matters," June said softly, putting her hand over his on the table, stroking his fingers. "Whether you like to sleep with one person or ten, you've got to be up front about it. Most times you find people aren't as possessive as you think they'll be, as long as they know you haven't forgotten them, and that you still care about them."

"Voice of experience?"

June felt herself blush. "I'm not good at being a girlfriend," she admitted. "I tried a couple of times, it's just... I like to get close to people. I like to cuddle, I like to touch - and truth be told I like it when that leads to something more... intimate. It's just natural for me, and it's really hard for me to think 'no, mustn't do that, gotta save myself for that one guy.'

"I guess I got lucky, fell in with the right people, friends who understand me, who don't get jealous of me or each other, or have stupid fights about who's going out with who..."

"Sounds relaxing."

The vixen nodded vigorously. "It's so nice to just be myself, and not be afraid to touch, or hug, or kiss because someone's going to be offended by it."

Maxwell smiled. "It's nice to hear there's folks like that around. People who won't hide anything from you, who'll just be up front and honest..."

"Well if you like, I can let you know when there'll be more of us, you could get to know us all some time?"

"Me? I... I doubt I'd fit in," he mumbled, blushing and looking away.

"Why not find out for sure? I know Bobby likes boys too," June said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Bobby? Is he..."

"Lion; tall, plays on the rugby team, good looking. You'll have seen him in the business lectures, he's on a management course."

"You're kidding?"

"Nope."

"He's..." Maxwell dropped his voice to a near whisper and he leaned slightly closer over the table. "Gay?"

"Nope," June giggled. "I can personally vouch for the fact he likes girls," she went on, wiggling her eyebrows and, without really meaning to, brushing her toes against the raccoon's leg in time with the music.

"I'm confused."

"So was he, for a while. We got him settled. Now he's..."

"Bi?" the raccoon's voice was hushed again.

"In a word. And you really don't like those words, do you?" she added.

Maxwell looked at his drink to avoid her gaze. "People judge too easily based on them. If you tell them you're gay, they suddenly assume that you must be attracted to all men, and act weird around you, like you're out to cop a feel all the time - even the guys who you would not want to be close to!" Passion rising in his voice, the raccoon leaned forwards across the table.

"I hate that, I hate it when people decide who I should like and who I shouldn't! Are straight people interested in every single person of the opposite sex? No, they choose on a case by case basis, one person may interest them where a hundred don't.

"Why can't anyone see that that's it's just the same way with me? If I see a good looking guy, and feel attracted them, it's not because of my orientation, it's because there's something about them that I like. I'm as likely - more likely - to think there's something about them that I don't like, and have no interest. Why should there be this whole 'backs to the wall lads!' attitude? It's just stupid, and pointless, and wrong!

"If I stand up now, point and you and say 'here, look, this is the pretty vixen who sits in front of me in class, she's beautiful and I've been thinking about her for months,' I'd probably get a round of bloody applause! That's considered normal, it's ok for me to think you're cute, nobody feels threatened by that, but if I were to say something about how I'd wanted to ask you out, about... about..." Maxwell hesitated, taking in the expression with which June was regarding him, and mentally backtracking his recent words.

"Um..." he ventured, but it was as far as he got before she kissed him. Gentle, not forceful, many little kisses that slowly grew in intensity, his eyes flickering closed as he felt her tongue lap over his lips for a moment...

June sat back, blushing as he opened his eyes to look at her, his expression confused.

"I'm sorry," she said, one hand covering her mouth. "I don't know what..."

"That's... ok," the raccoon told her, reaching out to her other hand on the table. "Um... wow. Nobody's ever kissed me like that before," he chuckled nervously.

"Yeah... boys always do it wrong. Go in full bore instead of taking their time, proving how strong and manly they are by jabbing their tongues down your neck. Really, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, it's just... augh, I used to have such a crush on you, and I never told you because you always seemed kinda indifferent in class I figured you had a girlfriend. I mean, now I know otherwise, but you... you said you thought I was cute and... I kinda..." she ran down, her cheeks pink.

"Acted on instinct," Maxwell supplied.

"Yeah," June grinned sheepishly, leaning forward to rest her head on her hand. "I mean... I know you were just ranting, pulling examples out of the air..."

"Yeah... course..." the raccoon rubbed the back of his neck with the hand that wasn't holding June's. "But, look, you... you are kinda cute, you know. And really, very pretty, and, I can see why boys like you."

"Thank you," June blushed.

"Other boys," Maxwell amended, leaning closer so that he could lower his voice, their noses almost touching. "I mean, I am gay, after all... I can't... can't... stop thinking about you..."

They kissed more slowly this time, gentler, and longer. He could taste that sweet, fruity beer on her lips, an intoxicating spice that worked at his senses.

"June...?"

"Shh," she murmured, dipping her head to nuzzle her nose in under his chin. "Relax, Max," she giggled.

"I've never thought a girl was cute before..."

"I know, it's all right," she squeezed his hand gently. "Don't be afraid."

"I don't know what to do..."

"Well for one, calm down. You ain't done nothing wrong, you're just a little confused. Calm down," she murmured, leaning forward until the length of her vulpine muzzle lay alongside his, her nose touching his cheek. "Breathe."

Nodding, Maxwell closed his eyes, shutting out the unaccountably attractive vixen for a moment, focussing on taking deep breaths. What was this strange effect she had on him? Why was it that no other girl made him feel even vaguely interested, yet June made him feel physically weak every time she smiled?

"Maxy?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you like to talk a walk? I could use some air."

"Yeah, sure," he looked at her again and smiled weakly.

"Great. I need to take a pit stop, meet me by the door?"

"Ok."

"Oh, and Maxy?" June paused, half risen from her seat.

"Yeah?"

"Don't run. I'm not gonna bite you you know," she smiled gently, and he returned it, his expression sheepish as he realised he had been momentarily tempted to do just that. "Let's just talk a little more outside."

Watching her retreat towards the ladies, her tail swaying with her walk, Maxwell nodded. Without really thinking about it, he put a finger to his lips. They were still tingling a little.

"Well now vixen," June said softly to herself as she sat down in the stall (having already ascertained she was actually alone and there was nobody thinking they were trapped in a public toilet with a crazy girl who talks to herself). "What an interesting situation you've gotten into. Maxy gay, eh? Or at least thinks he is. He must like boys, certainly knows how to dress the part. You think he's really attracted to you, or just confused? No, I don't know either," she sighed and rested her cheek in her palm, elbow on her knee, eyes tracking the inside of the cubicle.

It wasn't the first time she thought it odd that it had been painted like the inside of a portaloo - blue, with a painted opaque 'window,' door frame, and roll of shiny white paper that unravelled all the way down the wall and across the base of the partition. It was slightly too realistic for comfort, and always made it difficult to pee; as if there were a crowd of sweaty workmen outside listening to every noise she made. Shifting a little, forcing herself to relax, she thought that it was at least better than the next cubicle, in which there were three painted bouncers - that really did make it quite impossible to get anything done, despite their sunglasses hiding the exact direction of their gaze. Come on... ah, there, that's better. She sighed softly.

"You'd like him to interest in you though, wouldn't you?" she went on as the tension left her. "He is a sweet little thing, and you have thought about letting him know so before, and he's single - although possibly not interested. What to do, what to do...? Think girl, think! And try not to screw up..."

Maxwell wasn't by the door when June returned. Nor was he at the table they had been at. A few words with the doorman revealed that he hadn't bolted out either, which left one option... and there he was, trotting towards her from the gents, looking sheepish.

"Sorry," he said. "Nervous."

"No prob," she smiled back at him. "And don't be, I just want to talk, ok?"

"Ok."

"Go get your jacket," she nodded towards the cloakroom, already pulling a thick coat around her own shoulders.

The night air was crisp and sharp as they stepped outside, their breath steaming in front of them, turned hazy orange in the glow of the streetlights. Underfoot, the pavement was slick with condensation that would freeze before morning, illuminated by the reflection of dozens of small city lights.

"Where to?" the raccoon asked.

"I dunno. You hungry?"

"Yes," the raccoon nodded.

"Pizza?"

"Sure."

It wasn't far to the restaurant that June had in mind, a clean but not fancy Italian place, and on a Thursday night, not a busy one either.

"Trust me?" she asked, her hand on the menu.

"Of course," Maxwell nodded.

"A reduced fat deep dish with mushrooms, chilli and peppers, no tomatoes, to share, please. And a diet lemonade."

"Right. And a drink for you, sir?"

"Same," the raccoon said, and the waitress nodded and disappeared into the back. "You can get reduced fat pizzas?"

"If you know where, and to ask for them, sure," June grinned. "I'm not nearly as trashy as people seem to think, you know."

"I never said..."

"I know you didn't," she smiled. "But everyone seems to think I'm naturally thin and just lucky with my metabolism - I'm not, I work for it."

"It shows, you look good," the raccoon told her before he'd really thought about it, and flushed as she looked at him.

"Thank you. Not every guy knows how to say things like that."

"Yeah, well," Maxwell looked at the floor. "I'm not really like every guy."

"No, you're not, are you? Tell me something," she leaned forwards, her elbows on the checked table cloth as someone set some stereotypically faux-Italian music playing over the speakers. "Quarter hour later, after fresh air and a leg stretch; did you like it?"

Blushing, Maxwell struggled for an appropriate response, something that would explain to her how he was feeling, how in the space of an evening she seemed to have stripped his self image down to the essentials, and he was starting to question every aspect of it; particularly his feelings towards other people. Not about how he felt about some people, but about how he didn't feel about others.

"Yes," he said.

"Good, then I haven't done a number on your noggin," she smiled, tapping his head with her knuckles. "I was starting to worry."

Maxwell sighed internally, even as his face grinned back at her. There was something in her smile, the way it seemed to light up her eyes and her cheeks, like those gambling machines when you banked a five and they wanted you to risk it again for the twenty. God, she really was pretty when she smiled. He almost wished she would frown so he could collect his thoughts, but it didn't look like it was going to happen. Her foot seemed to have found his leg again, lightly tapping in rhythm with the background music.

"What you thinking?" she asked suddenly, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"I'm wondering why nobody has ever made a toaster that fits all sizes of bread."

A crease appeared between vulpine eyebrows.

"Think about it; you go to the bread section in the supermarket, and what to you get? Wholemeal, white, granary, farmhouse, some miscellaneous others, and toaster-cut! Why do we have toaster-cut bread? It's like we're assuming the toaster was made before the bread, and rather than manufacturing a toaster that actually fits the original product, there's been some conspiracy of standardisation that decides thou shalt not toast anything beyond a five by five inch slice. Who decided that? Toaster corporations? Bakers? Is it some great plan to make us buy a toaster-cut loaf as well as a wholemeal, a secret scheme to make us consume twice as much bread? You're not buying this are you?" he said without pause.

"No, I'm not."

"Damn," the raccoon slumped in his seat looking dejected.

June laughed. "All right, Maxy, never mind," she said, patting his hand gently. "You don't have to tell me. I'm your friend, not your mother."

"Probably for the best, I haven't spoken to my parents for two years."

"Ouch. Taking a guess at why...?"

"The obvious."

"Harsh."

"Yeah, I thought so," Maxwell nodded. "But you can't change what other people are going to think, can you? Just have to accept it and move on."

June squeezed his fingers supportively. "Well I still like you," she said, smiling.

"Deep dish reduced fat mushrooms peppers and chillies?" the waitress said, apparently spontaneously materialising next to their table.

"Perfect!" the vixen declared. "Dig in," she beamed across the table.

Although initially a little dubious about the idea of a reduced fat pizza, Maxwell was forced to admit, it was no less a pizza for it. In fact, it left him wondering why there were non-reduced fat pizzas still available.

"Because if there weren't, there'd be less money to be made on diet foods," June told him, and he blinked. "Think about it," she said, mimicking his own tones. "If all food was good for you, how could they put a mark up on the 'healthy option'? Wouldn't they have to make everything more expensive, and risk general public outcry and product boycotts?"

Maxwell wasn't quite sure how to respond to this, settled instead for allowing his own foot to brush lightly against her leg, and being careful not to kick her - mindful of the fact that his footwear was rather more sturdy than her sandals. She looked up at him and smiled, managing to produce a glow far warmer than the pizza was imparting to him.

"So which way do you live?" she asked him as they stood outside, now feeling sufficiently well fed to brave the cold walk home.

Maxwell pointed. "Up past the park."

"Good, me too! Anywhere near Sunnydale Avenue?" June asked as they started walking, the wet pavement beginning to crystallise and crunch a little under their feet.

"About five minutes away, I think."

"How the heck have I not seen you before - outside of university and our specific nights out?"

"I don't really go out on my own much."

"Didn't go out much as a couple either, at a guess, else I'd have seen you at Bar Feral before now."

The raccoon laughed. "No, he er, he wasn't really a one for doing things together like that. Wasn't really much for doing anything, other than stay home in bed."

"What did you actually see in him?"

"Tall, broad shoulders, big blue eyes and an eight inch..."

"Ooh," June giggled. "Right, now I see. Mmm. No, down girl, bad vixen," she slapped her own wrist lightly.

Maxwell chuckled ruefully. "Yeah, see, I wish I could make people react like that."

"Well you could if you tried..."

"Medium height, brown eyes, unremarkable physique? Neh, who's head am I gonna turn?"

"Mine?"

The raccoon looked at her for a moment, then blushed and turned away.

"Cheer up, Maxy," June said, looping her arm through his. "You're not bad, just a bit run down. I reckon we can tidy you up with a bit of work!"

"A bit of work?" the raccoon half laughed.

"Uhuh."

"Like what?"

"Well, for a start, let's teach you to smile after a girl does this," she said, before putting both arms around his neck and kissing him. She sighed gently as her soft body moulded itself to him in the orange light of the street lamp, her arms tight around him. Slowly, hesitantly, he let his hands find her flanks, holding her lightly.

"Oh... like that," he said, smiling as she pulled back, their breath steaming between them, curling up in little wisps of orange vapour.

"That's much better," the vixen beamed. "If you like it, you like it, why worry about anything else?"

"It's just, kinda unexpected, like..."

Bang!

June squeaked and clung to him.

"That?"

Screeee-bang! The noise echoed from the walls of the buildings that lined the road, seeming to rattle the industrial sized wheelie bins.

"Fireworks!" Maxwell exclaimed, laughing.

"Their timing's lousy!"

"I dunno, doesn't seem so bad to me," Maxwell smiled, pressing his nose to her cheek. She smelled so nice, much softer and subtler than the scents worn by the average male. Not that those scents were bad, just... June was interestingly different.

"Where are they?" she asked, her eyes scanning the length of the road.

"Over in the park I think. Probably someone letting off the spares from new year."

"Shall we go see?"

"Sure."

Holding tight to each other's hands, they half walked, half jogged up the road, taking the turn into the park as the sky continued to be lit by coloured flashes, the concussive sound echoing around them.

"Glad it's a full moon," June said quietly, slipping her arm around the raccoon's waist.

"Yeah, they don't like replacing the lights around here do they?"

A flurry of pops and bangs sounded from somewhere to their left, a shower of red and green sparks lighting the sky.

"Here, let's watch from here," Maxwell suggested, leading the way up the steps to the ageing bandstand beside the path. Side by side, they leaned on the rail, waiting.

Fwip!

"Bang!" June exclaimed with perfect timing, right as a large rocket blew itself up in an explosion of gold.

Whoosh!

"Bang?" Maxwell suggested hesitantly. The firework however proved to be the kind that's all about the launch and nothing at the end, and fizzled quietly as June laughed.

"Pop!" a burst of green.

"Kapow?" a shower of blue.

"Whoosh!" a column of sparks ascending skywards.

"Are they listening to you?"

"I'm not really sure," June admitted. "Do you think this bandstand acts like an elliptical reflector dish?"

"A what now?"

"Never seen one?"

"Not that I know of," Maxwell shrugged.

"Bang! Well, it looks a bit like a radar dish, but it focusses sound. If you make a noise anywhere nearby, it gets channelled along the axis of the dish. Put two up facing each other, you can talk to people quite a ways off without shouting, just by standing near one dish or the other."

"Where do you learn this stuff?" the raccoon looked at her curiously.

"I took a physics elective. Turned out to be quite fun."

"You're a weird girl, June."

"Pow!" the vixen pointed both forefingers up at the explosion of red. "Yeah, I know. Do you like it?"

"More than I think I should."

June laughed. "Boom! Maxy, how long have you known me?"

"About three years."

"And how long have we been friends?"

"I think we sparked up a chat on day two..."

"Bang! Yeah, we got to talking about sports days at school, and how you stuck the javelin into the ground behind you on your turn to throw."

"Yeah, you nearly wet yourself laughing at my misfortune," Maxwell sighed.

"Aww, pow!" gesturing at the sky, the vixen turned and hugged him gently. "I wasn't laughing at your misfortune, I was laughing at the funny story you were telling."

"Oh."

"You silly thing."

"Probably."

"Bang?" For once, there was no answering explosion of gunpowder. "Dang," the vixen sighed resignedly.

"So what now?" Maxwell asked after a pause long enough to assure no more fireworks would be forthcoming.

"Now? I go home, and dance naked with a tub of ice cream."

The raccoon hesitated. "Um?"

"Just a recommendation from a friend I've been meaning to try out. Come on," she said, disengaging from him but keeping a hold of his hand and leading him inexorably from the park.

"My street," she said a few minutes later, stopping underneath the street lamp on the corner.

"Ah. Mine's just a little further."

"Yeah I know. You should hurry, it's getting cold."

"Well it is if you're wearing sandals and a short skirt."

"Hmm?" the vixen looked down at her exposed toes as if only now realising what she was wearing. "Oh, no, I never get cold feet."

"Oh," the raccoon paused and looked at her, both of them cast into shades of orange. "June, I..."

Putting a finger to his lips, she forestalled him. "I'm tempted to invite you in for coffee," she told him, putting her lips near his ear. "I like you, and I think you like me, and I've been totally honest about how I like to live, so you know what's on offer. But I want you to have some thinking time - some time when I'm not up in your face demanding answers and attention and making you feel pressured. What's your phone number?"

Maxwell rummaged in a pocket for a moment before producing his mobile, flicking through the menus until he found the home number.

"Right," June told him, keying it into her own handset and giving it a single test ring to be sure. "I'll call you, tomorrow, and if you're still interested, you can take me to see a movie. Welcome to mixed gender dating, now you're paying," she smiled, putting her hands on his chest.

"June..."

"Shh," she slipped her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder for a few seconds until she felt his hands resting lightly on her hips. "Now go on, silly, it's freezing. Get home, get some sleep, think about what you want, and remember I'll not hold you to anything, either way. I'm really not out for a serious boyfriend, you don't have to be one. I'm happy with you as just a friend, but if you'd like to be a friend with... advanced cuddles, I'd like that too."

"Um, right..." the raccoon said as she pushed him lightly away from her. On impulse, he grabbed her arms, pulling her close and kissing her cheek. She smiled as he backed off, letting him know it was a welcome gesture.

"Go," she reminded him.

"Yeah," he nodded, taking several steps backwards and nearly falling over as he found the edge of the pavement with his heel. "Going..." he turned, and headed away down the road, looking over his shoulder and waving to her as he passed the next streetlight.

"Silly boy," June smiled to herself. "You are so not gay; you've just not met a girl you liked before."

"Hi, Maxy!"

"June?"

"Of course, what other girl would hang on for nineteen rings?"

"Sorry, I was in the shower."

"Ping, bonus point for hygiene!" The raccoon could hear her giggling down the phone and smiled. "So does that mean you're naked right now?"

"Um, apart from a towel, I guess."

"Mmm, nice, take photos. Now look, seriously, I said I'd give you thinking time and then call you, so..."

"When and where?" Maxwell asked, smiling.

"...so you're a step ahead of me. Lose the bonus point for interrupting."

"Sorry..."

"That's quite all right, you won it back for still being interested," the vixen's smile was audible. "Can you meet me at the end of my road at three?"

Maxwell looked at the clock - two in the afternoon. "Sure. Should I eat first?"

"Depends, do you like thai?"

"I love thai," Maxwell answered without the faintest idea whether he'd ever been to a thai restaurant before.

"Then be hungry at half six, we've a table for four booked. Bye!"

"Wait, four...?" but she had already hung up. Maxwell scratched his head for a moment, then went to get dressed.

The afternoon turned out to be one of those wintry ones where the morning mist never clears. Frost crunched under the raccoon's boots as he made his way towards the rendezvous point, and he carefully avoided several solid patches of ice that looked like they could induce an undignified trip ground-wards.

Stopping on the corner, he peered into the fog, wondering which was June's house. Turning, looking across the road behind him, the skeletal trees that lined the park stood sombre and damp in the chill air. Somewhere beyond, hidden in the mists, was the bandstand from which they had watched the fireworks the night before. Thinking of the vixen's exuberant and slightly uncanny timing brought a smile to his face.

Despite having been given time to sleep and to think, he didn't seem to feel any different about her. He supposed that was only to be expected, seeing as she'd been well and truly stuck in his head for the past few months, but... What was this mysterious attraction she held for him? How was it that this one vixen had turned his head, when of all the girls in the campus, not one had ever struck him as at all interesting? It didn't make sense... but it did feel right. It was all slightly headache inducing, and very confusing.

He jumped as two arms appeared around him and hugged him.

"Hi, Maxy," June said, her voice somewhere behind his head.

"Do you always sneak up on guys like this?" he asked, swallowing his heart again.

"Only if it's worth it," she told him, letting go so he could turn around. "Sorry I'm a little late, couldn't decide what to wear."

What she had ultimately chosen it seemed, was trainers, tight fitting jeans, a classic baby-doll t-shirt with a hand print on the left side of the chest, a duffel coat (left open) that fell to her knees, and a bobble hat. The result was a strange combination of wholesome and girlishly alluring, and Maxwell blinked a few times before he found a response.

"Good choice," he said simply, and she beamed at him, apparently having scored another bonus point. "Though I was getting to like the uniform," he added, and she laughed.

"Typical male."

"That I will never be," he corrected her. "So, where are we going?" he asked as she looped her arm through his and they started on the walk past the park into the city.

"Shopping."

"Shopping?"

"Welcome to the dark side. Good news is I don't need much, an hour should do, then film, then food."

"All right," Maxwell nodded. "Shopping for what?"

"Books."

"Books?"

Books. Shelves, shelves, and more shelves of them, stretching a clear fifty metres down the length of the shop. Fiction and non-fiction, romance and science, everything a girl could want - or at least so June said and she led them both down one of the isles.

"Right, let's see what's recommended this year," the vixen said, pulling out a well folded photocopy of what looked suspiciously like a course reading list. "Yikes, this is going to cost a bit. Oh well, only one term left and we're outta here anyway."

It did seem to cost a lot, and Maxwell was quite relieved when it turned out she had been joking about him paying. She wasn't joking when she said she needed help carrying them however, with the result that the raccoon soon had several kilograms of papery information hanging off each arm.

"Well what are men good for if not for use as a pack horse?" she giggled, putting her arm around his waist as they exited the shop. She noticed he wasn't tensing up like he used to, and smiled.

"We do have other uses," Maxwell informed her, fighting to keep a straight face in the light of her infectious smile.

"Like?"

"Gardening and fixing cars, mostly."

The vixen laughed, her arm tightening around his waist and guiding them into a ladies clothing store.

"Well, what do you think?" pulling aside the dressing room curtain a few minutes later while Maxwell stood in the doorway to the shop floor.

Legs, the raccoon's mind registered immediately. A lot of legs. The sandals (why did she need more sandals?) left her legs exposed from the heel upwards - and there was a lot of upwards, all the way to the dangerously short denim pants that hugged her hips tightly. Then there was the expanse of white fur that ran up her front until finally interrupted by the check shirt that was knotted just under her sternum.

"Maxy?"

Maxwell shook himself out of the momentary stupor. "It's... good," he said. "Very country-girl. You should consider boots instead of sandals."

"You think?"

"I do. Brown suede, triangle cut outs, if you want the classic effect."

"Done."

"Dare I ask when you're going to wear that?" he asked as she paid for the purchase.

"Are you curious or hopeful?" she countered.

"A little of both, I guess," he admitted.

"Then I'll save it for some time you're around," the vixen said, grinning impishly as she headed for the door. "Film time! What do you feel like watching?"

"Anything but the one with the gay cowboys."

"How about the one with gay cow_girls_?" June looked at him for several seconds as he tried to work out a response.

"Um..."

"Relax, it doesn't exist. I just wanted to see your expression."

Maxwell let out a breath. "You're a cruel girl sometimes," he told her with a slight shake of his head.

"Only when it's funny," she said, winking. "Let's just see which one has the best posters up, eh?"

Maxwell nodded.

It was about half an hour into the film before Maxwell jumped as a slender vulpine hand landed lightly on his knee. He glanced sideways to find June looking at him, the light from the screen creating a moving reflection in her eyes. She kissed his nose, and he sputtered a little as she grinned before turning her head forwards once again.

Funny, the raccoon thought, how even a mediocre film could be made worthwhile sometimes... although the fingers now drumming gently on his thigh were proving something of a distraction. Capturing her hand in his, he held her fingers lightly.

Holding hands. Such a tiny, simple gesture, yet it occurred to him now that June was the only person with whom he had really done so. Was that because he had been afraid to with previous boyfriends, or because he knew they weren't actually interested in doing so? It was true that his last would have considered him a wimp for even suggesting it. Not really the sensitive type.

It didn't matter. Past was past, now was now, and the vixen's warm fingers were gently resting in his grasp.

"Maxy, Jack, Julie, Maxy, there, let's eat," June enthused, standing outside the restaurant, having just hugged both new arrivals briefly, and apparently content that she had performed introductions adequately.

"Hey, Max," the tall tiger smiled down at the raccoon, offering his hand. Maxwell took it, and received a crushing handshake that he did his best to return, getting a twist of the smile that showed the effort was noticed and respected. "Good to meet you. June's mentioned you before, but never seem to have had the chance to get together."

"Um, no, I uh... I guess not."

"Well we're glad you found time to join us tonight," Julie smiled, treating his fingers rather more gently - although Maxwell suspected she could probably surpass his grip strength if she tried.

"Give you a hand with those?" Jack gestured to the bags of books, boots and clothes piled around the raccoon's feet. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed the heaviest looking two, and carried them in through the large glass doorway - June of course already being on the other side, waiting for him with mild impatience. Ah yes, Maxwell thought, there were indeed some differences in approach he was going to have to get used to. Julie patted him lightly on the shoulder in sympathy.

"You haven't given her anything caffeinated, have you?"

"Um, not that I know of..."

"Good, don't," the tigress warned with a smile. "You'll end up with twice as much to carry."

Maxwell laughed, and accompanied her inside, finding the others already enquiring about their booking.

The restaurant was well lit, a contrast to Bar Feral. A soft, oriental music played gently over nicely hidden speakers, and along one wall, a large, metallic engraving with a shimmering curtain of water pouring down over its entire length. Their table turned out to be near this, and Maxwell soon found himself seated next to June, the sound of the water display in one ear, and the vixen's fingers gently grazing his leg. She really hadn't been lying when she said she liked to touch.

June smiled as the raccoon took her hand in his again. There was very little of the old hesitation left in him any more, although he did stammer cutely when she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"If you ever figure out how to stop her doing that in public, let me know," Jack said with a chuckle, smiling at Maxwell.

"You're only jealous," the vixen retorted, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Nah, no need. You'll come back to me of your own accord," the tiger grinned smugly. Julie pinched his ear and he winced. "Not today though," he admitted, and she nodded contentedly.

Maxwell wasn't quite sure what to make of it all. Yes, June had explained about her friendship arrangements, but it was a little... overwhelming to be suddenly confronted with the reality. Apparently his thoughts must have showed in his expression, because June giggled and nuzzled his cheek.

"Relax, Max," she told him in a whisper too low to be overheard above the ambient music. "You said it sounded relaxing, so chill. Oh, and for the record, he has the edge on your ex," she added as an afterthought, causing the raccoon to turn charmingly pink of cheek. Jack looked at her suspiciously. "Never you mind, dear," she told him. "Talking about you, not to you."

The tiger laughed. "All good things, I hope?"

Maxwell felt himself flush deeper, but nodded.

"What are we all eating?" June asked, picking up her menu and relieving him of the necessity to say anything.

"More important, what are we drinking?" Jack grinned, making a grab for the wine menu but having it held just out of reach by Julie.

"Something less expensive than last time. I'm tired of asking my dad for a top-up because you've blown it!"

"Aww, but it's not like he can't spare it," the tiger looked back at her out of big, innocent eyes. "Besides, I think he enjoys it. Makes the grumpy old groat feel useful."

"My father is not a grumpy old groat!" Julie laughed, slapping him on the top of his head with the menu. "Well, maybe a little grumpy - but you're not allowed to say it, only I get to pick on him, that's my right as his daughter."

Maxwell stifled a laugh, and June squeezed his fingers.

"All right, all right," Jack held up his hands in a gesture of submission - not to mention protection. "Cheaper wine then. But it was new year's eve at the time, it's traditional to burn your parents' money."

"Or their house," Maxwell suggested, and Julie looked at him through narrowed eyes while Jack chuckled.

"Precisely," the tiger declared. "Now that's a proper new year's eve party - at your dad's beach house! Hey, it's not that far off, we'd only have missed it by a few weeks!"

"No!"

"You know, get some of the guys together..."

"And girls," June added.

"No!"

"Grab a few packs of beer..."

"Few cans of spray paint," the raccoon smiled.

"You wouldn't..."

"Couple of stink bombs," June nodded.

"Anything that'll make an impression," Jack nodded. "And have some fun! You'd love it, I promise."

"Not really..."

"Afterwards we hire a bunch of cleaners with your dad's money, and act like we'd just made a little tiny mess and gave the whole house an overkill spit and polish, but sorry for the huge takeaway bill. You do know I'm joking?"

Julie let out a breath, and hit him again with the menu. "Swine."

"Some people just don't understand a party, eh Max?" he asked, looking resigned.

"Most girls don't," the raccoon said, then winced as June lightly rapped his head with her knuckles. "I said most!" he protested.

"True," she relented. "But that's what you get for casual sexism in mixed company."

"If I was going for casual sexism, I'd say something about reverse parking," Maxwell countered, and Jack burst into laugher as Julie tried to alternate glares between them.

"Oh god," the tiger wiped his eyes on the corner of a napkin. "It's funny because it's true."

"Don't laugh like that, it wasn't funny!" Julie protested.

"Oh yes it was," Jack told her.

"I'd only just passed my test!"

"And were feeling oh so confident..."

"Well you had been telling me all day to get a move on and stop dawdling!"

"Not when you were supposed to be stopping though!"

Maxwell looked from one to the other, bemused and amused at the same time.

"Happens a lot," June explained, smiling.

"The fighting or the parking?" he asked, and Jack cracked up again, receiving several heavy swats to the head with the abused menu.

"And don't think you're immune!" the tigress pointed at Maxwell. "Just because you're out of reach doesn't mean I won't have revenge!"

The raccoon hastily hid himself behind his own menu.

"Julie?" June said sweetly.

"Yes?"

"Settle down, or I'll kiss you."

The tigress looked at her for a moment, one finger raised. "You been on the lollies again?"

"At least three," Maxwell confirmed.

"Ugh. All right, looks like you live this time," she conceded, finally handing the wine menu back to her long suffering but much amused partner. "Pick a drink, preferably something you'll choke on," she added, but smiled as she said it, and he grinned back at her.

"Are the lollies that bad?" June whispered into Maxwell's ear as the felines finally turned to the choice of food.

"The way you kiss? You'd have to eat a bag of old sprouts before you'd put me off."

June laughed, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper and leaning closer. "Well that's a change in attitude. Deciding we quite like girls now, are we?"

Maxwell hesitated before replying, his eyes flickering away for a moment before reconnecting with her gaze. "I like you," he said.

"What about them?" June asked, putting her muzzle next to his so that even the movement of his lips would be concealed. "Which would you go with, if you had a choice?"

Maxwell's eyes flickered to the feline pair for a moment, both of them still studying their menus, Jack seeming to be ticking off choices on at least three fingers.

"Jack," he admitted. "I like his voice."

"It is sexy, isn't it?" June smiled. "I've never seen him go with a boy, but he's always said he's open to the idea. Stick around, you never know."

Maxwell bit his lip, flushing. "But what about Julie?"

"Open relationship. He's in love with Julie, but they're free to snuggle with anyone else they're both friends with. I guess you just gotta hang in there until you count. I'd say that's about until the end of dinner at this rate," she said, winking.

"What are you two conspiring about?" Jack asked, looking up, a puzzled expression across his furry face.

"Nothing!" they said in unison, sitting back upright, Maxwell conspicuously pink and fumbling his menu so badly he nearly dropped it.

"Oh that is so something," Julie said with deep suspicion.

"Nothing important, hun," June informed her with a smile that could possibly have charmed small birds from the surrounding trees had she kept it on long enough. "Just debating whether to save space for a dessert. Are we ready to order?"

Still looking suspicious, Julie nodded.

"Ahh," Jack commented, leaning back in his chair.

"Well put," Maxwell grinned across the table at him, adopting a similar pose.

"So did you decide to save space for dessert?" Julie asked.

"Yes."

"No."

June looked at the raccoon, her expression momentarily mirroring his.

"No."

"Yes."

The tigress raised an eyebrow as they both winced slightly.

"In half an hour, maybe?" Maxwell suggested.

"Exactly!" June nodded.

"Uhuh..."

"Shall we move on then? Head for somewhere else, give you two a moment to breathe?" Jack suggested.

"Where to?"

"How are you with Japanese, Max?"

"Uh, good, I guess."

"Excellent. See, there's a place round the corner does these wonderful little pancakes, with jam inside - ooo, or the green rice sponge with the fruit and cream filling, or..."

"He gets the point," Julie told him, pinching his ear. She waved at a passing waiter and requested the bill as Jack whispered details of a third dessert across the table.

Returning from a trip to the gents, Maxwell was surprised to find June alone at their table, the remnants of at least five desserts being cleared away by the ever efficient staff.

"Where did...?"

June pointed over his shoulder, to where a modest spotlight had just illuminated a small section of floor. In the middle of the beam, holding something that looked suspiciously like a pair of microphones, a familiar looking feline couple.

"Well you can't go to Japanese place and not karaoke, Maxy," June said as the first bars of music filtered over the speakers.

"I can," Maxwell said as he sat down next to her.

"No you can't."

"Yes I can."

"No you can't, no you can't, no you can't," June grinned, her voice lifting to singsong pitch." There's only a few other people in here anyway."

"Ye-mmph?" June cut him off as she pressed her lips to his, one small, gentle kiss after another, slowly building in intensity until he was panting through his nose, her hand caressing his cheek.

"You like that?" she asked as they disengaged, and he nodded sheepishly. "You ever want another?" Maxwell nodded again. "Then you and I are up next."

The raccoon eyed her. "That's blackmail!"

"No, it's providing incentive. Blackmail would be explaining about the javelin incident to Jack."

"You wouldn't...?"

"That's up to you."

"That's really dirty!"

"I know. Do you like it?"

"Sort of," Maxwell admitted.

"Good. Come on, let's go choose our tune!"

Left no choice as she stepped over his legs, grabbed his hand and pulled him forward, Maxwell sighed inwardly. It wasn't going to be an easy act to follow, he thought as the vixen gently urged him towards the song selection screen at the side of the small stage. Jack and Julie were really quite good - at least as far as the average karaoke duo went - his smooth bass an easy compliment to her gentle alto.

"How about this one?" June asked, pointing at a song title on screen.

"The who-dy-what now?"

"No then. This?"

"Never heard," Maxwell shook his head.

"This?"

"Nope."

"This?" the vixen's expression was verging on exasperated.

"Sorry."

"Well what do you know, dammit?"

"That," the raccoon declared, jabbing his finger at the touch screen, and inadvertently committing them to the song.

"That?" June raised her eyebrow.

"Yes... well... it was in that film, remember."

"I know, I'm just surprised you saw it."

"It was animated," Maxwell shrugged. "I've seen nearly everything animated going."

"Including the Russian mice in New York?"

"Hey, I just like cartoons, ok?"

June giggled. "Sure, no biggie. Just most boys who like animated films prefer them with big chested catgirls."

"Why would that interest me?" the raccoon asked, looking at her blankly.

"Fair point. All right, that's the one we do. I assume you're leaving me the alto part."

Maxwell just looked at her, then turned quickly to applaud as their friends wrapped up their song. Jack patted him on the shoulder as he passed over the microphone.

"Your turn, Max. Don't look so worried, nobody ever remembers after a few sakes anyway."

"Thanks for the confidence," Maxwell stuck his tongue out, and received a poke to the nose for it. "Ow," he said, rubbing it as June laughed and pushed him up on stage.

"Oh god," he murmured, suddenly realising that at least three of the other occupants of the bar were actually looking his way.

"You can't get stage fright now, you chose the song," June told him. "Gimme your hand."

Maxwell did so, feeling her squeeze it tightly. On the screen in front of them, a small countdown displayed how long they had as the light, airy introduction to the song sprang up. He could see Julie smiling at him from their table, though whether at his choice or just out of moral support he wasn't sure.

Three seconds. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

Two, June squeezed his fingers and smiled.

One, words appeared on the screen, a small dot hovering to the left.

Oh yeah, June had a good singing voice. Soft, sweet, and right on key, it was the kind of voice that people could easily get lost in, just sit and listen, all other things forgotten. She had such a cute expression, too, perfectly fitting for the tone of the song. A little sad, yearning, please-make-it-all-right-soon-I-really-miss-you expression.

Maxwell winced has her heel landed on his foot. Oh god, he'd gotten so distracted by the vixen beside him that he'd totally forgotten they were supposed to be singing together. Words, words... words? Oh yeah, the screen. Without time to think about it, the raccoon opened his mouth.

"Why didn't you just say you could sing?" June asked as they stepped off stage to a smattering of applause from the couple of dozen people who had been paying attention.

"I can sing?"

The vixen laughed, then frowned at his expression. "You didn't know?"

"I can sing?" he repeated as they approached their table.

"Seems so," Julie told him, standing and kissing him on the cheek as he passed.

Trying not to recoil, Maxwell nodded at her, feeling himself go red. June pushed him down into his seat to hide his embarrassment, then dropped herself lightly onto his lap, arms around his neck.

"Feel better?" Jack asked, smiling across the table at her.

"Much," the vixen nodded, nuzzling the raccoon's cheek and giggling as he looked at her, his expression one of bewilderment, clearly not sure how to react. He glanced across the table for support, and Jack chuckled.

"She tends to calm down if you kiss her," the tiger prompted. "It's kind of like letting the gas out of lemonade so it doesn't explode. I'm going for more drinks," he went on, standing and gently nudging Julie into rising as well. They both padded away, leaving Maxwell looking at the giggling vixen in his lap.

Kiss her? Well, ok, it wouldn't be a first, but the previous contacts had all been initiated by June, not himself. Was he ready to? Was he really going to...

June hummed softly as the raccoon's lips pressed up against hers, mimicking her own style, light little kisses that slowly grew into deeper, more meaningful contact. Sighing through her nose, she shivered a little as she felt his hand brush her flank, not possessive, not forceful, just the gentle, nervous touch she had come to associate with him. God, he was so sexy when he was nervous. Her fingers brushed his cheek, dancing lightly over the soft fur.

He gasped a little as they broke apart, taking a couple of deep breaths before his eyes seemed to focus on her again. "Not going to explode?" he asked, and she laughed.

"Nah, I think I'm good for a while now," she told him, sliding off his lap and into the chair next to him. "Hey, did they say something about more drinks?"

"Bye!" the vixen waved enthusiastically as Jack clambered into the taxi, his knees almost up to his chest.

"Isn't there more space in the front?" Maxwell asked, and June laughed.

"Julie isn't in the front, sweetie," she told him. "Now come on, packhorse, your job ain't done until these bags are back at my place."

Maxwell gave an exaggerated sigh. "Ok, but you better feed and water the horse after."

"Should I give him a nice rubdown too?"

"Uh," the raccoon hesitated mid stoop as he snagged hold of the bags piled at his ankles.

June smiled and patted him casually on the head. "Think about it," she said, grabbed one of the bags, and started off. "Are you coming?" she asked over her shoulder, and he hurried to catch up.

It was as cold as the previous night had been - possibly more so, with the sky overhead being as clear as black glass.

"Detour through the park?" Maxwell asked as they reached the tree-lined border.

"If you like, but it's further to walk..."

"I can manage if you can," the raccoon grinned.

"All right," June nodded. "Oddball," she added, and he laughed.

"What's odd about it? I just like to see the stars once in a while."

"You can see the stars," June said, looking upwards, just before the path passed into the trees.

"I can see three stars," Maxwell amended. "There are more you know."

"Hey, I'm not that much of a city girl!" the vixen protested, elbowing him lightly in the ribs. "I do know some things about science and stuff."

"Stars aren't science," the raccoon said as they made their way down the lightly iced path towards the centre of the park. "They're art. They're like... god's ink blots, or something."

"I didn't know you were religious."

"I'm not, at least, not conventionally."

"Well that's a strange answer," the vixen looked at him.

"It's a strange story," Maxwell said. "As a child I was very religious, prayed every day."

"What changed?"

"My grandmother. She got... ill. I really loved her. I prayed all the time, asking him, begging him, please help her! Make her better, she's not so old that she needs to die yet. As time went on, she got worse, and started to realise that god wasn't going to help."

They paused at a junction in the path, the raccoon's gaze moving skyward as June watched his face in the moonlight.

"The silly thing is, it was a joke that finally made me really question it all."

"A joke?"

"Well see, before all of it with my grandmother, when I was just a boy, I used to pray for a bike. My parents weren't all that well off, and even though they wanted to give me one for Christmas, it was always just out of reach, so I asked god for one. Year after year, I prayed, asking god for this one little thing, just this one thing that would make me so happy. I mean come on, he's the creator of the universe, does so many good things for so many people, and it would be the best thing ever!

"After a few years, and no bike, I was getting worried. Was it me? Had I done something wrong? Why did god not answer my prayers? That's Mars, by the way," Maxwell pointed.

"Which?"

"The browny one, there," the raccoon pointed a finger upwards, as June moved towards him, laying her head against his shoulder to follow the gesture.

"Anyway, after a while, I got so worried about it that I went to talk to the vicar. I didn't tell my parents - they thought I was at a friend's house. So there was me, skinny little kid with a scratch on my cheek where I'd fallen out of a tree a few days before, just turns up at the house next to the church and knocks on the door. Vicar opens it and I... well, I burst into tears to be honest."

"Aww..."

"He was nice, checked I wasn't hurt or lost, then sat me down, made me a cup of tea and asked what on earth I thought I'd done that god hated me for - because after all, god forgives anyone who asks for it, if they're sorry about what they've done. What act could a small boy possibly have committed that was so bad that god would forsake him?

"Well, I couldn't really answer, I didn't know what I'd done - all I knew was three years, no bike. He kind of hid behind his teacup for a while, then smiled at me. 'Son,' he said. 'There's good news and bad news. The good news is you've done nothing wrong, and God doesn't hate you at all. He loves you very much. The bad news is, He just doesn't work that way.'

"I went home afterwards, thinking hard on the way about what the vicar had said. Did god really not work that way? I mean, surely he'd made things happen for other people, and just as I was thinking that I went past someone's garden, and there was this beautiful bike propped against the wall at the end of the driveway. Racing red and twenty one gears, looked like it had just come out of the shop - and just like the one I'd been praying for all those years."

"You think god put it there for you?" June asked, standing back.

"No, I could see a kid walking round the side of the house to the back, figured the bike was his. God doesn't work like that, remember."

"Aww, poor you, having it tease you like that."

"Nah, it all worked out."

"How?"

"I stole it, and prayed for forgiveness," Maxwell said. "Figured that's how god worked."

June looked at him for several long seconds without blinking, then burst into laughter. "You rat!" she said, swatting him around the head. "You absolute stinker!" she giggled. "You had me thinking you were telling me a story about you!"

"I said it was a joke!" Maxwell chuckled, holding his arms over his head as June slapped at him.

"Augh! That just makes it worse! You... you... you're awful!"

Maxwell nodded as best he could while still defending himself. "Yep. Do you like it?"

The vixen paused in her gentle assault. "Jury's out," she said, then dropped her arm. "So what did you mean by not conventional?"

"Hmm? Oh, that. Well, after I figured god as I knew him wasn't listening, I started to suspect god as I knew him wasn't there. I picked up a bit of an interest in science, particularly physics, real nature of the universe stuff, and it's odd but the more I read up on it, the more I concluded that we really do live in a very strange world. No matter how we try, there's still things that don't make sense. Half our technology relies on laws we can predict, but don't actually understand. It just... it seems like there's room for a little magic in the world after all. Like there's space for religion, and gods, and maybe we just haven't figured out how to talk to them properly yet, or got a decent idea of who they are."

"Spirituality through science..." June said softly. "You'd an odd boy, Maxy."

"Yep. Do you like it?"

"On that one, definitely," she laughed. "Are you done stargazing? My nose is cold."

"Sure," the raccoon smiled, bending to pick up his bags again.

"My house," June said, pausing at the end of the short path to the front door.

"Ah," Maxwell answered awkwardly. "Look, June, it's... been a really great night, and..."

The door handle rattled, and they looked towards it. A moment later, the door opened, revealing a young woman with remarkably blue hair. She locked the door, then turned to walk towards them.

"Kay! I thought you were gone for the weekend?"

"I am now," the young woman said, hefting the bag on her shoulder. "Going to head up north for the weekend."

"At this time of night?"

"No, I'm going to spend the night at Scott's, then we'll both catch an early train tomorrow." She glanced at Maxwell.

"Kerry, you remember Maxy," June told her. "He was in the university bar on the last Friday before term end."

"Oh yeah! Hi again, Maxy, sorry, I'm still a little foggy about that one."

"Aren't we all?" the vixen asked, and Maxwell nodded.

"Anyway, must be off. Take care kiddies, don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"We won't!" June waved to her as she walked away.

"Well, I... should probably be going too," Maxwell said, placing his carrier bags on the doormat as the vixen fiddled with her keys.

"Things to do tomorrow...?"

"Um, well, I guess... no, to be honest," the raccoon said, flushing suddenly as June took a step nearer. I just figured it's kind of late, and..."

"It's half past nine, that's not late."

"It's not? Oh, um..."

"Maxy... would you, be interested in a coffee? Maybe watch a film with me?"

The raccoon hesitated, the streetlights reflecting in his eyes. Would he, wouldn't he? June wondered.

"You could go home after, if you need to," she said softly. "I just enjoy your company, if you'd like to stay a while..."

Maxwell smiled. "Do you have decaff?"

"I'll find out," June grinned, pushing the door open, and beckoning him to follow.

"You keep a clean house," Maxwell whistled as they entered the living room.

"Kay's boyfriend does," June corrected. "Damn cat's got OCD or something, I can never find anything after he's been over. Cooks well though. You'd like him, yellow fur, slim, green eyes, cute smile."

"I think I met him when I first met Kerry," Maxwell said.

"And?"

"And he is kinda cute yes, but I think he's only got eyes for your housemate," the raccoon sighed.

"Yeah, I know. Bummer, isn't it? I'd love a piece of him, but I could never break them up, they're too sweet together. So," she added, taking the bags off him and setting them down haphazardly on the floor. "What sort of film would you like to watch?" Reaching down, she took his hand, and lead him over to a shelf crammed with movies, all of which seemed to be in alphabetical order.

"Oh god! He really doesn't like me finding anything does he?" June pouted.

"What have you got that's animated?" Maxwell asked, and she paused in despairing at the horribly ordered films to look at him.

"You really like cartoons, huh?"

"Maybe I just don't like realistic films," the raccoon shrugged. "I doubt you have many that fit my usual tastes otherwise."

"Well I do have the gay cowboys..."

"Please, no."

"Sure?"

"Very."

"Aww, but they're so cute together..."

"Yes, and I've seen it so many times I can recite the dialog backwards. It was my ex's favorite."

"Ohh," June mouthed silently. "Now I get why you don't like it. Nevermind, I can't possibly find it anyway now, idiot cat!" she added with a scathing glance at the neat rows of movie boxes.

"How about this one?" Maxwell said, pointing.

"That's not animated," June said suspiciously.

"Nor does it contain anything remotely close to a romantic encounter!" the raccoon said, grinning. "Boy meets girl, they save the world from the son of satan, and then do not get off with each other. Isn't it great?"

"If you like not getting off with people..."

"I... well, I..."

"I get the point," June said, smiling. "Go load the player, I'll find some coffee."

Maxwell yawned, then looked at June who had done exactly the same only a moment earlier.

"Sorry," she murmured from her position slumped deep into the back of the sofa. "Tired."

"I can go if you want..."

"No, don't be silly," June shook her head, sitting up straighter, moving a little to place herself a few inches nearer as she thumbed the movie onto paused. "You can't go yet, film's barely started," she said softly, the tip of her nose within inches of Maxwell's.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'll just get another coffee."

"Another one? You really won't be able to sleep later!"

The vixen giggled. "Nah, I'm good. Caffeine burns out of me in about an hour, should be just long enough."

"Lucky you," the raccoon said, with feeling. "One cup of strength three and I'm awake for hours."

"I'd better not to breathe any fumes on you then. Guess this is the closest I'll get to come for a while..." she smiled coyly, her sparkling blue eyes holding his.

Maxwell took the hint, and placed a fleeting kiss on her nose. June raised her eyebrows. "You know, those burn out of me quicker than coffee," she said softly, her fingertips somehow finding his thigh, idly caressing his jeans.

Shivering a little at the touch, Maxwell smiled. "Then maybe an espresso is in order...?"

"Maybe..." the vixen whispered, leaning closer, feeling the raccoon's warm breath against her lips. "After all, you know what happens when you don't let the pressure out of the lemon-mmm," she sighed warmly as his lips pressed to hers. A little more forceful this time, less delicacy than the last, but that was ok. Truth be told, she always felt there were times for gentle little kisses, and a time to just part your lips and...

Maxwell's eyes closed as he felt the vixen's mouth slacken just a little. Hesitantly, mindful of previous comments, he let his tongue brush against her moist skin, holding back gracefully, barely applying pressure enough to graze her teeth for a moment before retreating. His hand was on her shoulder - how had it got there? - as she followed his unspoken invitation, her warm, soft little tongue lapping at his lips for the merest instant until he met it with his, a tiny, fleeting contact, pink tip against pink tip. From the sweetness, he guessed that she must have sneaked a lolly somewhere on the way home, and he smiled.

"Oh," June sighed, sitting back. "Oh, you're good." Suddenly conscious that she was gripping his leg rather tightly, she relaxed her grip and let out a breath through pursed lips. "Where does a gay boy learn to kiss like that?" she asked.

Unable to answer, Maxwell just shook his head slightly.

"Definitely coffee time," the vixen decided.

"De-pressurised enough?"

"For now," she smiled over her shoulder at him. "I think," she said under her breath, raising her eyebrows as she walked behind the breakfast bar.

Maxwell watched her move about the little kitchen area for a few minutes, simply enjoying the graceful air of her motions. She sat closer to him when she returned, leaning a little of her weight against his arm, and they exchanged smiles before resuming the film.

"Hey..."

Maxwell stirred, trying to ignore the voice. It was warm and comfortable where he was.

"Hey, wake up sleepy."

"Ow," he exclaimed, sitting up as something jabbed him in the ribs. It turned out to be June, leaning over him, wearing pink pyjamas and a smile. "Um..."

"You dozed off," she said, unnecessarily.

"I'm sorry, I'll get going..."

"Don't be silly, it's freezing outside - below, actually, thermometer says minus four. Here, I have a spare toothbrush, go use it, bathroom's upstairs and on the left."

"O...k..."

Without really thinking about it, Maxwell did as he was told, locating the bathroom without trouble and instinctively taking a moment to settle himself as if ready for bed. He found June on the landing when he unlocked the door, still wearing the smile she had had downstairs.

"Uh... which is the spare room?"

"What spare room?" the vixen tilted her head.

"I figured..."

June laughed gently. "Silly boy. I do have a double bed, two people can sleep in it easy enough."

"Two? Whoa, um, wait, I..."

"Hey," she said softly, moving to stand right in front of him. "Relax, I said sleep."

"Sleep?"

"Sleep. That is what most people do in bed, isn't it? Close their eyes, loose consciousness for a while, maybe dream about some puppies and kittens and flowers and things?"

"Well, yeah, I guess, but..."

"Maxy," she put her fingers to his lips. "If you prefer, I'll get you a blanket and you can stay on the couch, or you can walk home in subzero temperatures and snow, but quite honestly, I sleep better with someone else nearby. I've told you I like you, I still think you like me, but it's up to you. I guess I've sprung this on you, maybe took advantage of you dozing off, and I won't be offended if you take the couch, really I won't. Just let me know what you'd like to do."

"I... June... you..." the raccoon stopped, closing his eyes for a moment to shut her out, just to get a few seconds of clear thought. "Just sleep?"

"Yes," she said softly, putting her arms around him, her chin on his shoulder. "Just sleep. You don't have to do anything else. In fact I don't want you to. We're both a little tipsy, if we're honest, that's a bad time to be making any big decisions. I just like to be with you."

"Yeah... yeah I guess... guess it is," he said, nodding and opening his eyes. "You know I, um, don't have any pyjamas..."

"Spare shorts and tshirt," June told him, holding out a bundle of soft cotten. "What?" she asked as he looked at her. "Sometimes it's nice to wear men's undies, you know? Feels much freer than panties and a bra..."

"That's kinda weird, June..."

"Sorry."

"Kinda sexy, too..."

"I always thought so. You can change in the bathroom if you like. Go ahead and think about it on your own a while. That's my room, and I'll go put a blanket downstairs, and the front door key on top of it. Turn the landing light off when you've decided where you're going, and post the key back if you use it, please."

"R-right..." Maxwell nodded as she gently nudged him back into the bathroom. She put her hand on the door, then stretched up to kiss him gently, just a light brush of her lips against his.

"I won't be offended," she said gently, standing back. "Don't worry. Just do what you feel comfortable doing. I'd rather keep you happy and watch you walk away than make you unhappy by keeping you here."

She pushed him back, then closed the door on him, trying not to let her expression show how nervous she suddenly felt. Oh god, what a choice to have given him... trapping him between the feelings of the moment and a lifetime of personal preference.

"Silly vixen," she whispered to herself, tapping her knuckles against her head and grimacing. Better find that blanket.

She was in her bed, under the duvet by the time she heard the bathroom door open again. Several seconds of silence followed, and then soft footfalls across the landing. The light beyond the slightly open door flicked off. Ah well, too fast, she thought to herself. Let him go be where he was comfortable. She sighed a little, wondering if she could have been a little gentler in her approach.

"J-June?"

"Oh..." June looked up, finding him standing in the doorway, in the white t-shirt and boxer shorts she had given him. They were slightly too tight, and showed pleasing contours. "Hey, Maxy," she smiled.

"Can I come in?" It was kind of messy, he thought. There were numerous items of clothing on the floor, and several piles of books that looked about ready to fall over.

"Of course, I did ask you to. You sure you're ok with it?"

"Yeah," he said quickly, looking around the lightly pink walls. "No," he said, shaking his head, his gaze caught on a large white teddy bear. "But... um..."

"Would you like to try anyway?"

"Mmm," he nodded, biting on his lip and looking very cute.

"Close the door," she told him softly, and he did so, turning back to face her "You can come here you know," the vixen added gently, holding out her hand.

Maxwell felt himself blushing as he did so, captivated by her warm gaze, moving forward as if hypnotised. She pulled back the sheets as he approached, and he climbed instinctively under them.

"Ok?"

"Mmm."

June flicked off the light, casting them into what seemed for a moment like impenetrable darkness.

"So..." he said quietly as his eyes began to adjust to the darkness. He heard her giggle, then a soft touch against his chest.

"Lying down usually helps," she whispered into his ear, and he followed her guidance, settling back onto the soft white pillow. It smelled like she did, a heady mix of blossoms and fruits.

"Ok?" she asked again, settling down next to him, her hand still on his chest, but nothing more.

"Y-yeah..."

"Nothing to be nervous about, Maxy."

"I know, it's just... a little new to me. Being in a girl's bed, I mean."

June giggled. "You get used to it," she murmured, turning onto her side, facing him, her arm resting across his chest. "C'mere," she whispered. "Gimme a hug."

Maxwell turned his head, catching her eyes shining in the dim light.

"You're not new to that too, are you?" she asked gently, and he smiled.

"No," he answered, turning onto his side to face her. "Hugs I've done before," he continued as she snuggled up to him, her arm wrapping around his back. He moved slowly at first, mirroring the gesture, his hand finding her light cotton top, gently tracing across her back until he was holding her lightly, her nose dipped under his chin, her chest pressed against his, softer and more yielding than any male.

"Mmm," June sighed contentedly as they cuddled. "Thanks, Maxy, you're a pal," she told him. "Oh, I needed this. Sorry, I must seem like a slutty little skank sometimes..."

"Naw," the raccoon told her, stretching to press his lips between her eyes for a moment. "You're a beautiful, intelligent girl. You just like to hug, no harm in that."

"Sometimes there is," she murmured, sounding a little sad. "But not this time," she added, squeezing him tightly. "This time everything's fine."

Maxwell hugged her back gently, the butterflies that had been residing in his stomach seeming to flap off elsewhere in the space of a few breaths. It was easy, he thought, to just lie here, cuddled up to this beautiful young vixen, even if she wasn't anything like his normal bedfellows.

He yawned, and felt her do the same a moment later, her grip on him loosening as she relaxed.

Could a girl be classed as a bedfellow? He supposed the word didn't really fit. Bedmate? Cuddle buddy? Yikes, that was a girly term, but it seemed to be most appropriate.

Cuddle buddies... he yawned again, feeling the darkness of the room move up around him, a welcoming enclosure. He was going to have to do some research... surely there were better... words...

Warm.

Very warm, and very comfortable.

But awake, Maxwell realised. Which meant he must have fallen asleep. Taking a slow, deep breath, he hugged the pillow tighter, and it sighed softly.

Wait, pillows don't... the raccoon's eyes snapped open. Dim, greyish morning light was filtering through the curtains, illuminating a fuzzy shape next to him. A blurred, triangular projection at the side of it twitched a little, and it suddenly dawned on him that he was looking at the back of June's head. It seemed she had rolled in the night, and now lay with her back to him, his arm draped around her and hugged tight to her chest, his fingers splayed against her yielding cotton top, warm, and so soft, nothing at all like the hard muscles of a male. Without really meaning to, he let his fingers flex a little, just investigating give and play of her body, momentarily lost in the unique feeling.

She stirred slightly and he froze, suddenly acutely aware that her bottom was pushed back against his hips, and that his tail was curled up between her legs, trapping him against her.

"Mmm, don't stop," she murmured softly, seemingly half asleep, pulling his hand firmer against her.

Feeling himself flush, Maxwell tried to simply remain limp so as not to exacerbate the situation.

"June?" he called softly, his lips brushing the back of her ear, feeling it would be better to wake her now than have her come to on her own and find him as he was.

"Mmm?" Maxwell heard her take a soft breath, her chest pressing more firmly against his fingers, a small, hard peak becoming quite plain under her pyjamas. "Oh... well good morning to you too," she said, apparently realising their situation. "How you feeling?" she asked, without making any attempt to separate herself from him, nor to loosen her grip on his arm.

"Um, little warm," the raccoon admitted, and heard her giggle.

"So I see," she said, pressing her hips backwards a little, apparently well aware that their proximity had had an effect on his body that he wasn't really in control of. "What are you thinking?" she asked gently.

"You smell..."

"I smell?" June repeated, not quite sure she had heard right.

"G-good!" Maxwell added hurriedly. "Real... real good. I've never met a guy who managed to smell so good first thing in the morning," he finished, blushing as the words escaped.

June giggled again. "Funny, I was thinking the same about you," she said, turning her head to look at him over her shoulder, but still not making any effort to pull away.

Quite on instinct, and entirely without planning, Maxwell kissed the side of her muzzle gently, and she flushed charmingly.

"S-sorry..."

"That's quite all right, you've kissed me before. You know I enjoy it," she smiled, and he nodded.

"Um-mmm, but, ah..."

"But last time you didn't have your hand on my boob and a tent in your pants?"

Maxwell cleared his throat softly. "S-something like that. Sorry..."

"You said that, I told you it was all right," she whispered. "Do you like it?"

"Oh yeah," he sighed softly before his head could catch hold of his mouth and suggest something more tactful.

"I'm glad," she smiled. "So do I," she added, squeezing his arm a little more firmly, pressing his hand against her yielding chest.

They stayed together for a moment, just breathing, just enjoying the warmth of each other's bodies, each of them becoming increasingly content that the other was enjoying it just as much as they were.

"You know, statistically," June said softly, idly caressing the raccoon's forearm. "The drinks should be out of our systems by now."

"Yeah I... I guess so," Maxwell agreed, his hand sliding slowly and almost beyond his control towards the middle of her chest, investigating the soft contours.

"Mmm," sighing dreamily, the vixen stretched a little, lifting her hand from his for a few seconds, but making no indication that he should stop. "I guess that means we're both sober now."

"I guess we are," Maxwell murmured, finding his muzzle dipping to the back of her neck, nuzzling her. Oh god, she smelled so good. Hints of yesterday's perfume still sparkled in her fur, accompanying the light trace of her personal scent, now a little more obvious after sleeping, but not remotely unattractive.

"Maxy...? Do you... do you feel like making a big decision?" she asked softly, trembling a little as his nose ran lightly over her fur.

"I... guess I might feel up to it, yeah," he whispered, his hand now cupping the other side of her chest gently.

"You like those, don't you?" she asked, grinning over her shoulder.

"Y-yeah, they're... you're..."

"What do you want, Maxy?" she whispered softly.

"You," he breathed, his lips pressed to her shoulder, feeling the warmth under the soft cotton.

"Sure you can handle me?"

"No..."

"Would you like to try anyway?"

Nodding, Maxwell screwed his eyes tight shut, unable to help pushing his hips against her bottom. She was so soft in his arms, and he... well, he wasn't exactly soft. He felt her hand move to her chest, a tug, and a release of tension in her pyjama blouse. And again. When the third button had been released, she covered his hand with hers, squeezing his fingers as she lay with her back pressed to him, her chest exposed to the air.

Gasping softly, the vixen trembled for a moment as his fingertips found her fur, stroking, petting, gentle and hesitant, curious and investigative, every contour a new adventure.

"Mmm..." the pads of his fingers brushed across her exposed nipple, pink, and rapidly hardening under the touch, her chest tingling. Reaching back under the duvet, she found the hem of his shorts, slipping her fingers inside, stroking across his hip and he trembled. "Maxy..."

"June..." Shivering, the raccoon pressed his short muzzle against the vixen's shoulder, her hand stroking over the arch of his hip, hooking around his bottom, fingertips brushing the base of his tail.

"Let me turn over," she whispered, and he loosened his arm so she could. Her breath was warm against his lips as she leaned in, skin against skin, their kiss fiery and passionate, no subtlety or delicacy, muzzles locked together, tongues flicking lightly against each other.

"You're really beautiful you know," he whispered as they broke, and she smiled, scooting herself up close, her chest against his t-shirt. Her hands tugged at the hem, rolling the cotton up his body until fur pressed against fur, her naked breasts rolling against his chest as they hugged tightly under the duvet.

Panting softly, June felt his knee tap against hers, and automatically lifted her leg. He seemed to take it as a hint, bringing his thigh up to rest lightly at the crotch of her pyjamas.

"Ooo..." Unable to help herself - and not really wanting to - she pressed down against him, pushing the pink fabric up against her own pink skin.

"Oh, Maxy..." His lips were on hers again, more restrained this time, building up from soft little kisses to a long, drawn out contact that left her gasping, pinching his thigh between hers, feeling soft fabric sticking to a growing moisture.

"Maxy, I need to lose my pants," she whispered, putting her lips near his ear and blushing at how quickly he had turned her on.

"Ok," he nodded, holding her cheek in his palm, nuzzling her nose gently. She vanished with haste when he released her, quickly diving beneath the covers, twisting until she could kick the garment free. Her fingers found his waistband again, only this time she was tugging at his shorts. He huffed a breath through pursed lips as he shifted, trying to help out as best he could. Moments later, the vixen's head emerged from the duvet once more, a fold of his shorts gripped between her teeth and a smile the length of her slender muzzle.

"I think you made a wet spot," she told him around the material.

"So did you," he pointed out, taking the garment from her and tossing it out of reach.

"Girls' prerogative," she said. "So..." she went on, snuggling closer once again. "Here we are. Nothing between us."

"Y-yeah..." Maxwell suddenly felt last night's butterflies make a return en masse to his stomach. "Nothing between..." he swallowed nervously

"You ok?" she asked, smiling gently as her hand wandered down his back, investigating his bottom, stroking the base of his fluffy tail. "If it feels wrong..."

"No," he shook his head. "No, it doesn't feel wrong at all. I just... have a feeling I'm gonna find a way to make a fool of myself," he admitted, his hand resting on her waist, stroking her russet fur, the soft sensation calming.

June giggled. "Maxy, it's a lot harder to screw up sex with me than you think. Even if you are technically virgin."

"W-what?" he blinked.

"Well you haven't done this with a girl before, now have you?"

"N-no, but I've... I've... I've had boyfriends... I mean, I've..."

"Shh, don't get upset," June smiled, pressing her fingers to his lips. "I said technically. Besides," she went on, her hand drifting around to the front of his hips. "It won't be for long," she murmured. "Here now, that's right..."

Maxwell gasped as her fingers touched his erection, slipping around it, embracing it against her soft palm, digits small, softer, and more delicate than the average male.

"That's right," she went on gently. "Relax, Max. Good boy."

"Mmm," he sighed as she caressed him gently. He could feel her pushing down on his shaft, angling it away from his body.

"Just relax... pretend I'm a guy," June's soft instructions continued. He was touching her body now, his tip resting against her fur, slowly, deliciously slowly being pushed down until he was gliding against naked skin. "Just another guy."

Something clicked at the back of Maxwell's head.

"W-wait..."

"Maxy?" June caught his gaze as his eyes flickered open.

"Should... should I wear... protection?" he looked very pink, and she smiled gently, leaning forward to nuzzle his cheek.

"We'll you're not going to get me pregnant, and I don't know of any other reason one of us needs protecting," she whispered. "Do you?"

"N-no... I would never have let it get this far if..."

"I know," June murmured. "I trust you, Maxy, don't be frightened. I'm just like a guy if you close your eyes," she told him gently, and he nodded, his hand tightening a little on her flank, feeling her fur soft between his fingers.

She was pressing him against warmth, raw, liquid heat, slowly engulfing him, slipping down his shaft as she wiggled her hips, edging closer. Huffing panting breaths, he rested his chin on her shoulder as she drew him closer, her soft breasts pressing against his chest.

"That's right, Maxy, that's right. Oh, you feel good... so good..."

Their hips met, her warm entrance pressed against the top of his furry sheath as she hooked her leg over his hips, holding him tight against her.

Maxwell let out a long, shaking breath, holding the vixen tight to his body, feeling their heartbeats thudding in gentle counterpoint.

"Do you like it?" she whispered, and he nodded, eyes still tight closed. "How does it feel, non-virgin?" she giggled, hugging him close.

"Wench," he murmured into her ear. "Wonderful. Thank you," he added.

"You're quite welcome," she told him. "What would you like to do now?"

"Mmm," he let out a breath, shifting his hips a little as he leaned back to look at her. "Well this is pretty nice just as is," he murmured softly, nuzzling her muzzle for a moment. "Um, and to be honest, I don't know that we have much time to play around."

"Oh...?"

"Y-yeah," he nodded, unable to help hunching his hips against her, gasping as the motion sent a thrill of sensation through him. She pushed back, her body pressing down from every angle, every possible inch of him held inside her. "I've never... feels so... June, I think I'm gonna..."

"Shh," she murmured, brushing her lips against his. "Don't worry about it. Boys always finish fast when they're nervous. Nice relaxing quickie never did anyone any harm, hmm?" Humming softly, she snuggled up to him again, her nose diving between his cheek at the pillow, nuzzling gently as her hand swept down the entire length of his back, fingertips hooking lightly under his tail finding that particularly sensitive spot.

"June!" Eyes tight shut, the raccoon hugged her hard, his body trembling.

Rocking her hips against him, the vixen grinned, hugging him back. "It's all right, Maxy, all right. Give it up for the nice foxie."

Nose pressed into her fur, wonderful sensations pulsing between his legs, Maxwell did exactly as she asked, the vixen matching every movement as his hips pushed up against her, taking him as deep inside as she could, her body tugging and squeezing him.

"Oh yes, you needed this," he heard her murmuring through the rush in his ears. "You needed this so bad... ooo... I'm..." She stiffened in his arms, her hips locking against his, her insides clamping down with velvet strength, tightening spasmodically around him as the last surges of his climax trembled through his body.

"Ooo..." she murmured again, her body relaxing slowly. "Maxy..."

"June... you're beautiful," he told her, and she looked at him, her fur ruffled and untidy from being trapped between his cheek and the pillow.

"And you're a liar," she said softly. "But thank you. That was wonderful."

The raccoon nodded silently as she hugged him, feeling small sparkles of pleasure still passing from his body to hers.

"Um, June?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you...?"

"Yeah," she nodded, still a little breathless. "I always do when someone... someone finishes inside. Phew," she fanned herself with her hand.

"Always?"

"Always," the vixen nodded again.

"You know, some people would kill for that little trait..."

"Are you one of them?" One of June's eyebrows twitched, and he blushed. "Jack teases me with it," she said, pouting. "He likes to make me pop right before he does, so that when he finishes... it happens again, and I end up gasping for breath. Nearly passed out once..."

"I'd love to see that," he whispered.

June giggled. "Maybe one day, hun. For now, I'm afraid all you get is me on my own."

Maxwell hugged her tighter. "I guess I can manage with that. For a while."

"A while?"

"Yeah. Couple of centuries, maybe. Not much more than that, really..."

June laughed. "Well I'll see what I can do. Maybe you won't have to wait that long."

Smiling, eyes closing, the vixen let her head settle down onto the pillow. Maxwell studied her for several long moments, this curious, vivacious, willful, wonderful girl who had shared with him something so special, who had brought an experience thought both unwanted and distasteful into reached and caused him to grasp for it with urgent desire.

Strange morning, really, he thought. But pleasant, and very comfortable, snuggled warmly together, her body wrapped around his so intimately. She stirred as he lifted a hand to brush her cheek, but didn't open her eyes. Leaning forward, he kissed her nose softly before letting his head sink back onto the pillow beside her.

Strange morning.

"Mmm?" Maxwell stirred.

"Sorry," June murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking back at him as he lay under the duvet. "I really gotta go."

"Aww," the raccoon adopted a disappointed expression and she giggled, reaching down to caress his muzzle with her fingertips.

"Not far," she reassured. "Be back soon." Smiling, she lifted a hand to her mouth, pressing two fingers against her own lips before touching them to his in a gesture both cute and strangely motherly. Rising, tail swaying gracefully as she walked, the vixen exited the room. Lost in the gracefulness of her motion, it was only after she disappeared from sight that Maxwell realised she was wearing his underwear, eschewing her own pyjama bottoms which lay in a crumpled heap on the floor.

It was oddly sexy, the raccoon thought.

True to her word, June was back in only a few minutes, grinning and carrying two cups of tea.

"You had to go to make tea?" Maxwell asked, sitting up.

"No, I had to go to make pee, thanks for being nosey," she chided gently, setting both mugs down on the drawers next to the bed and leaning over him so that her nose brushed his. Her breath smelled slightly minty, he noticed. "So how you feeling?" she asked, her eyes filling his vision, glittering in the light that filtered through the curtains.

"Good," he told her, smiling and gently rubbing his nose against hers. "I didn't think it would be so easy," he went on, without really thinking, and she giggled.

"Are you saying I'm easy?"

"That's not what..."

"Relax," she forestalled his apology. "I know I am - but only with friends. No regrets?"

"None."

"Good," she grinned, hovering her lips over his for a moment until he twitched his head upwards before suddenly rolling her weight to drop down next to him, shuffling her way under the duvet.

"Tease," Maxwell said, producing a fair imitation of her own alluring little pout, and she laughed.

"It's the lack of caffeine."

"Oh, then you'd better have this," the raccoon grinned, handing her the pink mug on the assumption it was hers. Apparently it was because she accepted it with a smile, sitting up and leaning against the wall behind as he did the same, just looking at her, taking in every gentle curve and distractedly spilling a mouthful of his own tea down his chest. Smiling, she rolled her eyes, then leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"I do love it when you're flustered," she told him.

"That's probably a good thing," he admitted, patting at his damp fur and not really achieving anything.

"Aww, do I fluster you that bad?"

"Yes, but it's a good fluster," he said, cheek resting against hers as they leaned together.

"Mmm, then I'll have to find ways to keep doing it," she smiled, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Is that a threat?" he asked, returning the smile and successfully sipping his tea this time.

"Think of it as a promise."

"Sounds interesting."

"I'd like to think so."

"June, I... I really like you, you know."

Giggling, the vixen dipped her head, taking on a pleasingly pink flush. "Thanks. I like you too," she told him, nose finding the underside of his chin and playfully pushing his head upwards for a moment.

"June?"

"Hmm?"

"You didn't make a decaf tea for me, did you?"

"It comes in decaf?"

"It does. I'll take that as a no."

"Weird. Doesn't it taste funny?"

"Nope, just the same."

"Then how can you tell?"

"Because I really need to get up for a few minutes."

Laughing, she kissed his cheek. "That's got to be psychological!"

"Probably," Maxwell agreed sheepishly, setting his mug down. "But if I don't move soon it'll be physiological too and I'll take a guess you're not into that."

"Good guess," she nodded, sticking out her tongue. "You go on. I'll still be here." Sitting up, she took her weight off him so that he could escape.

It wasn't until Maxwell had flipped back the duvet and stood up that he realised he was still nude from the waist down. He found June grinning at him as he looked over his shoulder, and flushed, suddenly grateful for his lustrously thick tail. Casting his gaze around, he remembered she had borrowed his shorts to make tea, which left...

"Oh, pink suits you," June said, smothering a laugh as he pulled on her pyjama trousers. He feigned a frown, but couldn't hold it, the situation was far too silly to be angry about.

"Well I figure nobody else is around to see anyway."

"Yep," she nodded. "Feel free to be naked if you prefer. I know I would," she grinned back, and he hesitated for a moment, mouth open, before turning and retreating from the room.

Catching sight of himself in the mirror over the bathroom sink, Maxwell studied himself for a few moments. Something felt slightly different. Not wrong, just different. Maybe it was the smile that he couldn't seem to repress, or the feeling of being wanted... or maybe it was the pink pyjamas. The thought made him grin, stretching luxuriantly in front of the mirror and for once not feeling too unhappy with the image it reflected. How odd to find a moment of self worth while wearing someone else's clothes.

He wondered, as he re-entered her bedroom, whether that same feeling had anything to do with the fact she was now dressed in that little schoolgirl uniform of hers, standing in the corner of the room and looking terribly meek and girly. She gazed up at him shyly for a moment, biting her lip before speaking.

"Sister Suzy sent me to see you, sir," she said, suddenly sounding five years younger than she was, the toes of one foot scuffling over the carpet as if uncertain.

"Really... now why ever would she do that... miss Flowers?"

There was a sparkle in her eye that told him he had responded in exactly the way she had been hoping, but she didn't for a moment break the role she was playing.

"She says I've been naughty, sir."

"Ah, I see," Maxwell nodded, finding it quite irresistible to play along. "What is it that you did, miss Flowers?"

"Wrote things."

"And what did you write?"

"Poems," eyes downcast, the vixen's voice became slightly sullen.

"What were the poems about?" Maxwell pressed. "Miss Flowers?" he prodded when she didn't immediately answer.

June took a deep breath. "Sex," she told him, her tone rebellious, eyes hardening as she looked up. "Sex with boys. Sir."

"Oh my," Maxwell said, raising his eyebrows in mock horror. "Oh dear me, miss Flowers, haven't we already explained to you that no good will come of this? You know the principles upon which this school is built. Hard work, obedience, discipline and virtue."

"I know, sir," her voice fell. "I don't mean to be bad, sir."

"No, I'm sure you don't," Maxwell smiled, trying to sound fatherly. "But it does keep happening, doesn't it?"

"Yes, sir."

"And I do have to punish you, don't I?"

The vixen chewed her lip, looking anxious. "Y-yes, sir," she answered after a pause.

"And how do you think I should do that?" Maxwell asked, feeling that the best idea would be to let her lead, despite the submissive role she had taken.

"Well you... you gave me lines first time, sir."

"And did that work, miss Flowers? Did you return to the four principles of our school?"

"No, sir," she shook her head.

"No," the raccoon let out an exaggerated sigh. "I didn't think so. What else have we tried?"

"You told me to polish all the awards in the hall. You said that I'd learn how hard work would make my life shine?"

"And did you?"

"No, sir. I - I paid a first year to do it for me."

"Oh, miss Flowers," Maxwell rubbed his temples. "Oh, miss Flowers, whatever are we to do with you? I truly believe you don't mean to be a bad girl, but nothing I do seems to have any effect? Tell me now, truthfully, what should I do that will get through?"

The vixen hesitated for a moment, looking down at him as he perched on the edge of her bed, his expression sincere, then slowly took a step towards him.

Maxwell watched as she approached, curious as to where she was going with this, fighting an urge to reach out and touch her cheek as she stopped beside him, leaning down until her hands rested on his knee, her head turning to put her lips by his ear.

"Play?" she whispered, and he recognised the break of character.

"Of course," he whispered back, nodding his understanding of the non-seriousness of the moment. Not that there was anything serious about admonishing a twenty one year old schoolgirl for writing raunchy poetry while being dressed in pink ladies pyjamas. He kissed her cheek softly, nuzzling into her warm fur, inhaling her gentle scent for a moment before she giggled.

"Well, sir..." visibly shaking, the vixen lowered herself across his knees, supporting her upper body on the edge of the bed while her legs hung over his.

"Hmm," Maxwell stated thoughtfully. "I see, miss Flowers. Well, perhaps you are right. Since we have failed to deliver the message with gentler means, perhaps a more physical method of punishment is in order. I believe that there will be no need for a cane, on this occasion, hmm?"

The vixen whimpered softly.

"Move your tail, silly girl," Maxwell instructed, allowing an edge of firmness to creep into his voice, glad that she couldn't see his smile. "Else you'll have a cast on it for a month. I have no intention of taking this lightly." Allowing one hand to creep up her back, Maxwell let it settle between her ears, petting her softly to let her know it was all part of the game.

Hesitantly, he watched as she did as he instructed, that soft length of fur arching upwards to expose her white little panties. Nodding in satisfaction, waiting for the space of several breaths, Maxwell held quite still, until it looked like she was about to speak before placing his hand gently on her backside.

"Sir - ow!"

So convincing was her exclamation of pain that Maxwell wondered for a moment if he had actually managed to hurt her, but a moment later her hand had landed over his between her ears, and he knew everything was well.

"Now then, miss Flowers," the raccoon said firmly, drumming his fingers against white cotton and eliciting another squeak of feigned discomfort. "Recite for me the values of our school."

"Hard - ow - work," June mumbled as gentle fingers tapped her lightly on the bum. "Obedience - ouch!" Oh god it was silly, she thought. Play-spanked by a boy who didn't like girls, who was wearing her pants. "Dis - ow - discipline?" But it was far too much fun to interrupt now that they were going.

"Obedience," she said again, and received a slightly firmer pat.

"No, miss Flowers," Maxwell stated calmly. "That is the second principle, you have already said that. There are four principle this school is built upon. Now start again."

Damn but he was good at this, she thought, fingers digging into the edge of the bed as she sprawled out across his lap, his hand lightly tapping against her bottom in delightfully exciting ways. She could feel the thin cotton beginning to stick wetly to her skin, but Maxwell seemed to be doing a good job of ignoring this. Good lad, Maxwell.

"Hard work - ah! Discipline - ow! Obedience! Hard - ow!"

"Miss Flowers, you are lacking the fourth principle again. Repeat."

"Hard work - ouch! Obedience, discipline - oww! Obe - ow!"

"Virtue, miss Flowers," Maxwell reminded her. "Virtue is the fourth principle. It means goodness, righteousness, purity and chastity; virtue."

"Yes - ow - sir. H-hard work, obedience - ow - discipline - ow - and vir-virtue."

"Again."

"Hard work, obedience, disc - ow - discipline, and virtue!"

"First principle."

"Hard work - ow!"

"Second principle."

"Obedience - ow!" If he had actually been hitting her rather than patting her, June would almost have believed that he meant it - and she honestly wasn't sure whether it would make her less aroused, or more.

"Third principle."

"Discipline - ouch! Sir..."

"Fourth principle."

"Virtue - ow!"

"Fourth principle."

"Virtue - owww..."

"Fourth principle."

"Virtue! Owie! Virtue virtue virtue!" June wailed, pounding the mattress with her hands as Maxwell relentlessly tapped her backside.

"Virtue," he repeated. "Goodness, righteousness, purity, and chastity. Repeat."

"Virtue. Goodness, r-righteousness, p-purity and ch," the vixen swallowed and felt another tap on her rear. "Chastity!" she finished with a half-sob.

"Good girl." Softly, gently, Maxwell let his hand spread out against the vixen's soft bottom, grinning at the silliness of it all and regretting it not a jot.

June panted softly, genuinely out of breath, luxuriating in the feel of Maxwell's hand caressing her ears as it had been all the way through her 'punishment.'

"Maxy?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know there is nobody else can play as well as you can?"

He laughed, petting her ears softly, allowing the other hand to trace the length of her tail, still held high over her back. "If you want to role play, find a closet nerd," he said, and grinned as she twisted to look back at him. "What? You think I didn't play those tabletop games as a kid? I've got over nine thousand Medieval Might trading cards back home. Maximilian of the Northern Lands, they called me. Won a couple of under-fifteens tournaments, got the limited edition cards to prove it."

It was June's turn to laugh, but kindly, as she pushed herself back up to stand, putting her hands on his knees, nose touching his as she leaned over him.

"Now why do I find so sexy?" she asked.

"I have no idea..." Maxwell admitted. "Skinny geeky kid who knew more about science and trading cards than sport or cars or life..."

"Those are the best guys," she murmured. "I'd so have pounced you."

"What, when I was fourteen? That'd be illegal..."

"I'd have been fourteen too. They don't lock you up for that, they just frown and look disappointed."

"You'd have struggled to get my interest if you didn't bring a rare magic card with you..."

"Boy, when I pounce someone," June said, leaning closer and pushing him backwards slightly. "I get their interest with or without magic cards."

"I was a late bloomer... about five feet tall... didn't know or care what sex was..."

"God I bet you were so cute!"

"I was gay! I am gay!" June said nothing, and he grinned sheepishly. "Mostly. Kinda... ish..."

"Maxy my dear," June smiled, her nose still pressed to his. "I'd have pounced you when you were fourteen, just deal with it or I'll have to bite you."

"Ok," he whispered, not quite sure whether she was joking or not.

"You do know I'm about to pounce you now, right?" she asked.

"I'd really like that..."

"Good. Feel free to act all inexperienced, nerdy and fourteeny."

"You have a knack of making me feel like that anyway," he admitted, swallowing and looking every bit the part.

"Aww bless you," the vixen murmured, lifting a hand from his knee to caress his face, her lips finding his, feeling his breathing quicken as she held the contact. "Now then, Maximilian of the Northern Lands," she giggled. "Why don't you just relax your cute little self, and let the nice foxie see what she can do for you, hmm?"

"Ok... but how is this going to improve my deck? Do you have any cards to trade?"

"Oh I have a very special card, Maximilian of the North," the vixen grinned, finding herself strongly drawn by his playful banter. "A card that is going to guarantee you victory in the field. But first you have to do what I say, as part of the trade," she went on, withdrawing her nose from his. "Now, let's get that shirt off, shall we?"

Obediently, Maxwell lifted his arms, allowing her to draw the t-shirt over his head, tossing it casually across the room.

"My, you are a finely muscled warrior, aren't you?" she murmured, running her hands across his chest - which was hardly finely muscled, but which Maxwell decided to let slide for the moment. "A fighter of many battles, from the look of you. Yes, I think we can do good things with you." Grinning, the vixen lowered her head, nuzzling his sternum, running her nose up under her chin so that he had to tilt his head back until he was looking at the ceiling.

Maxwell sighed contentedly, both playing his part and simply enjoying the sensation as she nuzzled him. Her hands were on his knees, drawing them apart, and he allowed her to have her way, feeling her lean back to kneel between his legs, smiling at him as he focussed on her. He shivered a little as her hands slipped up his inner thighs, caressing the ridiculously pink pyjamas with utmost sincerity.

Looking up at the raccoon's expression, June grinned, leaning forward to plant a kiss on his stomach, making him giggle childishly. God, he could be so cute when he tried... She had to have him!

Without hesitation, she dropped her muzzle, her nose pressing firmly against the cotton between his legs, breathing deep of the fascinating mix of their scents to be found, his masculine and exciting, overlaid with her own feminine arousal. Maxwell panted above her as she investigated his body through the garment, her nose and lips tracing the outlines of his sheath, pushing all the way down to his testicles, feeling him respond to the contact, toying with him until she had created a tent in the material, a tiny patch of fresh moisture becoming visible at the peak.

His eyes were closed when she glanced up, his mouth slightly open, his breathing short and rapid. He really did look younger and less experienced that he was, she thought. Making a grab for the cord at his waist, she had undone the knot before his eyes were open, her fingers latching onto the edge of the material, pulling it down. And there he was, hot, hard and pink, exposed to the eyes of a girl for the first time.

She fell upon him.

Basic, primal instinct pushed her slender vulpine muzzle all the way down his shaft, finally burying her nose in his fur. He must have taken time to wash himself, she realised, his taste fresh and clean along her tongue, no trace of their earlier intimacy remaining. Eyes closing, she whimpered softly around her mouthful, wondering if he knew how sexy that simple action was.

She savoured the feeling as she pulled back, feeling every bump and texture pass across her tongue until his tip passed her lips and she could coat it in licks, each drawing a shiver from him. His hand was on her ear, petting her softly as his hips twitched under her gentle assault.

Catching him looking down at her, she paused, smiling.

"So is it true that a tongue's a tongue?" she asked, and he shook his head, gathering his breath for a moment while she watched in bemusement.

"Some tongues are way better than others," he told her. "Do you have any idea how good you are at that?"

June didn't answer, instead slipping him into her mouth once more, wrapping him in silken warmth, bobbing her head slowly in his lap.

"June... mmm..." he sighed, a smile of deep contentment stealing across his muzzle as she gazed up at him. "You're beautiful," he told her gently, and she almost laughed at the timing of the words. "And you know you don't have to do this to get me to say that," he added, sticking his tongue out at her, gasping as she returned the gesture as her nose met his stomach, licking over the white fur above his testicles.

Winking up at him, she held his gaze a moment longer before closing her eyes once more, losing herself in the motion, the act of pleasing him, the raw physical sensation of having him in her mouth so intimately. She felt the band of her skirt press against her wrist without even knowing when she had moved her hand from his leg. Her fingers danced over damp cotton between her thighs, unable to help herself, drawing her fingertip the length of the crease down the middle, shivering under her own touch as she lapped her tongue along his heated shaft.

"June... holy..." Maxwell leaned back a little, taking his weight on one arm while his free hand continued to caress her ears. Damn she was good, investigating every last inch of him, holding him firmly between tongue and palate without ever scraping her teeth against his skin, her nose periodically pressing into his fur as she took him all the way in.

"I'm close..."

He didn't mean to say it, didn't really want it to be true, but it was and it was only fair to warn her. Catching her gaze as she opened her eyes, he gave her an embarrassed smile and she wiggled her eyebrows at him before pulling her head back, looking up at him as he panted, his shaft throbbing with the rapid beat of his heart, an inch from her lips.

"Better move back then, my seasoned warrior," she grinned, rising and touching her nose to his.

Nodding, he shuffled back on the bed, and she followed, prowling over him, carefully tugging off her underwear as they moved, her nose never leaving his, pushing him down until his head met the pillows. His hands were on her flanks, caressing her, rubbing her through that little cotton shirt. Her fingers found his as they moved to a button, gently tugging him away, making it quite plain that the blouse was staying.

"Your victory, warrior," she murmured, nuzzling his cheek. "But my way."

The hem of her skirt trailed down his stomach as she sat back, kneeling over him, the material obscuring the view of their lower bodies. A shiver ran up his spine as she reached behind her, soft fingers finding his achingly hard shaft, guiding him up against her as she pushed back. His hands tightened on her blouse, pulling the cotton tight around her middle as he felt her heat slip over him, her body slick and inviting.

Panting as she sat back on her heels, the vixen grinned down at him, her hands running over his chest, petting, soothing, and exciting him all at the same time.

"Ok?" she asked gently, and he nodded, his grip on her blouse loosening a little, hands moving up to cup her chest through the thin fabric. "Good boy. Mmm, feels so good to have you here..."

"Feels so good to be had there," Maxwell chuckled, his breath catching for a moment as she rolled her hips against him. "Real good... sorry, I'm going to be inexperienced, nerdy and fourteeny again," he told her with an apologetic slant to his eyebrows.

June giggled, taking one of his hands and drawing it up until she could nuzzle at his palm, taking in his scent.

"That's ok," she murmured softly, looking at him between his own fingers. "It's easy with me, remember? C'mon, let's be having you." Smiling as she let his hand fall, the vixen leaned forwards until her chest pressed against his.

He caught her cheeks as she came down to him, guiding his lips to hers, tongue insistent and probing this time, giving her no choice but to simply open her mouth and accept him inside, tapping her front teeth, grazing the insides of her lips.

"I need you," he whispered as they broke apart.

"You've got me," she told him softly. "Do what you want with me, warrior."

She felt his arms tighten around her back as her cheek pressed to his, felt the tension in his hips and knew that he had passed beyond his control.

"That's right Maximilian of the North," she murmured into his ear. "Claim your victory."

Hugging him, feeling him hugging her, June whimpered softly as the raccoon's hips surged up under hers, driving him deep into her... and there it was, that rush of liquid warmth inside, that flex of his body within hers. Her fingers dug into the sheets under them as her climax blossomed, swift and intense, sparking across the back of her eyelids, rushing through her ears, surging through her body until she lay drained and panting on his chest, feeling his hands caressing her back.

"Well done... warrior," she giggled, and heard him chuckle weakly. Content, temporarily satiated, she snuggled against him, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing lift her gently, a soothing rhythm of warmth and life.

"June?" Maxwell called softly, and she blinked, wondering if she had been on the edge of dosing off, or whether she had actually done so. "Hey," he murmured as she lifted her head until she could look into his eyes.

"Hey."

"You ok?"

"Wonderful," she grinned, then paused. "But I think we're a bit messy," she added, suddenly becoming aware of the dampness in the fur between her legs, how it seemed to have spread across his hips.

Maxwell shrugged his eyebrows. "I put the blame on you," he said cheerily.

"Oi," June frowned at him and poked his cheek with her nose. "Just because you're having mixed gender relations now doesn't mean you can shift responsibility for the wet patch."

"Oh I admit to some of it," the raccoon smiled. "But I'm pretty sure this is mostly you. I haven't made a bed this wet since I was three."

"Well maybe if you weren't so damn sexy it wouldn't be such a problem," June frowned at him, then pressed her lips firmly down over his, silencing his response.

"I could use a shower," she said, finally pulling back.

"Mmm," Maxwell agreed, and fought not to giggle as she eyed him. "I meant 'mmm, me too'!" he protested.

Fixing him in her gaze for a few seconds more, the vixen finally relented. "Then we have a problem."

"Mmm?"

"There's only one shower, and two of us that need to use it..."

"Is that... really such a problem?" Maxwell asked, softly kissing her cheek.

Being one of those pleasantly efficient power showers, the bathroom rapidly filled with steam as the hot water pattered against the clear plastic curtain. Nodding in satisfaction, June pulled her arm out from behind it, and reached for her shirt buttons, only to find herself swept up in Maxwell's embrace.

"Well goodness," she giggled as he nuzzled against the side of her neck, his fur sliding through her fingers as she wrapped her arms around him. "Hello, Maxy, where have you been hiding?" she smiled, and he chuckled.

"Something just struck me..." he said quietly, gently turning them on the spot so that her back pressed against the bathroom wall.

"It wasn't a frying pan was it?"

"Close; it's certainly knocked some sense into me."

"Then it must be good, what is it?"

"You are actually enjoying this, aren't you?"

June giggled. "Well of course I am, you silly boy. Whatever made you think I wasn't?"

"Paranoia, mostly... you wouldn't be the first person to offer a sympathy sleepover."

"Fair enough - what made you realise I'm in it for my own benefit?"

Blushing suddenly, Maxwell looked away for a moment before putting his lips to her ear and whispering his reply.

June blinked, laughed, then kissed him, her hands sliding up his back to press between his ears, holding him firmly in place. Taking the lead this time, she pressed her tongue firmly against his, pushing him back into his own mouth, trapping him there until they surfaced.

"Then I guess girls and gay boys can find a thing or two in common, after all," she grinned at him. "Now, are you going to let me undress so we can shower?"

For a moment, the raccoon hesitated, suddenly realising that he had never actually seen her naked. Strange as it seemed, he had managed to make love to her twice, without ever actually setting eyes upon her in the fur. Hugging her tightly for a moment, he stepped back, blushed, and looked away.

"You can watch, you know," June giggled, watching him. "You've already got permission to touch, that kind of implies all the lesser things too."

Suddenly looking a little nervous, Maxwell turned back as she unfastened the buttons on her short schoolgirl blouse. One, two, three undone, and the shirt hung loose from her shoulders. Unbidden, his hand came to rest on her stomach, petting her fur, and she smiled at him, nodding as his fingers crept upwards along the centre of her chest, feeling the beating of her heart and the swell of her breathing.

"Mmm," June sighed softly as his hands moved outwards, slipping across her breasts, gently casting the cotton aside and baring her to his gaze. Curious, hesitant, he studied her for a moment, before drawing her to him and planting a kiss between her eyes. Holding his shoulders, she felt his hands find the button on her waistband, and, sure enough, a moment later her skirt slid down her legs, pooling at her feet. Nudging him back gently, she smiled, encouraging him to complete his inspection.

"You're..." he hesitated, his eyes focussed somewhere below her naval.

"A girl?"

"Perfect," he finished. "And a girl," he added, laughing suddenly. Without warning, he dropped to his knees, hugging her around her waist, his head pressed tight to her stomach.

A little baffled but not displeased, June petted his ears gently, stroked his head and shoulders for a few moments before finally pointing out, "Um, Maxy, we came in here for a shower, remember?"

He looked a little pink as he rose to his feet, stepping aside to let her enter first, lifting the plastic curtain aside and, incidentally, having opportunity to study her from the rear.

"Come on," she smiled, turning and holding out her hand, tugging him gently after her into the warm spray. "Shall I start with your back?" she asked, holding up a bottle of shampoo, and he nodded.

The vixen took her time, moving her hands slowly, working the soap deep into his thick fur, enjoying the exploration of his body from the nape of his neck to the back of his heels. While not exactly athletic, he wasn't in poor shape either, bearing the medium-slender physique of one who maintains a good weight largely through diet, rather than exercise. He shivered when she passed her hands over his buttocks, and she grinned, suddenly running her fingers up under his arms and making him laugh and tremble.

"Turn around?" she asked softly, and was pleased when he didn't hesitate, although he was rather pink still. While that might have been the warmth of the water, there was about an inch of naked flesh at the tip of his sheath that hinted otherwise. Pretending not to notice, she soaped up all across his shoulders, down his chest and stomach, thighs and shins, smiling up at him past an increasingly obvious erection to which she maintained a purposeful obliviousness. This had the desired result of making him look both confused, flustered, and disappointed - until she stepped up close to him, flattened his shaft against his stomach with her hand, and told him to calm down and be patient.

"S-sorry," he murmured, his gaze falling.

"Don't be," she grinned. "We can do it again, just not here. I really don't like it in the shower," she said, wrinkling her nose cutely. "My turn?" she asked, pressing the shampoo into his hand.

He was a lot more hesitant than she had been, his touch light and still somewhat nervous despite overwhelming evidence that it would be well received, and June found it thoroughly cute. She giggled as he placed a kiss on the back of her ear, looking over her shoulder at him as his hands slid down to her waist.

Squeezing a portion of soap into one palm, Maxwell carefully shelved the bottle, and then suddenly realised that there June was, facing him, with her chest thrust out pointedly (almost literally), and giggling as he hesitated.

"You gonna kiss me again or what?"

He was, she discovered, humming happily as his lips pressed over hers, imitating their first kiss together, many gentle little contacts slowly merging into something deeper, breaking apart just as she would have opened her mouth to him. He still had a handful of soap held out to one side.

"Come here," she said, smiling, and taking hold of both his wrists, pushing his hands together until both were well lathered. "That's right, now then..." she sighed as his hands covered her chest.

It was a fascinatingly different feeling, Maxwell thought. So much softer and more supple than a male chest, so full of give and play without being overly squashy. Pressed against the centres of his palms, he could feel her nipples slowly hardening under the contact, her hands rising to grip his upper arms as he gently massaged the shampoo into her fur. Watching her face as she closed her eyes in contentment, he made sure not to miss an inch from her collar bones to the top of her well toned abdominal muscles before unhooking the shower head and rinsing her down.

"Mmm, that was nice," the vixen sighed comfortably, opening her sparkling blue eyes as he returned the shower to it's mount. "Are you ok to keep going?"

Maxwell nodded, locating the soap bottle again, lathering across her stomach and gaining numerous giggles as it turned out she was quite ticklish. Down to the tops of her thighs, bending so as to work shampoo all the way to her knees before finally kneeling before her, looking up as she looked down, her hand on his ear.

There was a wonderful curve to her hips, a wider sweep than he was used to, but one that didn't seem at all displeasing. One finger slowly traced a line down from her naval, eliciting another chain of giggles and sending a tremor through her body. Hesitating, he withdrew the hand that had been about to cup between her legs, not quite ready for that just yet, his fingertips instead alighting on her inner thighs, tracing five little tracks down each leg, soon smoothed and washed away as he continued down to her ankles, lifting her feet one at a time, making her wobble and laugh, pressing her hands onto his head for support.

Looking up, smiling, he made a circle in the air with his forefinger, and she obediently turned around, her wet tail catching him quite intentionally on the side of the head. He smiled as he worked his way back up from her feet, across calves and thighs that were a little softer than those of a male, yet well toned, with the characteristic strong lines of one who works out regularly. Plush bottom, rounded and firmly muscled, soft without being at all flabby it was a bum that just demanded attention, and without thought or worry he did precisely that, pushing his nose against the wet fur, resting his cheek against her as she giggled.

"You really are beautiful," he told her softly, smiling as her hand touched his ear gently.

Her tail seemed almost comically bedraggled under the stream of water, but revived somewhat as he rubbed shampoo into the entire length, working his way up from tip to base. She gasped as soapy slick fingers slipped under her tail, dancing across naked skin, and for a moment he paused - but she didn't pull away, instead pressing herself back just a little more firmly against the touch.

Biting her lip, June braced one hand against the tiled wall as Maxwell continued the intimate contact. She shouldn't perhaps have been surprised that here was something he wasn't shy about... Thinking he must be about finished, she unhooked the shower head and passed it back to him, giggling and whimpering softly as he directed right up between her legs.

"Oh, Maxy..." Did he even know how wonderful it felt to have those warm streams of water passing over her? He was covering everything from her tailhole to the front of her soft petals, and it was very, very exciting. She bit back a whine of frustration as he set the shower head down near her feet, apparently concluding she was rinsed enough, and then felt her breath vanish in a rush as a warm, wet tongue pressed up under her tail.

"Oh -" she let slip a word she hadn't said in his presence before, "- Maxy!" Both hands against the walls, head hanging, she panted hard. "Yes..."

She should have guessed he might have a bit of a tail-end interest, but this was not something she'd expected of him - nor would she even have asked, at least not until they had spent considerably more time together. It always felt like something that needed a deep degree of familiarity, an established history of intimacy, an understanding that nothing was forbidden - and yet here he was, showing so much respect for her on the first day they had slept together.

Her toes curled as his hand landed between her legs. Not invasive, not even investigative, just flat against her, heel of his palm across the back of her petals, fingers curling to point up her stomach, cupping her entire crotch in his hand. Looking down between her legs, June could see his knees, his thighs, his pink, hard, hot shaft.

She wanted it.

Maxwell blinked as the vixen suddenly shifted away, leaving him momentarily poised with his tongue out in the air feeling somewhat absurd. Seconds later, she had turned, picked up the shower spray, and directed it at him. Understanding, he opened his mouth and allowed the water full access, rinsing and spitting several times before she replaced it on it's mount and turned off the flow.

Her hands were on his shoulders as he rose, her lips pressing against his with a fiery passion, her tongue almost stifling him as she turned them on the spot and urged him to step out of the bath. She took a grab for hanging cord on the fan heater, sending a wave of warm air over them both as she backed up against his chest, wrapping his arms around her, guiding his hands down her body until his fingers cupped between her legs once more. A little awkwardly, he patted her there, feeling her tremble with each motion.

Her knees were going, the vixen realised. She'd let him get to her and now she could either find her own way to the floor or try to keep standing and let gravity do the work in its own time.

Arm arching up and behind, hand against the back of his neck, she pulled him down with her, his chest pressed to her back as he crouched over her, his erection bumping between her thighs. She had her hand around it before she even knew she was going to, guiding him, inviting him. His warm breath washed over her cheek as they crouched there, on all fours on the floor of the bathroom.

Maxwell wasted no time, having no more desire to wait than she did, wrapping one arm around her as he rocked his hips against her body, feeling her back arch to bring him deeper into her.

Oh god it felt good, so good to have him over her, around her, inside her, but somehow... it wasn't quite right... wasn't quite satisfying the feelings he had stirred in her. Pawing at a loose towel with her hands, she whimpered softly as the raccoon moved his hips against her, his lips pressing to her ear.

"I'd really love to lift your tail again..."

Oh fuck yes.

A tremor ran all the way down her spine, and she felt herself tighten around him for a moment, realising that even the idea had been almost enough to set her off!

Stretching out, she managed to latch on to the corner of the toiletries rack, dragging it towards them, pulling down the small bottle that she wanted and passing it over her shoulder. His weight left her back and she panted, head down so far her nose almost brushed the carpet. The click of the bottle cap was soon followed by a gentle, cool feeling of a slippery finger probing gently under her tail. Moaning softly, she pushed back against him, taking him to the first knuckle before he withdrew.

Maxwell panted, shivering a little as he drizzled the cool baby oil along his shaft, quickly covering himself before carefully lining himself up under the vixen's raised tail.

June bit her lip as she felt the first pressure, fighting the instinctive urge to tense. He was slow, tender, giving her all the time in the world to be ready for him, entering only when she was properly relaxed. By the time his hips bumped up against her bottom, she was practically purring, the initial discomfort being rapidly overtaken by a glorious sensation of fullness. Damn but the boy knew what he was doing!

"Oh god, Maxy..." Elbows spreading, June felt her shoulders slip almost to the floor as he leaned over her. "Maxy..."

Gently, slowly, as delicately as he had the first time, she felt him slip from her, pulling out only to nudge forwards again, filling the void created by his absence. He seemed to be able to read her perfectly, knew when to stay slow, knew when to speed up, when to go from long strokes to short, sharp jabs, when to tease her by withdrawing all but an inch, when to leave her breathless by filling her all the way.

With his weight on one arm, his free hand was on her stomach, and she pushed urgently at him, covering his hand with hers, guiding him down until she could curl his middle and third fingers up inside her, whimpering and trembling under the pervasive stimulation.

Her climax was coming. She could feel it building inside her, prickling at the edge of her vision, whispering at the limit of her hearing, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it. It was too much for her, all too much, this gentle, forceful, animal, sensual, relaxed, passionate, rushed, steady, unpredictable torrential whirlwind of...

"Maxy!"

She was flat out on the floor, spread eagled, a warm weight on her back, and a sensation of deep contentment filling her from her toes to her ears.

"June?" she heard him whisper and smiled.

"Maxy..."

"You ok?"

"I'm face down on the floor with a raccoon under my tail," she laughed. "And I'm wonderful. Thank you so much! Did you...?"

"Yeah. You... kinda tightened up a bit," he told her, chuckling and nuzzling gently at the back of her ear. "June... I love you..." The words surprised them both.

"I love you too, Maxy," she murmured, turning her head to catch his gaze. "I really do. But don't you dare fall for me, don't you dare do that... You don't want me as a girlfriend!"

Leaning over, he licked the side of her muzzle affectionately. "You're a wonderful girl, June, but I'd never ask that of you. You can't tie yourself to one person, you're freer than the wind, changeable as the weather. You're... you're gentle as the summer sun and fierce as a storm, and that's just how I like you. But I won't moan if you feel like blowing my way now and again," he added, grinning, and she laughed.

"Any time, Maxy, any time," she smiled, happy that he understood her so well and was content not to try to change her. "So tell me something..."

"Hmm?"

"Is there any point in introducing you to other girls who might like you?"

"None at all," he laughed, nuzzling the back of her neck. "I don't like girls."

"What about me?"

"Oh, I've decided you're an honorary boy."

"Thanks... I think."

"You're welcome. It means you get to drink beer in your pants and burp and scratch yourself openly; you'll love it!"

June laughed. "Sounds great! Although..." she mused quietly. "If I'm a boy, that means I'm going to have to turn the tables on you some time, doesn't it, Maxy?" she asked, looking over her shoulder, grinning wickedly.

Biting his lip, Maxwell blushed.