FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

After the sounding of the bell, the students pooled out in the hallways as the teachers frantically announced their closing remarks to their uninterested ears. The once silent corridors were now filled with the jabbering mixture of voices, some of the anthros hurrying to catch up with their friends. The start of fifth period meant lunch for a third of the school's populace, having to divide lunch between three periods due to the considerable number of students. There was an even mix of happy and disappointed teenagers that shared a lunch period with their friends or not. For a certain couple, not only did they share lunch, but doing so actually led to them meeting for the first time as well.

The students stepped into the cafeteria, dropping their backpacks and books on the one of the dozens of circular tables neatly arranged in the sprawling room, before queuing up in the adjacent room to pick a meal. Some of the rowdier students even dumped off their bags on a random table and sprinted to the serving line to bypass the unbearably long lines that were a daily routine for the less fortunate ones that couldn't arrive to the cafeteria in time. One of the more unusual students was already seated, but without a meal. Instead, the singular human was patiently waiting for someone. He twiddled his thumbs, ignoring the occasional odd look given by a passing anthro, slinging his backpack over the back of the chair beside him, so no one else could claim the spot.

A calico feline strolled down the hall, her messenger bag bouncing from her knee smacking into it with every stride, her usual hoodie tied around her waist. Without it in the way, a deep purple, both literally and figuratively, shirt was on full display. Just as she approaches the lobby of the lunchroom, a cheetah sprints by without warning, nearly colliding with her fellow feline. The calico is almost knocked off balance by the sudden figure barreling down beside her, growling at the careless student.

"One of these days, I'm going to trip that bitch. Might lose a leg doing it though." Sammy huffs to herself, readjusting her bag, glaring at the back of the cheetah as she disappears into the other room.

Spotting the human, Sammy hustles over to the table he saved for them.

"Dude, I keep telling you that you don't need to wait for me. You know that I hate keeping people waiting." she sighs, dropping her messenger bag on the table.

"And you know I like to be polite." Eric smiles, scooting his chair back to stand back up.

"Dick." the feline jabs, stepping around the table, joining her boyfriend as they both joined the growing crowd of students entering the kitchen and serving area.

Distant scents of the school grade food drifted around the corner, giving them both an idea of what was on today's menu. Despite his waiting and her somewhat late arrival, the line was only just barely outside of the threshold of the next room, so the wait wouldn't be longer than a minute or two.

"You remember to bring money this time?" Eric teases, standing behind the feline.

"Yes and fuck off. Not my fault that these asshole companies don't sew pockets on woman's jeans." she rolls her eyes, thumping him in the side of his leg with her tail.

"Don't you wear men's jeans?" he questions.

"Sometimes." Sammy replies, taking a step forward as the line gradually shrank.

Eric takes the opportunity to glance down at what she happened to be wearing today. Rather than her usual baggy pants, she went with a tighter pair instead that helped to underline her feminine figure that she didn't care to ever show off. It was a pleasant surprise that he wasn't expecting to see. That being said, her usual skater shoes and hoodie remained unchanged, not that he minded.

"Uh, do those have pockets?" he raised a brow.

"Nope. That's why I have the hoodie." she shrugs, taking another step, now entering the kitchen that was partially visible behind the serving lines and counters.

Two of the lunch ladies were relaying hot trays of food, while the others served. A glass barrier stood between the students and the food on display, hot enough to steam and fog up the window. The women stood behind, serving spoons in hand, ready to scoop up and dish out whatever it was the student chose with a healthy variety of entrees and sides up for the taking. Sammy approaches and picks up a tray from the tall stack, setting it down on the top of the glass, eyeing her choices.

"So, you do have money to pay or not? Kinda confused here." Eric clarifies, more than willing to cover her tab once again.

"I'm good. My dad just filled up my account balance, since he apparently doesn't trust giving me the money to do it myself." Sammy smirks, pointing out her selection to the lunch lady, who picks up a plate of grilled chicken salad, the lettuce nearly overflowing over the sides.

"Probably because he found out you were skipping meals to pocket it?" Eric chuckles, grabbing a tray for himself.

"I like to think of it as saving money." she defends, the lunch lady sliding the tray down to the next worker.

Sammy sidesteps down the line, picking a small bowl of grapes and another of succotash, which the woman adds to the tray, before handing it back to the feline.

"Justify it however you need to." he smirks, picking out the meal of the day, which was a fairly average looking cheeseburger and a side of French fries.

Laying the tray on the metal counter, the feline pushes it along, dropping an orange and a bottle of water down beside her meal, stepping to the cash register at the end of the line. After grabbing a few sides and a carton of juice, Eric follows closely behind, half expecting her payment to be declined. Sammy pulls out her school ID and swipes it through the card reader attached to the side of the register, the cashier nodding as her charge was accepted.

"Get the guy behind me too." Sammy instructs the cashier, swiping her card again, once Eric moves closer.

Nodding, the hyena taps his fingers over the touch-screen of the register, adding the human's meal to her order.

"Really? You didn't have to do that." Eric states as he steps behind her.

"I owe you for yesterday." she retorts, picking up her tray and heading back out to the cafeteria.

"Fair enough." Eric smiles, walking out with her, heading back to the table to wait for her as she pauses at a condiment bar.

After a few squirts of ranch over the leafy greens, Sammy picks up a fork and spoon, before heading back to the table, setting down her tray and taking a seat opposite from the human.

"Another salad?" he questions, popping a fry into his mouth.

"Yeah. Been getting a hankering for them, after that one I had at the mall. Probably won't be as good as that one, so I'm not getting my hopes up." the feline nods, cracking open her bottle of water.

"That's a good craving to have though. I should start switching it up myself. Been eating too much junk lately." Eric admits, picking up his burger and taking a large bite out of the anemic sandwich.

"Uh huh. How's that burger?" she asks, after giving him a moment to swallow.

"Meh. Flimsy patty. Tastes of just meat. No seasoning. Typical cafeteria fare. The nerve to actually advertise this as a 'Cowboy Burger' is disgusting." the human critiques, lifting up one end of the bun to examine the meat itself.

"Someone has a Yelp account. Wouldn't call that false advertising either, cause I think you're actually eating the fucking cowboy." she grins, jabbing the plastic fork into her salad, stirring it around to mix the dressing as best as she was able.

"What? Sounded too pretentious?" Eric chuckles, chomping back into the burger, not wanting to waste it, since Sammy paid for it.

"A little. Pretty sure this is why condiments were invented. Jazz up that burger with something. You really eat everything plain?" Sammy reacts, taking a forkful of lettuce into her maw, frowning at the limp and soggy texture.

"Nah. Ketchup and mustard are gross and mayo makes me want to hurl. Hated that shit ever since I was a kid." he gags at the thought, setting down his burger to focus on opening up his juice.

"Gotcha. Is your favorite ice cream flavor vanilla too?" Sammy taunts, forcing the mouthful of unappetizing greens down her gullet.

"Pistachio." Eric humphs, following up with a swig of apple juice.

"Not bad, unlike this salad. Guess that craving is gone." she sighs, snatching an orange off of her tray, using her claws to tear through the skin.

"Aww. Want some burger?" he offers with a sarcastic tone.

"No thanks." Sammy frowns, ripping a wedge from the orange.

The pair continue to pick through their lunches, swapping small talk, enjoying their first break of the school day. The both of them were used to sitting off to the side, since neither of them liked being in the middle of the obnoxiously loud crowd. Since the cafeteria was in a circular shape, the noise seemed to bounce at them from all directions. Thankfully, an addition was added to the school a year ago that expanded the room. Now, the cafeteria was topped off with an addition at the back. Much like the rest of the cafeteria, the room was built in a circular shape, though much smaller. The untextured walls to the sides were a clean white, while the center of the room was completely covered in windows, the sunlight pouring in with an inviting light. It had a gorgeous view of the hillsides surrounding the school, the grass shimmering with morning dew, gently curling in the breeze. Sammy and Eric were a permanent fixture in the addition and always ate at the same table, enjoying the tranquility and peace that followed.

"So. Up to anything tonight?" Sammy asks, scraping off the rind from her next portion of orange.

"Was going to stay in and study. Hoping to push my GPA up by acing my next bio test." he shrugs, stealing one of her grapes.

"Oh. Never mind then." Sammy exhales, tossing the orange peel on her tray.

"What? You have plans?" he looks up from the table.

"Yup. Don't know if it's for you though. Doesn't involve studying for a test on a goddamn Friday night, you fucking dweeb." she sneers, bearing one of her fangs.

"Very funny. Forgive me for caring about my grades." he scoffs, tossing another grape into his mouth.

"Does that mean you wouldn't be interested in a party?" Sammy asks, already anticipating his answer.

"A high school party? What's on the menu? Teenage pregnancy and date rape?" he quips, leaning back in his seat.

"Figured as much. This isn't a fucking after-school-special or a 1950's PSA." Sammy groans, crossing her legs.

"Not exactly wrong either. I don't know. Never saw the appeal of parties. Wouldn't want to feel like a third wheel." Eric frowns.

"They can be fun. Nicole is throwing this one, so I don't expect to see any jocks or assholes or anything like that." she reassures, picking up her spoon and sliding her bowl of succotash towards her.

"They can still crash one." he whines, hanging his head back.

"I'll be there with you. Do you have guys bullying you or some shit?" she growls.

"Not really. I guess. Just some ball breaking and feeling awkward as hell, but that's all." the human exhales.

"I break your balls all the time. Doesn't mean I hate you." she states, leaning her head down to shovel a spoonful of the beans and corn into her muzzle.

"True. Still. Social shit doesn't bode well with me, but I guess I could try and enjoy myself if you don't mind me being there." he nods, dropping his elbow on the table.

"I wouldn't ask you to come if I didn't want you there." she points out, chewing the soft kernels.

"Alright. I guess if it's a friend of yours, I can trust them. What time should we get together?" Eric asks, watching her eat.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"If you want to come with me to pick up the beer?"

"Sammy!" Eric grunts in annoyance.

"What? A good party needs beer and I have a connection!" Sammy defends, eating another spoonful of her food.

"And if we get caught?" he huffs.

"I've never gotten caught."

"Only takes one time!"

"Ugh! Fine, you big baby! I'll pick you up when I'm done." she throws her hands up in frustration.

"It's not that I don't want to come with you. It's just that I don't want to get caught." he sheepishly states.

"There's going to be drinking at the party, asshole. Guess you don't mind getting caught there? And we won't get caught!" Sammy shakes her head, glancing up at her boyfriend.

"I don't know." Eric frowns.

"Look. I go to this one bar, they put a case in my trunk, we drive away. Simple as that. Even we do get pulled over, which we won't, they wouldn't have a reason to search the car or pop the trunk. Okay?" Sammy promises, now making eye contact with the human.

Eric stays silent, mulling over the decisions.

"C'mon. You know I like our little road trips." she grumbles, returning to her food.

"Alright, fine. Just don't give me the sad eyes." he caves, already plotting an excuse if they were to get pulled over.

"Yay!" she cheers, smiling up at him.

"How far away is it?"

"About fifteen or twenty minutes. Depends on the traffic."

"In your car? Christ, I hope we make it back alive."

---

"Uhhh....so, where is this place?" Eric cautiously asks as he looks out the window.

At first, the pair had taken a casual drive towards the city, gazing at the impressive skyline and tourist spots, while they drove down the interstate. That is, until Sammy pulled off into one of the exits, entering an area that was, to be as polite as possible, "rugged". Their vehicle rumbled as they descended down the hilly terrain, a reoccurring feature that was unavoidable in the city. With every neighborhood they passed, the human's eyes could help but notice the unkempt, overgrown yards and condemned houses that were tainted with graffiti and shattered windows. Traveling through a small business district, only provided him with the view of liquor stores and payday loan shops. Only twice, was he able to see an actual grocer.

"Homewood. Why do you ask?" the cat answers, after exhaling a pillow of cigarette smoke out of the open window.

"Oh, you know, no reason." he gulps, taking note of how most of the windows he saw were accompanied with iron bars, the peeling paint being spray painted with what he hoped wasn't gang tags.

"No sushi joints or Starbucks around here." Sammy smirks, the yellowing cigarette poking up from in between her fingers, while they clutched the steering wheel.

"You can say that again." he sighed, pulling himself away from the window, flopping back in his seat.

"Not used to this kind of scenery?" the feline questions, cringing as the car briefly bucks into the air, after colliding into a pothole she failed to dodge.

"Can't say I am." he nods, reaching forward to roll up his window a tad, the weather not being terribly hot nor humid for a change.

"Where'd you grow up again? Way up north or some shit?"

"Yeah. Massachusetts."

"Ah, I see. You gonna tell me now that there weren't areas like this there?" she continues, slowly their speed as they approach a sharp bend, popping her cigarette back into her lips, so both hands were free to jerk the steering wheel.

"Not really, no. At least, not many that I've seen." he shrugs, leaning forward to fiddle with the radio controls.

"Well, I'm sorry that not everything over here is grinders and CHOWDAH." she taunts, going with an over-the-top Boston accent that he certainly hoped was intentionally bad.

"Holy hell, we do not sound like that!"

"Ya like 'dose' apples, ERIC!? Huh!? Wanna go see DA BROOOOONS!?" she continues, ensuring she hit an unpleasant pitch that was somewhere between ear splitting and grating.

"Oh my god. Stop."

"NO SUH! Actually, let's go see DA SAHCKS!"

"Hey, at least they fucking win!"

"Don't shit talk my team! They're......doing their best." she grumbles, pulling down another street, this one having actual signs of life.

Unlike the other district they passed through moments ago, this one seemed packed with actual businesses. Tattoo parlors, pubs, and to his surprise, a vinyl record shop that he wouldn't mind visiting. Not by himself, of course. He wasn't exactly looking forward to even leaving the vehicle at this point.

"Seriously though. Aren't you, like, worried or anything?" Eric asks as he returned to looking around the unwelcoming area.

"Not really. Leave people and they won't fuck with you. Don't draw attention. Not everyone that lives here is a criminal, dick. People just trying to live their life. Won't bullshit you and say that it's the safest area around, but we'll be fine." she reassures, brushing the cigarette ash that had fallen onto her lap during the drive.

"I know, but I just feel weird. Not trying to be an asshole, but it just really feels dangerous." he exhales, trying not to stare at the people they passed by as they went about their day, walking down the split and broken sidewalk, weeds and crabgrass poking up between the cracks in the concrete.

"Would you say that it's 'wicked' dangerous, Eric?" Sammy says in a deadpan tone, keeping her eyes on the road.

Eric growls in response, seeing the smirk overtaking her expression.

"Sounds like you're a bit sheltered." she comments, spotting their destination at the beginning of the next road.

"Uh huh. And would you be out here at night?" he raises a brow.

"Fuck no!" she exclaims, flicking her smoldering butt out the window.

"Thought so." he snorts.

"Shut it. Almost there now. The PAHKEE is down there." Sammy says, returning to her annoying tone.

"A packie is a liquor store. Not a bar. At least get it right. And I didn't grow up in Boston, goddamn it!" he barks over top of her gleeful laughter.

Thank god they were finally there.

As they crossed the intersection, Eric was able to eye the bar that Sammy had talked about. A rectangular trailer or mobile home that was converted for the business. It was lifted a few feet above the ground by what appeared to be cinder blocks and 2x4s from what Eric was able to guess as they neared the building. A shoddily built staircase and porch attached to the front and side of the bar, an adjacent dirt lot that seemed to be the parking lot was already partially filled with cars and other vehicles, including a dirt bike, that he wasn't sure was even legal for the road. He started to think of how the trailer was even still standing at the correct height for the porch, seeing as the foundation was nothing more than a dirt and mud pit. For how much it rained in the city, he had no idea how the building held its ground.

"Cock and Bull, huh? Interesting name." Eric chuckles, jumping in his seat as Sammy suddenly pulls into the lot, the jalopy bouncing over the uneven surface, kicking up dirt and pebbles that pelted the underbelly of her car.

"Yes, sir." she nods, carefully weaving through the poorly parked vehicles, taking an abrupt turn towards the back of the building.

"We parking back here?"

"Yup. That's what my uncle wants me to do every time I'm here." Sammy says, the brakes squealing as the car came to a halt, before throwing it in park.

Eric unclasps his seatbelt, letting out another sigh, turning to look over at Sammy. She removes her seatbelt and turns off the ignition, pushing her door open. The human takes a quick look into the passenger side mirror to see if anyone was behind them, aware of how paranoid he was being, but was understandably, at least to himself, worried.

"Let's go." she calls out, slamming her door shut, not even bothering to lock it.

Eric sighs and shoves open the door, stepping out onto the dirt. As he closes the door, he sees a figure glancing out one of the few windows installed on the back of the building, unable to see who it was, but saw enough to know they were being watched. Gulping, he walks over to Sammy in a hurry to catch up with her, heading to the front of the trailer. Upon getting a closer look of the staircase, he was right to assume how poorly built it was. Aged, tarnished wood that was obviously not weather treated, judging by how swollen and warped it had become over time. Whoever hammered the porch together was clearly not a skilled carpenter, going for the cheapest route, instead of just taking the time and money to do it right. The nails themselves weren't even the correct sizes. Most of them pierced through the other side of the wood and were simply beaten to the side in a vain attempt to safely conceal the jagged ends. Even the surface of the porch wasn't right. Instead of using real lumber, plywood was used and painted over in a pitiful attempt to cover it up.

"Don't touch that handrail, unless you want a splinter." Sammy warns, walking up the five steps to the front door.

Grimacing, Eric cautiously treks up the steps, making sure there weren't any stray nails sticking up from the boards that could stab him in the foot, each one crying out from the weight pushing down on. If he were to guess, one of the steps had broken and been replaced, by how much cleaner and unworn it appeared.

Sammy pushes open the door, holding it open for her boyfriend, who followed close behind. The bar had a reasonable amount of people, Sammy even recognizing some of the regulars that had nothing better to do with their days. Unlike the outside, the interior was very nice. A bar ran from one corner of the room to the middle, ruby red topped stools dotting the front, the majority of them already taken, the unclaimed ones worn and split, pieces of duct tape plastered over the battered material. The bar top was created with a thick piece of oak, polished hourly by the attentive bartenders, a series of beer taps jetting up from various points, filling the locals with their daily amounts of watered down ale.

A rooster stood behind the bar, chatting with one of the patrons as the middle aged man stuffed a rag into one of the glasses, wiping away the dust that accumulated over the day. Nodding along to whatever the regular in front of him was rambling on about, the cock set the glass atop a tower of ones that had already been cleaned, swapping rags to start wiping down the bar top. An aardvark pulls himself up from the stool, wobbling slightly as he regains his balance. He then walks across the bar towards a vintage jukebox set up in the corner of the room, passing by the couple standing at the door. As he passes, he gives them an unassuming look, though he visibly reacts to the sight of Eric, letting out a surprised rumble, eyes widening in surprise at the presence of a human. The bartender glances up at the commotion, sharing a similar reception to Eric, noticing the feline as well. Tossing down his rag, he spins on his heels and heads over to a door behind the bar, giving it a sharp rap with his knuckles, before returning to his post. Eric nervously gulps and clutches Sammy's hand, already regretting his decision to tag along. The hinges of the door quietly squeak as it opens, a towering bull ducking under the doorframe, his horns still managing to scratch against the wood. Him and the rooster make brief eye contact, the bartender nodding towards the couple still standing at the door. Turning his head, he glares at the human, before facing the feline, his stern expression going soft for a moment, gesturing for them to come back into his office.

Sammy tugs at his hand, already a few steps ahead of him, prying him from the spot he was frozen too. He whines and tightly grips her hand, keeping his head down as they wind around the bar, ignoring the glances being shot in his direction. With his eyes staring at the heavily scuffed wooden flooring, he only lifts his head once the floor turns to carpet, which was a stained and dingy industrial gray. Eric's heart skips a beat at the sound of the door closing behind them, Sammy rolling her eyes at his skittish behavior.

The bovine sat in his office chair, seated in front of a littered desk, paperwork strewn over the surface, one stack that seemed to have been too tall was tipped and spilled over the entire width, a fair amount having landed on the floor beside. The tip of his pen scrawled over a legal pad, Eric unable to see what he was actually writing, but assumed it to be an inventory or something of the like, a pair of black, thick-rimmed glasses nearly sliding down the bridge of his nose. A shelf nailed into the sheetrock, held a collection of CRTV monitors, displaying strategically placed security cameras, showing both the interior of the bar and the surrounding property. A stack of VCRs beside the screens let out a constant whir as they archived the goings-on around the bar, having needed to turn the tapes over to the polices as evidence more times than he could count.

The chair cried out as the bull stood back up, tossing his pen on the desk, which promptly rolled off and dropped to the floor. Eric unknowingly tensed up at his presence, swallowing once again.

"Sammy!" the bovine greeted in a gravely tone, opening his arms to the cat.

She smiles back and drops Eric's hand, stepping into the hug, standing one her tiptoes to meet his stature.

"Uh, what?" Eric quietly asks himself.

"Hey, unk." Sammy smiles, his hands clapping down around her back, hoisting her into the air for a bear hug, the cat squealing as he lifted her.

"An' ow's ma favorite niece?" he chuckles, giving her a quick shake side to side, smiling down at her.

"I'm alright. Going to a party tonight and I need some supplies." she answers, giving the bull a peck on the cheek.

Her uncle quickly sets her back down on the ground, a faux look of disappointment and sadness on his broad face.

"Ohhhh, izat it? Only wantin' ta come an' see ya uncle when ya need sum bevvies?" he crosses his arms.

"Oh, come on. You know I like visiting you! Just so far out of the way." she protests with a pout, crossing her arms as well.

The bovine took this moment to finally look over the human, expressing a look of annoyance and concern.

"An' 'ho da fuck is he? Are ya fucking barmy? Bringin' a fuckin' 'uman 'round these parts? Ya tryin' ta git ya friend fuckin' chibbed?" he finally turned from him to glare at the cat.

"What? He's fine." she rolls her eyes.

"No, it fuckin' ain't. Ya see any humans 'round 'ere?" he rants, holding his stare on Sammy.

"No, but th-"

"No! Ya don't! So why da fuck would ya bring his ass along!?" the bovine interrupts, extending an arm towards Eric, who backs up, bumping into the wall.

The bull turns to face the human, dropping his arm.

"No offense." he adds.

"Uh, n-none taken." Eric stammers.

"Leave him alone. I'm the one that pressured him into coming. And it's fine. Nothing happened." Sammy defends with a growl.

"Good. 'En you'll be responsible for whateve' might happen to 'im." her uncle huffs, approaching Eric, smirking as he uncomfortably squirms at the intimidating anthro.

"I'm not really going to get stabbed here, right?" he whimpers, looking over to Sammy for reassurance.

"Nah. Just takin' da piss. 'Ese fucks 'round 'ere use guns! God bless America!" the bull cackles, slapping Eric on the shoulder as he leans down to get to eye level with the human.

The human closes his eyes and sucks in a quick breath, reaching out to the side, in search for the feline's hand to hold. While he searches for comfort, her uncle slides off his glasses, tucking them into the neck of his white shirt that was vaguely visible from between his unbuttoned vest.

"Smell 'at?" he smirks, the golden ring pierced through his septum rattling with each sniff of his black snout, his nostrils hovering above the human's skull.

"S-Sammy....." Eric quivers, knees wobbling, able to smell the cheap cologne and body odor wafting off of the bull's tattered denim vest.

"Smells like fear!" the bovine sneers.

"Alright, cut the shit!" Sammy interjects, throwing her arm between the two, pushing her uncle away.

"Just windin' 'im up." her uncle grins, stepping back.

"And you're done now. Leave him alone." Sammy adds, standing between them.

"Oooh, don't wanna get between momma bear an' 'er cub, do I?" he continues, his thin tail happily twitching behind him.

"Ugh. Quit making it creepy." the feline groans, not moving from her spot.

"Creepy? How is 'at creepy? Oh. I have a theory. Might 'ave somethin' ta do wit da two of yeh walkin' into ma bar, holdin' hands like a couple ah love birds." the bovine accuses, the blush on his niece's face further burying her.

"Alright, dick, you got me. He's my boyfriend, okay?" Sammy sighs, not ashamed of her relationship, but knowing what admitting to it would lead to with the bull.

"An' why didn't ya say somethin'? Never would 'ave guessed. No offense, but he doesn't seem like ya type, Sammy." he snorts, looking over her to focus his attention back on Eric.

Eric feels an unexpected pang of remorse, that he was nothing more than a letdown to her. Even after all they'd been through, the constant thought of her past boyfriends also gnawing at the back of his mind.

"Knock. It. Off." she hisses, growing more and more irritated.

"What? Just sayin'. Looks like 'e's all smoke." he starts, leaning back in towards Eric, their nostrils nearly touching. "An' no fire." he grins.

The feline yells and thrusts her leg, stomping the bull on the side of his knee, hoping to briefly cripple him, or at least hurt him enough to get it through his thick skull that she was sick of his arrogance. The sole of her shoe lands with a thump, but the attack doesn't faze him, instead forcing the cat backwards and off balance, feeling better if she'd have just kicked a brick wall instead, growing in frustration.

"Don't go breakin' 'er heart now." the bull quietly slurs in his ear, finally pulling away at his niece's outburst.

"I-I won't. I love her." Eric eventually replies, after collecting himself, feeling comfort that she was there with him.

"An' I'm sure ya do. Make a lovely couple, tha both of ya. Truly. Opposites attract an' all 'at bollocks. Hope y'all a' usin' protection." he laughs.

Eric and Sammy exchange a short look, both blushing at the statement.

"Oh! Speakin' of protection...." the bull starts, before grabbing hold of Sammy, sliding his hands down around her hips, patting them down.

"H-Hey! The fuck are you doing? Get off of me!" Sammy whines, slapping at his hands, stepping away from him.

Eric takes a surprised look at the two, unsure if he should step in, balling his hand into a fist at the idea of her getting groped by someone.

"No, ya don't! Where is it?" he sighs, grabbing hold of her belt, yanking her back as he continued his search.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she defends, twisting her hips, trying to tug herself free.

"A ha!" the bull yells in triumph, pulling free a frighteningly large knife from a sheath Sammy had concealed inside her beltline.

The human's eyes widen at the startling appearance of the weapon. Had she been carrying that the whole time?

"Give it back!" Sammy frowns, reaching her arms above her head, swiping at the blade that her uncle kept held over her.

"Fuckin' 'ell! Could take down an elephant wit' this blade. Never seen one like dis before." the bull nods, in awe of the amusingly over the top knife.

Her boyfriend studied the knife, silently agreeing with the bovine. The blade was long and thick with an unusually blunt tip and a strange, circular ring poking out from the hilt. He couldn't see much of an edge on the blade either from the light that was being cast upon it from the office lighting.

"It's an AK bayonet. And it's mine, so give it!" Sammy demands, hopping up in another attempt to snatch it back.

"What did ah tell ya 'bout goin' to 'at surplus shop? Quit wastin' money!" the bull lectures, not letting her have it back.

"It's not a waste. It's cool! I like that kind of shit." Sammy continues, this time jumping up and throwing herself against his chest, wrapping her legs around his waist, still reaching for the bayonet.

"Oh, please!" her uncle scoffs, holding out his arm, shocking the both of them by slashing the blade against his forearm.

Instead of blood and gore, the blade does little aside from parting his fur.

"See? Duller 'an shite! All for show an' worth bugger all." he finishes, pushing her off of him, finally giving her back the knife.

"Well, sometimes, all you need to do it flash it." she shrugs, taking it back and carefully slipping it back into the sheath she had behind her back, tugging her pants back up and pulling her shirt back down, making sure the handle wasn't visible.

"C'mon, Sammy. Don't be fuckin' wit 'at. Ya don't pull out some shite like 'at, unless ya plan to use it. Don't go lookin' to start somethin'. You know better 'an 'at." he chides, shaking his head at her.

"I know. I also know that this isn't the greatest area and this makes me feel safer, okay?" she exhales, leaning back against the wall.

"Yeah? Ya mean 'at bender 'ere ain't gonna save ya?" he teases, walking to the door.

"Thought I told you to quit fucking with him." Sammy snarls again, Eric feeling an unusual feeling at his girlfriend having to defend him.

"An' what da fuck an' ah supposed ta call 'im? Ya haven't exactly introduced us yet!" the uncle points out, still unsure of her boyfriend's name.

"Oh. Right. Uh, this is my boyfriend, Eric." Sammy clears her throat, bumping the human with her shoulder to nudge him forward.

Eric emits a quiet 'eep' as he's forced in front of the bull.

"Mhm. That's me. Eric. Sammy's boyfriend. And you must be her uncle! Uncle...." he clears his throat, nervously nodding the entire time, spotting the name tag stitched on the breast of the bovine's denim vest.

Even after seeing the name, he still didn't know what to call her uncle. It wasn't that he couldn't read it. Of course, it was stained with dark, brown blotches from an unknown substance and the edges were staring to fray, but the explicit and strong lettering was clear as day.

"Uncle....Fffff...uh?"

"Come on now. Sound it out. Don't wanna keep ya gal waitin'."

"Uncle Fucko?" Eric winces as he speaks, unsure if it was a trap or test to actually call him by such an odd and derogatory title.

"At ya service!" Fucko grins, thrusting his hand out, thumping Eric in the gut with his rigidly straightened fingers.

"P-pleased to meet you!" Eric replies, doing his best to match the other's energy, reluctantly placing his hand into the bovine's colossal palm for a handshake.

The black furred fingers instantly coiled around the human's small hand, easily caging it in a stifling and paralyzing grip, the human whimpering and crying out in surprise and pain.

"Pleasure is all mine!" Fucko sneers with another sharp clenching of his fist, before he allows Eric to slip his hand free.

"Quite the handshake too." Eric jokes, hiding the annoyance in his voice, the feline approaching him to gently take his hand into her own.

"Poppin' open bottles all day will do wonders. Helps they ain't twist offs eitha'." the bovine chuckles.

"Enough, jagoff. Now, let's hurry up here, before I find my car up on cinder blocks." she sighs, tilting her head, laying it against Eric's shoulder, tenderly caressing his hand, knowing he could use some comfort.

"Like anyone is gonna fuck wit 'at thing. An' you act like this place is so bad. Try being me when ah was you're age. Had a fuckin' bomb whistlin' by ma nose every Sunday." the bull laughs to himself, moving beside them to open the office door.

He pokes his head out and looks around the bar, spotting an emaciated looking otter that had returned from outside and was now busy sweeping up the floors, dark bags under his eyes.

"Same kind as before?" her uncle asks, turning back to look at her.

"Yeah. $40 for the case, like always?" she clarifies, affectionately brushing her thumb over Eric's hand, tossing her uncle the keys to her car with the free hand.

"Sounds good to me." the bovine nods, briefly stepping from the back office, after catching the keychain.

As he moves out, Sammy gives her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.

"Didn't tell me you had an uncle. A warning might have been nice." he frowns.

"Sorry. Didn't think he'd be such an asshole. Don't take it to heart. He likes to bust people's balls." she gives him a weak smile.

"Uh huh. And break their hands apparently." he sighs, her smile turning back into a frown.

"Hey, we're almost out of here. We'll have fun at the party, okay? I promise." Sammy states, giving him a kiss, this time on the lips.

"OI! BENNY!" the bull screams, the scraggily looking otter dropping his broom with a yell of surprise, quickly standing at attention.

Sammy and Eric both jump at his voice, his heart pounding yet again, unable to help but smile once Sammy laughs at their scare.

"Get a case of Natty an' throw it tha car parked in tha rear!" he barks, throwing him the set of keys, which the mammal fumbles and almost drops.

The disheveled business suit hung off of the otter's shoulder, looking as if it hadn't been washed in weeks. A visible patch of bare skin was visible on his neck, which he was constantly scratching at. With an out of place salute to the bull, he ran to one of the coolers and pulled out a case of beer, before dragging it to the door, kicking it open and carefully pulling the box of beer out the door.

"Fuckin' gutter junkies." the bull shakes his head, walking back into the office, shutting the door behind him.

"Don't remember that guy." Sammy comments.

"Yeah. Came in 'ere a few months back. Got drunk, shagged some slag, wife found out, ass in the street right after. Not sure when he got on da skag, but whatever. Shite happens." he shrugged, returning to his seat at the desk.

"Um, is that a normal thing around here?" Eric asks, unsettled by the story that Fucko happily regaled.

"Not normal, but I don't think it's very rare either." Sammy answers, twisting her gaze out the office window at the hollow clang of bottles colliding, followed by muffled expletive.

Her uncle growls and jumps out of his chair, stomping over to the window, which he handily throw open with a flick of his wrist.

"Don't fuckin' cock it up again, eitha! You bust a bottle an' ah'll bottle ya fuckin' head, ya hear!?" he screams at the otter, head sticking out the window as he watches Benny frightfully yelped once more.

Slamming the window back down, Fucko grumbles and returns to his seat, the deteriorating pleather exhaling in a low, mimicry of someone passing gas. At least, Eric hoped it was the chair.

"Sooooo, we good here then, Sammy?" Eric coughs, fingers still wound around the front of her hand.

Nodding, the feline takes out her wallet and pulls out a few bills, setting them down on top of a pile of paperwork.

"We good now." Fucko sniffles, grabbing the bills and stuffing them in his pocket, retrieving his glasses and slipping them back on.

"Cool. Thanks again." Sammy smiles, stepping to her uncle to give him another peck on the cheek.

"Anytime, hun. Hope 'at junker doesn't get pulled over. Ya didn't get 'at brew from me." he warns, giving her tail a playful yank.

"I know, I know. It'll be okay. Do have another question to ask...." Sammy starts.

"Oh?" his ear perks, bending down to find his pen that was somewhere under his desk.

"Can......you get me some weed?" she coolly requests, ignoring the uneasy look Eric immediately gave her.

Fucko glares up at his niece, looking over the rims of his glasses at the unwarranted question.

"You fuckin' mental? Yer dad tolerates the lager, but he'd blow 'is top if he found out ah sold his daughter some smoke." the bovine berates, punctuating his words with a closed fist thump on the top of his desk.

"Hey, I'm going to get some anyway. Getting sick of paying out the ass from this guy. Just curious if you knew a better hookup, that's all!" Sammy groans at the predictable response.

"I didn't just 'ear 'at. You're too young for that shite. Knock it off." Fucko chides, his chair now fully turned to face her.

"Oh, but booze is so much better." Sammy patronizes, crossing her arms.

"Hey, don't go playin' fuckin' morality police on me! All that shite you're already puttin' in ya lungs with those fuckin' cigarettes! Ah sell ya beer, so no one kin fuckin' slip somethin' in ya drink. Don't ever take a drink from someone ya don't know!" he chastises, grabbing her by the nook in her elbow and pulling her down to his eye level.

"By that logic, it'd be pretty dangerous smoking something I'd been sold from this guy then." she persists, too stubborn to give in.

"Ah'm not gonna fold like mah brother does. Ya can't beat me down, like ya do 'im. Now leave. Ya got what ya wanted, so get out." he rumbles, releasing her arm, spinning back around in chair, returning to his paperwork.

"But-"

"Out, Sammy." he dismisses, not bothering to look back.

"Fine." she snaps, spinning on her heels to grab Eric by the hand, dragging him to the door.

The bovine snickers to himself, hearing her anger in her stomping footfalls.

"Got yer motha's temper. Stay safe, Sammy." he laughs, giving a parting wave behind him.

"So I've heard. See ya later, unk." the feline grunts, Eric silent during the family dispute.

"Be careful, you two. Don't hit one of 'em kerb crawlers on the way home, either!" Fucko smirks, the door closing as they depart.

Sammy walks out from behind the bar, all of the patrons giving them an odd look, not because of the human this time, but because of the argument that was audible through the thin walls of the trailer. The human meets her pace and hurries out the door with her, happy to finally leave the bar and the area it resides in. Hopping down the rickety steps, Sammy rounds the corner and almost bumps into the otter that was waiting by the car.

"Uh, hey. G-g-got the beer in the trunk. Here's your keys." he fidgets, dangling the car keys from his fingertips, jiggling in the air due to his shivering.

"Cool. Thanks." she curtly replies, snatching the keys and passing him by.

Eric walks past, flashing an apprehensive smile to the worker. Stabbing her key in the door, Sammy unlocks it and swings it open, reaching across the seat to open and push open the passenger side.

"W-well, see ya later." Benny excuses himself, heading back inside.

"Soooo, to the party now?" Eric asks Sammy, putting on his seat belt.

"One more stop." she says, cranking the ignition, the '78 coupe thundering to life.

"Please." he frowns, Sammy peering over to him.

"It'll be fast and far, far from here. I promise." she guarantees, shifting into drive, pulling out from behind the bar.

Inside, Fucko listens to the car pull away, briefly leaving his desk to open the window back up, double checking to make sure she was gone, before opening the door to the bar.

"Oi. Eddie." the bovine calls out to the rooster, who was in the middle of pouring a mug of ale.

"Hmm? Everything okay?" he asks, sliding the glass down the bar top, giving Fucko a look.

"All good. Gonna take five, alright? Be out soon." he informs his partner, shutting the door and returning to his desk.

Fucko pulls open one of the bottom drawers of his desk, withdrawing a freezer bag that contained a thin, solid bar of a tan substance that was hard to the touch, yet, brittle. Opening the bag and undoing the cling wrap that was tightly bound around the brick, he breaks off a small section of the increasingly small bar.

"Gal is out of 'er fuckin' gourd if she thinks ah'm giving up my connection." he mumbles to himself, after he pulls out a small pipe from the same drawer, crumbling up the hash and sprinkling it over the metal screen inside of the bowl.

---

It was only when the exits signs for that area were disappearing in the rearview mirror, that Eric finally started to feel relieves. The area may not be the best, but it was certainly her uncle that had make him regret tagging along. Sammy reaches over and flips on the radio, pushing in another button to switch it over to whatever was inside the cassette deck.

"Do I need to ask what we're doing now?" Eric sighs.

"To pick up something else?" she answers, turning up the volume a tad.

"So, a drug deal?"

"Not in the way you're thinking of it."

"And how am I thinking of it?"

"A dark, gritty alleyway or warehouse. Some shady character in sunglasses with a briefcase, me with an envelope of cash. We swap, I take out a knife and stab the package inside the case, taste it, he counts the cash, we head our separate ways, assuming you don't double cross me or it's a setup." she rattles off, wondering why there wasn't any sound coming out of the speakers.

Just as she was fearing they were the next thing to break in the car, the tape deck emits a sharp click as it reaches the end of the first side of the cassette.

"Not that extreme, but kinda, yeah." Eric admits, popping the tape out of the slot, flipping it over and shoving it back inside.

After a short pause and audio cue, the music finally starts.

"Quit being paranoid. It'll take two seconds and we don't even have to leave the car." she replies, being reminded of the tape she had had inside of the deck once the pleasant sounds of German industrial metal droned from the speakers.

"It better go smoother than the beer run, which, by the way, was the only stop you said we had to make. You didn't say you were bringing me to a damn drug deal on top of it!" Eric complains, leaning back in his seat.

"Cause you wouldn't have come! God, have some excitement in your life for once." Sammy exhales, pulling off of the interstate.

"By excitement, do you mean visiting a place where it's explicitly stated that I'm unwanted and get warned that I'll be stabbed?" the human scoffs.

"And you didn't! See? Exciting!" she grins as they enter an area that the human was at least familiar with.

"Not exciting. Scary." he clarifies, looking out at the window at the comforting sights of their township.

"Regardless, this won't be bad. It's like ordering takeout." Sammy states, pulling out her phone.

"Uh huh. And drug dealers are exciting too?" he grunts, carefully rolling down the car's fiddly passenger window.

"More of a stoner than a dealer. This person only sells as a necessity. Buys weed in bulk, sells enough to afford more, and smokes the rest. The cycle continues." she nods, scrolling through her contacts, until she reached an unremarkable name, tapping on it.

"Riveting." he sighs, tugging down on his seat belt, which was starting to dig into his neck.

The feline's eyes dart between the road and her phone, typing out a message as fast as she could for what she needed. Hitting send, she sets her cellphone down in her lap, humming to herself as they drove down the road, starting to smell bread and yeast from the hometown bakery they were passing by.

"How big is the party gonna be?" Eric asks, eyes following the trees that drifted by as they drove.

"Twenty or thirty. Maybe more, maybe less. She only invites her friends and people she trusts to not start any bullshit." Sammy assumes, her cellphone vibrating.

Swiping her phone, Sammy glances down at the message.

"We're good to go. Getting close too." she announces, sliding her phone back into her pocket.

"Whee." Eric sarcastically cheers.

"Don't be a party pooper." she retorts, driving slower than usual, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention with a trunkful of beer in the back.

After a few more minutes of driving, Sammy turns off the main drag and pulls into a quiet cul-de-sac, not much different than the one she lived at. She slows her speed, staring up at the houses they crept by, before spotting the one she was after. A cute Tudor-style that she always found appealing. Steep roof, gables, white stucco and red brick. It wasn't a style terribly uncommon around her city, but rare enough that it stuck out among the fairly typical ranch-styles that were on every block.

"Here we are." Sammy says, pulling up to mailbox.

"What, you the mailman now?" Eric snorts, watching her open the lid.

"Only once a month." she smirks, reaching inside to pull out a pill bottle, before reaching into her pocket to retrieve a handful of bills, tossing them into the mailbox.

"Do I want to know how much you just left in there?" he questions, staring at the crumpled up cash she left inside.

"Don't worry about it. I'm still getting paid back for the beer and half for this." the feline answers, slamming the lid shut, before driving forward towards the end of the plan, doing a U-turn to head back where they came.

Sammy takes the pill bottle and passes it to Eric, tossing it in his lap.

"Throw that in the glove box for me, will you?" she requests, once again pulling out her phone to text her friend that they were on their way.

"Alright." Eric sighs, looking down at the bottle.

Through the cloudy, mostly transparent orange, he could see a plastic baggie, stuffed with a few bulbous hunks of leaves, not bothering to study it much as he wanted to be rid of it, quickly dropping inside the glove compartment.

"Jeez, you were almost guilty of possession there." Sammy taunts, seeing how uneasy he seemed.

"Hardy har har. Can we get to the party now?"

"Yup. Just need to pick up ice, a cooler, chips, other snacks, and a pizza." she nods, drumming her fingertips over the steering wheel.

Eric turns to give her a look, an uncommon mixture of depression, astonishment, regret, and pure rage.

"Kidding!"

---

Looking over the well manicured lawns, watching birds darting between tree branches, squirrels winding around the tree, the bored human kept his stare out the window, anticipating the high school party that he was growing increasingly worried he wouldn't be welcome at. Nice neighborhood though.

"Will you quit sulking?" Sammy finally breaks the silence, looking over at her boyfriend.

"I'm not sulking. That will probably be waiting until the drive back home." he exhales.

"It'll be fine. I'll be by your side the whole time." the feline repeats, sliding her hand over the bench seat to give his knee a pat.

"We there yet?" he asks, sitting back up in his seat with a sigh, scratching over her forearm.

"Mhm. Straight ahead." she nods, pointing to a home at the end of the road.

Another suburb, another series of cookie cutter houses. The road to get here took them through a bit of farmland, something he had heard was around the area, but hadn't seen it for himself. Farms or not, the homes were impressive nonetheless. He envied the properties as well. Acres and acres to themselves with enough room to do whatever they pleased. Sammy's friend was no exception. From the front, all he could see was single level, or so he thought, ranch house with a detached garage and one hell of a sprawling yard.

"We the first ones here?" Eric asks, leaning forward in his seat, unable to see any other cars parked in the driveway, aside from the owner's.

"Nah. Everyone carpools and parks in the back. Nothing says, "Illegal drinking" like a bunch of cars parked out front." Sammy states, getting closer towards the home.

The wide windows at the front of the home were hardly visible past the privacy hedges planted at the side of the house. He could see lights from inside and a few figures walking around. With his window rolled down, Eric stuck his head outside the window, but couldn't hear any music being played either, though the fresh air was quite pleasant.

Sammy's car thuds as they drive over the hump at the entrance of the long driveway, slowly heading up past the home, turning to park behind the garage. It was then that the human sees the other cars, a little over a dozen sedans and SUVs neatly arranged behind the building. He still didn't know how easy it would be for someone to leave without everyone having to move. Luckily for them, Sammy had priority parking for her services. The feline shifts into park and steps out, keeping the car running as she walks over to a patio chair that was placed at the very front of the garage's side, picking it up and setting it aside.

"Interesting." Eric comments, once she gets back in the car.

"What? Never seen a parking chair before?" she asks, slamming her door, backing up a bit, before pulling into the now free spot.

"Yeah, back in Boston." he says, popping his seatbelt loose.

Realizing what he said, he twists his head in the girl's direction.

"Don't you even start that shit again!" Eric warns, cutting her off, before she could start with her mockery of the accent.

Laughing, Sammy kills the engine, pocketing the keys as she shoves her door open, stepping out. Just as he was about to open his side, he notices they were parked directly against the garage.

"Out this way." Sammy beckons, reaching her arm inside.

Shrugging, the human takes her hand and slides across the seat as she pulls him, yanking him out of the car.

"Whoops. Almost forgot the party favors." Sammy mumbles, leaping back into the car, opening the glove box to grab the pill bottle.

"Should I get the beer?" Eric asks, waiting for her.

"Nah, I got it. You ain't bringing it in and getting credit for it, when I paid for the shit." she smirks, stepping to the trunk, unlocking it with her key.

Hoisting the case over her shoulder, the feline slams the trunk shut and starts to walk through the backyard, turning to make sure Eric was following her. Sighing, he nods and heads to the house with her, stepping onto the long, concrete patio that spanned the entire side of the building, a charcoal grill and cooler towards the end with all the patio furniture. Grabbing the handle of the sliding door with her free hand, Sammy throws it open, freeing the long suppressed clamor going on behind the heavy glass, an absolute explosion of blather, gossip, yelling, and a choir of already inebriated partygoers trying to sing along to whatever was currently playing through the Bluetooth speaker sat on the shelf.

Eric jumps back in surprise, an inaudible whimper slipping past his lips as he stepped in with Sammy, taking in the horde of unfamiliar classmates. The party was already in full swing with the strictly anthro crowd. Throwing elbows at each other as they aggressively dueled in a disturbingly graphic video game, screaming in frustration or triumph in a cutthroat game of beer pong, and the standard practice of simply binge drinking.

"Took you long enough." a porcupine greets as she rounds the corner, drink in hand.

"Fuck off. Doesn't even look like I needed to get it either. How the hell is there already so much booze here?" Sammy huffs, setting the case on the hardwood floor, curiously staring up at her friend.

"What? You think you're the only one with a hookup? Chad managed to get his dad to rent us a keg." she chuckles, poking at the box of beer with her toe.

"How the fuck did he swing that?" Sammy asks, impressed at the feat.

"Guess he's doing damn good in class and his dad thought he deserved a gift." the porcupine shrugs, leaning down to rip open a corner of the box.

"Yeah? So what's the actual reason?" she scoffs, reaching down to pull out a few bottles.

"Well, I guess you can get whatever you want if you've caught your dad cheating on your mother." Sammy's friend laughs, her hands now full of beer bottles.

"Damn. Fucked up. But, hey, free beer." Sammy smirks as she walks out into the kitchen with her friend.

Unsure of what to do, Eric takes two bottles and follows, staying close to his girlfriend. He hadn't seen many houses like this one. The living room was one big open area. A flatscreen TV against the wall, a couch in the middle, along with a few recliners, a pool table, and a ping pong table that was currently in use. It was a bit odd seeing a room that was furnished, yet felt so barren. Regardless, it was perfect for a crowd.

Passing around a dividing wall, he entered the impressively modern kitchen, setting the beers down on the island in front of the refrigerator, which Sammy and her friend were in the middle of packing. Turning around, the porcupine noticed the human for the first time, flinching with surprise, not too far off from the encounter and reaction he had at the bar.

"Uh, hi. Your plus one, Sammy?" she asks, looking over at the feline.

"Oh, yeah. This is Eric. Don't think you guys ever met." Sammy quickly pulls back from the fridge.

"Eric, huh? The elusive human I've heard so much about." the girl teases, offering a hand.

Still feeling the freshly bruised knuckles that asshole bovine left him with, he cautiously extends his hand, cupping the girl's palm. After seeing the purple quills that covered her head and neck with a white jagged point, Eric was pleased to discover the hair on her hands was soft and smooth.

"Now you say something, okay?" she calmly and slowly speaks, put off by the limp handshake and the vacant stare he gave her.

"Huh? Oh! Nice to meet you.....uh?" the human starts, realizing he might have been staring at her unique features a bit too long.

"Nicole. Nice to meet you too. Sammy's friend, then?" Nicole asks, pulling back from the handshake to grab the beer he left on the island, placing them in the fridge with the others.

Eric quietly exhales and gazes at Sammy, who was sporting a faint blush. He couldn't tell if she was actually embarrassed of having a relationship again or the fact that he now knew she'd kept theirs a secret.

"We're very close, yeah." the feline eventually replies in an offhand way.

Frowning, the human heads back to the door.

"I'll get the rest." he sighs, walking away.

"Cool." Nicole nods, sidestepping to the counter that was overflowing with snacks and soft drinks, grabbing from a stack of disposable red cups, after misplacing the drink she had moments ago.

Sammy watched him leaving, uneasily drumming her claws over the island.

"Want a drink?" she asks, offering a cup.

"Yeah, could use one." the feline mumbles, staring at Eric's back, who was now grabbing the entire case.

Cups in hand, her friend briefly steps away to get some refills from the nearly full keg. Once she had left, Eric was already back in the kitchen, dropping the box of bottles on the island with a heavy thud.

"What was that about?" he breathlessly asks, snatching up the bottles from the box, sliding them into the fridge, hoping to distract himself.

"Okay, I know that didn't look good." Sammy starts, helping him move the beer.

"No shit." he impatiently snaps, starting to relay the beer quicker.

"Just, listen, please? You're right to be annoyed." she pouts, stepping back from her boyfriend.

"Pissed, not annoyed." he grunts, knocking over one of the bottles in his huff, before flipping it back up and almost toppling it over again.

"And you have every reason to be. I just want to ease people into what we are, okay?" Sammy calmly replies, giving him some distance.

"What we are? You mean, a couple? Boyfriend and girlfriend? God, you didn't have a problem saying it earlier and now you can't even say it to me?." Eric groans, clenching his jaw as he shoved the last beer into the fridge, slamming the door shut, causing it to rock for a moment.

"C'mon, you know I love you, right? I just don't want people to find out right now and scare you off." Sammy admits, crossing her arms, shuffling her feet.

"What do you mean, 'scare me off'?" he retorts, using air quotes for emphasis, not exactly trusting her at this point.

"Because, I have a reputati-"

"Got your drink." Nicole smiles, stepping back into kitchen, careful to not spill a drop from the two cups that were filled to the brim.

Sammy twists around and puts on a forced smile, taking the cup from the porcupine. Her friend looks between them, narrowing her eyes at the human's body language.

"You look tense. Want a drink too?" she offers, sipping from her own.

"Nah, I'm okay. Don't drink." Eric politely, as hastily as it was, answers,

"Ah. Straight edge, hmm?" Nicole teases, the feline staring straight ahead at nothing as she downs half her drink in one go.

"Maybe. Maybe I'll give it a try in college. Who knows. Everything seems to be up in the air right now." Eric shrugs, looking over at the drinks they had on the counter.

"College? Cool. Taking a year off after high school, though?" Nicole asks, taking another swig of beer.

"Nothing's written in stone." Eric matter-of-factly replies, shooting the feline a discreet glare.

"Ooookay." the porcupine speaks, confused, looking to Sammy.

With a final gulp, the girl sets down her now empty cup, wiping her lips.

"We thirsty? Damn. I'll fetch you another. You got to catch up with everyone else, after all. I hope College here is you designated driver." Nicole laughs, taking the empty cup.

"He is my rock. Don't know what I'd do without him." Sammy replies, biting at the inside of her cheek.

"Drive drunk?" he states in a half joking tone.

"She better not!" her friend warns as she walks back out for another refill.

Once she departs, Sammy turns back to Eric.

"Not here. Please." she repeats, tilting her head to the side.

"What were you going to say?" Eric asks.

"About what?"

"Before she walked back in. Sounded like something about your reputation? Would I ruin that for you?" he growls.

"No! Other way around, okay?" Sammy clarifies, getting irritated as well.

"Explain."

"I'm trying, so don't be giving me fucking orders." she hisses, stepping back to him, almost landing on his toes.

"The floor is all yours." he sighs.

"Years ago, I didn't exactly hang with the greatest of people and dated a lot of pieces of shit. People still know that. People talk. People gossip and spread lies. You know a good bit about me, but I didn't tell you about all that shit yet. I'm going to, but I want you to hear it from me, and not the assholes that might be at the party. I don't want them to fuck this up for us. Again, I love you. So, please, for the last fucking time. Knock. It. Off." Sammy rumbles in a low tone, starting into his muddy brown eyes.

Eric nods along, feeling a pit in his stomach about whatever skeletons she was hiding her closet. He already knew that her being involved with him was certainly going against her grain. Her uncle wasn't shy about letting him know that he wasn't her usual type.

"I see." he eventually replies, conflicted with how to feel.

He definitely still wasn't pleased with how the day was going thus far.

"Back." Nicole announces, setting down Sammy's cup, licking up the droplets that spilled onto her finger.

"Thanks." Sammy quickly takes the cup, downing a liberal amount to calm her nerves.

"Might as well give you this now." the porcupine offers, taking out a few bills from her pocket, handing them to Sammy.

"Cool." she nods, stuffing them into her jeans.

"Did you get the other stuff?" Nicole asks, walking to the counter, opening up a bag of chips.

"Mhm." Sammy nods, almost forgetting about it, until her fingers touched the pill bottle, while she was busy pocketing the money.

Pulling out the bottle, she passes it to her friend, waiting her approval. Nicole grins at the size of the nuggets held within the container, twisting open the cap to take a curious sniff, seemingly pleased by the results.

"Not bad for the price. Want some now?" the porcupine eagerly questions.

"Uh, sure. Why not?" Sammy answers, knowing that if the lager couldn't relax her, the pot would have no issue.

With a happy squeal, the porcupine jogs to the threshold of the kitchen, pausing to look over at the human.

"Coming with us or do you want to mingle a bit?" she asks, the feline looking over at him with a questionable expression.

"Might as well." he shrugs, admittedly interested in the affair, walking over with them.

Not thinking of much aside from getting high, Sammy doesn't pay him any mind and walks to the door, heading outside, while the porcupine runs to the other side of the house.

"Out in a minute!" she calls out, descending down the hallway.

Sammy yanks open the sliding door and steps back outside, waiting for him to walk out too, before shutting the door, giving them some much needed quiet. She walks down the side of the house, plopping down in the sun warmed patio chair, opening the cooler to grab a bottle of water. Sitting down beside her, Eric does the same and cracks it open, taking a swig of the chilled liquid. Even with the birds singing in the trees and the leaves rustling from the light breezes, the silence between them was still far too awkward for her to handle. Opening her mouth to speak, Eric interrupts.

"Let's just get this day over with, okay?" he quietly asks, recapping his bottle.

"Sounds good." Sammy nods, looking past him and at the door, setting her water down on the table in front of them.

With another agonizing silence, the door at long last opens, the porcupine stepping out with a shoe box, a bulldog behind her, carrying a bag of charcoal.

"Just get it going for now. We'll put the food on in a bit, 'k?" she instructs, the canine nodding, ripping open the bag and lifting the lid of the grill.

Nicole skips over the concrete, smiling all the while. She takes a seat on the other side of Sammy, setting down the shoe box, which she happily opens and removes its contents.

"Well, don't just sit there, open that shit up!" Nicole teases, setting down a package of rolling papers and a cylindrical metal capsule that caught Eric's interest.

Snorting at her excitement, Sammy pulls back out the bottle, popping it open and tugging out the bundled up plastic bag inside. She then gently shakes it, unraveling the baggie, tugging at the opening to free it. With a heightened sense of smell that Eric was incapable of experiencing, the girls noses immediately wiggle and sniff with a shared interest. Passing over the bag, Nicole takes it and cautiously overturns it onto the cardboard lid of the shoe box, prodding at the leaves with her claw.

"Not as many stems and seeds as last time. Thank fuck. Starting to get sick of that guy." Sammy comments, leaning forward to watch.

Eric watches from the sidelines with a neutral look, not exactly experienced with such a thing.

"Sniff." Nicole smirks, pushing the box over to the human.

Eyes flicking between the two girls, he lowers his nose over the lid, taking in a deep breath through his nose, which was promptly tickled with the variety of scents. Something that was earthy, piney, and with a peculiar addition of cabbage? Skunk?

"That's....something. Yeah." he nods, pulling his face away from the weed, brushing the top of his thumb over his nostrils.

"That's it? Lemme guess, first time?" Nicole scoffs, propping an elbow up on the table.

"Yeah. I don't do drugs, I guess." Eric admits, leaning back in his chair.

"I figured that, College. Touch it!" Nicole insists, nudging the lid closer again.

Rolling his eyes, he lets out a breath and lurches forward once more, laying the tip of his pointer finger over one of the hunks of plant.

"Hmm." he hums, once he feels how it wanted to stick to his skin.

"Sticky, huh? Now imagine if you had fur." Sammy jokes, entertained at how interested Eric was starting to become.

"Sounds annoying." he nods, pushing the clump into his palm, holding it up towards his eyes for a closer look.

The nugget was dominated with the forest green pigment, but he could see streaks and notes of purple as well, squinting his eyes to notice a shimmering layer of crystals too. It felt light in his hand, moving it around with his thumb, the bud itself not too tight nor fluffy. He had absolutely no idea what to look for or what the signs of quality were.

"Alrighty, let's see that." Nicole smirks, the human nodding and dropping the hunk back onto the lid.

Pulling the lid back to herself, the porcupine takes that metal container and pops off the top, Eric getting a look inside to see that both the base and lid were covered with sharp teeth and pegs.

"Herb grinder? Thought that's what that was. Got one at home." he comments, drinking more of his water.

"Aha. Well, we aren't grinding up oregano here." Nicole chuckles, Sammy just watching the exchanges with a smirk.

Dumping out the contents of the lid inside, Nicole replaces the lid and gives it a few quick turns, before popping it back open to check her progress.

"Looks good to me." she says to herself, setting it back down.

Plucking a piece of paper from the pack, she dumps out the now ground up marijuana onto the lid, folding the rolling paper with her fingers, before scooping it through the broken up bud, filling it with an adequate amount. She then takes out a tiny filter and inserts it at the end of the paper, tucking it around, carefully rolling the paper into a cone, following up lastly with a few licks to the edge. Taking a wooden skewer from the box, she jabbed it through the front of the joint, ensuring there was a passage for the smoke to travel in the tightly wrapped joint.

Sammy had already taken out her lighter, flicking the lid open and shut as she watched her friend's nimble fingers work. The human was equally engrossed, though not sharing the same excitement Sammy was. Leaning forward in her chair, the girl patiently waited for the porcupine.

"Perfect." Nicole smiles, proud of the finished product.

Rolling it around between her fingers, she passed it over to Sammy.

"You picked it up, so you get dibs." she offers, the feline happily taking the joint.

"Thank god, cause the beer isn't doing much for me right now." Sammy nods, flicking the wheel of the lighter, slipping the joint into her lips, carefully lighting its end.

The rolling paper curls up at the touch of the flame, an ember forming and growing as she took in a slow, shallow drag, puffing for a moment, until she was satisfied that it was properly lit, producing a quick puff of smoke. Leaning back in her chair, the girl sucked in long and heavy, the joint visibly shrinking in size as the ember shined.

"Thought all those cigarettes would have had some effect on your lungs, but I guess not." the porcupine chuckled.

Eric crinkled his nose as the weed burned, that robust cabbage-like, skunk stink now dominating over the gentle and earthy tones. Lungs finally filled, Sammy plucks the joint from her maw, holding it in for a moment, before exhaling a veil of pungently scented smoke, before passing it over to the porcupine.

"Good?" Nicole asks, accepting the offer.

"Oh, yeah." Sammy smiles, eyes half-lidded as her pupils dilated after a brief period, the potent strain of the drug evident, impressive for the price.

Her tail dangled from the chair, ears wiggling in the wind, her mind already buzzing with a comforting tingle. Nicole laughed at the feline that was already hit hard by a single hit, a sign of a quality product. Flicking the ash from the tip, she readies herself for a hit of her own, before glancing over at Eric. He kept a keen eye over the two, studying the ritual they seemed to be all too familiar with performing.

"Care to try?" she smirks, extending her arm to him, who was eyeing the steady flow of smoke creeping up from the tip of the joint.

"Uh, I don't think he's interested." Sammy butts in, lifting her head back up, studying her boyfriend's expression, which she couldn't place.

Eric glances over in her direction, less than pleased at her answering for him. Sure, he was honestly curious in trying it, but didn't think he would. That being said, he didn't like being spoken for.

"Why not?" Nicole frowns, looking at the feline.

"He doesn't like this kind of stuff. Not his scene." she answers, crossing her legs, eyeing the still burning joint in her hand.

"Aww, come on, College. Don't be boring!" the porcupine teases, waving the still burning bone in front of him.

"Don't bother, he ain't gonna bite. Now, come on. Quit letting it go to waste." Sammy huffs with a hankering to expand her high.

"I'm game." Eric finally states, scooting forward in his seat.

The two girls both raise a brow, Nicole grinning with delight, while Sammy was frowning in concern.

"Eric..." Sammy starts.

"What? I want to try it, so I'm trying it." he firmly retorts, beckoning for the porcupine to pass the joint.

"Whee!" she cheers, handing over the smoldering roach.

"You've never had it before and it's going to be way too strong for you." Sammy warns, gritting her teeth in worry.

"Sammy, I'm more than capable of making my own decision. I'm a big boy and don't need you to speak for me." Eric patronizes with an arrogant tone, allowing her friend to place the joint between his fingers.

"We both know this isn't you." the feline quietly growls, glaring at him.

"Not so straightedge now, am I?" he hisses back.

His eyes examine the burning joint in his hand, a thin glaze of saliva gleaming on the tip, a quarter of it already incinerated by his girlfriend and her hearty lungs. The smell was even stronger, tilting his head to the side to dodge that constant stream of smoke pouring off the end. Sammy followed his gaze, silently hoping he'd back out, prepared to give him her prediction of how this would end. Before she could open her mouth and say another word, he took it into his lips, nervously sucking at its end, feeling the hot air burning his lungs as he naively directly inhaled from the joint, without allowing it to cool first inside his mouth. Immediately, he began to violently cough, but not before making sure he kept the weed cigarette firmly lodged between his fingers.

"Damn, dude. You need to only inhale a bit first. Too much and that happens. Don't hurt yourself." Nicole chuckles, patting at his back.

"I didn't know." he heaves, doubled over as he painfully coughed.

"Sammy can teach you." she teases, holding his shoulder.

"I'm staying out of this." Sammy announces, barely acknowledging the scene before her.

She shook her head at the human, preparing for the worst when the THC hit, knowing it wouldn't be pretty for someone like him. The more she thought about it, the more she cared less, content with allowing him to realize that mistake once the time came. Nicole coached him a bit, giving him some beginner's tips.

"Pull it only into your mouth and hold it for a bit, before you actually inhale. Once you do, keep it held in your lungs for a bit to make sure you really feel it, okay?" the porcupine instructs, watching him recover, ready for a second attempt, after only partially taking in the smoke.

Nodding, Eric once again dips the end of the joint through his lips, doing as she said. He carefully takes in a gentle inhale, the hot smoke cooling inside his maw, the warm cloud caressing his tongue, feeling it coil around as he shakily inhaled for real, noticing the immediate difference from allowing the heat to simmer. The taste wasn't something he was accustomed to, feeling the hot, smoky taste coating his taste buds as if they were blanketed in soot. Even though his lungs tried to reject it, Eric forced himself to refrain from coughing, unwilling to fail yet again with the girls watching him.

"Good! Hold it and blow it out after I pass it back to Sammy, 'k?" she says, plucking the joint from his lips, a faint trail of smoke following behind.

The porcupine pushes a dangling quill out from the front of her eyes, before taking a hit from the roach, letting it gracefully dangle from her black skinned lips as she took a drag, popping the joint free, allowing a veil of smoke to briefly flow from her lips, before elegantly sucking it back in, shutting her muzzle and passing the joint back to the feline. At this point, Eric was in desperate need of air, at last exhaling the smoke that had soiled his virgin lungs, once Sammy was back in possession of the joint, clearly his throat as he caught his breath. The feline kept a vigilant eye on him as she took a final hit, finishing off the roach that she was forced to hold between her fingertips. Nicole exhales, giggling as her smaller frame was quickly affected by the pot.

"Mmm, still have enough left for a few more. Up for another?" Nicole smiles, the cardboard lid still littered with the ground up weed.

Sammy flicked the butt on the concrete, ashes flung from the paper as she stomped it out, limply hanging her head back with a chuckle, opening her muzzle to let the smoke filter over her tongue.

"Nah. Let's ride this out for now. Have more later." she purrs, closing her eyes.

By this point, Eric was starting to notice some changes. The colors were starting to seem more...colorful? The green grass of the porcupine's massive backyard was practically luminous with its vivid color. His eyes narrowed at the sunlight that was nearly blinding, the sky a brilliant blue, though he was unable to appreciate it now. That stink of the burnt drug clung to his nose, along with the taste to his tongue, that he was realizing had become dry. Rolling his tongue around in his mouth, Eric's ears started to ring, blood rushing and pounding against his eardrums. Leaves that one rustled in the breeze, now sounded amplified, almost deafening as the branches creaked, a sound he barely noticed before. The human suddenly gripped his chair, digging his heels into the ground, feeling that his body was lifting from his seat, gravity having vanished as his muscles grew numb, his mind hazy and unfocused. Swallowing what little saliva remained in his mouth, his knees ground together, heart slamming into his sternum. He peeked an eye open, not even realizing he had them so tightly shut, spying the two girls that talked about how their days, Sammy regaling their trip to the bar.

The bar?

Goddamn it. Was that today? He was with her, right? Yes?

He seemed to remember that brute uncle of hers. The hell was his name? Shithead? Asshole? Fucker? Motherfucker?

No, no.

Damn it, it's on the edge of his tongue. Oh, fuck. His tongue. Was it always this big? Feels like he's choking on it. Do other peoples tongues fit in their mouth or are they too big too?

"You really asked your uncle to hook you up?" Nicole laughs.

"Yeah, he wasn't having it either. Sucks. Probably hiding all the good shit." Sammy snorts, picking up her bottle of water, needing the drink.

They both chatted back and forth, oblivious to the growing anxiety that paralyzed the human. Eric's bloodshot eyes snapped to the bottle of water. Holy shit. He had water! His unsteady hands rose, wrapping his fingers around the neck of the water bottle, which was a struggle in itself. It was like someone cranked the gravity up to eleven. After twisting off the cap and pulling the bottle back to himself, the bottle slips from his weakened grip as soon as it left the table, thudding on the concrete patio. Sammy and Nicole glance over at him, the feline almost forgetting about him in her post smoke short term memory. Eric's head shot under the table, dodging their gazes, picking up the fallen bottle, the water pooling out over the patio, leaving him with little to drink, doing his best to not slump out of his chair as he forced himself back up.

Frowning, he took the fleeting relief of the still cool water, swishing it around his severely dehydrated mouth.

Sammy continued to talk with the porcupine, absentmindedly flicking her lighter open and shut. Her and her friend were giggling like school girls, something the feline rarely did, smiling and laughing at every story and joke. She was euphoric. Her mind and body heavy, yet relaxed. Happy with the odd hybrid strain she had purchased.

The bulldog reappeared through the sliding glass door, tray of hot dogs and burgers in hand, opening the grill to check the charcoal. Seeing it hot and grayed, he grabs the frozen patties and lays them down on the grates, the sharp sizzle and smell causing Eric to flinch in his seat. The scent of the beef wafted down the side of the house, tickling their noses. Sammy looks up at the canine, suddenly realizing she had worked up quite the appetite.

"Food's on." she smiles, looking at the porcupine for a reaction, before gazing back over.

As she starts to look back over at the canine, her eyes pass over her boyfriend who had shrunk down in his seat. His hands bunched up the edge of his t-shirt, body trembling, chest rapidly rising and falling, the feline now aware of his quickened and frantic breathing. His jaw locked, eyes welling with tears of fright. The previous thought of her satisfaction of proving him wrong was immediately lost at the sight of the quivering, frightened boy. Sammy knew he wouldn't listen and needed to learn firsthand of what would happen. That being said, it was still up to her to pick up the pieces. She wouldn't abandoned him like that. It was her fault he was even put into this situation. The feline bumped her foot against her friend's, gesturing to Eric, the porcupine's cheerful expression turning remorseful. Sammy stood up out of her chair, Nicole giving her a knowing nod.

"Hey." Sammy softly asks, walking over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Eric hardly reacts, the edges of his vision black and foggy, tunneled to all he could see.

"Here. Let's get up, okay?" she gently speaks, taking his hand in her own, reaching under his shoulder to hoist him up.

The human whimpers and manages to stand, albeit heavily off balance. He stumbles forward and leans against the cat, who throws an arm around his waist, tightly holding him against her for support.

"It's okay. Come with me." she purrs, slowly leading them back down the path, the porcupine sighing and getting up to check on the party.

He clung to her, walking to the best of his ability, unsure of what was happening, but putting his faith in the feline to help him. Stepping in through the opened door, Sammy leads him inside. The party was still going on as usual, though a massive crowd had formed around the ping pong table. From what she could hear, the game had gone into triple overtime, something that no one had seen before. This also meant that no one paid the feline much attention as she nearly carried Eric over to the hallway. The human didn't speak, anxiously glancing around the room, paranoid that everyone knew he was fucked. His hand squeezed her hip as she opened one the first door in the hallway. Eric whimpers at the skinny, wooden staircase, leading down into the basement, the only light shining being the upstairs behind them to guide them down the short, stubby stairs. Though unheard before over the commotion of the party, once the door was open and they had both stepped on the landing, could they hear the pounding, electric music playing down below, feeling the vibrations of the floorboards through their feet with each wave of bass.

"Hold my hand and the railing." she instructs, taking his wrist and manually placing his hand on the smooth, oak banister.

The staircase seemed infinite, unable to see the ground level as the light behind couldn't touch.

Where the hell was she taking him?

What kind of shit was waiting for him?

Sammy nudged him forward, sidestepping beside Eric, ready to pull him back, should he lose his footing. He held his breath and stuck out his foot, prodding the next stair with his toe to make sure he wouldn't stumble, repeating the wary process each time he stepped. His body was tense and shaky, unknowingly holding his breath throughout their shared descent into the blackness. The more they went, the darker it seemed. For Eric at least. Sammy had no issue telling where they were, since she had been here plenty of times with her friend. With a final step, his toe patted over carpet, exhaling as they both touched the basement floor. It was then that Eric turned to examine the foreboding room. Turns out, it was dark for a reason. The light bulbs above were replaced with black lights, casting a violet glow over the room, able to now see the furniture, along with those currently occupying them. Love seats, couches, and recliners were set up against the walls, half of them containing a mix of anthros. Couples to be more accurate. Cuddling, kissing, fondling, or just sitting down and enjoying the ambience and music. Black light posters were hung on the walls, intricate patterns and psychedelic artwork glowing under the ultraviolet light. Another oversized flatscreen was held inside an entertainment center, displaying an equalizer and spectrum analyzer for the music that flowed from the surround sound, speakers on every corner of the wall, subwoofers placed as well.

"S-Sammy." Eric squeaked, speaking for the first time since he decided to experiment.

His girlfriend leads him to the corner couch on the end of the room, spinning him around and lowering him down into the cushions, peering up into his eyes.

"Shhh. I'll be right back." she promises, leaning in to speak directly into his ear.

Restlessly nodding, Eric reluctantly watches the feline climb back up the stairs, tail bobbing behind her. He didn't know where she was going or what she intended to do, but he didn't want to leave her side. He gulped and looked back around the room, now aware of the eyes piercing their judging glares through him.

---

Sammy sighs and walks back out onto the patio, slamming the sliding door shut. The bulldog, still at the grill, turns to face her.

"Dogs are ready." he states, removing his chef's hat to wipe the sweat from his brow, stepping away from the hot grill to cool off.

"Cool." she nods, picking up a plate from the accessory table attached to the side of the charcoal grill.

The porcupine moves up from the table, stepping down the patio towards Sammy.

"Hey. Everything okay?" she asks, now at her side.

"Yeah. Just way too stoned for his first time. Having a bad trip." Sammy sighs again, pulling a hotdog bun out from the plastic bag.

"Aww, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed it on him." Nicole frowns.

"It's okay. If I know he'd actually try some, I wouldn't have let him know we were stepping outside." Sammy shrugs, picking up the tongs to snatch up one of the hot dogs, stuffing it in the bun.

"He just seemed so nervous and on edge. I thought maybe it'd help him come out of his shell." Nicole continues, hanging her head.

"I know what you mean. Don't blame yourself. You just wanted to help." the feline chuckles, grabbing a second dog and bun.

"Want another drink or something? I feel like I owe you that at least." Nicole offers, feeling guilty.

"Nah. Pretty sure I'm the designated driver now." Sammy jokes, walking back in the house, plate in hand.

Nicole walks in with her, the both of them stepping to the kitchen, after pausing to watch a lion skillfully sink the winning beer pong shout to the dozens of screaming cheers of disbelief, before they entered the kitchen.

"Still feel bad. Ruined the night for the both of you." Nicole frowns, crossing her arms.

"It's not ruined." Sammy replies, looking over the counter top filled with condiments and toppings.

"Yes it is! You have to babysit him cause of me. And now he's terrified on top of that." the porcupine continues.

"Quit worrying. I don't think he'd really be mingling regardless. Really shouldn't have pushed him into coming." Sammy grumbles, loading up the hotdogs with spicy mustard, diced onions, and sliced jalapenos.

"Sucks. He seems nice. Odd, but nice." Nicole nods.

"He was out of it today. Wasn't the best day for him, so he's even better if you see him on a real day. Wish we had the same lunch period, so you could actually meet and talk to him." Sammy adds, grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge, stuffing them in her pockets.

"Maybe we can do something another time." the porcupine suggests, walking with Sammy to the basement door.

"Yeah. We'll figure something out." Sammy nods, giving the porcupine a departing smile as she stood in front of the door.

"We will. Hope things go okay. Sorry again." Nicole says, opening the door for her.

"Don't worry. Talk to you later." the feline nods, walking down the stairs.

The porcupine shuts the door and walks back into the living room, checking up on her guests.

---

"She hates me. "

"I ruined the entire night. "

"Why the fuck did I agree to this? "

"Why did I smoke? "

"Stupid."

"Stupid!"

"STUPID!"

"Now, she dumped me off in the basement. Can't blame her. She's probably having a good time up there. Even better without me. I have no reason to be here. Just a third wheel with her and her friend. The porcupine knew what she was doing. Giving me that to smoke. Sammy probably did too. They both wanted a reason to get rid of me. I deserve it, anyway. Jesus Christ, I can barely think straight. Is this permanent? My mind isn't fucking working! There goes college. Probably won't even graduate. I don't even remember what my fucking schedule is! Oh god, can they hear me? Do they all know what I'm thinking?"

Eric glanced around the room, shadowy silhouettes staring back at him.

"They know I'm high. Talking about me. Insulting me. I know it."

He turned his gaze back to the door, praying for Sammy to come back, something he knew she wouldn't do.

"No. She said she'd be back. Or maybe she lied? Could be. Probably having the time of her life with that porcupine. Porcupine? The hell was her name? Nicky? Sarah? Penny? Wait. Penny. Was it Penny? Penny the Porcupine! Sounds like a cartoon character. Hee hee hee."

A silence fell over the room as the current song ends. It felt tangible. Heavy. Ears starting to ring again, swallowing the dry lump that stuck in his throat, the action of his esophagus clenching sounding as if everyone could hear. His hands grabbed the cushion under him, head hung back against the couch, once again feeling that he was weightless. The next song began to play, breaking the silence of the basement. A spoken intro starts off, sounding as if it could have been lifted from a BBC broadcast or something by the age and accent of the announcer. Right after, a drum beat follows, catchy and rhythmic with an electronic chirping as well, a male vocalization over top that drifted from left to right, before a heavy, thumping bass beat began. It was one he heard before. One Sammy had played during one of their many drives. It wasn't this song exactly, but the sample it took.

===========================================

I'm hearing voices.....the things you said.

It's hard to distinguish what is real or in my head.

I....am losing...all..sense of time.

Maybe...it is the dr-rrrr-ugs...polluting my mind.

===========================================

That heavy bass beat pulsed through his back and body, the subwoofer being conveniently set up under the couch he was sitting on. Eric groaned at the pressure and bass that assaulted him, eyes half open, watching the graphs on the equalizer reacting to the song being played. Goddamn it, where was she? How long was he down here for? Minutes? Hours?

===========================================

Tell me what to feel.

Cause I don't know how.

Tell me what is real.

So I, can come back down.

===========================================

He clenched his teeth together, which were chattering from the vibrations surging through his body, his breathing becoming ragged and labored, grunting with an odd sensation. They still stared at him. Scowling at his mere presence. A human like him had absolutely no place in this city. Why the fuck did his family have to move?

===========================================

I feel like someone.

Is-is-is-is watching me.

I feel like I have, I have.

Zero privacy.

I.

Am losing, losing.

Touch with reality.

I start to question.

My.

Sanity.

===========================================

The song continued, the constant bass hammering him beginning to feel pleasant, the darkness and comfort of the couch starting to remind him of when him and Sammy went to the movies a few weeks ago. A wonderful trip to the mall, indeed. His eyes locked on the thin slit of light shining from the crack under the door at the top of the stairs, watching shadows passing by as people walked. He was entranced, waiting, hoping, praying that Sammy would burst through that door and give him the company and security he needed.

He couldn't know how much time had passed or how long he was watching. The dust from the basement floated and glistened in what little light shone through the bottom of the door. The same song was playing, so it couldn't have been very long. That or the song just happened to be fairly lengthy. Another shadow passed, yet, the door remained closed. Another shadow appeared, another one behind it. Losing hope, he took in a breath once he saw the shadows remain. Were they lost? Was it her? Please.

The door opens, Eric having to shut his eyes by the light that was now blinding to his dilated pupils, after spending so much time in the darkness. Once the door closed, he was able to open his eyes back, blinking the spots away, watching a pair of legs stepping down the stairs. The purple cotton socks shone in the black light, revealing a few mysterious blotches on them that Eric certainly knew the origins of.

Finally. She came back.

Eric smiled at his savior, pushing himself to lean forward as she approached, her hands full.

"Sammy! I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I ruined your night. I'm sorry I came. I'm sorry I embarrassed you. Please, don't be mad." he rambled, watching her set down a plate of hotdogs, pulling out two bottles of waters from her bulging pockets, placing them beside the plate.

The feline didn't react, until she crawled up on the couch with him. Not with him, exactly, but on him, mounting herself on his lap.

"Shhhhh. It's okay." she shushed, placing a finger on his lips, leaning in to purr in his ear, so he could hear.

Eric blushed at her touch, not expecting her to straddle him, looking up into her eyes, the blue irises glowing under the light.

"But-"

"No. No worrying. You're done worrying. I want you to relax." she hushes, lips brushing over his ear, her hand moving to stroke the underside of his chin.

Whining, he does as she asks and stays quiet, feeling a weight being lifted now that she was here with him.

"Here. You need to eat. It'll help." she instructs, reaching over to pick up one of the hotdogs.

"I am a bit hungry now." he admits, about to reach up and take the food, until she holds it in front of his mouth.

Watching her smirk, he opens his maw, sinking his teeth into the dog, the normally mediocre flavors, now exploding on his taste buds. She loaded it up with his favorite toppings as well, the taste amplified. Letting out a moan, he quickly chews, before taking another bite. Before he knew it, he had already devoured the entire hotdog in three bites. Chuckling, Sammy pulls a wad of napkins from her pocket, wiping off his lips. tossing the bundled up paper on the table.

"Now some water. Bet you're thirsty by now." she offers, grabbing the water, taking off the cap.

"Mouth feels like a desert." he comments, placing his lips on the lid of the bottle as Sammy lifts it, taking down a dozen or so forceful gulps of the brisk water, quenching his insatiable thirst.

"Good boy." she teases, recapping the bottle and setting it aside.

"Thank you." Eric smiles, hoping the food will help reduce his high in any amount.

The song finally came to its climax, giving them both a moment of peace.

"I know what you're feeling and it passes. Don't worry. You'll be fine." Sammy assures, scratching under his chin.

"You sure?" he gulps, whimpering at the teasing scratches.

"You want the honest answer?"

Eric, not liking that question, nervously nods.

"It'll be done in an hour, two hours tops." she states, leaning back in to slide her hand behind his back, pulling him forward for a hug.

"That's too long, Sammy." he whispers, the fear apparent in his voice.

"Not at all." she replies, squeezing him.

"Yes it is." he pouts, hugging her back.

"Think about it. Remember when we found that season of Seinfeld on DVD at Goodwill last week?" the feline asks, waiting to feel him nodding against her.

"I think. Hard to remember stuff."

"Well, we watched the fuck out of it. Binged the whole season in one sitting. We did that and you're going to say that an hour or so is too long? C'mon, that's, like, two episodes and change. You can do that sitting on your head." she giggles, rocking him in her arms.

"I guess so. Not really watching it here though." he shrugs, nose sniffing at that now familiar scent of marijuana that clung to her shirt.

"Just listen to the music. Might be up your alley. I know I'm liking it." she smiles.

Their peaceful quiet was interrupted by an ad from the steaming service, a lady's voice so loud that it sounded like she was screaming, informing the listeners about the perks of a premium account. Everyone in the basement collectively booed and jumped at the deafening voice that had to be even louder than the volume they had the music set to. Sammy fell victim as well and jumped with a frightened squeal, looking over in time to see Eric's amused reaction. The feline laughs as well, letting herself fall forward, their foreheads colliding as they shared a laugh.

"Someone too cheap to pay for a real account." Eric jokes, bobbing her nose with his own, enjoying the slightly cooler touch of her pink snout.

"Apparently. Freeloaders." she chimes back, before leaning back for a swig of her bottle of water.

With the ad over, the next song began. It already had a similar tone and feel to the last one, though more slow, dramatic, droning, yet similar enough that he presumed it to be the same artist. Another melodic slamming of bass, the synthesizer keyboard playing a short melody that repeated, along with the drums. The atmosphere it provided was one that fit the mood of the basement. Dark, gripping, engrossing, while still being relaxing.

===========================================

I swear this girl is my type.

She's sort of crazy, alright.

Go out and stay up all night, all night.

===========================================

After drowning herself in the water, downing half the bottle, she sets it aside, turning back to face her lover. It was clear to him that she was still quite high from earlier, swaying side to side, unsure if it was accidental or if she was starting to feel the music. The girl moves forward once again, nuzzling against him, feeling that same nose poking him in the neck. Though she couldn't see, she could feel him blushing, his neck growing hotter as well. Curious, she gave his neck a slow, teasing lick, tasting the anxiety-heavy sweat that clung to his skin.

===========================================

And I can tell she want me.

Just by the way she touch me.

She says she wants to _ **_fuck** _ ** ** me._

===========================================

"S-Sammy? Don't. People are looking." he whines in a hushed voice, looking over at the ogling and judgmental eyes that were glued to him and his girlfriend.

Breaking away for a second, Sammy looks over across the room. Everyone was lost in their own little world, smiling and teasing their lovers, kissing one another. Only one or two threw them a curious look, surprised to see her and him hooking up. The feline turns back to Eric.

"Let them watch." she purrs, leaning in to kiss him on the lips, stroking his cheek, while the other hand cupped his chin.

Eric feels his heart pound, returning her kiss, his arms finding their way around her waist, keeping her close to him.

===========================================

Girl, I just want you to stay, stay, stay,

Won't you stay here with me.

Girl, I just want you to stay, stay, stay.

I don't want you to leave.

===========================================

The feline's lips touched his neck, kissing his tender flesh, slowly growing more and more zealous, starting to now suck at his skin, before pulling back with a wet smack.

"A-aa-ahhh." Eric pants, hands closing around her hips, arms criss-crossed around her torso.

Grinning, Sammy moves her lips back, bearing her teeth, opening her jaw to scrape the tips of her incisors over his neck with a quick motion of her head, catching him with her pointed fang as well. The human whines and shuts his eyes, dropping his head to the side, exposing more his delicate and sensitive neckline, which she moved in to tease. Chattering her teeth, Sammy rapidly nibbled up the side of his neck, pausing to once again suck, trapping a sliver of his skin between her teeth, carefully rolling her jaw to torture the web of flesh.

"Sammy..." the human whimpers, squirming under her, unable to resist her commanding torment.

Instead of relenting, she redoubled her actions, shifting her focus downwards, forming a wet seal with her lips around the hollow of his collar bone, nipping at it and sucking hard, shallowly yanking backwards, until she finally broke the seal, leaving behind a reddening bruise. She then licks up from his collar bone to his ear, dragging and poking the tip of her tongue against the opening, giggling at his whines and muffled cries, finishing it off with a bite and tug of his earlobe. Eric yips and squeezes her tighter, forcing his head forward to escape her teasing muzzle, burying his face into her chest.

"What's wrong?" she chuckles, hands on his chest, easing him back into his original position, leaning in to peck him on the lips once more.

"Too much." Eric groans, taking hold of her tail, stroking the furry appendage.

"I don't think it's enough." Sammy grins, laying her fingers over his head, curling them in slightly to place the edges of her claws into his scalp, before gingerly closing her hand and lifting it, dragging her claws over the entirety of his head in one slow, sweeping motion.

A shiver travelled up his spine, speechless as she began the scalp massage, fidgeting and recoiling from the unusually ticklish sensation of her claws raking over his head, something he never thought could feel so amazing. Every scratch cause Eric to quiver and shudder, goosebumps raised over every inch of his body, eyes rolled into the back of his head, mouth agape as she pleasured him. Sammy smiled at his reactions, adding her other hand to the mix, fluttering her clawed fingertips down the back of his head and across the nape of his neck, caressing the back of his head. The terrifying high he was overwhelmed with earlier had been replaced with a feeling of euphoria, brought on by the feline's gifted touches that she continually graced him with. The music invaded his mind, breathing becoming heavy and lethagric.

===========================================

Her mind I must explore it.

Her heart's just like a fortress.

I swear she's fucking gorgeous.

And I can tell she's crazy.

But that's my type of lady.

She says she loves me maybe.

===========================================

Eric melted under her touch, barely able to keep his eyes open at the feline stroking his scalp, unable to do anything aside from hold her and moan, her other hand scratching tight circles into the back of his skull with each finger moving in tandem with one another, the repetitive bass lines of the song vibrating his seat, adding to the stimulating sensations. She was aware of how a bad trip can be and how much a distraction can help put his mind at ease, knowing that he could no longer dwell on his current anxiety and was only able to focus on her constant teasing.

"I've never seen you like this." he drools, limp against the couch.

"Like what?" she asks, their noses touching.

"So affectionate. I'm always the one giving pets. Not used to receiving." the human slurs, knees buckling as the tips of her claws traced his hairline.

"Guess I'm just in a loving mood. You deserve some care too. Not fair that I'm the one always getting it." she coos, prodding a finger into both his ears for a taunting wiggle.

"You do an amazing job. I can get used to this." he smiles, briefly whining at her teasing, shaking his head.

Giggling, she pulls her hands away, slipping them under his shirt to slowly drag her claws down the center of his back, damp with a nervous sweat.

"How're you feeling?" she curiously asks, hoping he had at least plateaued and could get used to the high.

"Better. Head and body feel heavy as hell, but nice. Dreamy, I guess." he murmurs as the new song, and the playlist, comes to an end, hair standing on end, while her claws raked down his body.

"Happy to hear it. Positive thoughts." she smiles, sweeping her hands over the sides of his ribcage, feeling the bones through his thin frame.

"Stop!" he laughs, shaking off her hands.

Nodding with a giggle, Sammy pulled back and slid off his lap, sitting down beside him.

"Sorry, but I gotta eat something, right now. Hungry as shit." she sighs, picking up the paper plate, grabbing the untouched hotdog, sinking her teeth into it, thankfully still warm.

"No problem. I was wondering if you had something to eat here yet." he nods, resting his hand on her knee.

"A handful of chips, but that's all." she shrugged, taking another bite of the dog, knowing they'd both be heading upstairs sometime soon to reload.

Eric reached over and picked up his bottle of water, hydrating his stale palate.

"So. Wanna tell me what you were feeling back there?" Sammy asks, after another bite of her food.

"Uh, let's see. Hopeless. Terrified. Unwanted. Plenty of other things. It was weird. Everything looked two dimensional and the sides of my vision were really blurry. It was like I was sitting in a theatre and watching a movie, but through my eyes. I don't know how to describe it. Didn't feel in control of myself." the human exhaled through his nostrils with a sigh.

"That's rare, but can happen. I've learned that if you're in a really bad mood, that it can sometimes amplify it. Especially, when it's your first time. That's why I really didn't want you to try it. We've had a shit day, fighting in the kitchen, a party you didn't want to be at, and everything in between, made it a guarantee that this would happen." Sammy explains, finishing her hotdog, cleaning her mouth with one of the napkins.

"I didn't know that. Don't really know anything about it and still don't. I'm sorry. I was too stubborn and didn't listen." he frowns, squeezing her leg.

"No bad thoughts. Don't dwell on them. It's okay. You're doing better now and that's all I care about. We're both doing better." she shushes, taking her bottle of water, downing the last of its contents.

"And I'm happy for that." the human chuckles, leaning against her.

"Would you maybe want to do a bit more later? I'm not pressuring you, but just curious. Take a bit more, before we head back to my place. That's where I'd want you to feel it, anyway. A safe space with someone you love." Sammy asks, petting the top of his hand.

"Maybe. Don't know just yet, but I am feeling better though. Could maybe get used to it." he shrugs, now aware of the massive impact she had on his mood.

"Only if you'd want to."

"I'll think about it."

"How about over a few burgers? That guy has the grill going and I could use some more food. How about you?" she smirks, standing back up, grabbing the empty plate and bottle.

"Sounds good." he smiles, climbing up from the couch, wobbling a bit as he got used to standing again.

---

The porcupine hoisted the overfilled trash bag from the can, hastily tying it shut, before dragging it out to the patio. Opening the lid of the heavy duty refuse bin, she managed to cram the final bag of trash inside of it, unable to reclose the lid afterwards. Letting out a huff, she turns around, seeing her two guests leaving through the sliding door.

"Hey. Guys finally heading back home?" Nicole asks, wiping her hands clean.

The human clung to Sammy, who had her arm around his waist, keeping him steady.

"Mhm. He's getting sleepy." the feline smirks, Eric sluggishly nodding.

"I can see that. I'm surprised you came back up for more. Was worried you weren't having the best of times, after your first time smoking." the porcupine chuckles, walking over to the charcoal grill.

"Huh? Ah, yeah. Things got better when Sammy came to help. Good at keeping me calm." he yawns, Sammy faintly blushing at how he tightly clung to her as he spoke.

"Really? I'm surprised. Didn't know she had a gentle side." Nicole laughs, checking to make sure the ashes inside were cooled off, before she started to dump them inside of the empty charcoal bag.

"I can be when I want to." Sammy chimes in, seeing that Eric was about to say something instead.

"So, only when you're stoned then?" her friend taunts, avoiding the gray dust that began to drift up from the open bag as she emptied the grill.

"Very nice." Eric hummed, pulling away from the cat, leaning against the side of the house instead.

Nicole rolls the bag shut and drops it off beside the trash can, turning back to face the two.

"Alright then. Looks like party it winding down anyway." she nods, glancing through the window to see twenty of so people left, less than half of the original party.

Most were sitting on the couch or laying down on the ground, watching a baseball game, while the others were still down in the basement.

"Yup. Need any help cleaning up?" Sammy offers, rubbing her dried eyes.

"Nah. You did enough today, but thanks. See you guys on Monday!" Nicole smiles, stepping to her friend's side, giving her a hug.

"Alright. Yeah, got the whole weekend ahead of us too." Sammy smiles back, returning the hug.

Breaking away, the porcupine approaches Eric and pulls him in for a hug of his own.

"See ya. Nice meeting you!" Nicole smirks, giving the drowsy human a squeeze.

"You too. Huh. Thought you'd be more pointy." he states, cautiously patting her quills.

"Ha! You have no idea how annoying it is to keep these damn things blunt too." the girl laughs, Sammy shaking her head at the gullible human.

"He used to think cats cleaned themselves with their tongue, instead of actually bathing, so don't feel too bad." Sammy grins.

"Aww, that's cute." the girl giggles, spinning on her heels to step back into her house.

"Oh, shush!" Eric groans.

"Anyhoo, catch ya guys later!" Nicole waves one last time, before she slides the door shut.

Waving back, the two then turn back and head towards Sammy's car.

"She's nice." Eric yawns, carefully walking across the dimly lit lawn.

"Yeah. Knew her for years." Sammy replies, starting to yawn as well, after he did.

She takes out her keys as they approach her car, unlocking it and slipping inside, reaching across the seat to do the same for his side. Eric tugs on the handle and flops down inside, finding the seat belt and clicking it secure.

"You sure you're okay to drive?" he asks as Sammy cranks the ignition, the jalopy rumbling to life.

"Yup. Don't worry. I paced myself." she assures, flipping on the headlights, looking behind her as she begins to back out.

"I'll take your word." he nods, easing his window down with the crank handle.

The feline pulls out onto the road, giving a quick two honks of the horn as they disembark, heading back to her house to finally end the exhaustingly long day.

---

The hinges of the heavy door groaned as Sammy shoved it open, stepping out of the car, slamming it shut. She walked around the vehicle and approached the passenger's side, tugging it open and holding it.

"Feeling okay?"

Eric's hand lifted and gripped the doorframe, pulling himself free from the car with a grunt.

"Feeling good." he chuckled, a tad off balance.

"Then let's get you back downstairs." Sammy smiles, taking him by the hand, leading the both of them to her front door.

After unlocking the door with her house key, she quietly pushed it open, stepping inside, while also making sure Eric stayed balanced. Shutting it behind them, she tiptoed to the landing, ushering them both down the door and into the basement, the human breathing in the familiar and homely scent that he knew too well.

"Nice to be back home." Sammy sighed, hopping off the last step, taking in the comforting sight of the cluttered basement turned bedroom.

"Agreed." Eric nods, stepping over one of the small piles of dirty clothes on the floor.

After starting their relationship, he'd been able to help Sammy make a few changes in her lifestyle, the most important being the state of her floor. Though some dirty laundry was always littering some of the ground, he'd taken it upon himself to clean the entire room. Throwing away all the useless clutter with her assistance and permission. Outdated school papers, receipts, newspapers, empty pizza boxes, cans, and bottles. On top of that, he vacuumed and shampooed the carpet that he'd rarely even seen before! They'd even been able to find an entertainment center off someone's curb, that happened to be the perfect size for the basement. No longer did her old tube TV need to sit on an old plywood shelf and her retro game consoles on the floor. With the cables neatly tied back and tucked behind the various devices fit into the entertainment center and the newly cleaned room, he could finally say that it felt a bit like a home of their own.

"I actually had some fun back there." Eric admits, flopping down on the still beaten up couch in front of the TV.

After splitting another joint between him and the two girls later on that evening, he started to feel more of the positive side effects this time. Most notably, that carefree relaxation and lowered stress. It seemed to finally help him overcome his habitual uneasiness and awkwardness that came with being one of the only humans around. He was finally able to break the ice and talk to some of his classmates, learning they didn't have any ill thoughts or feelings towards him, something that he was always sure he was receiving from the odd glances he'd gotten nearly every day at school. It was nice to actually interact with everyone, no longer a care in the world of any negativity he'd once assume was always being thrown at him. Sammy was happily surprised to see him actually breaking free of his shell, even if it was just for a few hours.

"Yeah? Does that mean you'd go to another one?" she teases, sitting down beside him.

"I think so." he smirks, pulling his legs up to make more room for her.

Sammy picks the remote off of the coffee table and switches on the TV, flipping through some channels, stopping on an old sitcom for some cheap laughs.

"Didn't think I'd hear that answer." Sammy chuckles, pulling up his pant leg to scratch at his skin.

"Didn't start off well, but got better as it went on. Pretty much sums up the entire day, I think." he nods, rolling over onto his back.

"Well, at least it's behind us and you got to try something new." Sammy grins, rubbing his calf.

"Mmhmm. It was only nice when I got to be with you though." he clarifies, looking over at her.

"We can always do it more, just not constantly. We should treat this like a special occasion. I don't want to end up like a burnout or something." she states, petting him some more.

"I agree. I'd say this has been one hell of a special occasion though. One crazy ride of a day." Eric comments, turning back to face the TV, listening to the canned laughter.

"Mhm. You feeling good? Happy?" she asks, scooting down the couch a bit.

"Mmm, very. Amazing." Eric grins, eyes noticeably red, feeling a euphoric combination of drowsiness and heavy headed.

"Oh? I was thinking of making you feel even better. Maybe add another new experience for you." she purrs, moving down to massage his ankle.

"W-what?" Eric inhales, looking back down at her, seeing a sly smile on her muzzle.

"New experiences. I was remembering how you said. How you're always giving and never receiving. Got me thinking about another little role reversal." the feline growls, taking hold of his sneaker.

"H-hey! What are you doing?" he squirms, lifting himself up into a sitting position, his legs still resting on hers.

"Nothing." she innocently replies, tugging at his shoelace.

Eric watched her carefully, quietly whining. She gave his shoes a brief look over. Casual black and white sneakers. A trademark white swoosh adorning one side of the black colored base, the company brand labeling the tongue. Nothing fancy. At least, not as fancy as the shoes she was used to wearing. The feline gently pulled it off, removing the sneaker from his foot, holding it in her hand as she gave him a taunting glare. Sammy looked over his shoe, much in the same way he would with any of her footwear, the human keeping his eyes focused on the curious feline. Looking over at her boyfriend, the girl lifts his shoe, tilting her muzzle forward, holding her snout in front of the opening, where she gave it a sniff, just loud enough for him to hear. Sammy, of course, didn't actually share his fetish so to speak. Obviously, she enjoyed the massages and the feeling of his tongue over her paws, but the only arousal she received from feet themselves was the mutual passion she felt from Eric whenever he'd worship or rut her paws. That being said, she didn't mind putting on a little show for the foot lover.

"Don't...." he sighed, unable to pull away from the sight, hearing the short, sharp sniffs she gave.

"Fine. Why waste my time with that, when I have this right here." she rumbles, taking hold of his ankle, bringing his foot to her lap.

Eric's body tenses as she runs the tops of her fingers over the sole of his socked foot. She could feel the slight dampness of what little sweat was in the white cotton of his ankle socks. Holding his heel in one hand, she began pressing her thumb into his sole, noticing how tight his arch was, focusing her attention there, kneading the stiff tendon through his thin sock. The human whimpered and curled his toes in reaction, leading the cat to lift up foot, before placing her snout against his toes, letting him feel the hot breath flowing from her nostrils as she snuffled over the fabric. Like his shoe, the scent wasn't offensive, nothing she wasn't used to at least. A mild odor of a footy sweat. The only thing she wasn't able to do was give his foot the same aggressive huffing he'd give to her, settling for a couple weak, but loud sniffs, enough to at least work him up a bit.

"Sammy, please..." he whined, his manhood swelling in his jeans, shivering as she massaged and sniffed at his foot, something he never thought she'd do to him.

"What's wrong? Never have someone return the favor? Not used to people touching your feet?" she teases, sliding off the couch to kneel down in front, pulling his other foot over, pulling off his shoe, to leave him in his socked feet, holding them side by side.

"N-no! It's too much." he pants, forcing himself to keep them steady.

"Too much? You don't even react this way when I'm teasing your cock." she grins, rubbing her nose along the undersides of both sets of socked toes, sniffing all the while.

"That's because this is different!" Eric proclaims, biting his lower lip.

"Oh, do tell." she laughs, now kneading his toes, enjoying the warmth and softness of his socks.

"I can't describe it." he frowns, letting the girl molest his feet.

"Try." Sammy smirks, biting at the excess fabric at the tips of his toes.

"I guess my feet are more of an intimate zone in my case. I never let anyone touch them. I barely even let anyone see them either." the human gasps, watching her slowly pull off his socks with her teeth, dropping them to her side.

Now barefoot, his cheeks flush as the feline ogles his feet, fidgeting them and trying to hide them between the cushions of the couch.

"No, you don't!" Sammy snaps, grabbing his ankles, pulling his feet free, yanking them close to her face, so she could look them over closer.

From what she read on the tongue of his sneaker, he was a size 10. A normal size for someone of his body type. Even if he didn't tell her, she could assume he didn't go barefoot much. His skin was a few shades lighter than the slightly tan shade the rest of his body contained. Releasing his ankles, she took his right foot into her hands, gently caressing his sole with her fingers. To say he took good care of them was an understatement. No calluses, dry skin, wrinkles, or any kind of blemishes. His foot was as soft as baby skin. Supple and warm to the touch. The toenails were well manicured, trimmed short and filed smooth, something she only thought she'd see a woman do. Apparently, someone with such a fetish was sure to keep their own feet well maintained. Though clearly masculine and wide, she smirked at how cute and pudgy his toes were, big and plump, starting to surprise herself at how she was critiquing his feet. Seemed he may have been rubbing off on her.

"So cute." she grinned, pinching the tip of his big toe to wag it back and forth.

Eric covers his mouth with his hand, letting a whimper slip through his tightly pursed lips. Once again, he curled his toes and tilted his feet together, trying to conceal his clearly sensitive digits. The feline doesn't relent, grabbing the human's foot and keeping it held in front of her muzzle, nostrils flaring as she exhaled, her hot breath coddling his delicate skin.

"Why do you keep these hidden? You have some cute feet and that's coming from someone that doesn't have a fetish." the feline teases further, gradually inching her lips towards the ball of his foot.

He holds his breath, debating on the pros and cons of kicking at her, knowing it wouldn't end well. Finally, her warm lips are planted against his foot, giving it a tender kiss, pulling back to land another an inch lower, smooching from the ball of his foot down to his heel, ending with a nip. Eric cringes at the kisses, foot shaking as she pecks it, letting out a yip once she bit him, tugging back his foot. Laughing, Sammy moves forward, kissing the top of his foot, over the tips of his toes for good measure.

"How's that feel?" she purrs, running her fingers over his foot, slipping her fingers between his toes.

"....good." he whines, clearly sporting an erection inside his pants.

"Yeah? Well I can't let you have all the fun either." Sammy comments, scooting down to the end of the couch, dropping her legs on the overstuffed cushions of the tattered couch.

Though the fabric of the couch was already stained with spilled beer, soda, and God knows what else, her fairly clean shoes had little risk of adding to the fraying sofa. At first glance, the shoes appeared to be the usual ones she'd wear. The ones that matched her colored fur, with a white sole, orange body, and black tongue, along with colored laces. Unlike her old ones, these were pristine. Not a spot of dirt nor a grass stain tarnishing the flawless footwear. It would seem that she'd gotten her old ones restored, but due to the gracious actions and internet sleuthing of her kind boyfriend, he'd manage to track down a fresh pair of the elusive skater shoes. Something Sammy wasn't soon to forget.

She leaned forward, pulling loose the colored laces that were tightly knotted, removing the shoes from her feet, setting one down on the ground, before leaning forward, holding the other in front of his face.

"Care to find out how these are fairing after their first wear?" she teases, watching the flustered human whine and sheepishly nod.

Not one to decline the offer of a noseful of her scent, Eric leaned in, eventually meeting that ribbing, cackling mug he'd gotten so used to seeing on the feline's face whenever she knew she had him right where she wanted him. She'd teased him like this time and time again, sometimes even pulling the shoes away, which he wasn't about to let happen this time. Grabbing her wrist, he dove his nose inside of that cavernous shoe, taking in hearty sniffs of her feline aroma that marinated inside of the soft, cushioned insole. The more pungent, though strangely feminine, notes of her perspiration were mixed with the overpowering scent of the brand new sneaker, mainly the synthetic and chemically treated plastic and fabric that made up the footwear.

"Well?"

The human took one last huff, his nose exiting her skater shoe as he fell back against the couch.

"I think they still have a few miles to go." he sighed, giggling slightly.

"Aww. Guess I'll have to tease you in some other ways then." she threw back.

Sammy lurched forward, taking her paws in her hands, running her thumbs over the slender soles of her socked feet, looking up to her boyfriend with a smoky stare. His ears perked at the sound of her claws skipping over the delicate fabric of her thin socks as she raked them over her arches, wearing those adorable socks he loved so much. The blue ones depicting cartoony, swimming fishes, the same kind he'd stolen from her in the past, before they became a couple and he no longer had to hide his perversion. The flirtatious girl fondled her feet for a little longer, eventually taking hold of her socked toes, peeling off her socks, going slow at first, before she sharply tugged on the last remaining inches, curling her now bare toes, flexing them in his direction.

"How about these?" she smirks, tossing her socks over his face.

The human happily took those socks in his hands, pressing them against his nostrils as he steadily breathed through the noticeably warm and marginally damp, inhaling the more concentrated odor of Sammy's paws, after an entire day of being trapped around the now sweat stained cotton. This and sniffing her shoes was an act he'd have been ashamed of displaying months ago, before he met the cat. Now, the both of them didn't look at it as more odd or unusual as someone sniffing a girl's underwear, something that Eric may have done a time or two as well. Regardless, it's something he didn't enjoy doing in public, which was also something that made Sammy do it to him even more. He ground those sullied fibers against his nostrils, unabashedly snorting in all the socks had to offer, his fleshy member swelling as his mind was taken back to the first time she ever shoved her paws in his face, a strangely, though arousing, memory.

"And those?"

"Mmm, very fresh." he groans, tossing the socks on top of her sock, after giving them one last parting sniff.

"Good." she chuckles.

The feline scratches over the tops of her feet, causing trenches to form in the fur, fanning out her toes and waving them towards Eric, grinning up at him, moving her feet closer and closer towards his own, constantly flaunting her long, fuzzy toes that he lusted after. Eric's vision, already hazing enough, grew focused on those squirming feline feet as they drifted towards him, his breath caught in his throat as they finally touched. The heated, delicate fur of hers pushed into his gentle, overly sensitive skin, their soles pressed together as Sammy lightly rubs hers against his, smiling as a quiet whimper sounded from Eric. It took all his will to not pull away immediately, her fur tickling his feet in the most sensual way. Her toes flexed, scratching over his skin, hearing his delightful squeak as he reflexively tugged away. Grinning, Sammy chased, their soles colliding as he grinded her furry paws against his fleshy, human soles, a few inches longer than his as well, her toes able to grab the tips of Eric's whenever they bent.

"It's okay. No reason to be embarrassed that it just feels soooo goooood. It does, doesn't it? Having a cute pair of furry, girl feet rubbing all over yours? I love making you blush. Such a poor, shy human, aren't you?" she rumbles, looking him square in the eye, a flash of pink flesh as she licked over her upper lip.

Eric nods, keeping his feet as steady as possible, while those feline paws continued to shift and rub over his soles, his hand creeping over to the growing tent in his pants, cupping his bulge, squeezing it, his eyes darting between those blue irises of Sammy and her multicolored feet that refused to leave his alone.

"What's wrong? Are they too soft? Maybe all that cum and saliva is good for the fur. Must be from all that licking, sucking, and of course, all those slow, milking footjobs I've been giving you. Guess I'm getting pretty good at it. These things never get a rest. All day long, it never ends. Not even at night. Oh, yes, I know what you do to them when you think I'm asleep. All the attention I give you, and yet, you still find the need to sleep around my back and play with my paws and shoes. Naughty, naughty." she continues, Eric shutting his eyes with a sad, shameful whine, knowing he'd been caught.

Could you blame him? It didn't matter that he had the keys to the kingdom and free reign to defile her lovely paws. The act of doing it in his own secretive and hidden way, just made it all so much more delightful and naughty. She was right though, when she stated how good she was getting with her feet and she sure wasn't shy in displaying it. Her feet inched back, letting her toes take over, wiggling each digit individually as they drove up his feet, flitting those ebony claws over his soles, scrunching and tensed up as he moaned from that damn cat's rigorous, unyielding torture. That rare kind of torture that'd make him throw himself to his knees and beg for more. Eric's hand mashed against his groin, eyes squirting in a strained pleasure, feeling his underwear growing wet and sticky as pre spat from his needy cock. His feet twisted, starting to push back against those paws, thumping them as he lightly kicked, listening to Sammy giggling over his moans as he teased himself, finally rubbing his feet against those delightful paws. Sammy bent forward, grabbing his hands, squeezing them as she pushed back against his feet, laughing with a childish innocent as she wrestled with him. It took Eric a moment to collect himself, realizing what she was doing, forcing himself to partake in furthering his own denial and still eager desire to feel her furred feet against his skin. The two fought, knees bending and suddenly shooting forward, hands locked and fingers interwoven, trying to push the other away, while also keeping mind to not topple off the couch. It was a fierce competition, regardless of how lazy and slow they were, Sammy constantly giggling at Eric, who let out a yip or moan at every motion, undeniably enjoying the strangely intimate act of the mutual footplay. At times, Sammy would hold back, letting him take over, curious how much he would fight back, though it was clear that him shoving her feet back was purely so that he could continue grinding his feet over that plush fur of hers. The lovers continued their playful fight for a bit longer, until the stoned couple grew tired, mainly Sammy as Eric was simply too aroused to go on. As she pulled back and let his legs drop, the feline shot forward, taking hold of his ankle, jerking it back towards her muzzle, ready to see how hard she could push him as she pressed her snout back against his warm foot, giving it a fresh sniff. That chill snout of hers send another wave of euphoria through his body, shivering at the touch, Sammy now eyeing the obvious erection that threatened to burst the seams of his jeans.

"Want to pull that out?" Sammy sneers, suddenly pressing her snout between his toes for a further forceful sniff, knowing how he'd react.

With another groan, he nods his head, tugging his belt open, unzipping his pants and pulling down his waistband, freeing his stiff erection, already wet and aroused not only from her foot teasing and wrestling, but from their affectionate cuddling back at the party as well. He sighs in relief, closing his hand around his shaft, giving it a squeeze, groaning softly.

"Does the shy human want the kitty to give his toes some love?" she growls, her tongue slipping from her mouth, giving his big toe a kiss, followed up with a teasing poke from the tip of her tongue.

"Yes! Please." he finally caves, kneading his fat erection, allowing his toes to finally unfurl for the girl.

That feline forces his big toe into her muzzle, swirling her tongue around it, aggressively sucking that chubby digit. Judging by his reaction, she was doing good for her first time. Eric cried out and wagged the toe over her tongue, Sammy reacting quickly by grinding the bumpy surface of her tongue over the tender skin. Her hands continued to knead and massage his tense sole, giving it a tickle or two as well, keeping a tight grip as he starts to kick. After keeping his big toe in her maw for another minute, she allows it to slide from her lips, lapping her tongue between his digits, grinning with an open mouth at his squeals of pleasure, watching him stroking his manhood. Sammy manages to stuff the next two digits into her maw, slithering her tongue between them, curling it completely around one of their sides.

"Goddamn!" he gurgles, his grip becoming slippery from the sheer amount of pre dribbling over his fingers, his foreskin lewdly slicking as it was repeatedly slid over his glans.

"Mmm, loving this, aren't you? Keep jerking that cock for me." she growls, pressing her tongue against the bottom of his toes, shaking her head as she swept the wet muscle repeatedly over his digits, properly slobbering over them the way he would to her.

Eric pants and squeezes his eyes shut, shivering as he moaned, the other foot resting in her lap, waiting its turn. She was getting into it, surprisingly. Finding it enjoyable to give him the same treatment he'd give to her, loving how much it was affecting the quivering human. It was odd taking someone's toes in her muzzle, since she wasn't much of a fan, but started to enjoy how it felt. How it made him react. How strangely satisfying it was to worship them and getting such a visceral reaction from her boyfriend. Clearly, he'd never done it before, but was loving every second. He never even wore sandals, let alone go barefoot. This only made them even more supple and hypersensitive to any touch and Sammy was loving it. Worshiping his feet did little to offend her, never finding feet to be a very dirty part of the body, despite their reputation. Licking and sucking on the pudgy, bulbous toes was kinda fun for her and felt weirdly pleasant, another addition to her oral fixation.

"I'm having fun too." she sneers, bringing over his other foot, taking both of his big toes into her mouth at once.

The feline was ensuring that he wouldn't grow bored watching either. Constantly locking eyes with him, staring into them as she intently worshiped his feet, pausing to look over the increasingly saliva coated foot, deciding on where to attack next with the same nonchalant attitude she'd give to ordering from a menu. She'd turn his foot sideways, moving her muzzle closer, tongue outstretched as she'd deliberately make contact as slowly as possible, forcing him to watch her pink muscle as it was dragged over his sole, leaving a trail of damp skin behind.

"Fuck, Sammy. I need yours. You're driving me crazy." he begs, furiously masturbated, entranced by her expressive and passionate performance.

"You sure? I thought I could just make you cum by licking these big feet." she taunts, nibbling along his arch, pausing to give his toes another sniff.

"Please!" he yells, squirming with a lustful need.

Sammy grins and pushes her feet forward, laying his legs between hers, keeping his soles directly in front of her muzzle, continuing to lick over his soles, biting his heels, sucking on various spots of his feet as she offers her own. The human snatches her ankles and jerks them forward, taking hold of the furry lovelies. Once he saw her beautiful, multicolored, furry paws, he immediately threw his nose into her sweaty toes, shamelessly inhaling her addictive musk, built up from a long day of walking around and partying. Though he did much the same, hers hard a stronger aroma, the fur capturing it and making it harder to dissipate, one feature of her paws he'd never complain about. His tongue rolled over her pawpads, licking it clean from the sweat that glistened over the leathery flesh, before sucking it with his lips, hand aggressively stroking his swollen cock.

The feline mirrored his worship. Licking, sucking, nipping at his feet the exact way he did with hers, following each area he went after, like it was a game, though Eric was too high and horny to comprehend what was happening. Their tongues danced on one another's feet and paws, dutifully licking and kissing, Eric relieving his pent up emotions, anger, and frustration he'd been afflicted with all day, throwing himself into the deviant act he performed with the feline.

With her paws thoroughly slick, he lowers them towards his cock, grinding his uncut tip over the saliva dampened fur, tickling himself with the wet tufts of fur over his drooling cockslit. The second he weakened his grip, Sammy took over, roughly slamming her soles around his stiff mast, grinding them together, trapping his poor erection, pre bubbling from the tip. There wasn't any fancy motions, jerking toe work, or unique footwork. No, this time couldn't get too creative. Her mind still sloshed from the effects of the THC, she hadn't the ability for her usual skilled paws. Instead, she gave him something simple. A loving, affectionate, warm, saliva soaked footjob. Her paws stroked him hard, pumping her legs with an unheard rhythm, her furred feet sliding over his cock, working his foreskin back and forth, using the padded balls of her feet to abuse his cock.

"Fuck!" he barks, arms limp at his side, now completely under her control.

His cock jolted and pulsated, heart thumping as she ground his dribbling manhood between her paws, going at a constantly quickened pace, never once letting him recover from every increasingly frequent risk of orgasm, her tongue poking out from between his toes, hungrily lapping over his feet, biting at them, sucking them, deflowering his virgin, untouched feet. Eric moaned and weakly thrust between her paws, his constant outcries and groans never ceasing. Those cries always amused Sammy. They gave her an idea as to the grade of her performance. Once he reached pitch and tone that fell somewhere between a whining dog and a mooing cow, did she know she'd be causing a mess very, very soon.

"Don't stop! Gonna cum!" he bellowed, watching that succubus of a cat managing to stuff her muzzle full of all five of his toes, drooling and driveling over them as he paws increased their pace.

Her toes bucked and curled down, scraping over his frothing cockslit with the tips of her claws, poking him, that sudden, sharp pain finally relieving all that pent up stress. Bellowing, the human raised his hips, watching his paralyzed manhood twitch, sending a volley of long, drawn out cum spurts, bursting from his tip, barely even fazed when his chest and neck were lashed by his own fertile ejaculate. One ribbon of his seed even managed to splat over his chin and cheek, narrowly dodging his mouth, agape with an intense, incapacitating bliss that overtook his body, eyes flicking between his pride as it rapidly spat out his sticky muck and the feline that was tugging free his toes from her mouth, drenched in her warm saliva. Sammy gave each toe one last kiss, ending with a final bite of the ball of his foot, before setting them down in her lap, her feet still moving on their own accord, now almost painfully squeezing together around his glans, grinding themselves together in a constant, aggressive motion, leaving just enough room for him to continuously shoot his cum, milking him absolutely dry. Every time she used her paws on him, he had to ask himself if that was the greatest orgasm he'd ever had. This time, there was no question. Those furry feet painstakingly emptying his swollen testicles. Her mouth and tongue giving him a tongue bath that even he was jealous of. It was everything he could have asked for.

"My god. Even I felt that one." she purrs, releasing his now spent cock, checking her paws, surprised to see they were relatively clean with nearly all of his seed being sprayed upon himself.

The giggling feline pulling her legs back, shifting in her seat to move up against his side, laughing at the semen that was soaking into his t-shirt, knowing it'd needed to be washed sooner than later. She helped him pull it off, though he was little help, seeing stars with a permanent and dazed expression on his face, tossing his shirt aside. Sammy laid against his body, taking the time to lick up the blotches and streaks of semen that clung to his neck and cheek, finishing with a kiss to his lips.

"So, how was that new experience." she teases, cuddling against his side, lightly dragging her claws over his belly.

Without an answer, the feline looked up at her boyfriend, the same dumbfounded and vacant look in his eyes.

"Whoops. Guess I broke him." Sammy laughs to herself, snuggling in between his body and the back of the couch.

With the TV still on, she reached over to pick up the remote, turning it down a few notches, yawning as she felt the need to sleep beckoning her forward. She wasn't the only one either. An orgasm of that caliber left the human not only speechless, but sapped of any energy he had left, being very little after the party and the pot. The few times he thought back on it, the more it felt like a dream in the state he was in. Going to school, their misadventure at the bar, the awkwardness and drama at the party, and the passionate finale and loving, warm, embrace he found himself in now, the conflicting emotions throughout the day and the now foggy remembrance he had on it all made it feel like an odd dream of sorts.

Who cares. Didn't matter. Not the ball busting her uncle gave nor the violent reaction he had to his first hit of weed or all the other bullshit. He was drained, both mentally and physically, laying together with the love of his life, listening to some B list celebrity on the television advertising some obsolete kitchen gadget. It was a vast contrast to how he'd usually spend a lonely Friday night and he had to agree, with some reluctance, that he needed to follow her lead and embark on whatever little adventures came their way. And, god, was he ready for whatever she was willing to throw his way next week.