FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Natalie, I'm home!" Robert shouts, his voice echoing throughout the entry hallway. The rest of the house doesn't have much in it since it's so big. Robert is truly glad to finally be home after being out working for more than thirty hours. It is now just past 1400, and since Robert hasn't had a full meal since the day before, he decides to make himself a large cold cut sandwich with cheese.

"FINALLY! I was starting to worry. So, what did you bring me this time?" The little vixen behind Robert stands leaning against the edge of the arch that leads to the living room where a game of Super Smash Bros. is paused in the middle of a match on the 55-inch HD TV. Natalie is now looking at her claws as if she had just painted them, and she then turns her head to look at Robert with raised eyebrows and a pouting face. "Well?"

"Nothing this time, which sort of reminds me, but I don't know how..." Robert walks over to the pantry and looks at the top shelf. He finds a few bags of Ramen noodle soup sitting on the shelf, and counts out seven of them. "Well, I'll be damned. There are EXACTLY seven bags of soup. Thank you for sticking to your word, Natalie." Robert turns to his sister and smiles warmly.

"Sure, whatever." Natalie rolls her eyes with her arms now crossed.

"Now, do you want lunch?" Robert asks with a concerned tone.

"I already had something."

"Alright. Well, I'm going to eat my lunch, and then I need to go change and I'll play Nintendo Land with you, alright?"

"Sure," Natalie sighs sarcastically.

After finishing the sandwich Robert had fashioned for himself, he hurries himself up the pine wood staircase into the master bedroom. He then closes the door and begins to undress himself until he is completely naked in front of the mirror bolted to the wall. Robert stares at himself in the mirror for a minute admiring his small curves. He continues to change into a black-and-white horizontal-striped polo shirt and brown slacks, but Robert decides that it doesn't match his fur very well.

_ Something that goes with bright red... or I guess it's more of a scarlet..._ Robert thinks to himself as he picks out a black v-neck t-shirt that reads with the letters steadily getting smaller and smaller, forming a downwards triangle: "If you can read this, you are standing too close." After sliding on a pair of green skinny jeans, Robert stares at himself in the mirror again, and decides that he likes the look. He prances into the master bathroom and searches for a bottle of cologne in the drawers of the counter, and gives his neck a few squirts of it before rubbing it into his fur.

Robert decides that he has prepared enough for the remainder of the day, and makes his way back down to the first floor where he finds Natalie playing the Donkey Kong game in Nintendo Land. Suddenly she yells, "Crap! That was my last life!" Robert is startled and nearly misses the last step as he walks down the stairs into the living room.

"Mind if I join?" Robert inquires as he sits on one of the two leather recliners. Natalie is slouching in the adjacent one.

Natalie offers Robert the tablet-like "Game Pad" controller, saying, "Do you want to be the archer? I know you like the Zelda game."

"Actually I'd like to try to kick your ass in the Animal Crossing one."

"You'll lose," Natalie chuckles.

"Is that a bet or a mere challenge?" Robert is now smirking as he puts nose in his sister's face.

"Just a friendly wager of zero." Natalie also smirks and puts her nose against her brother's, staring into his neon green eyes with an eyebrow raised.

"Let's 'a go."

After failing miserably at trying to win a match against Natalie, Robert finally speaks and starts a legitimate conversation. "You're too good for me little girl. I can't... Huh?" Robert's phone rings from the end table between the two recliners. The fox boy picks it up from its charging cable and stares at the caller ID. He does not know the number, so he answers. "This is Robert, who is calling?"

"Robert? Oh, thank God! I thought you had given me the wrong number. Listen, I need help. My ex is after me. I'm lucky I made it to the car before anything else happened."

"Daron? Is that you? What happened? Are you okay? Where are you?"

"It's okay, I'm fine. I'm at the diner. I just need to hide out for a few days."

"Then you should stay with us. We have an extra room."

Suddenly, Natalie whispers interrupting, "I don't like this..."

Robert puts his paw over the microphone so Daron can't hear him hiss to his sister, "It's my decision, and I trust this guy." Now talking to Daron again, "Yeah, it's 14 Symblit Ct, the grey one at the end of the cul-de-sac."

"Are you sure?" Daron stutters through the phone.

"Positive. You can stay as long as you need to. Like I said, I'm always available. Siri can take you here, right?" Robert asks concerned.

"Yeah. I'll see you in a few minutes, I guess."

The doorbell rings about fifteen minutes later and when Robert sprints to the door and answers it, he only opens the door to see a silver wolf leaning against the outer storm door with his right paw clutching his left forearm. It is bleeding profusely, and it makes Robert need to cover his muzzle as if trying not to vomit at the sight of the enormous gash on Daron's left arm. You've got to be kidding me. "NATALIE! Get a first aid kit, now! It's on top of the fridge!" Robert shouts across the house to Natalie as he walks Daron through the entry hallway and eventually into the living room. As Robert finally gets Daron to sit down in the leather recliner, Natalie returns with a small first aid kit in her paws. Finally Robert continues speaking in a voice of dire concern. "What happened?"

"He came into the lobby and went over to the front desk. I was about to say 'Welcome' and give him a room, but before I could, the horse jumped me." Daron grunts a bit as Robert wraps bandages around his wound. Daron says nothing for a moment.

"That doesn't explain your cut." Natalie interjects.

"He grabbed my shirt by the neck and pulled me over the desk, and he threw me onto the floor. My nose was bleeding for a few minutes because of that, but I didn't notice until it stopped. It's not broken, though. Anyway, I couldn't see it happen, but I heard him walk over to me, and I also heard a click, which I knew immediately to be that of a switch blade. I flipped myself halfway over in time for him to miss my back, and for him to get my arm instead. I kicked him in the balls as I got to my feet. I guess I did plenty of damage because I managed to get out of the lobby and into my car before he could recover. As I drove away, I could see him in the rear-view running after me, but I was too fast for him. I couldn't see any other cars, so I guess I got lucky that he didn't have one."

"Damn, that sucks. I'm sorry, mister." Natalie, contrary to her normal sarcasm, is very sincere as she apologizes.

"You're both extremely kind. Thank you. I hope I won't be a bother..." Daron hints that he is slightly uncomfortable with staying at a near stranger's house.

"Please, Daron. It's no trouble. You stay as long as you need to. Like I said, I'm always willing to help you out in any way I can. Natalie, can you leave the room for a second?"

"Whatever..." Natalie rolls her eyes as she turns to go upstairs to her bedroom.

"Thank you..." Robert whispers when he knows Natalie is out of earshot. "Listen, she doesn't know about me being gay, and I want to keep it that way, but I'm willing to let her figure it out for herself. She doesn't mind gay people. She even has gay friends at school. I just don't want to tell her. And no, I don't want you to tell her either."

Whispering at a volume that matches Robert's voice perfectly, Daron replies, "Sure."

"Also one more thing: I decided that I _would_like to pursue a relationship of some sort with you. Even if it's just being friends at first, I still want to go for it." Robert now leans down while still standing until he and Daron are at eye-level. Robert closes his eyes and catches Daron off-guard by putting his paw under Daron's muzzle and pulling the wolf in so the fox boy can kiss him on the cheek. Words cannot describe the feelings of jubilance that are felt by the two caninds.

Little do they know that they are under surveillance by one Natalie Lane, witnessing the intimate moments exchanged between the muscular silver wolf and scarlet fox boy. She is in absolute rage and disgust...

The next few days can only be described as awkward, because of that one conversation that created all the tension between Natalie and the boys.

"I can't believe you, Robert! How could you do this to me?" Natalie blurts out at the dinner table the first evening Daron had walked in the door with his mangled arm.

"Natalie, I know it's a shock, but I didn't realize that..."

Robert is cut off by Natalie when she finishes his sentence with, "That I think being gay is the worst thing anyone could ever think to do? I figured. Knowing your memory, you'd surely forget about the fact that I stopped being friends with Vex BECAUSE he came out. Why did I think any different?"

"I'm sorry. Rob, it's my fault for letting you..." Daron is also cut off by the vixen who takes a moment to compose herself.

"Daron, I don't blame you. Your life is your business, not mine. It's HIM I blame." She points a finger at Robert, making both Daron's and Robert's eyes widen in shock. "Robert Lane, how could you be gay!? It's disgusting, and it's wrong on too many levels to count! It's a disgrace! And what's more is that you lied to me about it! Ugh, I can't believe you." She puts her paw over her eyes, and begins crying, and she tries unsuccessfully to suppress the tears. She gets up from her chair and storms out of the dining room in a rage. As she swiftly goes upstairs, her voice echoes throughout the house. "I need to be alone!" The door to her room slams.

"Should I... or... never mind." Daron discontinues his effort to help fix the situation.

"She'll be fine. She does this sometimes when she doesn't get her way. Like when I don't let her go to the video store to rent a game. I used to do that sometimes. I usually just took a few minutes to calm down," Robert says between bites of broccoli.

"I don't know. She looked really upset, but... hmm... maybe you're right. After all, I don't know her very well, so..." Each time Daron pauses, he indicates to Robert that he wants the fox boy's input, but Robert never looks up from his plate of chicken and steamed broccoli. Robert instead only sits staring at the half of the chicken breast that remains. Daron has no more food on his plate, and he brings himself to a slouch as well and stares up at Robert from the opposite end of the table.

Robert finally perks his head up and smirks mischievously when he sees the wolf grinning from ear to ear. "I wonder what thoughts could possibly be going through that brain of yours."

"Only the thought of what you and I could do... together, if you're catching my drift here." Daron raises his eyebrows suggestively and winks at Robert.

"Well, my sister wouldn't want to know, so we should keep it secret... I know just the place."

"And where would that be?" Daron is now leaning on the table with interest.

Robert smirks and stands to consolidate the plates and silverware, except for Natalie's dishes, since she still has a bit of food left. He then starts to bring his and Daron's dishes to the kitchen, leaving Natalie's for when she comes back down to finish it. He swishes his tail from side to side, inviting Daron to follow, which he does so almost by instinct. Leaning against the archway into the kitchen from the dining room, Daron watches Robert as he puts the dishes into the sink after taking the chicken and broccoli from his own plate and storing the food in plastic boxes to bring to work for lunch.

Robert rests his paws on either side of the sink and faces the silver wolf and speaks with a mischievous expression on his muzzle. "To answer your question, it would be my basement. It's the farthest we'll ever hope to get from my sister. Shall we?"

"Lead the way, foxy." Daron grabs Robert's paw as they navigate the house, meandering through several cold, confusing, and pointlessly built hallways. The warmth of the fox's paw is comforting to Daron, especially in the coldest part of the house. Robert releases his grip on the wolf before coming to a glass door and opening it and switching on a light, revealing a carpeted staircase leading to the basement. Daron whispers, making Robert's ears flex backwards, listening, "I'll probably need your help getting back to the main part of the house."

They make their way down to the basement. It is much warmer than it is just outside the glass door, mostly because the entire room (including the bottom half of the walls) is carpeted in a shag-mink hybrid. "The carpet is designed to trap heat in the room. That's why we don't keep this room heated that much. Anyway, you'll notice that this particular basement has its own bathroom, complete with a toothbrush and toothpaste, shower, and enough soap and shampoo to last a lifetime," Robert professes proudly in a boastful, but well-meant tone.

"Damn, how can you afford..."

Robert interrupts without recognizing Daron's statement as audible. "There's also a fridge, couch, king-size bed, and a spare TV and a stereo system. Also if you look behind you, you'll see my entire video game library. I have about every single game ever made for all of the Nintendo consoles. There was once a contest where if you won, you'd get to be a beta tester for all their games, and my dad won it when they had it back in '85. By the way, most of the Nintendo games on this wall are fakes of sorts. They're only the Beta versions, but I marked them with a sharpie.

"When my parents moved in, this place was just a laundry room. Concrete walls and floors... It was a mess. They renovated it so that it would act as a bomb shelter of sorts. The outer walls of this room are actually made of reinforced steel, and it's about four inches thick, so we could get hit by a missile, and we wouldn't even feel it. We'd only hear it. My parents were always a little on the cautious side with just about everything." Robert looks up and sees Daron's muzzle hanging open in awe, and the fox clicks it shut with his paw. "You were drooling..." Robert giggles.

"So... what to do now?" It's more of an invitation than a rhetorical question.

Robert replies, sticking his tongue out and tapping Daron's nose with his finger, "Now we go have some fun!"

"Do you have what we need?" Daron inquires, not removing his dazed expression from his love-struck being.

"What are you talking... oh..." Robert pauses, realizing what he's mistakenly gotten himself into. "That wasn't what I meant, actually." Robert looks at the floor, but still focuses his attention on Daron. "I'm sorry for getting your hopes up. I'm just not ready for... that; at least not yet. I still don't know you that well, and I'm not one to be that... well... adventurous with my life yet." Robert has a remorseful voice as he says this, and he turns his back on the silver wolf. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I forgive you. It was wrong for me to jump to that level, and if anybody should be apologizing, it should be me. So, I'M sorry," Daron whispers. "What did you have in mind to do?"

"Well, Natalie loves first-person shooter games, so she hogs them and doesn't let me play them. Portal 2 is my favorite split-screen multiplayer game, and I was hoping we could do that." Robert now completely focuses on Daron's face, thinking about how much pain and embarrassment he may be causing him.

"Actually, I've never played Portal 2, but I once played the first one with Vinny, and I thought it was really fun. I've actually been looking forward to playing the second one for a while. I'm totally up for that." Daron smiles warmly, causing Robert to follow suit.

"Who's Vinny?" Robert asks, still happy about how Daron is handling the situation.

"My ex. Vincent Parish is his full name. He's the guy who slashed my arm. Anyway, why don't we pop that sucker in the PS3 and play some Portal 2?" Daron suggests.

"Why don't we?" The fox boy agrees and runs over to the wall of games and quickly finds it alphabetized on the shelf labeled, "PS3."