FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 25: Reconciliation

The fox dried himself with the provided towel, after of which he hung it upon a rack on the wall to dry. He put on his clothes slowly, feeling oddly lethargic for the moment. It was not so much dread of stepping out of the bathroom as it was just a sensation of laziness.

He looked at himself in the mirror, but it was a useless effort. The mirror had fogged over from the warm shower it was all he could see. He inspected himself, making sure he was dry enough, and he sniffed himself, making sure that the shower was actually useful. All he could smell was soap.

He opened the door, looked around, and saw no one. He slowly wandered back to the wolf's room, his body aching from the physical exertion of which he was not accustomed. He was thankful that at least that was the only thing that ached for the moment. His thoughts plagued him no longer, and he hoped that would remain.

The wolf had been sitting in his bed, looking through the homework they had managed to finish prior. He seemed to actually be focusing on the information, but judging by his face, he did not seem to be enjoying it.

Roger sat where he had before, still feeling slightly damp and warm. The wolf noticed his arrival and set his papers down on the bed, then smiled and greeted him. He also apologized for bothering him while he was in the shower, he claimed that he should not have done so. The fox assured him that it was inconsequential.

"Alright, my turn for that, then," the wolf said. He stood up and shuffled through his drawers, picking out some clothes and laid them out. The fox turned away politely while he rummaged through his undergarments.

The wolf took off his shirt and put it in a hamper off to the side, then grabbed a towel. He began to take his shorts off.

Roger noticed and blushed furiously, made a motion to look away quickly, and coughed. The wolf quickly draped his waist in a towel, and then apologized, saying, "Oh man, sorry, I didn't... I guess I'm just used to being naked 'cause... well, after practice... the showers, you know...." He fumbled on his words, attempting to explain it.

The fox stared at the floor. "It's uh... it's okay. I understand. It's fine."

The wolf frowned, but departed, heading to the bathroom.

Roger heard the water turn on. He picked his head up again and tried to shake off the image. He had not seen too much. The wolf had at least turned around while he disrobed, so the fox merely saw his butt and back, but it was enough to influence his imagination. The more he thought about it, the more he believed he had seen more, but he was beginning to create things in his mind.

The clothes were still on the bed, so the wolf had not taken them with him. That meant that the wolf would return in only a towel, as well. Roger planned to look away, though part of him did not really want to. He wondered which part of him was the stronger of the two.

He sighed and looked at the papers. The wolf had been studying them, but had not amended anything. They were still the same papers, albeit slightly more wrinkled and handled than before.

Roger shifted uncomfortably. He looked around the room, and his eyes came to rest on the shorts and boxers that had been worn by the wolf. They sat on the floor, the wolf obviously had forgotten to put them in the hamper with the shirt. He wanted to toss them in there for him, but he told himself that it was not his place to do so, especially when it was that type of clothing.

He could swear he smelled the wolf from where he sat, and he figured it was from his dirty laundry. It was musky, but not really heavy smelling. The room smelled fresh enough, as if there were an air freshener somewhere, and he figured that if he attempted to look for one, he would find it. It was not such an uncommon thing.

He looked at the clean clothes. A set of boxers and shorts, almost like the ones that were worn previously, yet they seemed more comfortable. The shirt was less athletic and seemed purely for comfort loafing around. He guessed that the wolf had decided that they would not be doing any more physical activity for the time being.

It was only a moment before the wolf came back. He, too, was damp. A bit of steam rose off him. He seemed a bit fluffier than normal.

The fox looked away again, staring at the floor.

Hunter spoke softly, almost sounding sad, "I'm sorry."

Roger, surprised, looked at him for only a moment, then turned away, blushing. "Wh-what for?" he stammered.

The wolf's pose had been almost a defeated one. He had been holding onto his shirt, slowly palming his shirt, staring at it with squinted eyes. The fox had seen that his towel was still on, wrapped around his waist, not needing any support.

"Just... you know. I didn't mean to, uh... offend you." Hunter's tone was somber.

"Offend me how?" the fox asked. He truly did not know what the wolf was referring to, though he kept trying to think of something that he could have done that could be construed as such. Nothing came to mind.

Hunter began to say something, but nothing came out for the first moment. Eventually, he said, "With my, uh... being naked. It's not something you should've seen. I wasn't thinking, I shouldn't have... I'm sorry. You shouldn't see something so awful."

The fox did not anticipate the reaction the wolf had. He still continued to look away, but still responded, "It's not that, I'm sure you look fine, I'm just... not used to seeing someone naked. It's normal for you, but it's rare for me, that's all."

The wolf still did not make much of a motion. He still gripped onto his shirt. When he spoke, it almost sounded like a partial sob. "You... probably don't want to be friends anymore, do you?"

Roger almost laughed at the ridiculous statement, but he knew it was serious. "What are you talking about? Over something like that? No, we're still friends. Come on, what do you take me for?"

The wolf's tail made a motion. The fox could not see it, but he heard it brushing against the towel. The wolf apologized again, however, his tone indicating that he was unconvinced, but compliant.

He thought for a moment, seeing how to assuage the situation. He bit his lip, gulped, and then said, "Fine, I'll prove it. I'll look and I won't be offended or anything."

He turned his head to look, but the wolf maintained the same pose. He did look at the fox out of the corner of his eye, though.

The shirt was still in his paws. The towel had begun to lose grip and had slacked in the side, but was still on. The fox saw that his fur was still fairly damp, not having fully dried from the shower. He was much fluffier than he recalled, yet his muscles were still fairly well defined.

The wolf turned to face him, still grasping onto his shirt. His face looked sad, and he said, "Thanks."

Roger sat there, no longer needing to imagine the wolf's naked torso. It was better than how his mind depicted it. He wanted to turn away. His face burned from shame and embarrassment, but he maintained his gaze, not wanting to go back on his word.

Hunter looked at the floor and folded his ears slightly. "C-could... you tell me how I look?"

Roger quirked his head. "What? What do you mean? You have a mirror, you know how you look."

The wolf seemed to be blushing, but the fox did not really know. His stance, however, showed that he was embarrassed. His tail had poked out of the front of the towel, having gone through his legs. He said, "I just... I don't know. I don't really, I mean... I'm not really confident about it, all I see are bad things, and I get made fun of all the time, so...."

The fox nodded. "O-okay. I suppose. I mean, you look fine, like I said before. I don't see anything wrong with you."

The wolf shifted his pose slightly, his legs turning inward, and he almost retreated into himself. His ears were folded completely and he only looked at the fox sparingly, constantly shifting his gaze. He finally asked, through stammered words, "I-I mean... n-naked."

He quickly added, "I mean, you don't have to, I just... I just trust your word."

Roger was taken aback. His mind reeled, and his heartbeat accelerated. He caught his breath, and for a moment, he was confused.

What was asked of him, again?