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This story was written for Antoneth. It features M/M cuteness between consenting adults males. :3

Relax and Enjoy

With soft white towels wrapped around their waists, Antoneth and Shinshi stepped through the wooden panelled doorway of the changing area and out into the main courtyard of the Onsen. The Japanese bathhouse was a relatively new addition to the area, and given that the dragon's friendship with the tanuki walking beside him was equally recent, it seemed fitting that they spend an evening here to enjoy one another's company. The air of the outdoor courtyard was cool and crisp, but the tiles beneath their feet were heated and thus pleasantly warm, as was the water of the baths themselves, steaming gently and sending thin trails of wispy condensation snaking skyward. There was a scent of cherry blossom in the air, indicative of the springtime season, and the gentle ripple of running water from several man-made streams that ran between the pools removed any need for background music to cheapen the clean, natural impression of the area.

Together both men settled down at the edge of one of the pools, dipping their feet into the warm water. The dragon sighed happily, leaning his head back and pushing his glasses up his nose as he wiggled his yellow toe-claws in the pleasantly heated bath. His eyes fell shut, and for a short while he sat there in a happy daze, until a soft giggle from close by prompted him to open one eye and glance towards Shinshi, blushing slightly as he saw the tanuki observing him with a mirthful grin.

"W-what?"

Shinshi was leaning forward, feet both dangling down into the pool but his torso stretched out towards the dragon, arms propping himself up as he looked into the blushing dragon's face. Again the tanuki giggled, followed by a playful shrug and the delicate, feminine lilt of his voice.

"Oh, nothing. I just haven't seen you that relaxed before. It's nice to see you enjoy yourself."

Antoneth cocked one eye, smirking at the tanuki.

"And drawing attention to it is totally the way to keep me relaxed?"

The raccoon-dog's own face flushed, but he brushed his bangs aside as he nodded, eyes twinkling playfully as he stuck out his tongue.

"Yeah, sorry. Next time I'll be more sneaky when I'm watching you chill out."

Rolling his eyes, the dragon grinned. He shouldn't have expected anything less.

"I'm sure you will. But, anyway, it's not like I don't enjoy myself when I'm doing other stuff. I have plenty of things I like doing."

Shinshi nodded again, but his playful grin softened slightly to a more sincere, friendly smile.

"I know. It's just... you think a lot, too. Y'know? When we've hung out before... and please, tell me if we're not good enough friends yet to be armchair analysing you, you're never just... there. You're always thinking about something more. Something else you could be doing. Or haven't done. Or want to do. But, just now? You looked so content. Like you were just happy to be here, enjoying the atmosphere. Enjoying and appreciating everything that you have. I... I like seeing people like that. Because, it's how I like to be. Does that make any sense?"

Leaning back upon his own arms, stretching out one leg, then the other, and watching as the glimmering water dripped off his dark scales and back into the pool, Antoneth smiled. He looked at Shinshi, and as their eyes met, though both of them blushed neither one looked away.

"Yeah. It does. And... I dunno, maybe I do think too much. But here, right now? I can't think of much to think about. The water's so nice. Even the tiles are warm. There's just the right breeze, and... well, it's hard to think of any ways it could be much better than this. Anything I'd rather be doing."

The tanuki beamed as Antoneth's eyes began to slide shut again, and after pulling his feet from the water quickly and lithely hopped to his feet. He saw the dragon's eyes start to open, but waved a paw to wordless indicate that Antoneth could just chill out here.

"Back in a flash. Just gonna get something to kick up the relaxation another notch."

Even if Antoneth would have wanted to question Shinshi further, he wasn't given the opportunity. The tanuki darted away, his lush tail sweeping out behind him, and for a little while Antoneth was left alone by the bath-side. There were others around of course, but none close by to where he and Shinshi had seated themselves. Thus, the dragon took this opportunity, and began to ease himself closer and closer to the edge of the bath. He could feel his towel riding up beneath his buttocks as he scooted forward, until finally his rear was in direct contact with the warmed tiles at the very edge of the pool. Only then did he pull the towel loose and hurriedly drop himself down into the water, with a breathless gasp as the warmth engulfed him up to the mid-point of his stomach, and a bashful chuckle as he dropped the towel down where he had previously been seated, intensely aware of his sudden and public nudity even in this space where it was entirely acceptable.

By the time Shinshi returned after just a couple of minutes, Antoneth was soaking in the water with only his head above the surface, arms stretched out to aid his buoyancy and feet treading gently at the bath's base, carrying him around in slow, weaving circles. The tanuki didn't say anything to disrupt the dragon's peace this time, simply wiggling his hips from side to side until his towel dropped naturally into a heap on the floor, gently lowering himself to the ground, and sliding his lithe, nude form into the water with barely a sound, and without spilling a drop of the tray's content that he was carrying.

It was only when Antoneth half bumped, half swam into the tanuki, the back of the dragon's head brushing against the soft fur of Shinshi's stomach and knocking his steamed up glasses askew, that he realised he was no longer alone in the water. With a gasp he pulled himself upright, splashing and flailing briefly in shock as he attempted to cover his modesty with his hands before realising that not only was Shinshi every bit as nude as him, but the steam and the colour of the bath's stone sides made it so that the water, while clean and clear, was almost impossible to see through. Once more the dragon's scaled cheeks flushed as Shinshi giggled, and before Antoneth could apologise he found a ceramic container being pressed into one of his hands by his companion, and the tanuki raising his own small cup-full to his lips with both hands and a playful grin spread across his muzzle.

"You wanna relax, Antoneth? Really relax? That starts right now. An onsen is a perfect way to relax and relieve some tension. But an onsen with sake? Now that's my idea of heaven."

Sipping at the sake, Shinshi let slip a rather intimate sounding moan of delight. He knew the brand he'd selected from the surprisingly broad range available at the bath-side bar, and it was every bit as warming and satisfying as he remembered. Despite being named as a rice-wine and brewed more closely akin to beer, sake had a unique spirit-like quality to it, unlike whisky or many other alcoholic beverages of that nature, to warm the stomach without burning the throat on the way down. To give that pleasant tingling that let you know immediately that you were drinking a substance capable of removing certain inhibitions, without ever needing to announce it overtly.

Still rather red beneath his scales thanks to his practically headbutting the tanuki, not to mention seeing and hearing Shinshi's reaction as he took as sip of his drink, Antoneth followed suit. His eyes widened as he put the cup to his lips and took a first sip. He'd had his own fair share of sake, but damn if this wasn't the best he'd ever tasted. Rich. Slightly sweet, but not unbalancingly so as to detract from its classic dryness. He had to stop himself from taking a third sip, the second having already slipped down his throat before he even realised. Gasping softly, and giving a happy little shudder where he stood in the water, the dragon looked to Shinshi with gratitude.

"This is good. Like, really good. Thanks."

The tanuki beamed, tossing his head and flicking the lingering bang still resting out of place aside with a single finger. He took another sip of his own drink, and leaned back against the side of the pool, gesturing for Antoneth to come stand beside him.

"I know. Enjoy it, because there's plenty more where that came from."

Cutting through the water as he moved to join Shinshi at the edge of the pool, the dragon smirked.

"Don't tempt me. Otherwise relaxed Antoneth might turn into tipsy Antoneth. And he... well, he can be kinda goofy."

Shinshi grinned, and playfully elbowed his friend in the side.

"You? Goofy? I don't believe it."

They laughed, and together took another sip from their sakes. For both of the men, tonight was off to a great start. And though the baths were already illuminated by spotlights, the open air above them darkening and the moon rising in the sky, they were both eager for it to continue much, much longer.

***************

And it did.

Several hours later, Antoneth stirred from an almost complete state of slumber. His arms were hooked over the edge of the baths to keep him from sinking into the water, but his legs had long since abandoned any purchase upon the base of the pool and were floating out in front of him, toes just breaching the surface. The dragon's glasses were still resting upon his snout, but so low down that he could barely see them through the steam and the haze of his own pleasantly buzzed mind, never mind seeing through them. Blinking and pushing his glasses back into place, the glass having long since risen to room temperature and thus no longer laden with steam, just droplets of condensation, Antoneth glanced first right, then left in search of Shinshi. The tanuki was nowhere to be seen, but the dragon wasn't worried. He could see Shinshi's towel sitting nearby, next to a small stack of sake cups. The tanuki was probably just floating somewhere out there in the water.

"Oooh, look who's up!"

About thirty seconds later Antoneth got his answer, though certainly not in the way he had expected. The voice that erupted around the courtyard was animated and gleeful, though not slurred or otherwise marred by an audible excess of alcohol. It came not from the water, but from behind Antoneth, and as soon as the dragon turned his head to smile at Shinshi, he put two and two together. The tanuki was walking back towards him from the bar, two more cups of sake clutched in his paws. He was glistening wet, his lush fur matted and his sleek blonde hair clinging to his face, indicating that indeed until recently he had been in the water. But between removing himself from the pool and going to get them some more drinks, Shinshi had obviously omitted a key step. Antoneth had already noticed his towel. And if it wasn't resting around the other man's waist, then...

The dragon gasped and looked away as he observed the naked tanuki walking towards him, trying to convince himself that he hadn't seen what he had so obviously just seen. His dark scales took on a deep crimson hue beneath them, and he was still trying to tell himself not to react, not act like anything out of the ordinary had happened, when he heard the ceramic click of two cups being set down at the edge of the pool, and the gentle splash as Shinshi slipped his lithe form back into the water.

"I'm so glad you're awake again! I mean, I'm all for relaxing, but you looked so peaceful I swear you were about to start snoring at any moment. And it would have been a crying shame to have you snoring in front of me and not have my phone handy to take a video or ten."

Before Antoneth could say anything, Shinshi was scooting closer to him. Pulling away from the side of the pool and stepping around the dragon so that he was standing almost directly in front of him. The already blushing male tried not to do so any further as his eyes helplessly glanced down to where Shinshi's body disappeared into the water, then back up to the tanuki's face with bashful urgency, hoping that he hadn't been caught looking where he shouldn't. Where he didn't want to, or have any reason to be looking at his friend.

"Oh, but let's not joke about that. Look at you, blushing already. What a shy cutie you are. I'll bet there are people out there who'd give anything for a video of your scalie self snoring away in a bathhouse."

Casually, like it was the most natural thing in the world, Shinshi ran a hand down the smooth scales of Antoneth's chest. He seemed totally oblivious to how it made the dragon shiver, and stepped towards Antoneth, beaming as he got so close that the other male could see that there was in fact a slight pinkness beneath his own fur, though more likely due to intoxication and the warmth of the water rather than any form of bashfulness. Just as Antoneth opened his muzzle to ask Shinshi why he was getting quite so intimate though, as their muzzles got closer and closer to one another along with their bodies in general, Shinshi tilted to the left, reached up and over Antoneth's right shoulder with both arms, and plucked their latest round of drinks from where he'd set them down to get into the water.

He held it out for the dragon, and giggled as Antoneth shakily took it, almost withdrawing his hand when before it made contact with the cup, it brushed against the tanuki's paw. At last, Shinshi seemed to notice the dragon's slight discomfort, but rather than drawing back and away from Antoneth's personal space, he leaned in to regard the other male face to face, eye to eye.

"Well gosh. Look at you... all shaky and embarrassed. Hey, don't be. Okay? It's okay that you fell asleep. It's good to relax and let it all go. I don't mean to tease, really I don't. If it makes you happy? If you leave here tonight and are content? If you leave with a smile on your face, and less weight on your shoulders than you arrived with? I wouldn't mind if you slept the whole rest of our visit."

Antoneth sipped from his cup nervously, and Shinshi mirrored him, equally and oppositely as warm and open. Once they'd gulped down a mouthful or two, and both men had given a happy sigh as the warmth of the sake flowed through them once again, the tanuki plucked the cup back out of Antoneth's hands, leaned forward over his shoulder once more, and set them back down upon the edge of the pool. This time though, he didn't withdraw all the way back. Indeed his left paw came to rest upon the dragon's right shoulder, and his right hand reached into the water, grasping at the dragon's own hand where it was resting limp beneath the surface. Shinshi took it, his left hand now sliding down the dragon's arm to clutch at his other hand, and squeezed both with a reassuring smile.

They stood facing one another, holding hands, for perhaps ten or fifteen seconds before the tanuki's eyes widened slightly, and he realised that he had intended to say something to accompany his tender gesture.

"I want you to be able to relax around me. Whether that means chilling out. Talking to me. Or even just accepting a nice, long hug."

He squeezed the dragon's hands once more within his own, then released them, wrapping his hands hurriedly around Antoneth's torso and pulling the dragon away from the pool's wall, and against the tanuki's warm, wet, lithe body. Shinshi's soft, feminine voice whispered into Antoneth's ear, and embarrassed as he may have been the other male couldn't help but feel his heart lift at the words that were spoken to him.

"You've been a good friend to me since we met. And all I hope, is that I can be as good a friend to you."

The embrace lingered. In fact it didn't just linger, it persisted with no sign of an end in sight. And that was fine... or at least, it would have been, had Antoneth not recently snatched an unexpected glance at the nude form of the tanuki now pressed up against him. If he hadn't, then perhaps he would have been able to feign ignorance for his own sake. Maybe he would have been able to convince himself that much as he knew Shinshi was a man, he was also without definition when it came to the more personal, intimate nature of his body. But... he had. He had seen Shinshi nude, and thus the dragon was now painfully aware of the fact that his pretty, naked friend was cuddling up to him. Whispering in his ears. Holding him so close... so tight, that he could feel the rise and fall of the tanuki's chest. The warmth of his wet fur against his own scales. And...

Shinshi giggled as he felt Antoneth tense up, and try instinctively to pull away from their embrace as if horrified that he had done something wrong.

"Hey... shh, it's okay. Don't begrudge me for being mortal, and definitely don't blame yourself for being such a cutie."

Antoneth shuddered, and beneath his scales his face flushed crimson at what he could feel between them. Against his thigh. Warm. Firm. Alive with energy and excitement.

"B-but, we're... I... a-and you're..."

He stammered and fell over his own words in an attempt to make sense of what he was feeling. Of what the drunken tanuki was saying, compared to what he was expressing in non verbal but intensely noticeable ways. Before he could coherently express what he was feeling though, Shinshi managed to do so with simultaneous composure and tipsy delight for both of them. The tanuki's voice remained as soft and warm as the embrace within which he held Antoneth, and his arms even began to caress up and down the length of the dragon's back, tracing down his spine and between his wings, as he did his best to reassure and sooth the bashful male.

"I don't mind. If you mind, tell me and I'll let go right now. We'll go back to just chatting and sitting close by, and you won't ever hear me mention it, or see me act in a way that'll drawn attention to it, ever again. But... I want to relax you. I want to make sure you have a good evening here... better even than you've already had. And again, tell me if I'm totally crazy here, but I get the feeling that a big part of making you relax is proving to you that you don't have to work. That you don't have to fight to keep me entertained. To keep me here, hanging out with you. I want you to focus on you having a good time. Because, for me? Hanging out with you is always a privilege."

The dragon's blush deepened, but still he squirmed against the tanuki, shaking his head and fighting for breath as to his horror he found himself approaching the same situation which for whatever reason had struck Shinshi since his return to the pool.

"I... I'm glad. Really I am. But... w-what does that have to do with... y-y'know. With how... how you are right now?"

Antoneth's eyes bulged, and he jumped so sharply his glasses leapt up off the bridge of his nose, landing lopsidedly as yet another of Shinshi's giggles were followed up by a soft peck upon the lips, from the tanuki's soft muzzle to his own. The furred male stared into his eyes with a playful twinkle, and just to prove he wasn't being mean or cruel, he followed up that first little kiss with a second.

"My friend, being with you makes me happy. That's all I can say. And right now, that happiness isn't just the kind that makes me smile and laugh. It's not just the kind of happiness that makes me want to take you in my arms and hold you tight to show you how much you mean to me. It's expressing itself in every way it can. And... I'd like to think that maybe, perhaps, what I'm feeling from you right now is your way of expressing the very same."

The dragon's breath escaped him in a long, ragged huff. His face flushed so bright that between every black scale a pink hue shone, and with his muzzle basically brushing against Shinshi's own, Antoneth nodded. Nervously yes, he wasn't going to be able to shake these shakes off for quite some time. But sincerely too, with genuine belief rather than simply wanting to show Shinshi what the tanuki obviously hoped to hear.

"Being here with you makes me happy too. And... i-if you aren't embarrassed to share that, I shouldn't be either. It'd still be true, even if we never mentioned it to each other. Right?"

With one more burst of melodic laughter, the tanuki nodded, and to Antoneth's surprise chose at last to pull back from their shared embrace. Just as the dragon had started to enjoy it. To revel in the closeness, and the unfamiliarly intimate nature of that bathhouse hug.

"Exactly right. Sounds like those sake are starting to work."

Antoneth smirked, but then he stopped. He actually frowned for a moment, and pulled away from the edge of the pool. He took a step through the warm, steaming water, towards Shinshi, and grabbed the tanuki by one of his hands before the furred male could return to his own seat, or even brush his bangs away from his face once more.

"I..."

He froze almost as soon as he started to talk, the blush on his face burning bright once again as he felt his hand not just grabbing at Shinshi's own, but slipping into the other male's own grasp, both of them gripping at each other.

"I don't want to have to get drunk to relax around you, though. To speak my mind or... to share things, y'know? Things that words might not be able to say."

The dragon swallowed thickly as Shinshi turned to face him once again. The tanuki's normally beaming face looked almost alien somehow, utterly devoid of a smile as he regarded Antoneth's statement with the sincerity it deserved. He nodded, and squeezed at the dragon's hand within his own tightly and tenderly all at once.

"Then, maybe next time we come here, we forego the sake. Actually, they had some really nice bottled Yuzu and pear juice behind the bar. I'd happily spend a night quenching my thirst on some of those, if I got to spend it in your company."

Finally, after far too long, his smile returned. His eyes blazed with playful glee, and he wiggled his eyebrows as once more he took a step towards Antoneth. In the water of the Onsen's baths, the dragon felt the tanuki's toes brushing against his own. They were so close their bodies were almost touching in their entirety, and even then, it wasn't just their hands and feet that were physically in contact. Shinshi giggled, and Antoneth tried not to react, but failed miserably. He shivered and turned scarlet beneath his dark scales. He didn't step back though. Didn't do anything to move himself out of that situation.

"Shin... I..."

He started to speak, but fell silent with a sigh. Not because he regretted what he was about to say, but simply because he realised it was unnecessary. He didn't need to make excuses. Not with this man. Not with this friend standing before him. Still blushing, the dragon chuckled, and stood there with his body touching that of the Tanuki; their eyes gazing into one another with a shared twinkle of mirth and warm, secure friendship.

"...I think I know what would really relax me right now."

The tanuki's head tilted, bangs flopping to the side, only for his eyes to widen, and a rosy flush to spread unexpectedly across his cheeks as the dragon took a bold step forward. He pressed their bodies together, and all that lay between them suddenly found themselves in much more tight, intimate quarters together. A warm growl escaped the dragon as he pressed his muzzle to one of the tanuki's twitching ears, and spoke to his friend even as he wrapped his scaled arms around Shinshi's lithe, soft furred body.

"Before we go home. Before we bring this night to an end, or do anything else while we're still here. I just want to spend a little... w-well, some more time with you. In your arms, if that's okay?"

Shinshi giggled, and nodded happily as he embraced the dragon in return, their bare figures resting together without shame as the last of Antoneth's tension seemed to float away within the steamy water surrounding them.

"Silly dragon, it's more than okay. Cuddle up to me for as long as you like, as close as you like. And I'll gladly do the same."

By Jeeves

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