FSE

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"How's the novel coming Delve?" The wolf twisted around in his mahogany chair to find his only friend, Fay standing behind him. Fay was a coyote with hazel eyes and a slim build. His tail was a light grey with a touch of tan mixed in, same as his fur. Delve's paws pressed lightly into the blue carpeted floor beneath them. He had promised himself not to become attached to his roommate, but one of the characters in his novel was based almost entirely on Fay (he hadn't told Fay about that character yet), and over the past month he couldn't deny his feelings.

Delve and Fay lived in a five room shared apartment: Two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a small living room. Delve and Fay had met in high school. One would think that they were lovers, but they were only good friends.

"The novel's coming," Delve said looking his friend in the eyes as the coyote took a step closer, his light grey paws crossing from the wooden floor of their small kitchen onto the carpet of the living room. Delve had a small desk off to the side of the battered television, to work on his novel.

"That's great!" Fay replied, giving the wolf a genuine smile, the coyote's tail moved slowly back and forth, as soon as Delve saw this he knew Fay had something to say, and he wasn't going to like it. The wolf spun his chair around to face him.

"What's wrong?" Delve asked, staring at the coyote who was awkwardly standing in front of him.

Fay tried to think up of some excuse, he couldn't have this fight again. Delve always wound up super depressed for days. What Delve was doing wasn't healthy. The wolf hadn't done anything, but go to work and write for the past two weeks. Luckily, Delve ate at least, and unless he was tiptoeing out of the apartment at 3am, his sex life had been stale for months. It all led back to the wolf's boyfriend, now ex-boyfriend, a red fox named Kiah.

Kiah had broken up with Delve three months ago, and Delve and Kiah had been together since high school and Fay had known them both since kindergarten. The fox and wolf were perfect for each other, but at times Fay felt a twinge of jealousy whenever Kiah was over. He felt like the fox had taken his friend away. Fay didn't want to admit that he had feelings for Delve, but in the back of his head he knew he did. What kind of feelings he wasn't completely sure, but they were the kind that made him gravitate towards the wolf. He liked the canine's scent, loved getting a drink and talking about life with the blue eyed wolf. He wasn't sure if the wolf felt the same way.

Fay had wanted to have this dinner for weeks after Kiah left Delve. Delve always said no, before Fay could even say what the dinner was for. The last time Fay had a committed relationship was back in high school with a rabbit named Tricia, they dated for two years until he found out that one of those years she had been sleeping with the captain of the football team. Fay went through the normal stages of grieving, and two weeks later he tried other relationships. Some lasted one night, some lasted a couple of months, but none lasted as long as Tricia. His only memorable experience after her was the senior prom after party.

Delve remembered that party too. Sometimes in the middle of the night when he felt lonely, which only made him feel more alone. The wolf had found himself looking at Fay a lot more than he usually had, the coyote was the highlight of his day. When he got off work, whenever he got home and Fay wasn't there he would stay up for an hour, have a couple fingers of whiskey, then go to bed if the coyote didn't return home.

The first month after Delve and Kiah split up, Fay had stayed home most of the nights he didn't have work to be with Delve. He felt sorry for the wolf then, but now it was starting to get on his nerves. He couldn't deny his feelings for the wolf, but he couldn't be the canine's crutch either.

Fay breathed in a deep breath.

"I'd like you to take me to dinner tonight," The coyote said, his ears betraying his fear, by lying flat.

Delve let out a sigh and rolled his blue eyes. The blue eyes the coyote had fallen in love with.

Fay surprised himself by the stopping the wolf before he could let out a word.

"I'm not asking I'm telling."

"Dammit!" Delve put a paw over his muzzle and shook his head.

The wolf knew he had nothing to lose and he had been holding onto Kiah for too long now. This dinner, might not even be a date anyway, and even if it was, maybe it was time to break this unspoken rule between the two of them.

"I'm just concerned, and frankly I've been having a dry spell lately..."

Delve sank in his chair. His eyes brimmed with tears.

"What, Delve?" Fay asked exasperated.

Delve didn't know what it was. Was it joy that Fay was finally asking him out or sadness, because Kiah had been just as demanding when Delve was working on his novel? He was in the middle of sobbing when Fay put a grey paw on the wolf's shoulder.

"Delve, what's wrong?" Fay put his paw on his friend's shoulder in a comforting, almost motherly manner.

The wolf knew exactly what was wrong. Fay had just asked the question they had both waited years to ask each other. The question had been part of the reason he had left Kiah, it was part of the reason Fay hadn't left his side, even when he was half-drunk, it was the reason that the wolf's writing had gone awry.

"That's the question, I've-" Delve composed himself, wiping the tears off his face with a big grey paw.

"I've been waiting to hear that question ever since..." Delve's grey tail moved slowly back and forth and his sky blue eyes remained downcast as Fay walked around the writing desk to face him.

Fay couldn't believe Delve felt the same way. The two canines had been friends since freshman year of high school. They had really bonded in sophomore year when they both attended their high school's GSA.

The two canines did everything together. When Delve came out to his parents junior year, Fay was there for him. The two spent many days together. Fay had come out to his parents at a young age and they didn't really bat an eye. Delve's parents were shocked at first, but slowly accepted that there only child was gay, that they wouldn't ever properly get grandkids, and the fact that their son had been living a lie for so long. Fay couldn't imagine what Delve had gone through, and what he still might be going through.

Senior year, Delve got the courage to ask Fay to be his date. Not thinking much of it the coyote accepted, thinking it could help make Delve better. The two danced together once or twice, and were near each other the entire night. Just like the past three proms. Fay thought he was going out with Delve as a friend, Delve had misunderstood Fay's intentions and thought there was something more between them. Still Fay wondered if he regretted the prom and what happened afterward.

"Delve," Fay started holding out a grey paw.

"I don't know what to say."

Delve looked up from the floor and gazed at the coyote. He hadn't realized the coyote's outfit till now. A grey button up and khakis, in other words Delve's favorite outfits that Fay wore. Delve didn't quite know how Fay had figured that out, but it was important nonetheless.

Delve was remembering the night of the senior prom now. How Fay had worn the exact same outfit to the after party. Delve thought the coyote looked good, like really good. The shirt complemented his fur perfectly. Delve had seen Fay and Tricia fighting two months prior and a week after the fight Fay was single again.

Delve looked Fay up and down. He had thought the coyote looked really sharp in his tuxedo. Before going to the after part Fay and Delve changed out of their tuxedos in the back of Fay's car. The wolf tried to keep his eyes off Fay when the coyote slid his shirt off. The party was in full swing when the two canines arrived in Fay's battered Corolla. When Delve got out of Fay's grey car he could feel the road vibrating beneath his paws. The party was literally making the world shake. He turned to Fay who was struggling to hang his tux up in the back of his car.

"Don't say anything. I should go right?" Delve laughed, wiping tears away.

"Well, I don't know, do you want to?" Fay asked, giving the wolf a beautiful smile.

"Do I want to, what?" Delve asked, smiling right back.

"Go out?" Fay said gesturing in an exaggerated manner with his grey paws.

"Well," Delve said, keeping his blue eyes focused on the coyote's yellow.

"Yes." Delve got up from his chair and leaning over his small mahogany desk, gave the coyote a kiss.

Delve quickly broke it up.

"You should go get dressed." Fay said, smiling again.

"Why is this not good enough?" Delve asked with one paw on his hip and one on the back of his head like a model.

"I don't think a sweatshirt and jeans..." Fay started.

"Geez, okay fashion police," Delve laughed, turning towards his room.

The coyote laughed along with him.

Delve had already picked out what to wear by the time he arrived in his room. He couldn't help but, think of that night again.

They had already entered the party. Delve had already downed two cups of punch, and by the way he was walking, most everyone could tell he was drunk. The wolf put a paw on Fay's shoulder and whispered something in the coyote's ear. Something Delve never remembered saying, but Fay did.

The coyote took the wolf's paw in his and led him down a hall to a set of stairs. Delve climbed them slowly after the coyote. Their grey paws clasped closely. The wolf didn't see what was coming until, Fay entered one of the empty bedrooms.

"Was Delve really drunk, that night?" Fay thought to himself.

Delve had left his bedroom door open a crack and the coyote could see a sliver of the wolf changing. He averted his yellow eyes, even though he wanted to look. Delve had talked with Fay once about that night at the party, a few years later. Delve told the coyote that the punch was spiked,- spiked enough that Delve said he could taste the whiskey more than the fruit.

"So was it really love?" Fay asked himself.

Delve pressed his muzzle against Fay's. He'd been waiting years to do this, to be the coyote physically. Delve's eyes remained closed as Fay leaned against the door, letting Delve's paws run down his slim body.

Delve's paw wandered up the coyote's shirt unbuttoning it slowly. All the while the two canine's muzzles remained connected. Their black lips in sync. Fay put a paw on Delve's chest and left it there, letting his other paw stay limply by his side.

Delve walked out of his room confidently wearing a navy blue button up and grey dress pants. The wolf thought he had looked good, and Fay's smile was his assurance of it. The two canine's walked towards each other. They grabbed hold of one another and kissed again. It felt so right to Delve, and he knew Fay felt the same way too.

Delve had Fay pinned against the door now. The coyote put his two paws up in the air and threw off his shirt quickly. Delve gazed at the shirtless silhouette before him, letting his paws roam further over the coyote's naked chest. Fay laid his paws motionless at his side, and continued their very long kiss.

"Are we going to fast?" Delve looked Fay in the eyes, holding him close.

"No, not fast enough." Fay smiled, and let a small laugh.

"We should go," Delve said eyeing the door.

"We should,"

As they walked paw in paw out of their shared apartment, they both realized what they had been missing over so many years of heartbreak. Fay wondered what had kept them apart for so long. Delve thought Fay didn't love him, but the opposite was true.

A smile spread across Fay's muzzle, until he noticed Delve had pulled away from the kiss. The coyote opened his yellow eyes, and stared at the wolf. "Delve?" Fay gave the wolf a mischievous grin.

"What are you doing?"

The wolf smiled back, but Fay could see Delve's eyes betraying the forced smile on his muzzle.

"I've never..."Delve's smiled faded away.

"What? You've never what?" Fay moved slowly toward the wolf.

"I can't do this right now..." Delve started to sob.

"Are you seriously getting broken up about being a virgin?"

"No, it's not that,"

"I mean I still am, not that I give a shit about it anyway."

"Delve, what is it?"

"Come here,"

A smile spread across Delve's muzzle once again, only this time it was genuine.

"Are you okay?" Fay raised an eyebrow.

"I'm more than okay when, I'm with you."

"Aw, Delve."

"My mood lifts when I see you, my heart almost leaps out of my chest..."

"What are you saying?"

"I think I'm in love."

Fay rushed forward and pressed his muzzle against Delve's, moving his paws all over the canine's body. He felt the same way Fay had felt for years. Why hadn't he said it sooner?

"This is great," Delve said after taking a sip of Chardonnay.

"What the restaurant or the wine?" Fay replied.

They were in a large italian restaurant. Delve had been so overwhelmed by the menu he hadn't even ordered yet.

"Both," Delve said, taking another sip of the crisp red wine.

"My parents used to take me here as a kid," Fay replied taking a sip of his own wine, a sparkling white.

"Huh, How were they able to afford all this?"

"We only came once or twice a year, usually for Christmas or their anniversary."

"And if you thought it's packed now, just think of it at Christmas time," Fay gestured with a paw to the rest of the restaurant.

A deer and a raccoon were talking business at the table nearest to them, but Delve could see no other patrons.

"It must have been festive," Delve said absentmindedly picking up his menu.

"Yeah, I really enjoyed spending time with my parents, I still do. I suppose you don't anymore?" Fay cocked his head to the side, still looking Delve in the eyes, but an expression of concern was on his muzzle.

"Yeah, they stopped sending me cards two years ago."

"Cards?"

"Like greeting cards, for Christmas and my birthday."

Fay put a paw on the neck of his wine goblet.

"Geez, that's harsh."

"Yeah, I guess they just decided I wasn't there son anymore..."

Delve's eyes sank.

"I always considered you a part of my family, Delve."

"What?"

"You're my best friend, and I also just kissed you several times over the past hour."

"What are you saying?"

"Maybe, we should be family."

"What do you mean? Like marriage?" Delve shook his head.

Fay leaned back in his chair, smiled, and drank the last of his wine.

"Yes, Delve. If we had dated after that night-"

"What night,"

"The night of the party."

"Oh,"

"You remember right?"

"Yeah, that was when we were young."

"What's stopping us now?"

"Nothing, I guess,"

"So?"

"This just all seems so fast."

"So what'll be my handsome wolf, would you like to make me the happiest coyote in the whole world?"

"Fay, seriously?"

"Delve, we do everything a couple would do together, besides you know,"

"What? Do each other's laundry? I'm not getting what you're trying to say."

"Have sex, Delve, we do everything couples do, but that."

"So who says we have to get married?"

"It's just a symbol, Delve."

"You're right. It's just a symbol."

At that moment Delve realized what he'd been missing for years, he clasped Fay's paw in his own, leaned forward, kissed the coyote's muzzle and said: "I do."