FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Alright now, that's it for today," the old otter said with greyish hair tips indicating the years of academic experiences. I stretched myself and yawned as I packed up for the day. College had been insanely fast paced and busy. Each module containing massive amount of information had to be crammed in in one semester. I was barely surviving at this point but there was no way to give up after paying those tuition fees. Jo told me that we'll all be fine at the end of the day but having scores below average is pretty discouraging. I used to think that I had it bad for studying in high school but this was a whole new level. At least I don't have to struggle with the new change alone, I suppose.

I checked the time and realised that the professor went off earlier than expected. Not that I would complain, but there were times where the professor couldn't finish the syllabus for the module. At least I could go back to rest earlier today. I wished I took the same course as Jo, but my national exams scores did not turn out as well as his did. He assured me that we would still do shared modules together that we could match. But different courses meant different timetable and he still had a few more hours to go before his day ends.

I made my way out of the campus, thinking about my to-do list of never ending homework, readings and assignments. We lived a few miles away from the main campus but with new bicycle rental system, it was very much accessible and flexible without having to drive. We shared a house with Jin and Matt, our high school friends that were studying in the same college because it was an economical arrangement for all of us. I was half expecting Jin to take an overseas qualification, but he just shrugged and said that it didn't really matter where the degree came from. Our college isn't the most prestigious one out there but it was at least recognised locally, which was good enough for us because I doubt that any of us are migrating any time soon after college.

I grabbed a bike and scanned the QR code for activation. It was really cool to have this new bike rental system, other than the fact that sometimes we accumulate too much bicycles on a particular area. I swung myself up and started pedalling. Under the bright sun it was making me sweat just by riding a short distance back to the house. Damn, I probably need a bath when I get back.

I thought about random things as usual as I cycled mindlessly on the same track every day. It wasn't very scenic, but at least it was away from the main traffic with fresh air flowing around me that my nose breathed in delight.

Eventually I reached my destination and I climbed down, parking the bicycle at a place that could hopefully catch the attention of another rider. I let myself in to the quiet and cool house and kicked my shoes off. I guess I was the first to be back. I tossed my backpack on my bed and grabbed a towel, hoping to wash away the sweat and refresh myself before starting on my assignments.

I opened the bathroom door and was assaulted by warm air, much to my surprise. I thought there was no one at home? Did someone just leave the house earlier? The soft mist cleared a little and I was face to face with a large mass of white fur and black stripes. There was a yelp of surprise before I realised that I walked into Jin drying himself off with a towel.

"I didn't hear you coming in the house," Jin said quickly first, using the towel to cover his modesty. The pink was evident on his face as he looked away; fur bristled from both the moisture and surprise.

"You should have locked the door," I replied, not sure where to look or what to do, "Why are you back early anyway? Oh wait. I should let you finish up first," I mentally slapped myself and quickly tried stepped out of the bathroom.

"Wait," Jin said, pulling me in and slamming the door shut. His white mass was towering over me as I tried my best not be distracted by his physique. "We rarely spend time alone together, you know," he commented. "We do have some shared modules and," I could barely continue before he cuts in. "It's not enough," he said, quick and simple. He stared back at me with his blue eyes with no hint of anger, just a pouty big cat that missed his ball of yarn.

"Okay, well, before this goes any further," I stammered as I tried to push him away, "you should dress up first and I do need to use the shower." Jin tilted his head for a moment before answering, "Sure. But you're gonna have to company me for the rest of the day, or at least until the rest of them are back, okay?"

I nodded in agreement while he wrapped the towel around his waist and tied a loose knot while watching me the whole time. I quickly closed the door and sighed as soon as he stepped out. Neither of them has stopped their advances since then. I'm not sure why they are still going on it after all these while; I still don't see any desirable part of me. I've always told them to move on if they find someone better, but I'm not sure if they really took those words into heart. I stripped out of my clothes and realised that the Jin didn't take his dirty laundry with him. My heart raced a little as that meant his underwear was in the pile of clothes beside me. That piece of cloth filled with raw, musky smell of the tiger after covering his most intimate regions was just right there within my grasp. My hand subconsciously moved towards his pile of clothes slowly. Perhaps just one sniff, out of curiosity? Was this my inner canine calling out, or was I just a closeted pervert wanting to snoop on a hunky man's scent?

My paws clenched into fists as I felt horrified for even thinking about it. He is my friend and I just thought about him in that way. I quickly dumped my clothes on top of his and jumped into the shower. My hormones almost won over my brains. I let the water run over my muzzle as I tried to cool myself down. Damn it. I'm already an adult and yet I'm still a virgin, getting embarrassed over things like this. I honestly felt shame that I was wasting my youth and wasn't out there hooking up using apps. Surely someone out there would want someone as young as me? But then again I'm inexperienced as heck, who would want to do anything with me? What if I wasn't good enough to get him off? Were there such things as a natural for sex?

Maybe I should just give everything a try. Hooking up, dating and knowing more people? I have no idea why, no matter how horny I get, I could never make myself download some app and find some guy to get my rocks off. I must be too old and traditional or something. I wonder if any of them use the app? I can't be the only one who is curious?

Any other thoughts were blasted off by the fur dryer, which reminded me that Jin was still out there waiting for me. I wonder what he meant by company. We do spend time together as a group on weekends when school gets too boring. It was mostly food trips and it was great to be far from campus once in a while. But just the two of us... I guess we just didn't have a lot of spare time outside of college to do that. We usually went out as a group, unless any one of us was caught up by something else.

I stepped out of the bathroom and felt the cool air rush over me. The refreshing feel really does help in motivating me to get my back to my studies, but I guess hanging out with Jin wouldn't be too bad as well.

"Hey," he said softly as I put down the dirty clothes in the laundry. I could feel his warmth radiating from his fur as he turned me around to face him. The big tiger gave me a warm smile, seeming to be glad to meet me. I admit that he's a pretty handsome fur; his genuine smile only encouraged me to return the gesture. Now that we were alone with stray motes floating aimlessly in the sunlight, it was evident how long it has been since we came together one on one. The same could probably be said for Jo. College literally took the majority of our life right now, and group outings technically don't count as spending alone time.

We stood there for a moment while he just looked at me, not saying a single word. "Yes?" I asked, breaking the silence and hoping I was not being too awkward to him. He reached around my shoulders and hugged me from the side. "Nothing much, just missing you," he laughed. His grip was strong and firm but warm. I find myself relaxing onto him. "Yeah, I guess I do too. It has been a while," I admitted while he guided us both to the couch. We sat down and I casually rested on his arm.

His phone buzzed for a second. The white tiger shift himself to take the phone out before placing it on the coffee table in front of us. "Aren't you gonna get that?" I asked, seeing another message icon notification glow from some... app?

"You use dating apps?" I asked, not sure how to describe the feeling that I was going through. Was a tinge of jealousy?

"Oh yeah, well, it got popular recently, so I just gave it a try," he answered casually, "you know, just curious who would swipe on me. You didn't try?"

"I.. uh, haven't tried yet," I said, slightly embarrassed like I was being outdated. "You could give it a try," Jin chuckled, "I would swipe for you."

"Just out of pity?" I said and I punched him lightly on the chest. "C'mon," the white tiger replied, "I still do like you, you know." I felt the tip his striped tail curl around and brush against my thigh. I had no idea what it meant, but it seems like a display of affection for cats. I opened my muzzle to reply him, but he gave a big sigh and sat up, looking right into my eyes.

"I know that you've said that I should also give others a chance, but even if I did, I would never forget about you," Jin said as he reached out to hold on of my paw with both of his, "Even if you decide to choose Jo, there will always be a part of me that will wait for you, there will always be a part of me that selfishly hopes for your relationship to fail. That will always be a part of me. None of it is your fault and although it would hurt really bad at times, the feelings are not your fault or mine. It just... exists."

"I don't understand," I frowned as I looked away from him, "Which part of me is likable? How am I important enough to make you feel that way?"

He rubbed the back of my palm to gain my attention. "I don't know," he said and shrugged, "I like how you have a cool aura around you. Sometimes a little aloof, but I know that you care. That's why I like you. I guess in a way I do understand you as well."

"I know you feel guilty like you're leading us on, like if you chose others how we would feel. This empathy that you taught me only makes me like you more. But if you think about it, in a way we are also stopping you from moving on, no?" Jin said, smiling slightly. I nodded, slightly surprised at him for being able to come up with something like that. He must have rubbed something off Jo after knowing each other for so long.

"I think in the end, just do not let this tie any of us down. Who knows, you might be the one who would move on to someone else first? You can't really rule out that possibility since your first crush was neither of us," Jin continued, still smiling, seemingly happy to get it off his chest.

"Shouldn't that be you, going through the dating apps and all? How many have you hooked up already?" I asked. Jin raised his eyebrows and replied, "Hook ups? I don't do that. I just match with others for fun. Most of them don't even talk after I tried to be friends with them. Most of them are just looking for a good time, which is kind of sad. Or maybe I'm just text awkward."

"But with your looks and body, it shouldn't be that hard to find someone to hook up with. Just put a shirtless picture in there or something," I said. "I would rather hook up with someone that can actually hold a conversation," Jin huffed, slightly annoyed, "and, don't push me away like that. I would rather hook up with you right here and right now. All these talk meant that you thought about it didn't you? There's no need to be shy."

I gulped as I felt his claw tracing around my upper body. "W... What?" I stammered.

"The one I'm finding is right here, so what do you say, wanna go on to hook up and become friends with benefits?" the white tiger teased further, "you get lonely from all that coursework too right?"

I tried to run away but he grabbed on to me instead and hugged me from behind, locking my limbs with his and gave a playful bite. I couldn't struggle against his strength but I know the big cat was just playing with me. "N.. no!" I choked out, the stammer revealing my guilt for feeling the slight pleasure from being pressed up against the big cat. Jin nuzzled me as though to tell me that everything was okay. I eventually stopped struggling against him and his grip relaxed. I tried my best to ignore his excitement down there from the mini wrestling we had.

"I was just kidding, alright? Although the offer will always be open," he said as he turned me around and winked. "I hope we get to spend more time alone like this," he confessed while checking the time, "could we just get into a more comfortable position and cuddle for the rest of the day?"

"Yeah," I agreed. At least it wasn't anything intimate, so long as our hands were not straying to those places, friendly cuddles were fine right? I may not have mentioned it, but I like cuddles a lot because it made me feel safe. Also, it felt like a great middle ground to get close but not intimate. "That should be fine," I said as we sat up and I scoot closer to his side. My head rested on his arm again as my nose recognised his scent. The white tiger had come a long way since high school. He used to be a lot more impulsive and hot headed. Now he feels more relaxed and calm even though he is still quite rough and physical. I used to be afraid to reject him just in case he locked me up and drove somewhere out of town. It was a lot of overthinking on my side, but that was how scared I was. I guess all of us grew to be slightly different than before since high school. I'm not sure what about me has changed, but I hope it was something that is equally good compared to Jin's.

Jin pulled me closer towards him and rested his cheek on top of my head. My free arm had no choice but to rest on his chest. Even through the shirt I could feel his soft but firm muscles. With a body like that he could really easily find anyone to hook up with, unlike me. It felt so weird that the two of them still want me. But he was right. All these were only temporary. One day all of us would move on to something else. We may not even be in contact by then. I shivered at the thought, but I know I shouldn't overthink into the future. Forget about the future and live at the moment where the two big guys were still around. Maybe go on dates or even...

Jin rubbed my back when he saw me shiver. Maybe he thought I was cold or he just needed to move his arm just in case it went numb. I hope we were both enjoying the company without words. He occasionally gave me a lick and started to pat me. I felt slightly embarrassed at the fact that he was treating me like a child, trying to coax me to sleep. After a day in school it was really easy to convince me to take a nap. Surely a nap was okay? I must admit that being in his arms was comfortable. As I slowly fall asleep, I unconsciously snuggled even closer, feeling the warmth and security. Actually, being with the tiger might not be that bad, after all...

-

Jo came back next later that day. He was hoping that dinner would be ready soon. Typh usually went back first from campus and he just might cook something up again. Licking his lips in anticipation, he walked further into the house but realised that there were no signs or smells of cooking. Feeling slightly disappointed, he thought that maybe Typh was just busy with work. College drained out most of their time; it was difficult to hang out like before. It didn't take long to find his childhood friend, but someone else was with him too. Jo found his high school best friends sleeping next to each other with Jin curling his arm over Typh in protection. Well, Jo couldn't say that it wasn't expected. Typh was free to choose but Jo wasn't going to go down without a fight. College must had distracted him too much without noticing that Jin had already gone on Typh without him.

The grey wolf dropped his bag and moved towards the couch, climbing on top of it. Jo hoped that his friends had not forgotten about him after whatever happened to the both of them earlier. Jo lied down on top of the both of them with most of his upper body on Jin and only his head on Typh. Jo could tell that Jin's expression changed due to his weight but did not wake up. Serves him right, the grey wolf thought. Jo snuck his muzzle under Typh's shirt to find his familiar scent before falling asleep on top of them as well.