Code Drop: Good as Gold - An Official Heat Anthology Teaser
#3 of Code Drop
Code Drop Promo 3 - Good as Gold
Tempe O'Kun
Erik takes his jackal girlfriend back to meet his parents. Have fun!
"I can't believe I'm doing this."
"Just relax, Tess. It'll go easier."
"Yeah, yeah, but don't expect this to become a regular thing."
Erik squeezed her paw. The jackal's pretty green eyes held concern, even nervousness, but no sign that she'd wanted to back out. The golden retriever smiled, proud she trusted him. "Ready?"
She took a deep breath, as if bracing for something painful. "As much as I'll ever be."
The dog wagged in response and opened the car door.
The summer sun was dipping to the horizon, red against the texture of the fields. Erik hadn't been home in over a year, except for fleeting moments glimpsed deep in Tess's eyes. Now here he was, standing on the lawn he'd played in as a kid, standing there with the girl he loved.
Tess shot him a look, then glanced to his butt. "You could at least stop wagging."
The golden grinned and trotted up the steps, his paw in hers. Without a knock, without a key, he swept the door open and barked with joy. "Mom! Dad! We're here!"
Tess tried to stop at the threshold, but a look from Erik pulled her inside. The interior of the house was cool and dark. The scent of flour and fruit and family hung in the air. He noticed Tess shiver. She does get cold easily. I'll have to warm her up later. Joy rushed through his being.
The jackal looked up at him, voice low but urgent. "What if they don't like me?"
"I like you." He licked her across the cheek.
She glared for an instant, then wiped her cheek and a smile of realization crossed her muzzle. She looked so pretty when she smiled. She looked pretty always.
A bubbly voice echoed from the next room. "Erik?" A tall, plump female retriever bounced into the room. Whiteness tinged her muzzle fur, but youth glimmered in her gaze. She bounded over and wrapped the younger golden in an enormous hug. "Well, glory be!"
Erik gave a soft squeak as he was squeezed, lifted off the floor half an inch. "Hi, Mom." He hugged back. Their tails swished.
"Welcome back! How was your drive?" Mom's gaze jumped his shoulder and locked on the jackal behind him. "Is this that wonderful Tess girl I keep hearing about?"
The younger golden stepped back and noted Tessie looked only slightly horrified. This was going well. With luck, Mom wouldn't be too zany.
His mother released her embrace. She took the jackal's extended paw in both of hers. "My name is Marianne. I'm Erik's mother."
"I gathered that." Tess bit back the derision in her voice. "Er... I mean, it's very nice to meet you." He could see her blushing through her fur, ears down. She had such versatile ears.
Erik wiggled his bare toes against the carpet. He glanced back out into the yard. "Where's Dad?"
"Oh, he's around somewhere. May have gone into town. Never can keep track of that man." Mom bounced a little, like she did when remembering something pivotal. "I was just making some pies! Well, come in, come in! No sense standing at the door." She seated them together on the overstuffed sofa. "I'll be right back with pie!"
The younger dog watched her go. Then he felt a soft touch on his paw. He looked down to see Tess's pawpads curl into his palm. He felt her gaze and looked up with a questioning smile.
Her narrow muzzle quivered into a smile. "This explains so much."
* * * * *
"There's only one bed." Tess rubbed the back of her neck.
"Yeah, I converted my bunk bed into a tree house when I was twelve." He pointed out the back window, chest puffed up with pride.
Erik's father twitched one ear with concern. "Is that a problem? You kids're dating, so I just figured."
The younger golden gripped the jackal's slender paw. "I can sleep in the living room if you want, Tess."
Tess stammered. Erik wagged. Finally ran her out of words.
"Well, I'll leave you two to figure out the sleeping arrangements." His whitened nose sniffed at the air. "I am going to see about this pie I keep smelling."
"You do that, Dad. Leave no Tupperware unturned."
"Will do, Rik-A-Roni." He ambled down the hall, nose leading.
The jackal stroked a paw over her drooped ears, waiting until for the older canine to turn the corner. "One bed?"
Erik looked at her, incredulous, sitting down on the bed with a bounce. A little narrow, but they should both fit. "We've umm... shared a bed before."
Her eyes still lingered on the hall. "I thought he was just testing us."
He smirked, bemused. "Why would he test us?"
"Because-- Oh, never mind. Ignore me. I'm just embarrassed."
"Actually, I think we embarrassed him. With Dad, it's actually possible, unlike Mom." Erik patted the bed beside him.
Tess sat down beside him, chin resting on his shoulder. A sigh stirred the fur of his ear. "I'm sorry my mother wasn't half this decent to you."
The golden rubbed her nose with his muzzle. "She isn't the one I'm madly in love with, sugar jack."
She groaned at his corniness and slipped her paws around his waist.
* * * * *
Erik pondered on how the light in a city or even a town always diffused, buzzing in a haze through the night. Yet out here, where no other buildings stood for ten miles, the stars, countless and crystal-sharp, burned like pinpricks in the firmament. Moonlight gleamed on the very edges of the world, minimalist still-life etchings on the dark. In the room around him, all the scents and possessions of his childhood drew in toward him, assuring him that he was home. A year ago, he would have believed this composed the entirety of Home. Now another scent mingled with them, something at once soft and piquant; a scent new, but not out of place.
He nosed a little deeper into Tessie's fur. She shifted, making tired sounds. He lay on his back, she on her side with her head on his arm. Scant starlight glimmered off her fur. Her pelt grew rougher than his, so he could make out single hairs rather than a shimmering mass like his golden coat. Her paws tightened around him. "Mmmm..." Her voice rang gentle and low. "Erik?"
"Yeah?" His pawpads traced through the fur of her arm, the texture brushing under them.
"You're on my tail." She wiggled just a bit.
"Sorry." He lifted his butt up, allowing her to pull the fluffy tail free. It slipped back under the bedsheets, dusting across his paw before coming to rest.
She nestled in closer, the thin fabric of his boxers shifting as she drew one leg up onto his body. Her muzzle now rested on his shoulder, allowing his arm to curl to the curve of her back. Nestling in, the jackal's breathing deepened. "And Erik?"
He chuckled, voice heavy with sleep. "What am I laying on now?"
She gave a gentle nip at his jawline.
The golden smirked.
Her paw slid across his bare chest. "Thanks for making me come out here."
"Sure." His free paw settled over hers. "I want you to know where I come from. You're important to me."
Tess paused, her breathing so steady he wondered if she'd fallen asleep. Then she opened her eyes, the citrine surfaces glinting deep into his being. "Do you think this will last?"
Erik thought for a moment, his ears softly twitching against the pillow. "I don't know, honestly. All we can do is remember that we want it to."
She seemed to mull this over for a moment, then gripped his paw lightly in her own. Together, they fell asleep.
There you go. Another little marshmallow of a story with Tess and Erik.
This is the third story featuring Tess and Erik. They'll be appearing in a longer story in the furry erotica and romance anthology Heat #7, to be released this summer at Anthrocon 2010!
The Code Drop stories here on FA are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from the one appearing in Heat. It revolves around the same characters, but take place earlier and is 10x longer, in addition to being fully illustrated. Release info here: http://www.sofurry.com/page/150825
Let me know what you think! :D
-Tempo