FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Eventually, the two arrived at their destination. The cabin lodge Nycteus called home was simple. There were three rooms in the overall layout of the cabin: a combined kitchen and living room with marble countertops and a traditional log couch; the bathroom, fit with cute knitted towels thanks to the elders who came by once every while; and, of course, Nycteus' bedroom, bare save for a dresser and a bed. He tended to spend his time elsewhere on the residence. Nycteus thanked everything holy the floor had no carpets, because the two of them were soaked from braving the rain without an umbrella. Lucario's fur dripped water onto the wood while Nycteus' clothes felt like they were glued to his skin, slick as they were. "Um," Nycteus laughed nervously, "I have a couple of towels in the bathroom." Lucario nodded and let the human navigate the home he knew so well. Thanks to his nomadic heritage, he had seen plenty of "rich" houses, decked out with fountains and a labyrinth of rooms that hardly ever seemed used. This was a nice change of pace. There was something endearingly rustic about it all, this house and Nycteus, and Lucario found he had missed it. Urbanization tended to mess with his aura powers- so much stillness in cities, bustling as they were with humans and Pokemon alike. He much preferred places like this: homely and filled with nature. There was even a little succulent on the table. Lucario played with it as he waited. Nycteus, meanwhile, was busy trying to find a second towel. He swore he had two- the inevitability of guests dropping by for a night meant taking precautions- yet he could only find his flower towel with cutesy designs of sunflowers and dandelions adorning both sides. A gift from Mrs. Sunflower. Nycteus loved it, of course, but he wasn't sure how his companion would take sharing a towel. He looked at himself in the mirror and just stared for a second. Hyping himself up in his head. He didn't know why he was so nervous about sharing a towel, something they both needed to feel comfortable. It wasn't exactly intimate, or anything. Just two guys and a towel. Nothing personal. Nycteus turned his now-red face away from the mirror, grabbed the towel, and left the bathroom. Lucario perked up from the succulent. "Oh! You found one," he smiled. "Yeah, it's, um," Nycteus' face betrayed his embarrassment. "The only one I have." "Nycteus." Lucario took on a stoic expression. "I have wandered the world from Unova to Kanto and back again. I've slept in huts, given food from shelters, bathed in creeks. I've dirtied myself on more than mere mud, and used far worse to clean up." A small smile betrayed his real intention. "I don't mind if we use the same towel." Nycteus wanted off of whatever rollercoaster Lucario just took him on, because that was whiplash central from start to finish. Dumbfoundedly, he simply muttured, "O... Okay," and gave Lucario the towel. As the Pokemon pat himself down, Nycteus briefly wondered why he didn't simply shake the water out of his fur. Plenty of furred Pokemon did it, to his knowledge. He was about to ask before a noise came from his stomach. "Ah." Nycteus realized how hungry he had gotten. Before he could be sheepish about it, a sound came from Lucario's tummy as well. They both looked at eachother in faux-horror before laughing. "I suppose almost getting crushed by a tree makes one hungry," Lucario smiled. "I have some stuff for dinner, if you don't mind waiting a bit." Nycteus had planned on saving his biscuits and gravy meal for later in the week, but tonight felt like a special occasion. He wanted to impress his guest with his best, after all! Lucario shook his head. "Cook to your heart's content." Thus began the cooking. It was a quick and easy recipe, but the folks loved it, and it was one of Nycteus' favourites. He took out some of the canned biscuit dough from his fridge, sliced it into six even pieces (he enjoyed big biscuits) and set them onto a prepared pan ready for the baking. The village had a surprising amount of modern groceries available, some of which involved his favourite synthetic sausage meat. Happy as he was he managed to nab some, he worried over whether the Lucario would like it. Some Pokemon enjoyed hunting moreso than synthetic meat, after all. "So Lucario," Nycteus set the biscuit pan in the oven, "Are you fine with synthetic meat? Or should I leave it out?" It would be weird, but Nycteus didn't mind accomodating for the Pokemon that saved his life. Lucario waved his paw. "I've had it before. I didn't mind it at all." Phew. That was a weight off of Nycteus' mind. Content with that, he pulled out his skillet and set to cooking the meat. Meanwhile, Lucario admired the steadfastedness of his dinner companion. He seemed so concentrated on the work in front of him... it was impressive, to say the least. Lucario often found his mind running calculations so often there were hardly times he wasn't in Go Mode. Nycteus' dedication brought an unexpected warmth to his face, not for the first time tonight. Lucario briefly envisioned him coming up behind Nycteus and- "You're doing a wonderful job," Lucario opted for instead, coughing into his paw. Nycteus turned, flour in his face. "Huh?" Lucario held back a chuckle. "I said your cooking is going well." "Oh! Thank you!" With a red face, the human turned back to his duties. Lucario's ear flicked with a small realization. In no time at all, the cooking complete, the two set up the dining table. Nycteus worried over his guest helping with meal preparation, but Lucario argued it was the least he could do. Nycteus didn't have a good rebuttal for that. Content, they sat down at the admittedly small wooden table. In front of the two of them stood two plates with Nycteus' prized biscuits and gravy on them. Soft, flaky bread split in half and doused in gravy and meat, thick enough to complement the bread yet savoury enough to stand on its own as well. Nycteus was sure the Lucario had eaten something like this before, yet to his surprise, he felt a sense of trepidation over whether his companion would enjoy it or not. Only one way to find out, he reasoned. Lucario picked up his fork and carved out a decently-sized portion for a bite. Nycteus could only hear his heart beat in his chest as the Lucario raised the fork to his mouth. Chomp. Immediately, Lucario's eyes widened with surprise. "Mmph!" "Lucario?" Nycteus, ever the worrier, asked, anxious his food was somehow poisonous or- worse- deadly to the Lucario. He'd never forgive himself if he hurt Lucario. Yet the Pokemon kept chewing, first slowly, yet picking up in pace until he eventually swallowed. "That." Lucario set down his fork. "Was." Nycteus felt the sweat go down his brow. "Amazing!" Oh, sweet Arceus. "Th-Thank you, Lucario!" Nycteus shook his head with a laugh. "I was so worried you wouldn't like it..." "This is the best biscuits and gravy I've ever tasted," Lucario sternly said, "and I've been around the world. It's simply beyond words." Now Nycteus worried the Lucario meant the opposite of his kind words. Surely his cooking wasn't that good... "You can say if it's not that great," Nycteus laughed nervously. "I won't mind." "Truly!" Lucario smiled that soft, real smile of his. "I wouldn't mind a to-go box afterwards." Ah. Nycteus never took into account that Lucario might not want to spend the night. That... definitely put a damper on his mood. Of course, Lucario, being a Pokemon of Aura, picked up on this immediately. "Something wrong?" He asked, promising to himself not to pry too far. Nycteus scratched his head. "Well... no, not really. It's just..." Lucario tilted his head. "I was thinking you would... and, it's fine if you don't, or didn't, of course-" "Nycteus." Lucario laughed. His realization before had been on the nose, then. "It's okay. Really. What is it that troubles you?" Nycteus tapped his fingers on the table. After a few moments, he let out a sigh. "I thought you might want to stay. Um," Nycteus' face reddened, "at least for the night." Lucario thought this over for a few seconds. He didn't have any pressing business- he was a nomad, after all. Plus, who knew if it would rain later in the day as hard as it had before? It would be the wisest move. And yet a mischievous streak ran through Lucario's mind, fueled by the fact that Nycteus still had flour and now gravy on his face. Without a word, Lucario grabbed a napkin from the center of the table and, leaning over, tenderly dabbed the napkin at Nycteus' mouth. "There's something on your lips," Lucario whispered far too late, paw already on Nycteus' warm face. To Nycteus, it was a roar, the tension between them so dense it could be cut with a knife. How did this happen? When? Was it just one friend helping another, or...? "To be frank, I figured it out just a few minutes ago," Lucario continued, soft napkin pressing against the other parts of Nycteus' face full of flour. "I wondered what this fluttering in my heart was born from... and then I saw your face." That? Nycteus wasn't sure still, but he was positive that at least was not straight. At all. "Nycteus..." Before he could stop himself- before he could worry even more- Lucario pulled him in for a kiss. It was quick- Nycteus' preservation instinct won out over his budding romantic feelings in the end- yet before Lucario could apologize Nycteus pulled him back in for another kiss, longer this time. When they pulled apart, Nycteus could hardly think straight. His mind was full of confusion, yet ultimately he was beyond happy. "So you'll stay? Here with me?" Nycteus asked, hands still on Lucario. "For the night?" Lucario asked, softly, tentatively. "For as long as you want." Lucario thought about it. He feared his nature would prevent him from staying in one place for too long, but when was the last time he had a warm house to call his home, even if temporarily? Or even... forever? It sent a tingling feeling across Lucario's fur. He didn't know if he could stay for that long, but... "I will." Lucario brushed the back of his paw against Nycteus' wet cheek, running with tears once again. "As long as I can." "That's all I can ask for," Nycteus sniffled. Lucario stood from the table and, walking around it, wrapped Nycteus in an embrace, to which the human responded eagerly. "Thank you, Lucario." "Anytime."