FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Percy looked at the window of the plane he flew on, watching the clouds and the way the sun shone above them, light reflecting off of their shimmery surface and almost blinding him. His leg bounced as he stared, almost in a dream. On the other side of this plane ride would be his boyfriend. A tentative grin spread across his face. Boyfriend. Two years and he still couldn't hold back this stupid smile every time his mind tripped over that word.

Tango and him had been planning this trip for years now, but in the end all they had settled on was a date and that Tango would meet him at the airport. There was still so much that could go wrong, so many targets for Percy's anxiety. What if Tango wasn't there, whispered the demons in the back of his mind. It was never real. He never felt the same. Percy shivered, a million thoughts colliding in his mind. Maybe this trip had been a mistake after all. He grunted and shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Stop! He commanded his anxiety, trying to corral it. He has always been there, even when nobody else was. The song playing in your ear right now is evidence of that.

He leaned back in his seat and turned the volume of his earbuds up, letting the music wash over him."I Thought I Lost You," from Bolt. So many memories this song carried. He hummed along to the chorus, blushing. I thought I lost you when you ran away to try and find me. I thought I'd never see your swee-eet face again.

He had been listening to this song on repeat since he arrived at the airport back at home, looping it like he always did when he was anxious. It made him think of his fox, and that calmed him down. Usually. As it was, the pseudo-country vibes lulled him to a discomforted sleep, his thoughts slowly fading into dreams.

??

The thump of landing gear slamming into tarmac at a few hundred miles per hour jolted Percy out of his sleep pretty quickly, and he smashed his head into the window as he stumbled awake. The passenger beside him, an elderly hyena with a hoodie draped over her head, stared at him in alarm, trying to decide whether to help him out or not. After a hesitation, she grabbed his arm and shushed him, calmly smiling upon him.

"You're alright, dear, we're just landing. You're fine."

She repeated this a couple times until the husky finally calmed down, his eyes dilating from the pinpoint-pupils they had shrunk to during his anxiety attack. He looked at the hyena, thanks and embarrassment shining in his blue eyes.

"Sorry," he whispered. "I'm just... Nervous."

The hyena kept smiling, rubbing Percy's shoulder a couple times before letting go.

"You're good! Sleep well?" she teased, her eyes glinting.

Percy laughed, stretching out his spine as much as he could in the cramped seat and licking the top of his nose like a puppy. "Yeah, until the plane started blowing up."

The all-clear lights flashed above them, signalling that it was time to "unfasten your seatbelts, gather your luggage, and disembark," as the captain clarified over the intercom. Percy and his new friend were among the last animals to exit the plane, the older lady graciously letting other families exit before her. She had flown with a light load, just one carry-on that was half the size of Percy's smallest bag. He had been so indecisive about what to bring onto the flight, whether he needed his notebook or not, his sketchbook or art tablet. In the end he had packed it all, but had used none of it save a couple of quickly scrawled sketches of the perspective lines of the plane on his pad.

He threw his two bags over his shoulder and followed his seatmate out, nervous and excited. He was here.

??

Everything about this airport was gigantic compared to the tiny station back in Oklahoma City. He stumbled over the crack between the tunnel leading to the gate and the arrivals gate itself, pausing in the middle to look in astonishment at the new sights around him. For a second his mind was taken off of Tango as he took in an overloading amount of new sensations: there was the stench of burnt Thai food streaming out of a nasty and dilapidated restaurant in front of him,though despite the stench there was a line twenty animals long stretching from the cash register. There were huge, flashing signs advertising different hotels and services, from trams to local amusement parks to car rental places bragging about the number of obscure vehicles they had to offer.

He was bumped from behind by a bird about twice his size who was flapping his feathers indignantly at the husky.

"Come on, come on!" the bird snapped at him, pushing his way past Percy. "Not all of us have time to stare and gawk y'know. Some of us have VERY important schedules to keep to."

Percy bit back a response and dragged himself down to one of the chairs to gather himself. Hidden among all the other signs were two dull blue arrows pointing up and down a set of huge staircases. Mezzanine, announced the one facing up. Baggage, stated the other. Pushing his way through the throng of animals clogging up the floor, he reached the first steps, and he stepped down them, anxious once more. What would Tango think of him? He had fallen asleep on the plane ride, he probably looked exhausted and ugly. Would the fox even be there? Was he okay...?

Percy ground his teeth and cleared his thoughts once more, heading off towards the baggage claim area. He withdrew his phone from his pocket and turned off airplane mode, watching as it searched for a signal. As soon as it did, what seemed like a million messages sprang through, all from Tango.

6 New Notifications: Tango <3

Tango: Alright, I'm on my way! Have a safe flight, love.

Tango: Wow, this place is ginormous! Hope I don't get lost twt.

Tango: Alright, I think I found your baggage claim! I'll be waiting :3

Tango: Just realised you won't be here for another hour, ughhhhh

Tango: I FOUND A TACO BELL! QUESADILLAS ON ME!

Tango: Hehe, I see a cutie.

Percy read over the last message and startled audibly, tossing his phone into his pocket and raking his gaze over the animals clustered around the baggage claim areas. Unconsciously, he reached a paw up and ran it through his fur, trying to fluff it out a bit in the way he knew Tango liked. Where is he??

Out of the throng stepped an orange fox, his face curled into a ginormous grin. "Percy!" he yelled, silencing some of the conversation around him. He was wearing [insert what Tango will be wearing today, need to ask him.] Percy jogged towards him, the bags forgotten on his shoulder. Tango met him halfway to the conveyors, grabbing Percy around the waist and pulling him into the tightest hug imaginable. The husky buried his face in the orange fluff of his neck, taking deep breaths of fur and shirt. Tango smelled great, better than he could've imagined. There was the scent of detergent and the body wash he used, and hiding underneath it a hint of calm musk that was Tango himself.

Percy could feel his heartbeat through the shirt he was wearing, and he realised with a start how much this moment really meant to his boyfriend: just as much as it meant to the husky.

"Percy, Percy, you're here, it's you!" Tang was saying, his snout buried in Percy's ear. His panting breaths tickled the soft flesh there, and his ear flicked against Tango's nose, making them both giggle. "Dude, I got so nervous sitting here waiting for you. So nervous."

Percy snorted and pulled himself out of Tango's grip, planting a kiss on the fox's cold nose. "You say that like I wouldn't come! I have college here in a month, doofus."

"And a whole rest of your life with me," teased Tango, rubbing Percy's cheek affectionately.

"Yeah yeah, that too."

Tango looked at Percy's eyes, noticing how the husky struggled to meet his gaze, how he seemed to avert himself to look at anything except the fox in front of him. Tango grabbed his muzzle and pressed their noses together, holding the contact with a gentle grip.

"Percy, look at me?"

The husky nodded nervously and met his gaze, blushing fiercely. The two looked at each other for a few more seconds before Tango parted his maw gently, pausing only a breath apart from his love. "May I... Kiss you?

"Um, yes?"

Tango tilted Percy's face up a tiny bit so that the husky could comfortably open his mouth to meet his boyfriend, and without hesitation their faces met, Tango's green eyes the last thing Percy saw before he closed his eyes.

Percy could feel everything in the kiss, the way Tango drew his tongue gently over Percy's own, the hesitation they both felt disintegrating around them as they memorised each other, the way their bodies fit together, how Percy's chin fit into Tango's chest. The crowd around them disappeared for a second, only to return in what seemed like a cannon blast to shatter the moment. Percy became painfully aware of all the people around him, and he locked up in Tango's arms, pulling out of the kiss to rest his head on Tango's shoulder.

"Hey, what's going on?" Tango asked, sincerely worried about his husky. Close as they were, he could feel the tension that racked through his canid body, how Percy's fluffy tail crept in between his legs.

"Nothing, nothing. It's just a lot- to take in, you know?"

Tango smiled into Percy's hair, nodding slowly. "I know what you mean. It's a lot for me too, I promise."

"How do you manage to not lock up like me?" Percy asked, embarrassed at his anxiety.

"Well, I'm holding the world in my arms right now, so I feel pretty safe. Plus, I just kissed my boyfriend for the first time, so who gives a fuck about what they think?"

Percy blushed even more and took more breaths of Tango's shirt, letting the scents wash over him. You're safe. He has you, the world seemed to whisper to him. And he was. He was safe.

Tango felt him relax and purred, letting his chest vibrate against Percy. "Come on, let's go grab your baggage."

??

"How much did you stick into this thing? I can barely lift it."

Percy smirked, watching the fox struggle. "You know, I expect a lot better from you, dom."

"Oh yeah? Let's see a little bottom like you lift it."

"I don't need to," Percy said, dragging the suitcase off the rails and onto the ground. "It has wheels, silly."

Tango shook his head and grabbed Percy's other bag, a duffel packed with what felt like clothes and... books?

"Did you throw a whole library in here?"

"No, just half of one. I sold a couple bookshelves back at home, there was no way I could've grabbed them all."

"I don't see you grabbing any now," Tango grumbled, trying to settle the unwieldy pack on his shoulders.

"I'm just a 'little bottom,' remember?" Percy said, feigning innocence.

"Yeah, whatever. We'll see about that."

They made their way to the car lot together, Tango making Percy recall every moment of his journey. The fox had never flown before, and he was intrigued with how it worked, especially Percy's description of takeoff and landing.

"You make it sound like a horror movie," he remarked after Percy recounted his landing at Atlanta.

Percy grinned at him, nudging the fox with his shoulders. "Something like that."

Tango reached over and snatched one of Percy's earbuds, eliciting a yelp from the husky.

"What're you listening to?"

Percy was instantly embarrassed. "Oh, uh, looks like our song came on!" The last chorus of the song was playing, and Tango bobbed his head in rhythm to it. Please please please don't loop, Percy repeated in his mind. Maybe the app'll crash or something! Undeterred, the song sprung back to life as soon as it ended. Tango glanced at him, cocking his eyebrow.

"Again?"

Percy sighed.

"I've been listening to it on repeat ever since I got on the plane... It makes me feel safe, like your arms are wrapped around me."

Tango stopped, grabbing Percy's paw and holding the two of them together "Well, now you are safe. Always. I promise you, I'm never letting go."

With that, they headed to Tango's car together, paw in paw.

??

As soon as Percy's head hit the seat in Tango's sedan, he passed out. He had gotten on the plane around 1 am, and he had been up almost all night before, worrying instead of sleeping. Tango took the time to study his husky, spending about the same amount of time taking in the fact that Percy was in his car as he did looking at the road in front of him. It was the early hours of the morning and the traffic that was on the streets seemed to be moving as slow as the rising sun chases the moon.

Percy looked so calm, none of the anxiety that seemed to plague his face every second he was awake, even in all the pictures he had sent Tango. It was part of why the fox was always so worried about him. Even in sleep, he clutched the wrist Tango knew he had scars on close to his chest, hiding it from the world even though he wore a hoodie to cover them.

A soft smile graced his face as he watched a drip of drool fall from the corner of his husky's mouth, collecting in a small pool on his shirt. Tango reached over and wiped it off, taking care to not wake his love up. Through his speakers, he played a soft mix of the old music he adored and the lofi Percy loved, turning on a playlist that he and Percy had curated over the two years of their long distance relationship. The rest of the drive passed by quickly, Tango feeling a little bit sleepy himself after a long night of nervously waiting for the time to pick up Percy to arrive.

Before long, he was pulling into the parking lot of his apartment complex, an eleven story center that he had picked out with Percy a year before when he moved out of his parents' place. He turned into his usual spot and turned off the car, the engine grinding to a halt as the headlights faded to black. Tango pawed a switch and the cabin lights turned out, blowing a coat of soft yellow light over the inside of the sedan.

"P-Percy? Wake up, hun, we're here..." Tango said as he rubbed his husky's shoulders, slowly waking the dog. Percy's eyelids flickered as he glanced up at Tango with sleepy puppy eyes.

"Already?" he yawned.

"Yep! Here, step out, hun, that's a good boy..."

Percy's tail gave a flicker of a wag at Tango's praise as he stepped out of the car, holding tightly to the door as if afraid his legs would give out. He stumbled around to the back of the car and stood back as Tango opened the trunk, trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes with a clumsy paw.

While Tango grabbed Percy's bags, Percy turned around and stared at the ginormous apartment building in front of him. It was dimly lit, with only a couple lights on in a room up on the seventh floor. Other than that, the rooms looked pitch black. Percy wondered which one was Tango's. Yours, his mind reminded him. This is your home too now. Percy welcomed that thought with open arms. He couldn't think of anything better in the moment than falling asleep next to the guy he had loved for the past two years.

Percy held the door open for Tango as they stepped in, and they both noticed how eerily silent the whole building was. It was like that old Christmas book that declared "not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse." Percy would have been anxious if it was just him, but with Tango by his side he felt unstoppable. Plus, the stillness of the building was comforting once he adjusted to it. They strode to the elevator, paw in paw, taking little pauses as they walked to look at each other longingly, adoration filling their eyes. The husky hit the brown 'up' button and leaned against his fox, sighing.

"We did it, hun!" announced Tango, a broad smile on his face as he rested his head down onto Percy's.

"We certainly did. We certainly did."

After a moment or two, the elevator whooshed down, a muted 'ding!' escaping from a bell somewhere inside. The doors seemed to grumble that they had been summoned to open in the middle of the night. Tango stepped in, followed by Percy. The doors shut behind them, and the elevator began its ascent to the ninth floor.

"I'm so excited for you to see the place," Tango blurted out, his voice ending the awkward silence of their elevator ride.

"I'm excited too, for that and just to be here... with you... finally."

Tango pulled Percy in for a sleepy kiss, noticing how easily the contact came after that first tentative time at the airport. It felt so good to just be able to pull his baby into a kiss whenever he felt like it. They pressed tight into each other, not even moving their mouths, just feeling the closeness they've missed so much over the years. The elevator doors opened midway through their kiss, and Tango pressed the door close button with a chuff before returning back to his husky. They stayed there, together, for a minute or so before finally opening up the elevator and stepping out into the long hallway leading to their apartment.

For the fox, that walk down the hallway to their apartment door seemed to stretch on forever. He remembered moving in a year before, leaving his home and setting out into the world on his own, furnishing the rooms, even emailing pics to his husky for approval and advice. These memories coursed through his mind- it seemed like this moment was what Percy and Tango's relationship had been building up to, a climax to their two year relationship. With a hesitation, Tango put his key in the lock and twisted, earning a welcoming click from the lock as their entry was approved, and the two stepped in together.

Cool air washed in from the open door, its polar fingers embracing the two as closely as they held each other, standing in the doorway of their new home together. This was it. Percy was the first to detangle himself from the embrace, looking around him with half-closed eyes. To his left was the kitchen, a small but well-equipped area with clean grey counters. Sitting in the corner like a little island in the granite was an open poptart box, surrounded by empty aluminum wrappers.

Tango followed Percy's gaze and grimaced.

"Breakfast," he said, abashed. "I forgot to pick it up, sorr-"

"Tango, I love it. I LOVE it."

Tango's face brightened, a smile spreading across his face. "You do?"

"Yes! And I can't wait to decorate it together, can't wait to fall asleep on that couch with you," he went on, his sleepiness seeming to vanish for a second, only to catch back up to him. "Where am I sleeping?" he yawned out.

Tango gestured down the hallway, then jerked his hand to the left.

"Guest bedroom on that side," he said with a straight face, though he was struggling not to crack a grin.

Percy started in that direction before stuttering to a stop.

"G-Guest bedroom? I thought... We...- Oh," he managed to stumble out, his eyes beginning to glimmer with tears. Nonetheless, he trudged in the direction Tango had motioned. He opened the door to see a huge room, quite similar to the one he had seen in the pictures Tango had shown him of the master bedroom. He turned around to tell Tango that he had gone to the wrong room, jumping when he saw that Tango had snuck up behind him, a huge grin on his face. Tango wrapped his arms around the husky and picked him up, throwing Percy over his shoulders and jogging into the room.

"AAA-" Percy yelped as he was toppled down onto the bed, a foxy weight settling on top of him, pinning him to the cushions. He could feel Tango's hot breaths in his ears, making him shiver at the tingly sensation.

"You really thought," Tango whispered into his fluff, "That I would let my husky sleep anywhere but beside me?"

"I... I- I didn't think so, but..-"

Tango cut him off with a nuzzle, pushing his furry forehead into Percy's maw.

"I guess I haven't really shown you just how much I love you yet... It was pretty hard to put this into words," he said before pushing his face into Percy's neck, nibbling, licking at the flesh there for a few seconds before pulling out to look down at Percy, adoration filling his jade-coloured eyes.

"Mmm- That would've been pretty hard to describe," Percy agreed, his tongue slinking out to lick around his maw. Tango giggled and pulled Percy down beside him so they laid facing each other on the bed, their noses inches apart.

Tango licked Percy's nose slowly, making it twitch.

"I've been waiting forever for this, hun. Forever."

Percy met his gaze, trying as hard as he could to maintain eye contact despite all his nerves telling him to look away. Finally, he took a deep breath and whispered, "Home."