FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 3: Reveals

Jason tapped his fingers against the glass countertop, internally keeping rhythm with a song that was stuck in his head. He heard his co-worker, Austin, still pestering him from further down the counter as he checked over inventory for the store on the computer.

"I'm just saying Jason, you gotta have some backbone man! Just tell her how you feel! You guys spend all of your time together anyways, what would change?" Austin said loudly, His Voice echoing in the empty comic shop. Jason looked up at the clock on the wall and watched the second hand tick.

"A lot would change. Like I have said over and over, it's complicated." Jason said as he turned his attention to the racks of comics on the other wall. A few were out of place, so he made his way from behind the counter and started sorting them back into their proper spots.

"Bro, you always say that. You can't keep this up, it's not healthy. All you do is: work, play nerd games, hang with your 'Not Girlfriend,' and go home. That doesn't seem like a life worth living. Unless~" he said and he clapped his hands together and mimed a girl swooning. "You were to properly woo your lady friend." he started making smooching noises and Jason set down the last of the comics in place and walked over to be in front of Austin.

Jason set his hands on the glass and glared at Austin who met his gaze. "Look, I understand what you are saying. Yes, maybe it could be better, maybe I would be happier than I have been lately. Maybe everything will be great and I will never have a care in the world as I spend time with someone I truly care for. But I stand to lose something from that maybe and until I can assure myself that I won't lose anything I don't want to chance everything on a maybe." Jason said. Austin's face went from his usual cheeky smirk to a small frown as Jason spoke. He sighed and turned back to the computer.

"Alright man, guess you know best huh?" Austin said with a small scoff as he typed. Jason nodded and made his way back behind the counter as a pair of Wolf teens walked in. They immediately walked over and started rummaging through the comics that Jason just sorted. He sighed internally and looked back up at the clock. 'Only 30 more minutes.' he thought to himself.

---

As Jason shuffled out of the store, he gave Austin a small wave. "Have a nice evening," he said evenly. Austin gave a small huff in response as he rang up one of the regulars for her weekly roundup of new comics. Jason hefted his backpack onto one shoulder and pushed himself into the late fall chill.

Jason zipped up his hoodie and made his way over to the parking garage where he normally kept his Jeep. Walking through the quiet structure gave him a sense of unease. Silence blanketed him with only his plodding footsteps reverberating around him. He clicked the unlock for his jeep and heard the telltale 'Beep' signifying it was right where he left it. Walking to the passenger side door he pulled the handle and threw his backpack onto the seat. He felt pressure against his right shoulder and glanced up to see long black furry fingers loosely gripped on his shoulder. "You should be paying attention Human." a gruff voice echoed around him.

Jason pushed the hand off and wheeled around with his fists raised. But no one was there. He heard a soft snicker coming from behind him and as he turned to face his vehicle a single padded finger touched against his nose. "Gotcha Jay!" Jennifer said from atop his jeep. Jason clutched at his chest as the panic he was feeling started to subside. He saw her sitting over the edge of the jeep giggling at him as she pulled a single sock back on and grabbed the shoe in her lap to do the same.

"Jenny, that wasn't funny. You could've- I was- It-" Jason said, failing to find the correct words. Jennifer continued laughing as she hopped down from his jeep and met his gaze.

"Uh-huh, what? Could've fallen? I'm not the clumsy one here Jay. Or are you saying you would've hit poor defenseless me?" she said, putting up her fists and shadowboxing between them. "Face it, I gotcha with nothing more than ingenuity, skill, and my obnoxiously long toes." she said with a smirk. Jason's anxiety subsided as she stared up at him with the same golden gaze that had melted him time and time again.

"Fine, you got me. Happy?" Jason said with a small huff as he raised his hands in surrender. Jennifer quickly moved in and hugged him, his hands traveling down from the surrender to wrapped around her in response. She gave him a soft squeeze and as they let go from each other she took the moment to grab his arm and intertwine hers with it.

"Yes yes, I am the greatest. As punishment, you must accompany me to dinner this evening." Jennifer said while moving forward, dragging him along with her out of the parking garage. "Besides, today is an important day!" She said, attempting to increase her pace.

"Wait- What do you- Important day?" Jason stammered as Jennifer continued to tug him along. He finally gave in to her pushiness and began walking with her. She gave him a toothy grin and pointed down the street.

"C'mon, Palazzo's is just that way!" she announced triumphantly. Jason smiled as the pair walked.

"Alright, so what's important about today?" Jason said after catching her up on his very boring workday.

"Mmmm. Nah, I am sure you can figure it out. Now come on, Italian food awaits us!" Jennifer said as she let go of him and picked up her pace down the sidewalk. Jason felt a panic start to rise in his throat. Was something wrong? Why was she being so...coy...about whatever it is that makes today important? . Today wasn't a day that held significance, not a birthday or when they first met. She had to just be messing with him, right?

Jason walked through the door with Jennifer, senses overwhelmed with the smell of cooking dough and Italian spices. A familiar voice rang out over the restaurant. "Welcome to Palazzos! Take a seat anywhere!" The pair grabbed a table and after a few moments a Mouse girl bounded up to the table smiling. "Hey Jenny, Jay! Long time no see! How have you two been?"

"Nikki! It has been a bit since graduation hasn't it? We've been good, just surviving day to day right?" Jennifer piped up as she returned a smile to Nikki. Jason gave a small nod of affirmation as Nikki looked between the two.

"I get that, you would think after a year things would change even just a bit. C'est la vie. Anyways, what would you guys like to eat?" Nikki said, leaning onto the table next to Jason. Jason turned his eyes towards the menu on the table instead of looking at the girl next to him.

"I think I'll just take a couple of slices of pepperoni and a lemonade!" Jennifer piped up from across the table. Nikki nodded and scribbled the order onto her pad. She looked down at Jason with a small smirk.

"And for you Jay?" she said gently touching his shoulder. Jason jumped slightly at the contact before he glanced up at Nikki.

"Uh, I think I'll take the same. Thanks Nikki." He said, handing her the menu. She grabbed ahold of it and gently touched the back of his hand as she did so.

"No Problem Jay, and if you need anything just let me know, okay?" Nikki said with a wink. Jason laughed nervously as he brought his hands back to the table and just nodded.

"Yeah." He said softly. He took a look over at Jennifer. She had a frown plastered on her snout and was glaring at Nikki. As Nikki made her way back towards the kitchen Jennifer drummed her fingers against the table, her claws making soft clicks with every drum, her eyes following the Mouse as she walked. After Nikki disappeared into the kitchen proper Jennifer sighed and looked back at Jason. When the pair's eyes met she quickly smiled at him.

"So still aren't going to tell me what's so important?" Jason said as he leaned back slightly in his chair. Jennifer's smile turned into a wide smirk as she mimicked his posture, Her tail flicking back and forth behind her.

"I may be willing to give you hints since you are so graciously buying dinner for the champion of scaring the pants off you." Jason sighed as Jennifer chuckled. "Anyways, here is your first clue. Something important happened around a year ago that I know about." she said, wiggling her fingers at him.

Jason put one of his hands on the table and another against his chin as he thought hard about the past year. Work, taking online courses, hanging out with Jenny, and sleeping were his primary activities. It had to be something they did or something he said. He felt a small panic rise into his throat. His eyes went wide as he looked down at the table.

"Did I say something wrong to you? We joke around a lot so I don't want you to think I was being rud-" A padded hand laid over his hand, stopping his panic. He looked up and saw Jennifer smiling softly at him and shaking her head ever so slightly.

"Jason, it isn't anything bad. I promise. Keep thinking. I'm sure it will come to you." Jason nodded at her and the noise of clattering plates broke both of them out of the conversation. Nikki approached holding three plates and two drinks, balanced on two platters. She set both platters down on an empty table next to them and set the pizza in front of each along with their drinks. In between the two, she set a plate of breadsticks, covered in cheese and garlic.

"Alright, pizza and drinks. I also threw in some breadsticks for you guys, since it's been a while since we've seen each other." A chime from the door as a larger party entered and milled about near the front of the pizzeria. "I wanted to hang around some and catch up but between that and what you guys got going on, I think it'll have to be another time. Let me know when you need a check m'kay?" Nikki said with a warm smile. She looked over at Jennifer and mouthed something before glancing back at Jason once more. "Good luck Jay." she said softly as she moved over to the other party, ushering them all to one of the bigger tables near the middle of the restaurant.

Jason furrowed his brow as he looked back at Jennifer. "What did she mean by that?" She shrugged as she chomped at the pizza now held in her hand. Jason looked down at his food and decided to drop it. He ate as well, enjoying both the food and Jennifer's company.

As the weirdness from the interaction settled Jason was able to have quite a good time just hanging with Jennifer like they normally did. After paying for their food and bidding a quick farewell the pair walked back to Jason's Jeep in relative silence. Right before coming back, Jennifer broke the quiet.

"Figured it out yet?" she asked playfully. Jason sighed, he hadn't been able to figure it out still. They spent so much time together, trying to pick out one memory or night was difficult. He shook his head and leaned against his jeep. Jennifer giggled as she mimicked him and leaned next to him. "Ready for another hint then?"

Jason looked over at her and caught her gaze. She was smiling and staring at him, but something was different. Her golden eyes were squarely fixed on him, she was messing with some of the fur on her hip. She was anticipating something, probably the moment he figured this all out. As his eyes drifted back up she gave him a small wink and stuck her tongue out of her snout playfully. With that gesture, something clicked in Jason's brain and the panic he felt earlier came back tenfold.

He swallowed hard and nodded, trying to shove away the encroaching feeling. She smirked at him and pushed herself off the jeep to stand squarely in front of him. "Alright, hint number two! This important thing is something that can easily affect both of us. But that will depend on you." She patted the side of his face and clicked open the passenger seat to his vehicle. "Alright! Let's go to the park, so the champion has decreed it!" Jason nodded as her words sunk into him.

The ride was quiet for only a moment as Jason started his jeep. Jennifer immediately grabbed her phone to fiddle with music, blasting her usual musical picks of metal and Japanese rap. Jennifer sang along, Jason feeling some of the panic ebb away as he joined in. Jennifer knew, but the way she was treating it like a big game gave him a bit of reassurance. As they pulled into parking for the nature trail/park Jennifer looked over at Jason.

"It looks like you may have figured it out Mr. Deckard, I thought for sure it would take at least one more hint." she said jovially. Jason chuckled softly and nodded.

"Yeah, I think I got it. Sooner rather than later is better, right?" Jason said as Jennifer rolled her eyes and pushed open the door.

"You mean later rather than sooner! Mr. Talks-while-others-are-sleeping! Now come on, before we lose all this glorious daylight." She hopped out and joined him on the opposite side. The pair walked into the park, closing the gap to one another, Jennifer gently rocking side to side as the sun began to set in the early evening.

Jason and Jennifer walked in comfortable quiet through the small park. Both of them stole glances at the other, a silent game of chicken being played between the two. Who would talk first? Who would break the silence and let feelings spill onto the table? As they walked Jason spotted a small bench further up the path. He grabbed onto Jennifer's hand, eliciting a small yip from the anthro, and led her forward, beckoning her to sit on the bench. As she did he took a seat next to her and felt that familiar panic settle in again. He squashed it quickly by opening his mouth.

"Jenny, I want to apologize." he started, with Jennifer huffing softly. He held up a finger and waggled it softly and when she nodded he continued. "I was scared, I didn't want to lose my best friend. I thought it would be better to just shove it down and act like it wasn't happening. It was me deciding to hide it that brought us to right now." She placed a hand on his and he responded by slipping his hand into hers, Intertwining their fingers and taking in the feeling of her hand for the first time. The soft pads in his palm, the warm fur covering the back of her hand pushed all panic out of his body. The small gesture instead gave way to a prevailing comfort that swallowed his whole being.

"But I think it's better if I don't hide that anymore. I like you Jenny, I have for a while." Jason looked down and chuckled. "That feels so much better. God that has been absolutely eating me up inside." Jason felt Jennifer lean against him, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I could tell." she said softly. "I wanted to help but...well...Let's just say the first couple drafts of this plan would have done more harm than good." Jason looked over and saw a wide smirk plastered on her snout.

"Oh yeah, well lay it on me then?" Jason said with his own smile. She laughed and shook her head.

"I really don't think you would appreciate those schemes. Well maybe now, but certainly not before this." She said as she lifted their hands. Jason cocked an eyebrow at her, and with his free hand made a 'bring it' gesture.

Jennifer giggled and looked up and away from him. "Well, I was going to draw us holding hands and leave it on your desk one day, so maybe you would get the hint. I also thought of sending someone into the store in disguise to get you to admit it as I walked in." Her ear twitched slightly and her voice fell to a mumble. "I also was go-" her voice was so soft Jason couldn't make out whatever she had said.

"What?" he said leaning closer to her. "Didn't catch that last one?" Jennifer mumbled once more before turning her head back towards Jason and whispering.

"I was gonna sneak into your room and just...be on your bed when you got home from work. Ya know, all sexy-like." Jason let loose with a howl of laughter, letting go of her hand and slapping his leg in the process. Jennifer crossed her arms and sat up on the bench, turning away from him slightly. "It's not that fucking funny." she said with a glare over her shoulder. Jason wiped a tear from his eye as his laughter subsided.

"I mean, it is to me. I probably would've just fainted, or thought I was in a dream." he said, taking a deep breath and settling back against the bench. Jennifer kept herself turned away from him. Silence overtook the pair for a moment.

"So you've had that kinda dream about me?" Jennifer said softly, the curious edge in her voice cutting through Jason like a knife. He felt his face grow hot and he drummed his fingers nervously against his leg.

"I would be lying if I said no, for me part of liking someone is usually finding them attractive." he heard a snicker from Jennifer. She wheeled around on the bench and placed a padded hand over the hand on his leg.

"Oh, then pray tell Mr. Deckard. What do you find attractive about me?" she said, wiggling her brow and grinning wide. Jason locked eyes with her and smiled softly.

"I mean, it's a lot of things. Small things. Your eyes are so gorgeous. It's mesmerizing to just be stared at by you." He started, his voice increasing in speed slightly. "The way you move back and forth in almost perpetual excitement, you are always ready to go and do things, and even when you just drag me along I know I'm going to have fun no matter what. Because being with you is fun. You make me happy and it's just...the best thing about being around you as long as I have been." Jason nodded at the end of his words, affirming he had said them correctly. After years of thinking about all this, he wanted to make sure his words rang true. When he glanced at Jennifer she was rubbing at her eyes, holding back a sob. Her snout had a wide grin plastered onto it as she shook her head softly.

"Y-you didn't just say all that to me, come on. You couldn't have just said something about my ass or something?" she said, her voice cracking. Jason shook his head in response. She looked at him, the golden pools of her eyes threatening to overflow with joy.

"I mean, your ass is pretty nice too." he said with a smirk. She snorted and laughed in his face. He felt a punch connect with his shoulder as she took a breath.

"I knew it! You have looked at my ass!" she said in a playfully accusatory tone. She wrapped her arms around Jason suddenly. He returned the gestures by wrapping his arms around her waist and squeezing slightly. The pair sat on the bench holding each other for a few moments before Jennifer finally let her arms fall.

"Jay I- I want to let you know that this doesn't change 'us' okay?" She said, placing her hands on Jason's shoulders. He nodded and she smiled softly. "I mean it." she stated, locking eyes with Jason. He saw the passion in her eyes, the soft smile threatening to take up her snout entirely, the very end of her bushy tail wagging behind her. Her excitement was palpable and it brought a certain sense of peace to the lingering fear Jason had about confessing. She was reciprocating in the best way possible, but Jason couldn't help but feel the need to tease her. Just a bit.

"Oh yeah?" He said with a smirk. "How are you gonna prove it?" Jennifer cocked her brow and returned his smirk. She leaned close and shut her eyes, Jason followed and leaned forward, closing his eyes. About a second later he felt a soft bite on the tip of his nose. He opened his eyes and saw Jennifer gently nibbling on his nose. The surprise in his eyes made her pull away and double over with laughter. Jason rubbed his nose and frowned.

"That wasn't fair, I thou-" she placed a finger against his lips and softly shushed him.

"Not on the first date Deckard, you know better than that." Jason's frown deepened and he huffed.

"You shouldn't get my hopes up then." he retorted as he stood up from the bench. Jennifer followed his movement and grabbed onto his arm.

"Aw, did my little Jason want a kiss?" he felt his face grow hot and he just responded with a mumble. He felt her tongue gently lick the side of his face and pull away. He turned his head to face her and she just stood with the very end of her tongue sticking out of her mouth. She winked at him and squeezed her arm around his.

"That's all you get, save the rest for the next date." she said playfully. Jason smiled and nodded.

The pair walked back up the trail matching steps with each other and quietly enjoying the closeness they were sharing. Jason looked at Jennifer and realized how lucky he was to have a chance with someone as special as her. It wasn't how he envisioned letting her know, but like normal Jennifer was a step ahead of him, pulling him along into new experiences and adventures. He was particularly excited for this one.