FSE

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It was a cold, snowy afternoon, mid-February, and casual conversation spilled from the open-walled break room into the adjacent hall. Rico, a long-eared chipmunk, could hear it as soon as he got out of the elevator.

"Who are they from?!"

"It doesn't say," Mandy, a Palomino mare, replied. Her large, velvety nostrils flared as she smelled the fresh bouquet of roses. Red, pink, and yellow. "There's a card." She opened it. "Hah! 'Secret admirer'."

"Ooh ... "

"I'm sure we can all guess," said Tilly, a spotted jaguar. She was casually sitting on the countertop by the sink.

"Give us a hint!" pleaded Kay, a grey squirrel.

"It's obvious. That bull in maintenance totally wants to--"

"Really?"

"Her brains out. Yes!"

"Did he actually tell you that?" Mandy asked, starting to blush.

"Doesn't need to. Felines can tell." Tilly inspected her claws. "We have a sixth sense."

"You know what they say about a guy with horns," Kay warned conspiratorially.

"Yeah, they've got built-in handlebars for riding."

Mandy snorted. "Tilly, you're so bad! Anyway, what if he _didn't_send them? I'd make a fool of myself."

"Girl, he's ripped. Get with him! If you don't, I will."

"You wouldn't."

"Meanwhile, I got chocolates from my mate," Kay injected. "Assorted nut fillings! They were yummy."

"Is that all?"

"No, but I'm trying to keep this conversation 'safe for work'. Unlike you two."

"Nut fillings doesn't sound 'safe for work' to me!"

The trio giggled.

Rico tried to sneak past the room without being--

"Oh, hey! Rico!"

Seen.

The long-eared chipmunk blew out a breath.

Petite in stature, Rico's pelt was mostly reddish-brown, interrupted by alternating stripes of dark coffee and light hazel. The symmetrical pattern started on his cheeks and went back and down his body, leaving his frontside a milky off-white.

"What did you get for Valentine's Day?" Mandy asked him. "I saw balloons being delivered to your hallway! They for you?"

Rico forced a smile, grabbing hold of his bushy tail. A nervous habit. "Oh, um ... I don't know. Maybe! I mean, probably. Haven't looked. Been so busy!" he insisted, stepping back and nearly tripping over a chair.

What the ... ?!

What's this doing in the hallway?

The girls giggled.

"Sorry, we had a holiday party for lunch," Kay apologized. "That's why we're still here! Clean up duty."

"Right." Rico moved the chair himself and said, "I'm on my way out. I hear the roads are getting bad."

"We're just about finished," Tilly assured, hopping off the countertop.

"Yeah," Mandy concurred, putting a winter jacket on, as well as rubber 'stockings' on her hooves for better traction. She flicked her hairy tail. "Thanks, Rico!"

"No problem," he said, nodding and moving off.

With his slender, scoop-like ears, he could still hear their conversation as he went ...

"Poor guy! So skittish."

"Says the horse."

"I'm not skittish, Tilly. I'm frisky," Mandy defended.

"So, I'll set you up with that bull, then?"

"Chipmunks are quixotic," Kay decided. "Like, if you crossed a squirrel with a mouse."

"Quixotic? Don't you mean quirky?" Mandy asked.

"No, quixotic."

Tilly mentioned, "Someone's using that 'word of the day' calendar I got them for Christmas."

Another spate of giggling.

The sounds faded when Rico turned a corner, passing through a set of doors into another hall.

His office was up ahead.

What had he gotten for Valentine's Day?

Same as last year.

Nothing.

Just as well, though.

What would I do with balloons?

Rico opened his office door. The chipmunk worked at an Indianapolis radio station. He'd been here a couple years, now. Mostly 'behind the scenes' as a producer. One of the shows he produced was 'Eyes on Indy,' a daily gabfest featuring Tilly, Mandy, and Kay.

As he put on his coat and hat, Rico noticed something on his desk.

A potted flower?

The chipmunk looked closer.

An orchid.

Rich, vibrant purple, bordering on blue with warm, pink undertones.

A lime-green sticky note was attached to the pot:

Thanks for being the star of my show! Appreciate you! - Daisy

Rico smiled.

Daisy, a capybara, was a horticulturalist who hosted a weekly program called 'Daisy's Flower Hour.' Saturday mornings. As the show's producer, Rico 'ran the board' for her, screening and transferring calls, bringing them in and out of break.

It was his favorite program he worked on.

Listening to Daisy happily bestow advice about flowers and gardening was so therapeutic!

And, also, he had a crush on her.

Capybaras were thick and tall, and she was no exception. Curvy. Buxom. Being a foot shorter than her, he was always eye-level with her breasts. He hoped she didn't catch him staring? _Probably thinks I'm a lewdster._Sometimes, he fantasized.

About her.

And him.

Together.

I'm scampering up the wrong tree.

She's not attracted to me.

No?

He held up the pot, sniffing at the flower. Sweet, mellow.

She gave me an orchid.

An orchid_!_

I've listened to every show she's done. I've seen those famous flower paintings. Orchids are very alluring, feminine plants. On Valentine's Day, no less? This is, like ... the equivalent of giving me her vagina or something.

"I wish ... "

The chipmunk pulled his phone out of his pocket. He had her number.

Maybe I should text her?

A quick 'thank you for the gift!'

He hesitated.

But I didn't get her anything in return ...

He sighed and put his phone back.

Looking out the window, he could see snow falling, whipping around. Wind gusts were getting stronger. Natural light was beginning to fade. For a day about love, it looked so bleak.

I hate winter.

In the parking lot, Rico started his car.

Correction: tried to.

The engine turned. Turned. And turned.

"Come on, come on ... "

It wouldn't go!

"Dammit."

This is not happening.

The chipmunk waited a few seconds and tried again.

"Please, please, please!"

Still nothing.

He sighed, hanging his head, long ears pinning close to his skull on either side of his toboggan hat.

As bad as the weather was getting, and as late in the day as it was, who would possibly get here to repair this? If it could even _be_repaired.

Nearest bus stop is too far away to walk to.

Ride-share apps are probably overwhelmed or not taking passengers.

"What am I going to do?" he asked aloud, rubbing at his eyes.

I'll have to sleep in my office.

But the forecast was even worse for tomorrow. He might be stuck here all weekend! _ _

The chipmunk popped the hood, wriggling out of the car and lifting it.

He sniffled.

What am I looking at?

Oh, there's a thing.

Okay!

Right.

And, uh ... a metal piece!

Next to ...

A tube?

His whiskers twitched.

I'm screwed, aren't I?

Bet I don't even make it back inside.

Probably going to die in this parking lot. On the plus side: I can carve out my final message on the windshield.

The glass was completely caked over with ice. He was going to scrape it, but if he wasn't going anywhere, why bother?

As he imagined his grisly fate, an SUV pulled up next to him, engine humming. Falling, swirling flakes shrouded whoever was inside. The headlights cut sharply into the encroaching darkness.

The window rolled down, and a capybara stuck its oblong, blunt-muzzled head out.

"Daisy!" Rico said, recognizing her instantly. He stood up straight, cheeks getting warm. He rubbed at his shamrock green eyes, trying to hide that he'd been crying.

"Everything okay?" Daisy asked.

"Oh. Um. Just, y'know! Having some car trouble," he replied, lowballing the situation. He patted the side of his car as if they were best friends.

"Huh. Do you know anything about fixing cars?" The capybara, buckteeth showing, seemed amused. Part of her default mode. Warm, easygoing. Finding the best in things. He'd never seen her panic or lose her cool.

She has such a good personality.

Why can't I be like that?

"Rico?"

"Cars? Me? Not really, but ... " The chipmunk shrugged, shivering, starting to feel the cold dig past his clothes into his pelt. "I figured if I popped the hood, maybe something would come to me?" A helpless gesture. "Hasn't so far! But it might."

"Probably a dead battery or a frozen starter. Have you tried jumping it? Do you have cables?"

"No ... " Rico exhaled, breath whipping around as wind-strewn vapor.

"Neither do I," she said, ultimately deciding, "If you need a ride, I'll take you home."

Rico blushed, which was a feat considering how cold it was. "I appreciate the offer. But, uh, you don't have to do that."

"I'm not going to let you freeze out here."

"I, uh ... I live south of the Circle, though."

The Circle was the geographic center of the city. Currently, they were on the north side. It was a 35-minute commute to his apartment. One way. In good weather.

"Oh." The capybara drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. She tilted her head. "I have a spare room at my house? I only live ten minutes away. You're welcome to use it!" A reassuring smile. "I can bring you back for your car tomorrow or ... you know, Sunday, or whenever 'Snowmageddon' ends."

The chipmunk found it hard to speak. Crippling shyness or cold lips? He didn't know. Just said, "I can't do that ... "

"Why not?" she pressed.

He stammered, unable to think of a real excuse.

"Get in, Rico."

Five minutes later, they were on the road.

Traffic was a few paces above crawling. They passed a few minor accidents. Fender benders, vehicles facing the wrong way. Daisy's vehicle had four-wheel drive, so it was handling the conditions well.

Rico's laptop bag was on his lap, and the orchid she'd given him was resting atop that. He cradled it with both paws like a prized possession.

"You like it?" Daisy asked, of the flower.

"Yeah." He smiled. "It'll liven up my kitchen table."

"Good!"

"I'm sure the whole staff appreciates them."

The capybara started to brake as a light turned red up ahead. "Staff?" She chuckled. "I didn't give them anything. I mean, nothing against_them, but ... I don't give out orchids to just _anyone."

"Oh."

So ...

I was the only one?

The chipmunk, humbled, looked out the passenger window. Looking back to Daisy, he opened his mouth. Then shut it. He didn't even know what to say.

_Change the subject. _

"Why, uh ... why were you driving around anyway?" Rico wondered.Surely, not just for me. "You got my text, right? There's no show this weekend." Due to the inclement weather, the station would air a 'best of' compilation.

"Yeah, sorry. Meant to reply but got busy. Had a meeting at Channel 13! Set it a few weeks ago and didn't want to break it. Afterwards, I made a few stops downtown. I'm finally on my way back."

"Thirteen," Rico muttered. "The TV station?"

"Heh. Yup." The light turned green, and Daisy pushed down on the pedal. The rear tires spun, the car fishtailing for a second before straightening out.

Rico's eyes went wide, body going rigid in his seat. He triple-checked to make sure he had his seatbelt on. (He did.)

The windshield wipers were swishing at full speed, but visibility was practically nil. The capybara didn't seem concerned by any of this.

"Long story short, I have new neighbors!" she told him.

"Okay ... "

"Two harvest mice. One of them is on the morning news. A meteorologist," Daisy said.

"Oh. Wait. Fib the Morning Mouse?!"

"That's the one."

"I watched him this morning ... "

"It's hashtag 'tailsock weather' again, folks! Throw in hashtag 'ear mitten season,' too, cause we're deep in the icy grips of ol' Mr. Winter. Brr!" The golden-furred mouse stepped aside as the map behind him changed. "That's right! Snowfall and dangerously cold wind chills will be with us until at least Sunday morning." He pointed at the radar with his fleshy, prehensile tail. "Accumulation could be as much as 4 to 8 inches depending on where you are in the Channel 13 viewing area. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the entire region.

"Actual lows tonight will be around 0 degrees, but it will feel much lower." The map changed again, showing the 7-day forecast. "Don't lose hope! We'll pull out of it middle of next week with a moderate warming trend." He flashed a big, bucktoothed smile at the camera, and squeaked, "That's my golden guarantee!

"Oh, and be sure to check on those friends and neighbors ... and don't forget to protect your pipes!"

Daisy continued, "He suggested I talk to his producer about doing recurring morning features for them during the growing season. About flowers, planting, whatnot? Meeting went well. I think we'll get something ironed out soon!"

"Oh, wow! Congratulations. So, uh, you're going to be a video star now?" He combed his tail. "Guess that kills the radio gig."

The capybara flashed him a quick smile. "You're not getting rid of me that easily." Eyes back on the road, she got in the left turn lane and flicked on the turn signal.

Click-clack.

Click-clack.

After a moment, Rico said, "I didn't know you had a house."

"Single-story. Not like a mansion or anything. But, yeah."

"And it has a spare bedroom?"

"Yup."

"Just wanted to be sure." The chipmunk paused and quickly added, "That I'm not putting you out, I mean."

"Rico," Daisy said patiently. "You're fine."

The light turned green and they moved forward again, taking the turn onto the capybara's street. Rico pressed his nose to the window and squinted through the snow at the houses. "This is a nice neighborhood."

"Yup. I wanted more yard space, and this place has it," she said. "Come spring, I'm going to have a front and back garden. I do all this important gardening work for other people. Will be nice to finally have my own, you know?"

"Yeah ... "

Soon enough, they arrived at Daisy's house.

Half-an-hour later, Daisy was preparing a simple dinner. Zucchini rotini with marinara sauce, a tossed salad on the side. "Hmm. Needs a fruit. I also got apples. Want one?" She opened her fridge and help up two red, globe-shaped fruits. "Evercrisp or Sugarbee."

"Um, whichever's sweeter?"

"Good choice!" While the capybara washed and sliced one of the apples, she noticed the chipmunk holding his tail. "Put on a vinyl, Rico," she suggested. "Player's over there."

"Okay." Rico approached the machine, flipping through a box of records beside it. "What, uh ... what should I play?"

"Anything." Daisy began transferring food to the table. "Most of the music I listen to is pretty light."

"Heh. You capybaras are so chill."

"As in 'effortlessly cool'?" Daisy joked.

"That, too." Rico smiled, continuing to look through records. "But, no, things just roll off you like water."

She raised a finger. "We are semi-aquatic."

"True." He picked up an album, looked at the back cover, and then put it back. "Really wish I could be like that."

"Aquatic?"

"You know what I mean." He looked to her. "I'm so high-strung."

Daisy's voice was soft, understanding. "You make it sound like you can't change that?"

"I've tried."

"Maybe you need someone to help you." It wasn't a question.

Rico blushed, looking away. "Maybe." Back to the records, he settled on a group he had never heard of. Yumi Zouma. He put the green-colored disc on the turntable and gently set the needle down on its edge. Some light hissing, a bit of static, and the music started.

"Yes! Love me some dream-pop!" Daisy said, recognizing it immediately. Capybaras didn't have tails, so Daisy swished her big, curvy hips instead, sashaying around the table, placing down bowls of pasta and salad.

Rico giggled, watching her move.

Her fur was a toasty, earthy brown pretty much all over. The color got darker, almost black, on her muzzle-tip, ears, and paws. Her eyes were a vivid bluish-purple, almost like the orchid she'd given him. He wondered if that was a coincidence.

She's more beautiful than any flower.

"Aren't you going to join me?" she teased.

"Huh?" He laughed with embarrassment. "No way! I don't know how to dance."

"Everyone can dance! There's no right or wrong way. You just ... move to what you're feeling."

"Is that all?" he said dryly.

Seeing he wasn't ready to join in, the capybara stopped and said, "Well! We better eat our meal before it gets cold."

After dinner, they wound up in the living room.

Daisy turned on the TV, setting up the disc player.

"Find anything yet?" she asked.

"Capy-tan America and the Winter Rabbit," Rico said, reading some of the titles from Daisy's Blu-Ray shelf. "Anteater Man and the Wasp."

"Seen 'em?" Daisy asked.

"No. I'm, uh ... not really into superhero films?"

"That's your deep, dark secret, isn't it?"

Rico smiled, insisting, "I'm not interesting enough to have secrets."

"Secrets don't have to be bad."

"I don't have any good ones, either."

"You sure about that?"

Rico's green eyes darted.

Is she trying to get me to admit I have a crush on her?

He couldn't find the nerve. Adrenaline surging, he tried to return to the original topic. "I'm more into ... like, sci-fi stuff? Anything space."

"Star Trek or Star Wars? You can only choose one!"

"Trek," Rico said without hesitation.

"Mm!" Daisy nodded at him. "Interesting." The capybara smiled that smile again. The one that made Rico's knees weak.

He sat on the couch, rubbing his stretchy cheeks.

The capybara, still standing, padded over to her media shelves. "There are other things we can watch! Maybe something lighthearted. Comedic. Ooh, something with a warm, tropical setting?" She chose a film, tossing the case to Rico.

He caught it.

"Barb and Star Go to ... Vista Del-Mar?" he recited uncertainly.

"You'll love it! Trust me."

When the movie was over (Rico had enjoyed it; earnest, silly fun), Daisy showed the chipmunk to the spare room.

"I'll be down the hall if you need me," she offered. "You already know where the bathroom is."

Rico nodded, opening the door and walking through it. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Okay." Daisy nodded. "Well, I--"

"I'm really--"

Speaking over each other, they both stopped.

Daisy leaned her large, brown-furred frame against the frame of the open door. "You first."

"I just ... " Rico took a deep breath. "I'm grateful for ... I mean, thanks for helping me out, you know?"

"No problem."

"What, uh ... what were you going to say?"

Daisy smiled. "I was going to wish you a goodnight."

"Oh. Right. Thanks." He cleared his throat. "Goodnight to you, too."

"Mm-hmm." Lingering for a moment, the capybara finally stepped back and went to her own room.

Rico closed the door, turned on the light, and buried his face in his paws.

What am I so afraid of?

Changing our workplace relationship?

Who cares?

She keeps giving me openings, and ... I just ...

Gah!

Rico went to the bed and flopped down face-first.

It was 2 AM.

Rico shivered, in a t-shirt and boxer-briefs, knocking on Daisy's bedroom door. He hugged himself, ears cocked, listening for a response.

Nothing.

The house was so quiet.

He knocked again.

The chipmunk was about to give up when he heard her voice.

"Rico?"

"Yeah," he said, raising his voice to be heard through the door. "Um, I'm ... look, I'm really sorry to wake you! But--"

"Come in!" she insisted.

Rico opened the door, peeking through it. It creaked as he swung it wide enough to slip through. "I'm sorry," he apologized again.

"What's wrong?" the capybara asked, calm and chill as always.

If I was woken up by a knock on my bedroom door in the middle of the night, I'd have a panic attack.

"The power went out," Rico explained. "Must've ... must've gone out just after I dozed off? I woke up to use the bathroom, and it's really cold. And dark." His breath was ragged, a byproduct of his anxiety. He grabbed at his tail. "I'm ... I'm a little--"

"It's okay," she soothed.

"I'm being silly ... I'll just go back to my--"

"Hop in," she offered, shifting from the center of her bed to the side. "I've got plenty of body heat to share."

"I can't! I can't do that ... "

"Stop treating that like a mantra, Rico," the capybara said. "You can do whatever you want."

Teeth chattering, he stepped closer, then stopped to ask, "What if I'm not sure what I want?"

"If you aren't sure, why did you come to my door?"

"Because I trust you."

She smiled, throwing back the covers and patting the bed. "In. Hurry up."

Rico blushed, nodded, and bounded into her bed, quickly wriggling under the sheets and blankets. He'd been shivering when he got in. That didn't last long. Oh, gosh, was she warm. And plush. Capybaras were the biggest of all rodents, so that wasn't a complete surprise. But it was one thing to know. Another to feel.

Daisy pulled the coverings over them both, rolling on her side to face him.

"Better?" she asked.

"Yes, much! Thank you."

Should I close my eyes, now?

It was the middle of the night, but he was suddenly the opposite of tired. _ _

Daisy wasn't closing her eyes, either. Just smiling at him, her sunny disposition thawing his inhibitions.

The darkness made this more intimate, somehow. It was just them. There was no world, no blizzard, no winter. Just an endless bubble of safety and warmth.

"I'm so glad you're here," she murmured, arms going around him, hugging him close.

Rico didn't resist the embrace. He practically melted. "Me, too ... "

They cuddled for a minute.

So toasty.

I'm almost too hot, now.

But he didn't care.

He wanted to be even hotter.

Rico began to relax.

Daisy's webbed paws rubbed his back, blunt nose pushing against his cheek.

His pointier muzzle found her shoulder, and he breathed of her.

Her scent.

Her body.

His paw wandered between them, finding a breast, and he suddenly realized--

She's naked.

He froze for just a second.

What do I do?

Rico gently ran his thumb over a nipple.

Good call.

"I can't fall asleep unless I'm nude," Daisy whispered, delighting in his touches, nuzzling down to his neck.

"Oh?" His head rolled aside.

"It's so comfortable, being in the fur." She nibbled on his chin. "Join me?"

Rico answered by raising his arms above his head, out of the sheets and into the cold air.

The capybara, writhing beneath the blankets, eagerly tugged his shirt up his body. Rico twisted his head as she pulled it up and over, tossing it into the dark.

"You're even softer than I imagined," Daisy said, stroking his chest and belly. "So cute and fluffy."

Rico huffed, arching his body. "You ... you've imagined this?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Me, too."

"You don't say?" Daisy hooked her thumbs into his underwear, bringing them down.

Rico twisted about, helping the capybara get him naked. Bringing a paw back between them, to one of those big, beautiful breasts, he groped and caressed it before wriggling fully beneath the sheets.

"Ah!" Daisy made a distinct churring noise.

Rico suckled on a nipple, dancing his tongue all over it. He switched from one to the other and then back again.

Her paws cradled the back of his head all the while, rubbing his neck, massaging his shoulders.

When Rico came up for air, head back on his pillow, he looked into her eyes. In the dark, details weren't easy to make out, but he was so close to her. Inches away, noses touching. His mind filled in the gaps, reinforcing his memories on the fly.

Noses bumped.

Muzzles tilted.

A kiss.

Deep and sweet, magnificently satisfying.

When they smacked apart, Rico panted, "I didn't ... didn't know capybaras sounded like that ... " That churring? Those vibrations? It was as close to a purr as he'd ever heard from a rodent.

"There's a lot more noises where that came from," she promised, kissing him again. "Mm ... if you're ... mm ... " Each kiss was more playful and potent than the last. "Willing to press the right buttons." As she said this, she reached between his legs and grabbed his cock, fingers curing around the shaft, thumb teasing the tip. "Interested?"

"Ah ... ah, yes, very much," he insisted, mind addled with pleasure and reeling at the promise of even more. "I want it! I want you."

"I want you, too," Daisy murmured, voice dripping with lust. She shifted about, rolling onto her belly and pushing herself to all fours, maneuvering her way atop the smaller male. Laying atop him for a moment, she said, "Feel like I'm on fire and you're the only one who can douse the flames."

The chipmunk knew the feeling, but he lost his words. The ability to think, reason, speak? It all went out the window as the capybara pushed off his chest and sat up, spreading her thighs, legs, and straddling him, wearing the sheets and blankets like a cape around her shoulders. Wasting no time, she started grinding her hips to his.

Rico huffed, his erection rubbing against her warm, silken sex. She was wet. He could feel it, smell it.

She's wet because of me_._

This made him even harder.

The chipmunk reached down with a paw to aim his member, directing it between her petals, right at her passage.

Daisy dropped her weight down upon him.

"Uhnf," Rico grunted, as she sank directly to a hilt. No teasing. No inching. He was buried in her, all the way, fuzzy balls snug to her sex as she shimmied those hips and then rose up again and ... " ... uh!" he went.

"Ah ... ah, yeah ..."

Oh, gosh.

Her flower's much better than an orchid!

Daisy rode him outright, bouncing up and down, breasts flopping lewdly. She lost track of the sheets, and they slid off her back and off their bodies entirely, leaving them exposed to the cold, bedroom air. They hardly noticed the chill. The power was still out, but they both felt electric.

Slick, squelching noises.

Slaps.

Rico chittered!

Daisy made a trilling, musical noise that drove Rico wild.

I want a vinyl record of that!

The chipmunk felt himself tingling. His whole body, in all the best places. Increasingly short of breath, he knew it wouldn't be long.

Close.

So, so close.

The capybara, in the same boat, tilted forward, planting one paw on Rico's chest, pinning, pushing him down against the mattress. The other went to the source of their union, furiously rubbing at her clit.

She moaned, tilting her head back. "Oh ... ohh!"

"I'm ... I'm gonna!"

"Give it to me!" the capybara begged, feeling him twitch.

Rico's climax struck him sharply, like a lightning bolt, as powerful as anything in nature.

"Ah!" he cried, grabbing at her sides, pulling at her. "Daisy!"

Daisy moaned, laying atop him, completely covering his smaller body with hers. Her sex rippled, wracked by powerful, muscular spasms, milking him for his very essence.

Rico whimpered.

He didn't know what time it was or how long that had lasted. He only knew he was dizzy, could barely breathe, and their relationship had crossed a threshold. Everything had changed. There was no going back. He hugged the capybara, shaking, flooded with emotion.

Daisy whispered, "Rico ... "

Sniffling, he breathed, "I've loved you for ... I was just ... I was afraid."

"That's over, now," she replied, peppering his cheeks with kisses. "I've got you. I love you, too."

I better not be dreaming.

Daisy dismounted and flopped beside him. The bed bounced. She then pulled all the sheets and blankets back over their spent bodies.

Fatigue came fast.

They fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, Rico walked out of the bedroom wrapped in a bedsheet. Peeking around a corner, he found Daisy in the kitchen, eating toast with jam while looking at her laptop.

"Um ... "

"Oh, there you are!" she exclaimed, looking up.

"What time is it?" Rico asked, venturing into the room.

"After nine. Still bad out." She gestured to the nearest window. "We'll have to fetch your car tomorrow."

"I figured as much." He paused. "So, I ... I couldn't find my clothes?"

"Try under the bed."

"Oh! Okay." He chittered sheepishly. "Didn't look there." He blinked, finally realizing, "But maybe I don't--"

"Power's back on!" she mentioned happily.

"Need them."

The unabashedly naked capybara gave him a smirk. "Something wrong?"

"No. Nothing ... "

"I'm in the privacy of my own home. Not going anywhere. Why do I need to get dressed?"

"Well ... "

"Drop the sheet, Rico. You've nothing to be embarrassed about, either. I've seen it all before."

"It was pitch black, so you didn't actually see it."

Daisy stood up, body in full profile. "All the more reason to indulge me."

Rico let the sheet go.

It collected around his foot-paws.

"Oh, Rico," Daisy said in a singsong tone as she walked his way. "What's behind your tail?"

The chipmunk unfurled it.

A bucktoothed grin. "For me?" she said, of his erection.

"Mm-hmm."

"You know, last night was the best Valentine's gift I've ever gotten," Daisy murmured, arms going around his neck.

"It wasn't Valentine's Day, technically. Was the morning after."

"Love before breakfast, hmm? Might cause a scandal." Daisy winked. "But it could make for a better story."

"You saying we're going to tell everyone about this?"

"Well! Like a superhero, every mate-ship needs an origin story." The capybara let that sink in. "Right?"

Rico smiled.

He couldn't fault his mate's logic.