FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Jack held the kiss a moment longer. Melodramatic visions of a noble knight sacrificing everything for love fogged his mind. And his princess had a pair of horns and light green scales. His fingers traced the patterns on her neck and shoulders. Lys couldn't help but smile as he touched her. She returned the favor, brushing over his face with her claw, feeling his stubble. She had something of an obsession with his five o'clock shadow.

Her smile widened, revealing those sharp, pointed teeth. Another one of her endearing qualities. It'd been easy to fall in love with her somehow. Perhaps he'd been desperate for affection and Lys was the first to offer it in a long time. If that was the case what did that say about her? Did she fixate on him because he'd shown her kindness?

"Can I ask you something?" Jack said.

The kobold stepped back; her smile faded. "What?"

He laughed nervously. "When did you know you were in love with me?" There was no point in being coy. Lys was easily the bluntest person he'd ever met. She jumped off the counter, landing on the floor with a light thud. The kobold tilted her head as she often did when thinking. Her tail whipped about and she looked frustrated. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know when. I just know and that makes me happy. What about Jack?"

Now the question felt silly. It certainly wasn't love at first sight. Her cute looks helped, but going from Samaritan to lover in a matter of weeks? He shrugged. "I don't know either. I just know I do."

Lys snorted. "Silly question to ask then. Now can I ask a question?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Of course."

"Do you think Lys could become a streamer?"

And then they narrowed. "What now?"

The kobold toyed with her claws, motioning about as she tried to explain. "When Lys--I was using your phone, I saw some kind of shows where people were playing games and yelling and acting silly." She looked embarrassed, it sounded just as odd to her as it did to Jack. "They make a lot of money being silly at home." She emphasized the home part. Her eyes lit up with thoughts of stardom and money.

"Oh, so that's why my battery was so low." He'd lost his taste for that kind of thing when he dropped out of college and got mopey. His neglected PlayStation 4 sat in the cabinet beneath the TV gathering dust. "Do you even know what a video game is?"

"I played that columns game of yours, but not really. Do you think it'll matter? You said it yourself that people would pay money just because a kobold was doing it."

"Yeah, but that was arts and crafts." His mouth said one thing, but somebody in his brain explored the options. Jack didn't really know much about setting that kind of stuff up, but it couldn't be that hard. The real problem was cost and risk. He might have been out of the gaming scene, but a good rig cost money and his old computer died ages ago. Would people really watch a kobold fumbling about playing video games on the internet? It almost sounded crazy enough to work. At the same time, it would be exposing her to the horror that was the internet. His overactive imagination conjured up scenes of a SWAT team battering down the door and screaming men with guns pointed at a terrified kobold. "I don't know about this."

"Why not? If it would work for arts and crafts, why wouldn't it work for this? These people make lots of money. You need money, don't you?" She shot her best sad kobold eyes.

"Only some of them make lots of money."

"How many of them are kobolds?"

Jack leaned back against the counter, groaning as he stretched. "None, I'm sure." He kept his attention on the ceiling as he heard the sound of toeclaws tapping back and forth on the floor.

"Well then, Lys should be the first!"

A prickly sensation wrapped around him like a layer of sweat. He felt her staring, trying to break him down so she could get a new toy. A toy that could send her death threats, insults, and who knows what else. And that was if they didn't just pull the plug on her. "You don't even know what kind of people hang out online," he grunted.

Her look of excitement changed to a glare. "You make it sound like I didn't spend my life dealing with shitty humans." Her tail trashed against the floor. "No offense."

"None taken."

"There's nothing I haven't already heard or had to handle a hundred times over from cruel people." The crack in her voice made it clear she was trying to convince herself.

"We're not talking about a couple of angry people yelling and then giving up because you ran away. There are people out there who do nothing all day but try to make other people miserable."

She huffed and tapped her claws together. "Lys can handle it."

"And when they tell you to kill yourself?"

"Why would I do that just because someone said so?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm just warning you about the kind things you'll run into. You can be sure there'll be people out there who'll pick on you just for being a kobold."

"So? I already said I've put up with that before."

"And this costs money, a lot of money. We're talking about computers, consoles, microphone, camera..."

"Money Jack will get back." She sounded so sure and the problem was that he almost believed her. In the end it felt like he was delaying the inevitable.

A dull ache made its way behind his eyes. "I'll think about it." He rubbed his temples; this was going to be a huge mistake.

The kobold let out a warm thrum which broke into a giggle. The musical tone of her laughter lifted some of the dread off his shoulders. "Great," she said as if it were a done deal. "Lys needs to be useful to Jack. I mean me and you. I mean...you know what I mean."

"You are useful."

"Besides as something for Jack to mate with."

He cleared his throat. "I don't want to hear talk like that."

Lys opened the fridge and helped herself to a soda. Her swift movements slowed to a delicate, surgical manner as she tried to open the can. "Kobolds need to be useful. There's no worth for someone who doesn't help." Jack tensed up watching her sharp claws try to dig under the pull tab. Last time half the kitchen ended up coated in Pepsi. Lys closed her eyes tight and pried gently. The can sighed and so did she, no gouts of soda this time.

"And anyway, you're pretty fun to mate with," he said on the sly. Lys gave him a nasty look while she chugged the soda down. He made a mental note to start buying diet and then he went into the living room. The cabinet doors beneath the TV bulged at the edges with cords like the entrails of a dead animal. He already knew what awaited him and there was no sense in delaying. A slight bump of his foot opened it up, causing a tangled web to spill out. Old DVD cases laid buried in the mess like so many flies. Jack shook his head and sat down in front of the disaster. Lys crept up behind him and peered over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

Jack continued prying at the spaghetti for several minutes before he answered. "You wanted to play video games, right?" His fingers followed a line through the entanglement, trying to find an end only to wind up back where he started.

"Yeah. What's all this stuff?" She sat down next to him.

He yanked several cords out of the pile, tossing them over his head. "Video games, if I ever get this stuff sorted out," he scoffed. Jack shook the bundle violently to no avail. "Somewhere in here are the cords for my PlayStation. Then again Elvis is probably hiding in here too."

"Who's Elvis?"

"I'll tell you later." Every time it looked like he'd found the end of a cord it trailed back into a twisted knot, impossible to trace. He cursed under his breath and whipped the bundle around. Lys ducked and dodged several connectors that hung out like the tentacles of an angry alien. She scooted away from him as he growled in frustration.

"Can I help?"

Jack threw the mess down. "Sure." He tossed his hands up and shook his head.

Lys pulled the nest of cables towards her and began picking at them with the ends of her claws. Jack snorted; nobody could fix that mess. It was no wonder why he hadn't bothered playing anything in ages. Lys continued undeterred, navigating the endless trails of cords. Her eyes twitched and darted back and forth. A controller fell out of the pile followed by several USB connectors and an old headphone extension he'd lost ages ago.

Her claws moved with an artisan's grace. Jack watched in awe while the kobold unraveled the twists and tangles of a hundred gaming sessions. Twisted cables straightened, confused tangles ended, and missing plugs were rediscovered. A few minutes later every cable, cord, and wire laid straight on the carpet. "There, I think I got them all." She flashed him another toothy grin.

Jack nodded stupidly with his mouth open. "I'll just...go ahead and get things hooked up." He had his choice of three different HDMI cables, one for each time he'd "lost" them. His hand became coated in dust when he tilted the TV forward to hook things up. "Ok, let's see if this thing still works." Lys twitched in anticipation and a hush fell over the room. A blue glow enveloped the two of them as the system menu appeared. The familiar music carried with it a wave of nostalgia and better times.

"Is this all?" Lys asked.

"Be patient." Silently he thanked Lys for setting everything in order. He hooked his very dead controllers up to charge and started navigating. A large pile of messages from people he couldn't remember awaited deletion. A few games he didn't remember buying took up residence, but none of them looked interesting. Jack dug into the cabinet again, grabbing a stack of games. He wanted something easy for a first timer, but his tastes didn't really lend itself to casual gaming. "How about Street Fighter?" he asked with a slight tone of worry.

Lys took the box from his hands and examined it carefully. "Who are these angry looking humans?"

"Ryu and Chun-Li."

"Who are they?"

"Do you want to play or do you want to read the box?" He dangled the other controller in front of her.

Lys flicked her tongue out at him and snatched the controller out of his hand. A still, small voice in his head tried to remind him he was the teacher here. Nevertheless, he skipped past the intro and got into the game straight away. "Alright, pick a fighter."

The kobold looked down at the controller in her claws. Her tail twitched while she fiddled with the thumbsticks and then she looked back at him, trying to copy the way he held it. "How do I do that?"

He held his controller out in front of her. "It's like this." Jack moved around the menu and selected a character at random. Lys nodded and went over the roster.

"Are there any kobolds?"

He chuckled. "Kobolds aren't usually in most games except as bad guys."

She gave him a funny look. "What do you mean?"

Another smooth move. "Err, later."

"No, I want to know."

Jack stretched out his legs, buying time to figure out how to explain it. "I don't know...they're just usually low-level enemies."

"Why?" She sounded a bit hurt.

That prickly sensation revisited him. If she was going to get upset over kobolds being enemies in games, how was she going to handle freaks online? "Well, you already know kobolds aren't very popular with humans. Humans make the games so kobolds end up as bad guys."

The kobold looked down at her controller forlorn. Lys toyed with the d-pad aimlessly. "I'm tired of being the bad guy."

"It's just a game. Hey, look at it this way there's lots more human bad guys in video games."

"But there's lots more humans everywhere. That doesn't make me feel better about it." She tapped one of the buttons. "Who's that fat guy?" She pointed at the screen.

"E.Honda. He's a sumo wrestler."

"What's--"

"Let's just try this out, okay?" Lys nodded slightly and reasserted her grip. The fighters made their intros. Lys watched the whole thing mystified right up until Jack punched her fighter.

"Hey!"

He laughed out loud at her reaction. "Pay attention. Ow!" Instead of retaliating in-game she gave him a swat across the back with her tail. "That's cheating," he grunted.

"Don't hit me then!" The points of her teeth just peeked out of her mouth in a snarl.

"You do realize that this entire game is about hitting the other person until they fall over, right?" He rubbed his back, that stung.

"I wasn't ready." Lys tapped at a few of the buttons, trying to find some way to strike back. E.Honda twitched like he had a seizure and threw an amazing combo of light punches and kicks at an opponent only he could see. "This is dumb."

"Maybe we should just forget it."

"No! Lys is fine. I'm fine. Show me how to hit you."

Jack set his controller aside and scooted closer to her. "Here, you move back and forth like this...no, don't hold it like that."

"My hands are too small, this isn't working." Her voice wavered and the faraway look in her eye told him she was putting too much hope on this. Jack patted her on the shoulder.

"Nobody is a master the first time." He took the controller out of her hand and motioned for her to sit in his lap. A smile crept across his face. Lys nodded and climbed over, leaning back until her horns poked him in the chest.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. Now, hold it gently." He handed the controller back to her. Lys gripped it loosely and looked up at him waiting for the next step. Jack placed his hands over hers, her scaly fingers felt stiff and tense. "Move like this," he said as he guided her. The sumo wrestler lurched across the screen, bumping up against Ryu threateningly. "Yeah, that's better." The match timed out and the second round began. She didn't need any direction after that to move over and give Ryu a light punch in the face.

"Why are there squares and circles on the buttons?"

His hands walked her through a simple combo. Her tail twitched against him every time he pressed on her claws. "That's just how they're marked. You'll get used to it. Try tapping the punch button quickly...faster." The second round timed out, but she looked to be enjoying herself now. "Now holding back and then forward with a punch." It took her a few tries, but Ryu ended up on the receiving end of a headbutt. "Ready to give it a shot then?"

"Yeah, take it easy though."

"Kind of hard for me to hold my controller with you in my lap."

Lys stretched herself out like he was an easy chair and yawned. "Maybe I should stay here then. Give Jack some trouble." She looked up and gave him a quick lick across the neck.

"You want to play or do you want to get frisky?"

"Mmmm, let's play. Jack can frisk me tonight." She took her sweet time getting up.

He picked up his controller in resignation. "Already passing up sex to play games. You're off to a good start."

"Want me to smack you again?"

Jack ignored her, setting up a new match. He went with Ryu and she chose E.Honda again, not like it would matter much at this point. "Remember, take it easy," she said.

"Round 1, fight!" the announcer declared. E.Honda practiced jumping in place several times before moving forward to land a light punch. Someone obviously drugged Ryu before the match because he just stood there and took it without so much as a block.

Lys was too busy enjoying herself to notice the pained look on Jack's face. A terrible agony swept through his fingers as muscle memory fought with him to counterattack. His lips twitched every time she left herself open. Meanwhile, Lys laughed, having the time of her life, blissfully unaware of the sacrifice Jack was making for her. Ryu threw a few half-hearted kicks, but ultimately fell.

"Ha!" She leapt up, holding the controller over her head in triumph. Jack barely ducked out of the way of her tail.

"Don't start celebrating yet, that was just the first round."

The second round began and Jack decided to mix it up a bit. Ryu suddenly remembered how to defend. After taking a few blows he went through a small combo. Lys grunted in frustration. "Remember to press back to block," Jack said.

"Jack could have told me before," she snapped.

"I thought I did."

He kept his eye on her health bar. Calling it quits before it reached half and letting her win while coaching her on moves. It felt so dishonest and he didn't think much of himself as a teacher. Ryu fell a second time and Lys let out an excited yip. "This is fun."

Much like Ryu, Jack had his own dark side. Evil Jack hated bad winners almost as much as he loved punishing noobs. It'd been literal years since he'd played with anyone let alone a newcomer ripe for abuse. Lys was blood in the water to a starving shark.

"Let's go again." She tapped the controller and pointed at the screen.

So began the rematch and this time he let her have it with a counter. Lys looked at the screen in shock. "How can you do that?" Her tail slapped the floor.

"You'll learn. Or do you want to stop?"

The kobold growled. Her eyes darted between the screen and Jack's hands trying to figure out how he was doing all those fancy moves. E.Honda paid the price for it.

She shook the controller frantically in her claws. "Something's wrong, I can't move."

"You got dazed, that's all. Tap the buttons to get out of it."

She mashed them all together. "Don't do that again." It sounded like a threat. Jack pondered calling it quits, she was taking this way too seriously. Her health dipped below half and then he threw the round again. The joints in his knuckles itched and burned.

"Don't forget your special moves like I showed you."

"Yeah, yeah." She sneered at him. The itching got worse and worse. How bad would it be if she took a fall? A bit of humility would do her some good if she wanted to face the online crowds. He started out slow, a light dragon punch here, a medium hadouken there, a five-hit combo on the side, an excellent cancel followed by another combo, a throw against his dizzied opponent, and last of all a shinku hadouken finisher. Honda was on the ground before he knew what hit him. Jack basked in the malevolent glory of his perfect victory. Crushing the newcomer as was his right. He grinned right up until he heard the sound of a controller striking the floor, hard.

"Jack cheated!" The needle points of her teeth didn't look so endearing anymore.

"Now--"

"Jack said he'd take it easy!" What happened next would trouble her sleep for many months to come. He raised his arms in an apology, but quickly changed to a defensive gesture. Even as her hand flew the look of rage on her face gave way to shock.

"Ahh shit! Lys, what the hell?!" The razor edge that made up her claw sliced into his arm. The initial pain died away and for a moment all Jack felt was something wet trickling from the gash. The third round started without them. She took in the consequence of her actions and clutched her face in horror, letting out a muffled scream.

Clutching his arm, he dashed to the bathroom, leaving a trail of blood behind. Nausea took him when he got a good look at it in the mirror. The sink knob felt slick in his hand and he left it a red mess. A hard yank pulled the washcloth off its holder, taking the holder with it. The rag wasn't for his arm though. Before stuffing part of the rag into his mouth, Jack braced himself and stared at the flowing water with dread.

"Gffdmmit!" He slammed his fist into the sink several times. The scratches on his hands from the other day seemed like a pleasant tickle now. An adjacent towel quickly became a makeshift bandage. He needed to get to the urgent care, this thing wasn't going to stop bleeding on its own. Anger welled up inside him until he heard sobbing coming from the living room. Jack took a deep breath and turned the sink off.

The kobold knelt on the floor next to the console, hands over her eyes. He stretched out his hand. "Lys..."

"No! Don't touch me!" She backed away from him. "How could Lys have done that?" she asked through her tears.

Jack tightened up his makeshift bandage. Bleeding out seemed a small consequence compared to calming his hysterical lover. "Alright, so you lost your temper--"

"And tore Jack's arm open! Now I know why kobolds are bad guys."

He knelt down in front of her and stroked her cheek. "If this is the worst thing that happens in my life, I'll be very lucky. People get mad and do stupid things. When I was a kid, I gave a friend a black eye just for being a better climber than me." The memory made him chuckle.

"Lys isn't a kid and Jack doesn't have claws. No excuse." The kobold looked at the towel wrapped over his arm and shook her head in disgust. "Angry like a stupid animal over a stupid game." A groan of anguish slipped through her clenched teeth. Her cheeks glistened with fresh tears. "I'm sorry," she said breathlessly.

Jack rubbed her head gently. "I will be fine. We can talk about it when I get back."

She flinched. "Get back?"

"I need to go to the doctor and get this checked out." The words sank in and she fell into his shoulder, sobbing once more. He squeezed her gently with his free arm. "Sweetheart, the world doesn't come to an end for things like this. We will be fine, alright?"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "What should Lys do until Jack gets back?"

"Practice. I want a rematch." He forced a smile, but she couldn't bring herself to return it. Jack gave her one last look, grabbed up his keys and stepped out.

***

The evening warmth had a particular effect on Jack's car. It really brought out the aroma of the nicotine-stained interior. It mixed with the smell of the rotisserie chicken he'd picked up for dinner, whetting both his appetites. Hopefully Lys would enjoy it, but she'd never met a meat dish she didn't like yet. All the traffic lights awaited his approach in anticipation, hailing him with their best cherry-red. Every driver ahead of him became a clairvoyant asshole, intentionally going 2 miles per hour in an effort to stall his next piece of disgusting, foul gum he'd left at home like an idiot.

Of course, he'd had more pressing matters on his mind at the time. Jack looked at the stitches on his arm. An exposed nail is what he'd come up with. Not like he cared if the doctor believed him, all that mattered is that it stopped bleeding. Getting his next piece of gum also paled to just getting home. Jack added a phone for Lys to the things he needed to buy in the near future.

Another red light thwarted him, giving him time to run his finger over the stitchwork. The deep red skin around the cut tingled. Being in love means never having to say you were sorry, but what if your significant other could disembowel you if they got upset? It was hard to come back from that. A hurtful chill worked its way through him. If she got mad over a game imagine the inevitable lover's quarrels that waited down the line. It'd been easy to fall in love, but staying in one piece might be a challenge. No relationship ever ran completely smooth and what kind of relationship could you have if you didn't feel safe in the same bed? An angry driver laid on his horn, bringing Jack back to reality.

The steering wheel moved of its own accord. He couldn't get how upset she looked out of his mind. When he thought of sacrifice, he assumed it would be time or friends, but not flesh and blood. Another horn made him slam the break and the driver passing the intersection gave him a black look.

It killed him to have to leave her there. Suppose it'd been more serious and he needed an ambulance? Suppose something happened and couldn't call for help? There were so many things he needed to over with her, but first things first. He rehearsed a dozen different things to try and say to her. Anything to reassure her that this was just a bump in the road and not the end. The apartment complex came into view, but the sigh of relief caught in his throat as he turned into the parking lot. Someone was in his spot.