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"Astrid!"

The lop-eared rabbit looked up from her phone.

Her name, called in an American accent, cut through the room's Norwegian chatter. She also heard French. German, too. Her long, hanging lobes rotated ever-so-slightly (which was about all they could manage).

It was ski season. There were a lot of tourists in town, and this restaurant was attached to a popular resort.

Where is he?

She surveyed the dining area, keeping a specific eye out for--

Kyler.

The athletic male otter, having secured a table, was waving her over with a distinctly webbed paw.

Astrid acknowledged him with a nod, pocketing her phone and walking his way, hips swaying as she dodged tables and chairs.

Handsome as ever, a big, eager smile was plastered on Kyler's milk chocolate muzzle. The otter's dense, soft pelt (the softest of any species, he'd once claimed) was a contrasting lighter brown on his neck and frontside. And those hazel eyes? Green or brown depending on how the light hit them.

They look more brown, tonight.

The lop, her own fur a piebald patchwork of warm, decadent caramel and cream, had convinced herself Kyler wouldn't come. Even though they'd set this up weeks ago.

She remembered getting his message, with its (amusingly predictable) bad grammar:

hey bunny, gonna be in your neighborhood soon!!! meet up?? <3 <3

She'd laughed at his syntax, but the mirth soon gave way to anxiety.

How do I respond?

He'd included a heart emoji.

_Two_heart emojis.

What did that mean?

Should she reciprocate?

She'd spent nearly a day deciding how to reply, writing and deleting many potential responses (with emojis and without) before simply sending back:

Yes, okay.

They'd also exchanged messages this morning.

KYLER : 7 sound good??? for dinner I mean, the restaurant at the hotel

ASTRID : In the morning? I won't be in town until late afternoon. You mean 1900, right?

KYLER : oh yeah heh heh!!

ASTRID : 24-hour clock!

KYLER : I know I know

But, still, her insecurities lingered.

I drive others away, don't I? Doubting, questioning their feelings. They get offended, or at least exhausted trying to convince me otherwise. Being with me becomes 'work.'

She twitched.

Don't be so hard on yourself! _ _

There are other factors.

_You travel for a living. You're rarely home more than a few weeks at a time. That makes any relationship difficult to maintain. _

Astrid arrived at the table.

Kyler, bright and full of energy, seemed (again, she noted) very happy to see her. He stood up to greet her, practically beaming.

Flattered by the reaction, she found herself tongue-tied.

"Hey, beautiful," he said warmly. Standing a few inches taller, he reached for her paw.

"Hi," she whispered, giving it to him.

He lifted it to his muzzle and kissed the back of it. A supremely romantic gesture which made her heart flutter. Ever the charmer. She smiled back at him. How could she not?

"Heh. There it is." Lowering her paw, he gave it a few gentle squeezes before their fingers slipped away. "You check into our room yet?"

_Our_room.

A blunt reminder that neither of them were here for a benign weekend of chaste, academic conversation, or to sip cocoa and play board games while wearing matching sweaters.

We're here to have sex.

It was really the whole point.

How did one dance around that?

Does one have to?

We're both adults.

"Um, yes. I, uh, saw your bag on the ... on the bed." Astrid rubbed at her neck. The same bed they'd be sleeping in. Together. All weekend. "When ... when did you arrive?"

"Sometime this morning." Still standing with her, he reached for her paw again.

"Hey ... "

"Yes?" Her blue eyes met his.

"Don't be nervous."

"Is it that obvious?" she asked lightly.

There was that smile, again. Smooth and easy. Warm and toothy. He could probably win over the waves with a smile like that.

"It's okay," he whispered privately.

She dipped her chin. "I just ... "

He waited.

"I just worry that maybe I built up what we did? Maybe ... into something it wasn't." She shrugged and looked around. Then back to him. "That maybe you were just meeting with me out of obligation."

"Maybe a hug will help," he cooed, giving her a big, impromptu embrace. In front of the whole room. He pressed his nose to her neck, breathing of her.

Astrid's knees almost buckled, a hot shiver racing down her spine, making her tail flick about like a furry flame.

She hugged him back. Tightly. Oh, his warmth? His scent? That flexing strength beneath his impossibly soft pelt?

How I've missed it.

Missed him.

Her self-consciousness returned, and she began to blush beneath her fur. She cleared her throat and pulled her arms back.

The only person judging you is you_._

Astrid ignored herself.

Kyler released her.

In a haze, the rabbit swallowed and brushed her ears back.

"Sit down," he urged, pulling out a chair for her._ _

Astrid lowered herself into the given seat, prim and proper, her bobtail flicking. "Thank you."

He sat opposite her, bursting with things to talk about. "Can't believe it's been a whole year, y'know? It's so good to see you! How have you been? I mean, I know we've exchanged texts and messages, but it's not the same as ... well, like, actually being together."

"Yes, tomorrow is actually the one-year--" Astrid almost said 'anniversary' but stopped herself.

_That sounds so serious, like we're in something ... well ... committed. Lasting. _

And they weren't.

Then why do you remember the exact date?

It didn't matter.

She was one hundred percent certain Kyler had been with people (many people) since they'd last met. He was a fun-loving, semi-famous athlete in peak physical condition, and they lived thousands of miles apart. It was _doubtful_he'd remained celibate.

She wouldn't have expected him to.

It wouldn't have been fair.

I certainly haven't been.

Astrid had shuffled through a couple of semi-stable boyfriends (and a few independent flings) in the past year.

None of them had lit her fire, though. Not really. Not like--

"One year?" Kyler echoed. "Oh, since the Games? Really? Hah, I guess so!"

Astrid nodded.

They'd met at the Winter Olympics in China, exactly a year ago.

Kyler, a river otter (with some sea otter mixed in), was an American athlete. From Washington. (The state, not the city.) He was a sledder. Skeleton, specifically. The dangerous one where you went down the track head-first.

He'd won the gold medal, a rather notable upset given the pedigree of his competitors and his lack of international podiums.

Astrid, a reporter, had been at the Games with Norwegian television. Norway was the all-time leader in Winter medals, and local interest was always high, so the station she worked for had gone all-in on coverage.

While assigned to the sledding venue, she'd interviewed Kyler right after a gnarly crash. She'd been impressed by his bravado, his ability to bounce back, and his masculine ... well, um, energy.

When he'd brazenly asked her out (after the cameras left), she'd declined. Of course! Like any respectable woman. After all, she didn't know him, and she was there on business.

But when he'd come back minutes later and asked again?

Her libido got the best of her.

She_was_ a rabbit, after all.

(Lops were just as 'viable' as their uppity-eared cousins, lest anyone think otherwise.)

They'd mated like feral beasts, raw and passionate, in the otter's room in the Olympic Village.

And that was before he'd won gold.

She'd lost count of how many times they'd done it after, with her actually _wearing_his medal (and nothing else).

She still had selfies in her phone of her and that medal. And him. And him and her. Most of them decidedly 'not safe for work.' She couldn't bring herself to delete them. Occasionally, she'd look at them to provide 'inspiration' for her wandering paws.

Astrid had hidden the whole affair from her employer, of course. Reporters fraternizing with athletes, or anyone they were covering, was strictly forbidden. 'Conflict of interest.' She would've been reprimanded had they known, perhaps even fired.

When the Games were over, she'd gone back to Europe. He'd returned to America. He'd insisted they would meet again, but she didn't want to invest in a daydream. So, she'd dismissed it ever happening.

'See you again' was just something people said to be nice.

Reality didn't work like that.

_Yet here we are. _

"Well, then it's extra cause for celebration! I got us some wine," Kyler said, grabbing a bottle and pouring it out. One glass for her, one for him. He raised his glass. "Shall we toast? To one year!"

"Toast?" Astrid giggled, quirking a brow. "What? With wine?"

He looked at it. It was red. "Hmm. Is it supposed to be white?"

"Are you serious? Yes. It's also supposed to be champagne," she said.

"Really?" The otter grinned.

"The bubbly stuff."

"Oh!" He chuckled. "Well. It's all grapes in the end, isn't it?"

"Technically. But it can't be called a proper toast without champagne."

"Says who?"

"I don't make the rules," she insisted with a playful shrug.

"You only follow them," he said lightly.

This caused the rabbit's cheeks to flush. "I ... I guess."

Don't stammer!

"Well." He smirked, tilting his glass toward her. A playful wink. "I won't tell if you don't."

Unable to resist, Astrid obliged, clinking her wine glass to his. "If we are questioned by the 'faux pas police,' I will proclaim innocence." She sipped her drink. It was quite good, actually. But alcohol tended to hit her fast, so she set her glass back down.

There was a momentary silence between them, filled with background noise. Countless overlapping conversations, laughter, silverware clinking on plates.

"I'm, uh--"

"It's_really_ good to see you," Kyler repeated.

I feel like he's said that three or four times now?

After a second, Astrid finally realized he wanted to hear it back.

Oh.

"Likewise. It is good to ... to catch up with you, too," she mumbled, reaching for some breadsticks. In a fancy basket. The thin, crunchy kind. She daintily nibbled at the end of one. "Really. I've been--"

"Been what?" Kyler took a breadstick, too, outright chomping into it, crumbs flicking off his whiskers. And, oh, what whiskers! A face full of them.

I want to strum them with my fingers.

I want to nuzzle mine against his.

"Astrid?"

"I've been anticipating this. This, uh, weekend." She reached for a small glass of water. "Worrying, if I'm to be honest."

"I thought we settled that?"

"Did we?" She paused, clearly not over it. "I believed something might go wrong, or ... something would keep you. Or me. Or ... " She shrugged, then shook her head. "I'm too practical, you see?"

"I never have been. You can't win a gold medal by being practical! You gotta dream big, take huge swings," the otter decreed.

"I've been there when you've taken some," she reminded. That's what made him so attractive. It wasn't just his body. His personality was so--

He's everything I'm not.

_Confident and comfortable. Daring and decisive. _

He was smiling at her again.

Astrid returned to the wine. "Are you enjoying Lillehammer?"

Kyler casually leaned back. "Yeah! Still getting situated, so I haven't taken any tours, but it looks gorgeous so far." His head tilted. "I thought it would be a lot bigger."

"It_is_ rather quaint. But so pretty. Especially in the wintertime."

"Yeah, love a snowy, mountainous landscape. The way the flakes cling to the evergreens. Was it still snowing when you came in?"

Astrid nodded. "They're saying it might last all night."

The otter was in town for the IBSF (International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation) World Championships, which were being held this winter at the Lillehammer Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track. The competitions began next Wednesday. Qualification stages. It was Friday evening, now.

They had their hotel room booked 'til Monday morning, whereupon he had to get to training and practicing. And she had to go back to Oslo for some network stuff.

"Are you going to be covering me? I mean ... heh, the competitions?" Kyler wondered.

"No, not this time. They got someone in town to do it. Someone local."

"Guess we don't have to sneak around, then, huh?" He winked at her.

She blushed. "Guess not."

"You're still covering sports, though, right?"

"Yes." She resumed nibbling on her breadstick. "There's going to be a Norwegian in Formula One next year." Took another sip of wine, too. Realizing she was getting hungry, she looked around for a waiter.

"That's ... auto racing, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Is that rare?" he asked, leaning forward, placing his elbows on the table.

"The Swedes and Fins normally beat us out in motorsport endeavors. So, sorta, yes? I've been offered the job to follow the circuit, be part of the Norwegian-language broadcast. There are twenty-odd races. The season lasts from March to early December."

"Wow. That's so cool! It'll take you all over the globe. Congratulations."

"Thank you," she said, smiling at him. It was a great opportunity. But, as she'd rued earlier, globe-hopping made it very difficult to be in a lasting relationship.

True.

But do you want to be in one?

Or do you just like the idea of it?

She changed the subject, asking, "Do you think ... I mean, how are you feeling about your chances next week?"

"Well, you know me," Kyler said smoothly. "I don't go into anything half-measure."

Is that an innuendo?

She distinctly recalled him at 'full measure.'

He continued, "I'll give it my all. But it's so hard to dominate in a sport like this. Winter sports. So many variables. The exact temperature of the ice, the density of the air. Travel time, time zones, and the mental lag that comes with. Each track is different, too. If you go in expecting to get gold every time, you'll be disappointed." He shrugged. "Just aim for the podium and hope for some luck."

"Oh? That sounds like a much more mellow philosophy than I remember from you," the lop noted.

"Hey, I still want to win! I intend to win. I have an insatiable appetite," he promised, eyes sparkling.

Now, that was an innuendo.

"But," he added, "now that I've reached the 'mountaintop,' as they say, the pressure has lessened just a bit." He shrugged, picking up his silverware and played with it. "I've been enjoying the fruits of my labor more."

"Oh, I'm aware." She paused and tossed it out there with a grin: "Sledding With the Stars? Really?"

"What?" Kyler chuckled. "Ha! How'd you find out about that?"

"Not from you, obviously," she teased.

"Not because I'm embarrassed!" he insisted.

"Of_course_ not!"

"Hey, it pays well. And it keeps my name out there. An otter needs to eat!"

"I'm sure that's earning you a full bucket of fish."

"_Two_buckets."

"I stand corrected." Astrid giggled, reaching for a folded menu. She opened it. The salad list drew her attention. The soups, as well. A good combination.

Kyler laughed and opened a menu himself, eyes looking at the seafood options. "But, yeah. Sledding is a part-time gig, as you know." Winter was only a three-month season, after all. "Since my gold, I've been elevated to an Olympic ambassador of sorts. Get paid to do appearances, give speeches, recruit trainees for the program. I earn enough to get by, but ...

"When I was approached to be on TV?" he continued. "I couldn't say no! Thought it might help jump-start a media career." He tilted his head and lifted a paw. "Though, for legal purposes, the stars aren't on skeleton sleds. Too risky. They're in bobsleds."

"Ah."

"And the tracks are trainee-level." He waved the paw and turned the menu over. "But, whatever. I started out in bobsled way back when. I can still do it. It's more about being good on camera for a reality show."

"I've seen you in front a camera," she reminded. "You are good."

"Don't I know it," he said flirtatiously.

"How do fit a huge tail like yours into a bobsled?"

"Carefully," he replied with a wink.

Astrid giggled.

"Anyway, I'm one of the coaches. We filmed the whole thing already, back in November and December. It's just now airing. But! On the strength of that, I've been asked to help host part of the Winter X Games in a few weeks. In between all the media, I still train and compete. I plan on qualifying for the next Olympics. Going to defend my title."

"Sounds like it's you who should be getting the congratulations," Astrid said. "Everyone clamoring for your services."

"Everyone?" he echoed.

She didn't have to reply. Her eyes answered for her.

"That calls for another blasphemous non-champagne toast!" he insisted, refilling both their glasses.

They clinked them together.

When she noticed Kyler staring at her, she reflexively asked, "What?"

"Nothing."

The rabbit raised a brow.

"Well ... alright, something."

"Yes?"

"You really want to know?"

"I do."

"You're so damn beautiful," he said, voice taking on a husky tone.

Tongue-tied, Astrid couldn't get out a reply before the waiter finally arrived for their orders.

After their meal, they had Norwegian cream cake.

A deliciously light, layered spongecake with drifts of rich cream and berry-like fruits, including something called 'cloudberries,' which Kyler couldn't believe were real. Astrid, giggling, tried to convince him otherwise. She even looked it up on her phone as proof.

By the time they left (Kyler had insisted on paying the bill), Astrid felt buzzed and buoyant.

Was it the wine?

Or was it a sugar high from the cake?

Likely both.

On the plus side, her self-consciousness had conveniently drifted away. Rather than being guarded and cautious, she wanted nothing more than to bare herself to the otter. Surrender to him, body and soul.

Control yourself!

At least until we get back to our room.

Paw in paw, they walked there. Out of the restaurant. Into the connecting hotel lobby, down a hall. Turn. Another hall. Turn again.

This is taking an eternity!

They rounded the final corner.

Her heart raced.

Hurry, hurry up.

They arrived.

Room 145.

Astrid, fidgeting, blew out a breath and hugged herself.

Kyler, little, rounded ears perking, used a key card to open the door.

They entered.

Someone (was it me?) clumsily flipped the door's status sign to 'do not disturb.'

He, meanwhile, kicked it shut.

The lights were off and remained so.

They came together like magnets.

Wrestling passionately, trading breathless, lip-smacking kisses. Impatiently bumping into walls and nearly tripping over the couch in an attempt to get naked.

Shirts flew.

Pants dropped.

Undergarments were pulled and shed.

Once 'in the fur,' they swayed in a slow circle while they made out. He was taller, and she stood on her tiptoes for him, both arms around his neck. He grabbed her rump and pulled at her.

Somehow, they ended up outside, segueing to a surprisingly spacious personal hot tub that came with their ground-level suite. With lights installed on its smooth floor, beaming upward, it made the water glow an ethereal golden-green. Steam visibly rose from the surface.

They splashed into the hot water, groping, bumping noses.

"Thought that ... ah, Norway had natural hot springs," Kyler mumbled, those wonderfully webbed paws running up and down her back, her hips, her rump. If the rabbit had a curve? His claws followed it.

"Nah." Astrid shook her head, unable to keep the tips of her limp, hanging ears from getting wet. She grabbed at his sides. "That requires ... ah, volcanic activity. We actually don't, ah!" His touches were beginning to stray lower, under the water. "Have much of it."

"Really?" Kyler pressed his figure to hers.

"Mmhmm." He was so sleek and fit. So muscular. She wanted to touch every bit of him. So she did.

He kissed her neck, sucking on it.

Her chin tilted upward. She reached beneath the water and fondled his fuzzy balls.

"Mmf. No volcanic activity," he echoed, paws going for her breasts. "Mm. You sure about that?" He tweaked her nipples. "Cause I feel like ... mmh, something's bound to erupt tonight."

"Yeah?"

"Very soon, in fact," he promised.

The rabbit sighed. "Kyler ... "

"Astrid." He kissed her. "God, I've missed you," he blurted, kissing her again. Again. Muzzles locking in a tilting, twisting fashion, hungry with passion.

"Mmh." Lips parted, and she huffed, "I've missed you, too."

"I need you," he said desperately, his erection poking at her lower belly. "I can't wait anymore ... "

"Then don't."

Someone on the higher levels will look out their window and see this.

You know that, right?

Astrid impulsively grabbed for her lover's cock.

They'll get over it.

Kyler chuffed, water spraying across his whiskers.

The rabbit squeezed him, stroked him. Just knowing the most intimate part of him was in her grasp? That, right now, it belonged to her and only her? That raw, pulsing virility?

Even if she wasn't in the water, she'd still be soaking wet.

"Mmh!"

Nibbling on her neck, humping at her paw, Kyler spoke directly into her ear. There was a hint of a feral growl in his tone. "Turn around."

Releasing his shaft, Astrid obeyed. Trembling. weak at the knees, she did a 180. The water splashed as she stood and extended her arms over the side of the pool, onto the wooden deck planks, bending over and raising her pretty teardrop tail.

"That's my bunny," the otter murred approvingly, groping her ass and standing up behind her.

Astrid looked over her shoulder.

They locked eyes.

He gave her a look of animal passion that could've melted steel.

Astrid lost her breath and looked back ahead. "Oh, God ... oh ... "

This is happening!

Kyler's thick, six-inch dick grazed her lower back. He used a paw to push her over even more, to pin her over the side of the pool, her breasts squishing on the sturdy, treated wood.

The water splashed a bit as he adjusted his stance, spreading his legs to lower his loins, leveling his sex to hers.

Finally, he stuck a paw down into the hot water, grabbing himself and guiding his ultra-sensitive glans to her pouting pussy, where he aimed it between her petals.

It touched her.

Kissed her.

And then penetrated her body like it belonged there.

"Fuuuck," Kyler muttered as he wound up balls-deep in the lop.

Astrid whined, wriggling her hips. "Is ... am I as good as you r-remember?" she asked, a hint of that insecurity coming back.

"Ooh, no ... you're even better," Kyler swore.

He gave her rump a wet smack, pulling back and grinding forward. Thrusting. Once, twice, quickly. Up to speed in no time, dispensing with gentility. They'd waited too long. No holding back.

Soon, the otter was rutting the rabbit.

It was the only appropriate term for what was happening.

Astrid helplessly clawed at wood as she was rocked, slammed into, the otter's powerful hips showing off their prowess.

"Oh, yes ... yes," he panted, picking up the frantic pace. Upping it to 'frenzied.' His face scrunched up in pleasure, tilting skyward. Brown muzzle hung open, showing teeth. He was already getting close. "Ah, ahh ... ah ... "

Astrid's eyes fluttered shut.

Huffing, puffing, grunting.

Mews and chirps.

More.

More!

The only reason his balls weren't audibly slapping at her is because they were underwater. But she felt them. Oh, felt how close and deep he was getting before pulling back to do it all over again. Non-stop movement, drilling her, desperate.

Astrid was hanging by a thread, teetering on the edge of ecstasy's abyss.

The lop desperately pushed a paw under her body, past her belly, her hips, fingers finding her clit.

After a few rubs, her world finally exploded.

Oh!

The rabbit mewed.

My!

Her vagina clenched, wracked in spasms.

God!

A paralyzing full-body pleasure made her see stars through the overcast, snow-heavy clouds, as she craned her neck skyward and moaned. "Oh, oh, ohh ... ahh!"

"OOF!" the otter slammed home, burying himself inside her. For good, this time. His wire tripped, and he gasped, rigid cock jerking and spurting. Filling her. Giving her everything. He pawed at her back, head hanging, maw open in shock. "Ah ... ah, h-holy fuuuck," he whimpered. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Y-you sure you're not in heat?"

"I promise. It's ... not for t-two weeks."

"That was so intense, though! You're incredible. Damn."

After another minute, he pulled out of her and hoisted himself out of the pool, sitting on the edge. Shins and foot-paws in the water, the rest of him was exposed to the cold, winter air, which his fur securely insulated him from. Snowflakes melted as soon as they landed on his body.

The otter helped Astrid sit up, too. Once beside him, she leaned her head on his shoulder. Their hot, wet bodies gave off a copious amount of steam. Compared to earlier, the cold air felt wonderful.

"Kyler ... " Her fingers found his, feeling the webs between his fingers.

"Yes, bunny?"

"I'm really thirsty." Having sex in a hot pool of water was incredibly dehydrating. She felt like she was going to pass out.

"Yeah? Oh, man, you look it. Here." He stood up, extending a paw. "Let's go back inside."

Astrid, pulled to her foot-paws, wobbled.

"Whoa, there!" He steadied her. "You okay?"

She nodded weakly. They went through the sliding door. He was dry as a bone already, his magical fur wicking all the moisture away from his body. She, meanwhile, was still soaked, dripping. Nonetheless, the otter placed her on the couch, going to the mini fridge to get some water bottles.

While waiting, Astrid felt her emotions bubbling up.

She tried to push it back down.

She couldn't.

There's more than one volcano between us.

Returning and sitting beside her, opening her bottle for her, Kyler gently advised, "Drink slowly." He brought a bottle to her lips and tipped it upward. She gulped. Drank half of it. "I'll give you the rest in a minute," he said.

Astrid nodded, a lump in her throat. She started to shake.

"What's wrong? Did I overdo it? I got carried away ... "

"N-no. No, you ... " She grabbed at him, fingers curling in his thick chest fur. "You were amazing. It's not that." She tried to catch her breath. "I ... I love you." Her voice shook as she surrendered her heart. Finally. Once and for all. Releasing him, she turned away, hiding her face in her paws. "I'm sorry." Her shoulders shook. "It just hit me after ... after what we just did, and I ... but I know t-this ... it's only temporary." She coughed and sniffled. "Y-you don't h-have to say it ba--"

He cradled her. "I love you, too."

Astrid lowered her paws, eyes red. "You don't have to say that to make me feel better. I can take it."

"Bunny," he said, putting a paw on her cheek. "You make me giddy inside. I've been looking forward to this for weeks! You know that. You saw how excited I was when you arrived tonight. None of it was fake. I wanted to spend time with you. I wanted to be intimate. And it's been even better than I imagined." He leaned in, nose-to-nose. "You're worth a hundred gold medals." Muzzle tilting, he repeated against her cheek, "I love you, too."

She hugged him, sniffling some more.

"It's okay, bunny," he soothed, rubbing her back. "I'm here ... "

They kissed.

Soft, tender. Her lips tasting of salt.

The lop let go of him. She rubbed at her eyes and then reached for her water bottle.

Half full.

I can see that, now.

Drinking the rest of it, she had to ask, "What are we going to do? Not ... not right at this moment, but--"

"I know." Kyler sprawled back on the couch, taking a deep breath. His rudder-tail curled over and across her lap.

Astrid petted it.

"Well. There are no easy answers. I'll be honest," the otter said. "You've just committed to a year-long job that involves a ton of travel. I'm still an Olympic athlete. Media, training, events. We're citizens of different countries on different continents." He paused. "There's just no time anytime soon, at least for the next few years, that we'd be able to realistically be together."

The rabbit nodded, brushing her ears back. "You're right." Her eyes darted. "And I would never ask you to be permanently celibate on my account. Especially for that long."

"I wouldn't want you to be, either." A pause. "But that doesn't mean we should give each other up."

She looked hopefully into his eyes.

"There's always ... you know, doing stuff on camera, or some kind of open relationship? We'd have to define the rules for that, but ... hell, we've got options. Right?" He paused, adding gently, "Trust me. We'll figure something out."

Astrid reached for a webbed paw.

He gave it.

She squeezed it.

I do trust him.

Completely.

They smiled at each other, nuzzling close.

Their holiday (and maybe the rest of their lives) had just begun.

There was no going back, now.

_Full steam ahead. _