Fresh New Start

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#57 of Writing Group Challenge

This is for a writing challenge in a Telegram group I joined (link here if you're interested: https://t.me/joinchat/TXMB1RU1ETeKOakg). At just over a thousand words, we would write a short story fitting a chosen theme. The new theme for this week is, "It was time to start fresh."

Another short piece of fiction taking place in the Motel 9. I hope you enjoy my final story of 2023, and have a Happy New Year! See you in 2024!


Everything stank of homosexual sex--even the air itself, which we inhaled after waking up to a cold December evening in Utah. My snot-encrusted canine nose smelled plenty.

Outside our frostbitten motel window, the sounds of Crossroads City waking up again barely registered in my ears. Instead, they perked right up to the sound of Josh's heartbeat, then the blissful sigh the puma made when he'd noticed I woke up.

"Morning, sleepy head." He yawned, baring his fangs and powerful jawline that, several hours prior, have the most amazing blowjobs, licks, and kisses. "It's half past three. Thinking we should get showered and dried before leaving."

Inhaling until my nose cleared up, I gave a sleepy smile up at my boyfriend, and he smiled back.

"Good idea," I muttered.

Groaning as I got up, stretching my sore arms and aching muscles from all the activity we'd done the previous night, I could further smell the dried cum on our bodies. There was some along my back, under Josh's tail, along our lips, and all over the bed sheets. The poor motel staff would have to deal with it later, by the time we left.

Minnesota seemed so close and yet so far. Josh wanted to build a snowman the first chance he got, while I wanted nothing more than to settle into our new life in the Midwest. No more thinking about home, enduring screaming matches with either of our folks, or getting lectured about the importance of graduation, even if it meant staying under their roofs for several more painful months.

It didn't matter. We were both eighteen. We could still get our GEDs. As long as they didn't try to control our academic destinies, let alone our love lives and our sexualities. Fuck them. Fuck my mom, fuck my dad, fuck my grandparents and the other family members too afraid to stand up to their homophobia. Also, fuck Josh's parents too for trying to force him to attend a conversion camp.

"Mind washing my back?"

The frown I carried disappeared when I wiped the shower water from my eyes and turned around to find him with his tail facing at me. Josh had been a member of the track and field club until recently. The results of being athletic were playing to see in his slender form and beautifully muscled legs. A pair of beautiful glutes too, which I'd been more than familiar with lately. As well as the hardened contours on his shoulder blades and spine as my calloused fingers brushed through his soft back fur.

A smile crept up my muzzle. "Sure, hun."

Letting all my dark thoughts slip down the shower drain, I helped Josh wash off our cum, and he assisted me. Our fingers caressed through the other's rich fur. My puma liked licking my shoulder when I turned my back, while my tail enjoyed swishing with his in knots within the tiny, old motel shower stall. I gasped when one of his claws brushed a nipple, which immediately made me hard. Next, I felt my boyfriend's own hard-on press at my backside too, and we laughed in mutual lust.

"Think we got enough time?" I asked huskily.

"I wish," he sighed, "but we'll have to save it for the Gemini Cities."

"In our own apartment," I reminded him.

"And our own bed," he mentioned.

Chuckling, I reminded the dreamy puma, "Once we can afford one."

"I'm looking forward to sharing a sleeping bag with you," he murmured, whiskers twitching over his smile.

"Until we get our own bed," I reminded him.

We held each other's elbows for what felt like an eternity. The only sounds surrounding us were the aged plumbing providing us nice hot water, and the soft heartbeat against mine one we pressed against each other for a tender kiss. Eventually, like harsh reality, we had to leave the comforts of the bathroom shower and toweled off. So not before giving each other's posteriors a coy squeeze.

We kept our phones off the entire night. Neither of us were prepared for the countless barrage of text messages and social media notifications yet. Josh and I wanted to wait until we left Utah, at the very least. That way, it would be too late for anyone to convince us to come back. So, we strolled together to the loveseat adjacent to the dirty bed and sat down after placing another towel on the cushions. As Josh wiggled his butt into a relaxed position next to mine, I started flipping through channels on the old TV. Our tails curled and entwined together at our feet throughout.

Normally, a hotel would come with its own fur dryer, but the Motel 9 we decided to book at was inconsistent with its advertising. Only some of its rooms had fur dryers. Even so, it didn't mean I couldn't appreciate sitting naked with my lovely feline, mindlessly watching a sitcom rerun as our fur air-dried.

"You scared?" Josh asked sometime later, when I no longer noticed my tail being wet.

"A little, but not really," I sighed, then turned to offer a reassuring smile. "But I'm looking forward to this fresh new start. Just us. No parents or bullies or religious teachers telling us we're gonna burn in Hell..."

"Yeah," he chuckled, his slender stomach rising and falling with his laughter. "Fuck those assholes. Fuck the world."

"I think you're starting to get the hang of swearing," I laughed as well.

"Learned from the best," he smirked, turning to look at the clock and our luggage by the closed door. "C'mon, let's get dressed then. We're dry enough."

I let out a canine whine. As much as I didn't want to venture out into the cold weather outside, it would at least be tolerable with Josh beside me, and we'd at least have a warm interstate bus to keep us warm, together.

The motel room still stank of homosexual sex when we dressed ourselves. Also, when we grabbed our luggage bags and walked out the door, back into the unknown and towards our fresh new start. Hopefully, it wouldn't be the last time I sniffed that scent.