FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Emeral sat sleepily in the back seat of her mom's car. She yawned with a little squeak.

"Someone is still a sleepy head," her mom teased in the front seat.

"It's seven-thirty in the morning on a Saturday, of course my head is sleepy."

"Hey this was your idea in the first place," her mom retorted.

Emeral stared at the big box sitting beside her, taking up a good portion of the two seats next to her. "You got everything, right?"

Her mom huffed. "Yes, dear, I did. Honestly, there's not much to the thing."

"What about the power cord?"

"I put all kinds of cables in there, hun," she assured. "Heck, there might even be some cords that don't belong to it in there."

Emeral sighed nervously. "Thanks, mom. I know it was short-notice."

"It's all right, dear. We were going to give it away eventually to your aunt Stephanie but...to be honest I'd rather give it to Micah and Ket. I don't want to make your father's sister think we're nice people or she might do something crazy like come to live with us."

"I don't really remember aunt Stephanie..." Emeral commented.

"There's a reason for that. You probably repressed it from your mind, don't bother digging it up again if you ask me."

The wheels squeaked as they slid a little bit on the ice. Emeral looked out the window; the breath from her nose fogging up the glass.

They passed lots of withered trees, their black, gnarled branches like frozen lightning bolts captured and stuck upside down in the ground. There were even some icicles on the roofs of the houses that they passed, but they were not very big at all, maybe even fake.

They turned onto Raspberry Line. All of the houses looked similar on the street, their green lawns covered partly in snow-slurry so that it looked like a big pencil came by and erased parts of the earth. There were about twenty houses on either side of the street, and the house they wanted was ten away, Emeral knew. She counted the little two- and one-story buildings, one of them with Christmas lights feebly illuminating the white light of morning.

"Are you sure they know we're coming?"

"Huh?" Emeral was drawn from her daydream, having realized that they stopped. "Oh, yeah," she lied; in truth, this was a complete surprise. She had only come up with the idea right after Ket hung up, without giving any indication whether things between them were really settled. It was a daring move on her part, and everything could go horribly wrong everywhere, but maybe Ket would see the good she was trying to do and forgive her anyway. It worked in stories, right?

"I don't see any lights on...the kitchen window is shut, too..."

"They like the dark," she lied, "I hardly ever see lights on." She proceeded to get out of the car, braving the cold.

"Wait, Emmy, maybe--" But it was too late; her daughter had already shut the door, and she wasn't really up for chasing her kid in that weather. She waited as Emeral approached the door and knocked.

Emeral struck the door with her left hand several times, and waited. When there was no response, she sighed heavily and struck the door again. She actively dreaded the moment of it opening, well aware that either Ket, his mom, or both of them would look at her wondering why in heck she had come to wake them up so godawful early in the morning, unannounced.

And so after the third try, Miss Rachaun did open the door. "Emmy?" She asked sleepily and yawned, lifting a hand hidden by a large cuff from a velvet robe to her muzzle.

Thumps came from behind his mom as Torso-Man quickly rushed down the stairs. "What the heck is going on, mom?"

"Ket," his mom turned, revealing Torso-Man's secret identity, "Listen, sweetie, I know you and Emmy like to start your day early, but next time please tell me about it."

Her son gave her a blank stare. "...Sure mom, sorry," he finally replied. "What's up Emmy?"

"He-hey, Ket. Um...listen I've got something in the car, but it's kinda big and heavy..."

"It's bitter-cold dear," Miss Rachaun said, "Do you need help with it or--?"

"I'll go with her, mom," Ket said decisively, walking past his mom out the door into the cold, barefoot.

Emeral followed him onto the grass. "I know you're mad at me," she said, her stride forcing her voice to jerk a little bit. He didn't give her any response; he just walked onward, his heels gingerly brushing across the cold grass. They got to the car and he opened the door.

"Hey Ket-Kat," Mrs. Garne greeted, "Still in lazy-day clothes, huh?"

"Mornin, Mrs. G," he said, now on a first-letter basis with Emeral's mom. He looked at the box. "Is this it?" He asked rhetorically, gripping his hands on either side.

"Yup. Take good care of it now,"

"Will do," he responded, huffing as he pulled it out. Emeral joined in, holding onto the other side. It was a little heavy, he thought, but not as heavy as he imagined. Saying bye to her mom, Emeral shut the door and they walked with it, their hands on the short-sides of the rectangular box, back to the door.

When they got nearer to the house and approached the front door, Miss Rachaun helped tilt it sideways so it would go through. The contents within slid a little as they carried it inside and shut the door. "Okay...um...where do we put this thing?" Ket's mom asked.

"Where's your VCR?" Emeral asked in response.

"Follow us'ns," Micah replied, and led the way out of the kitchen, past the stairs and into the living room.

Emeral had never really seen this part of the house--or at least, not this clean. The rose-colored couch looked very homely, and in the back an overstuffed armchair just completed it perfectly. The low roof also made it very cozy, like she was walking into the lounge-deck of a ship, or into the toasty room of a nice, warm cave. It was the best example of a place that was very "snug".

They negotiated the box into the living room and set it down on the floor in front of the couch. With a phew, Miss Rachaun sat on the couch and looked at the kids. "All right, now that we got it in here...somebody wanna tell me what it is?"

Ket looked at Emeral, and, following her son, so did his mom.

Emeral moved her hands behind her back, and took in a breath, flattening her ears back. "Okay, so um...Ket told me about family night. He said how you guys couldn't find any videotapes cuz the rental place didn't have any."

"Oh yeah. It's such a bummer. They're going out of business too, because who would go there when you can just use Red Box?"

Emeral had no idea what his mom was talking about, but she continued anyway, rocking back and forth on her feet; "When I asked if you guys had any tapes, he said that they got messed up somehow. So...I talked to mom and dad and asked if it was okay with them if we...well..." she tapped the box with her foot, "Go ahead and open it and you'll see," she insisted.

"Hang on, I'll be right back with a knife," Miss Rachaun said. As she left the room, Emeral looked sideways at Ket, hiding one eye from him. She flattened her ears a little more, and closed her eyes with a tense sigh. Ket's mom returned a few seconds later, and told the kids to scoot back a little while she cut the tape at the edges of the box.

With the help of her son, the two opened the box and peered inside.

"Consider it a late Christmas present from the Brillians to the Rachauns," Emeral said with a weak, exhausted flourish.

"Oh no, Emmy, we can't take this," Miss Rachaun said, gazing down at the DVD player sitting amidst a tangle of cords.

"Sure you can," Emeral said insistently, "Dad got a Blu-Ray player, and that DVD player is only about a year old so it's still in really good shape. Plus," she raised her ears now and smiled, "Now you guys can have family night. Everybody wins."

"Oh, Emmy," his mom said, kneeling down to give the white tigress a hug, "You're such a thoughtful girl. Thank you."

Even as his mom hugged her, Emeral's eyes went to Ket, her face desperate for approval.

"Thanks, Emmy," he said quietly, kneeling in the box to look at the cords.

"I think such a nice gesture deserves reward. How does french toast sound?--With french bread even!"

"That sounds good," the tigress said timidly, for in truth she was very hungry having eaten only a cold Pop-Tart for breakfast.

"Coolio. Ket, go get dressed; Emeral doesn't want to see you in your pajamas all day."

He rolled his eyes. "Good morning to you too, mommy dearest." He muttered with a little smile. He led Emeral upstairs and left her comfy on the couch as he went to his room to change. When he emerged wearing the usual jeans and a T-shirt, his friend was sitting with her hands clasped in her lap and her head and shoulders hunched forward. When he approached her, she didn't look at him. He leaned over, matching her eyes. They moved away.

"Just pretend I'm not here." She said softly. "I won't bother you."

"Mkay," he said and sat on the couch next to her. He then proceeded to lie down, conflicting with where she sat nearby to the armrest. He forced her to sit upright as he stretched out over her lap, uncurling completely and crossing his arms up behind his head to serve as a pillow.

She stared at him as he made himself right at home over her lap. She moved her hands out from under him to make his relaxation more comfortable.

His eyes closed and he sighed contentedly.

She looked down at him. He was completely vulnerable; she could tickle any number of sensitive spots for they were all open to the highest degree.

"Sure wish Emmy were here," he grumbled passively. "Could really go for a belly rub..."

She blushed a little. Not only was he completely not angry...he was being very forward. She had never seen him like this; so open, so calm, so comfortable.

"Hmmm..." He sighed, eyes closed.

Tentatively, she rested her palm on his chest. He was usually reserved to touch. Once upon a time she had to resort to trickery to see him shirtless, much less be allowed to lay a hand anywhere near his front torso. Now she felt the yielding of his coat beneath his shirt, the gentle crunch of his short stomach-fur as it was pressed like a swatch of freshly mowed grass.

She began to rub just a little, and he stretched out a little more. Her fingertips rubbed over the bumps of his ribs. His mouth opened a little, showing a contented smile and a row of white teeth. Emboldened, she began to rub a greater length, from beneath his peck to the waist of his jeans. His jaw came unhinged in a sigh of bliss.

Another hand was added, and with a bit of glee she began swishing everywhere she could, working up a great rhythm across his belly. His tongue lolled out of his mouth, falling to the side a little as he panted like a dog. When his leg lifted in the air and began bicycle-kicking, she couldn't stand it anymore and burst out laughing.

"That was good," he mumbled, his leg easing back down. "Now if only I could get a back scratch..."

"Oh, don't push you luck." She slapped his tummy gently; it made a very hollow sound. She giggled, and bapped him again. He started to laugh too. Without giving him a chance to move, she began playing him like a drum, listening to the subtle changes in the fleshy tones depending on what spot she hit.

"Okay okay," he muttered, batting her hands away and sitting up.

When she thought he was going to get up all the way, she was surprised with he brought her into a hug.

"Love you," he whispered.

"Love you, too," she replied meekly.

He let go and then moved off her lap. He sat beside her, shoulders slumped. He looked back at her and then leaned backward, easing an arm over her shoulders. "So...I might skip sixth grade."

She blinked, and then an eyebrow crawled up her scalp. "You what?"

"Ms. Hupp talked to me...after class yesterday. It's what she wanted to talk in private about." He played with her hair, stroking his fingers through the soft threads, careful not to tug a knot--or create one. "If I pass the sixth-grade level Really Stupid and Boring Test, I can skip sixth grade and go right into seventh."

She continued to blink. "Are you...going to?"

"I dunno," he said. "I was kind of...wondering what you thought about it." He leaned against her. "It would mean staying after school three days a week. I'm leaning toward not...I'd rather walk you home."

"Bull-ogna," she said with an inflection on each syllable. "I can wait after school. Heck, it'll give me a chance to do my homework ahead of time."

"Or I could just keep being a jerk," he joked. "That seems to motivate you."

She frowned. "Don't," she said softly.

He quickly leaned in and kissed her cheek, cupping her other in the opposite hand. "It's okay. You and I are both still getting used to this whole thing. We're bound to fight a little."

She leaned into him, and they sat together quietly, the only noise the gentle whisper of his fingers running through her peach-scented hair.

"That belly rub made me hungry..." Just then, his mom called for them to come down for breakfast. They were treated to their toast, already sitting out on the table for them; two slices apiece. They gingerly took their seats and thanked his mom, even while they began snarfing down their meal.

"Jeez," his mom said with a grin. "You'd think we never fed you kids." She sat down beside them with her plate. "So, Emmy, I got to thinking...I really hope that player can work with our TV..."

"It will," Ket replied, and then swallowed. "It has the red, white and yellow cables; I saw them in the box."

"Well that takes a load off my mind," she commented, cutting into her crispy slice. "I guess all that's left is to hook'er up, and go get us a movie. You're going to join us, right Emmy?"

Emeral licked syrup from her lips. "I...I guess?" She said shyly, "But isn't it supposed to be family night?"

"Hun, as far as I'm concerned," his mom smiled, "You're welcome on family night anytime."