A Day in the Life
Sunlight drizzled through a slight opening in the shades, brightening the soft blue fur that spread across the bed. The ambient heat from the rays stirred the otter from his slumber, his body quivering in equal parts pleasure and mild aggravation. His eyes opened on impulse, glancing across the king-size bed and an oversized blanket to assess the blue neon glow from the alarm clock on the nightstand.
6:13 AM. If it were not for the fact that the alarm would sound in another three minutes the azure mustelid could have passed out gleefully for at least another four hours. Doing so would cost him his job, though, and while he wouldn't mind the extra free time he knew it would hamper the more-tangible dreams he would rather fulfill within his waking hours.
Miles rolled over to his side and draped his arm over the mound laying furtively under the covers. With the gentlest of care he peeled back the blanket like a banana skin, revealing the cream- and brown-laden visage of his beloved ferret. Pausing for a moment just to make sure Psi would remain fast asleep, the otter pressed his lips to his beloved's cheeks.
"That's for last night," Miles mused to himself. On the contrary, he did it for every night they had spent together as a couple. It had been several months since they had moved in together in Psi's one-room apartment and every day since was a cherished memory.
The duo had spent most of their evenings searching for just the right place, exhausting themselves after work with finding just the right urban neighborhood to fit their social and private needs. Just when all hope had seemed lost, this particular unit presented itself at a price that was slightly outside of their combined price range. A quick resolution to eat out less and making certain that cooking together was a staple of each evening helped immensely.
Stretching out the exhaustion in his muscles, Miles slinked off of the bed and stepped lively into the bathroom to get ready. Skipping breakfast as he normally would save him time, so he could be out the door and on the subway at well ahead of time. Wednesdays were always the longest, given his starting class at Clarke University began at 8:15 AM only to be followed by lectures and world experience up until 4:45 in the afternoon. Still, Miles grinned as he brushed his pearly whites in the mirror, being just a few more weeks away from graduating early and entering the work force.
Shaking his bare backside and rudder in the mirror, Miles admired himself before covering up in a pair of black dress pants and dress shirt. While it may have appeared a bit simplistic to some, the otter found that the black worked gorgeously with his light blue fur along his body, and even the white that lay upon his chest. A quick sprits of cologne helped liven up the stale air in the bathroom right before Miles made his way quietly to grab his book bag off of the couch in the living room.
A loving sigh lifted from his throat as he looked one last time at his boyfriend. Psi had rolled over in the interim and clutched a few pillows to his chest on Miles's side of the mattress.
"See you soon, beautiful," Miles whispered as made his egress. Just another half a day to go until he would be back. Just five classes, a bit of lunch, and an exceedingly long lecture, bookended by two subway trips. It wouldn't be too long at all, knowing what he was coming home to.
*******
Psi's hand flew through the air to smack his alarm clock into silence. He loved the thing dearly but he and waking up had never been the best of bedfellows. Sleepily opening his eyes, he was greeted with a bright buzz of 9:30 AM. Under the usual circumstances he would probably have been chewed out by the head of his department or the principal, it being already the middle of fourth period. Thankfully, it was the start of a week-long school break to cover a few major holidays.
Realizing that his left arm was gripped tightly around his beloved's pillow, he let out a distasteful breath. He had been in the same situation himself just a few years prior, attending college classes even when the secondary schools were enjoying the respite of a long holiday. It tended not to bother him as much as the past year, however, as it meant that Miles and he would spend almost the entire day apart, either through attending class or in completing additional classwork.
"Oh well, it's all for the best..."
Moderately awakened, Psi pulled himself out of bed and stretched. There was no use in laying down any longer if only down-filled bundles were to keep him company. He mimicked the same routine as his otter, almost down to the motion. After all of these months that had established their own rhythm to morning rituals, working around one another seamlessly. Far better than that first month of bumping into one another and a few incidences of spitting out toothpaste and missing the sink, yet hitting the other as perfectly as if it was planned.
A quick gargle with mouthwash later and Psi looked at his semi-awake countenance in the mirror. "So, ferret, are you going to finish it all in time today?" The brown-ish mustelid smiled to himself, looking back at the reflection as he mapped the entire day out in his head. He may have had plenty of hours available but everything was going to take time. If it was even slightly off it would ruin either the surprise or the result, and neither of which were acceptable.
Gathering up his wallet, keys, and cell phone off of the table, Psi went through his mental list one final time as he pulled together a standard jeans and t-shirt combination from the closet.
"Quick stroll, get the shopping, pass by the bistro for lunch, duck into there for a quick little surprise, then tons of work. It'll be worth it!"
A wide smile enveloped the ferret's face as he made his way to the door. The apartment was already spotless so that was one less thing to worry about. Miles was always just as uppity about being as clean as he was. With an outstretched arm Psi perused the pantry, not wanting to leave anything for the last second. Steeling himself against the rush of fresh, crisp air outside of the building, Psi had everything laid out in his mind.
The bar was set high for this upcoming evening. Everything had to go off without a hitch.
*******
"Oh my god, will he ever stop droning?" Miles whispered to the purple fox next to him, already two hours into a lecture after a lunch that could be deemed as cruel and unusual punishment.
Rajara tilted his muzzle towards his friend and rubbed his forehead. "I don't know what you're talking about. He only repeated this point nine times today."
"Nope, that's ten," Miles retorted as the weary collie professor in the front went full-circle into his original argument once more.
"Step on my tail lightly when he's done so you can wake me up, Miles. I need the nap." The gray, sleek wolf a row in front of the otter just couldn't take any more. Forty minutes out of a two hour lecture was just too much for Baylith to mentally bear.
Miles eyed the second hand on his watch as if ticking down a prison sentence. There was still one more class to go after this but all of the energy built up from this morning was draining out of his body. No one else in the lecture hall was faring any better, even the professor.
A blue dragon behind the three furry comrades was at the end of his rope. "I don't care if we can't observe or do student teaching in any classes today but why can't we do something freaking constructive instead of this 'I'm gonna repeat pages 127 to 133' bullshit until the clock runs out?"
The group eagerly nodded in near-unison. In the last ten minutes they had figured that this single lecture had cost them all $103 worth of their tuition to attend. At least their discussion about how they would rather spend that money helped kill some time amongst them.
"You know me, I would just spend it on children's card games," Sev offered up, trying to hide himself under the hoodie of his shirt while making his forehead intimately known to his desk. His only saving grace was hoping that his similar shade of blue on his canine fur would cause the near-sighted professor to call on Miles rather than he in a pinch.
Inspiration graced Rajara's imagination for a moment. "Twenty bucks to anyone who yells out 'Card games on mot...' "
Anon just buried his draconic head in his hands, trying to stifle an abrupt laugh. Sadly, it had only partially worked, and before he could cease the joyful outburst he had already attracted too much attention in the front of the room.
"It's really great that you're all paying attention over there! Mr. Rose, since you're about ready to graduate, how about you remind us all about the importance of my particular point?" A happy wag of a tail broke out behind the professor, knowing that he caught his pupils hopefully unawares.
Miles shrugged to himself imperceptibly and stood up in front of the rest of the fifty students in attendance. May as well take the best guess he could, given the circular argument. "Well, Professor Antonelli, the fact of the matter is that while Piaget's original methods of determining different stratifications for growth and development may be outdated, it is still important to understand his theories. That way we can better understand the other advances made in the field of childhood development, and thus be better prepared to incorporate it into our classrooms."
The collie was dumbstruck at the otter's reply, as was the rest of the class. Judging by the shock from his professor Miles knew that he had to be close to correct, if not spot-on.
"Er, yes, th-that was exactly my point! Thank you for putting it so eloquently, Miles." Professor Antonelli looked towards the clock with his green eyes, weighing the rest of his options. "Eh, forget it. We're done for today. Enjoy the rest of your twenty-five minutes free, I'll be right here if you have any questions about the final next month."
The tension in the room lifted immediately, exhaustion dissipating just as quickly as it smacked everyone across the face as most of the class ran for the doors. The newfound freedom was something that most of them were not going to pass up.
"Holy crap! I need to bring you to all of my classes," Sev shouted, perhaps a bit too loudly, as he slapped Miles on the back.
"Yeah, well, let's all call it even. I owed Anon for covering for me when I was running a half an hour late in Precalc last year!"
The dragon grinned toothily as he threw on a leather jacket. "You're just lucky I liked sitting by the back door in the classroom and you texted me in advance."
"Anyway, that's good enough of an outburst for my twenty," Raj beemed. "Coffee's on me at the little stand downstairs!"
Perhaps this day was starting to turn around a bit afterall, Miles contemplated, as the quintet went down for a little liquid pick-me-up before their final class together.
*******
Out of breath and panting a little, Psi speedwalked his way into Saks. On most days he wouldn't even consider spending any time in this particular department store but something had caught his eye the previous day. Squeezing between a few particularly unobservant customers, the ferret muscled his way over to the fragrances. There, nestled on a particularly vibrant display at the end of the aisle, were glass containers tinted a light purple, covered in an intricate black latticework.
The design of these particular candles had caught his eye earlier, but what really stole his breath away was the fact that they were scented like Wildflowers and Musk. Miles loving it was almost a foregone conclusion.
A fast saunter over to the cashier with four of the candles in tow and Psi was back on his way home. So far his morning and afternoon had been quite productive, having picked up all of the ingredients he was secretly hoping for at the farmer's market a few dozen blocks away in fantastic, unseasonably warm weather. Strolling all the way there and back home to drop off all of the vittles was actually a cinch, and it afforded him to spend a little bit more on lunch than he otherwise would.
The stop over at the bistro had turned out in his favor as well, at least after Sabet, a particularly orange dragon friend of both he and Miles, tapped his shoulder for attention. He was in the neighborhood as well, just off of work for his lunch hour, and as glad to see the ferret about to eat. They sat together, caught up on all of the important things and minutiae, until the planned 25 minutes of relaxation tipped well over an hour.
After saying a few rushed goodbyes and promising to get back together soon, Psi racked his body in a sprint just to make up for the lost moments so he could get the candles in time. Despite his best efforts he was not able to get home until a few minutes shy of 4 in the afternoon. Busting through the door excitedly, he moved as a brown, frantic blur around the kitchen.
Pots and pans clattered with a metallic din as they were tossed onto the counter, utensils flying every which way that he could muster. There was a reason his friends sometimes thought he had OCD, but he found that organization made all of the difference in cooking and baking. With all of the supplies he would need at his left and all of the ingredients for four separate dishes on his right, he set himself to work.
First came the dessert. This one would require the most of his time but, once ready, it would be excellent. The key was getting it into the oven at just the right time, and thankfully it was the only dish he had that required the oven at all. Once the main ingredients for the dessert were all mixed togeteher he tossed it in the oven to cook. Psi continued sashaying and sprinting around the kitchen in what seemed as nothing more than a frantic blur, but his hands steady and focused throughout. Chopping and dicing took no time, and after quickly sweating a few key vegetables in olive oil he had already had a good start on a sauce in particular.
He was still nowhere near done, though. With another quick glance at the clock it was already passing 5 PM. Time was running short, so he quickly nixed his original idea for soup. It would take too long now, and it was a bit too warm for it anyway. His bread knife sliced through its target with surgical precision, and a quick switch to a santoku and several meaningful slices and a rough chop later left him with the product he wanted. It was quite a sight, although maybe finished a bit too early.
No matter. Still plenty to do, and Miles was bound to walk in that door at any moment. The main dish was only halfway finished, and there was still quite a bit left to go...
*******
Outside in the hallway Miles fumbled for hte keys in his pocket. He was still a little bit tired from the subway trip, of all things, since the entire day had finally caught up with him. Sitting in place for 20 minutes without needing to focus on anyone else or any subject material always made him a little bit loopy. Feeling the metallic bits slip through his fingers he felt out the one he needed, slightly more silver in hue than the rest, and gained entrance to his humble abode.
The scent wafting through the air reached him first. It trickled up his nose like a stream, quickly clouding his already-relaxed mind with the thought of a feast to come. As Miles tilted his head towards the dining room set situated right in the living room he could hardly believe his eyes. Before him lay a spread that looked more appropriate for an entire family, not just two lovebirds.
"Welcome home, rudderbutt!" A voice called from the kitchen, a little bit tired but overflowing with adoration "I'll be out in a second, but put your stuff down and we can start eating!" Psi sounded overjoyed, more so than usual, but that was just fine as far as Miles was concerned.
With a slight heave the blue otter sent the satchel flying onto the couch with a tiny rebound. It felt good to remove those extra pounds and he took a seat at the end of hte table in front of a gorgeous plate setting. "Psi, this looks amazing! You can't believe how much I appreciate it after the sort of day I had! I still have to do at least three or four lesson plans for next week..."
Large serving tray in hand, filled with gorgeous slices of chicken parmesan bubbling with delicately thin slices of buffalo mozzarella, Psi walked towards his sweetheart. He leaned down enough at the otter's side, both to offer him a slice or two with a spatula and to let him see his ferret in his crimson apron. Miles had given it to Psi as a gift on his last birthday, and he made certain to wear it every night he cooked.
"Tell me all about it over dinner, honey! There's plenty here, along with some cavatappi with a garlic parmesan cream sauce in that bowl, along with another plate filled with the freshest caprese salad I could make!" Psi's smile nearly extended from ear-to-ear. No matter how hard he tried to hide his excitement his frantic tail wags behind him gave himself away.
"Psi," Miles started,a bit choked up in surprise, "I love all of this but isn't it too much? I do have things to do after such a spread..."
"Love, nobody said you had to eat it all immediately!" The apron-clad ferret chortled a little bit, starting to serve his surprised lover. "And don't worry, I'll be sure to help you through the meal and after. On my honor!"
The meal itself took over an hour, operating at its own gentle pace as Miles's iPod played random classic rock, pop, and electro swing throughout the apartment. It was one of the times Psi blessed his own alarm clock, functioning as a wonderful iPod player with speakers that couldn't be beat. Miles poured out his soul about his own day between mouthfuls of food, interjecting with how delicious everything happened to be. Psi nearly churred at all of the praise, thrilled that he was finally matering some recipes. After recounting the trials and minor tribulations of his own day, the young ferret stretched his arm across the table and rested it on top of Miles's webbed hand.
"I hope you saved room for just a little bit of dessert, love..."
Miles almost tipped his chair over, surprised that there was still more to potentially be eaten after this ridiculous gastronomical event. "I-I don't know if I can! Are you trying to fatten me up so I'm dinner tomorrow or something," he chuckled loudly.
Psi pushed himself away from the table, and Miles could swear that his ferret swung his hips around a little bit more on purpose as he walked back towards the kitchen. "Nooooooo! Don't be so silly!" Psi laughed a little bit as well, as his happiness became muffled as he stuck his muzzle and arms into the refrigerator.
"If I eat you like that then how could I ever eat you aga...oh, look, cheesecake!"
Both lovers giggled as the cheesecake was placed on the table. It was a fascinating one, definitely New York-style, and with a very hearty, dark look to it with a very intriguing swirl throughout.
"Is that...marble cheesecake?" Miles pondered aloud, eyes transfixed on the sweetness on the table.
Psi giggled once more and twiddled a cake slicer in his left hand. "I thought I would go all-out for you tonight, my otter beauty! Now, how much do you want?"
Miles sighed and cast his head down to the white tablecloth. "Sorry, Psi, but I just don't think that I have any room for it tonight. Can you just take a slice for yourself and save the rest for me?"
"Not a problem, honey." Psi leaned in and patted his otter's cute blue cheek. "I'll just grab a slice and you can snack on one yourself around midnight! I should have warned you, though!"
After pulling away and sitting back down Psi promptly served himself a slice, He was a mite surprised, though, when Miles gt up. He thought it would be nothing more than the otter's usual after-dinner ritual of taking a quick nap on the couch, passing out from a food coma, but he just walked up next to the ferret before turning around and taking a seat on Psi's lap.
"Maybe I will have a few forks worth of cake after all..." Miles teased, as his rudder slide around Psi's sides in an eager manner.
"You're a bit in the way, sweetie, but that's fine," Psi quipped as he ran his arms along Miles's welll-defined sides. His swimmer's physique was always pleasurable to dip his fingers and forearms into, especially when he got a loving churr in response. "You eat your fill first, I'll keep you company."
With a few downward thrusts Miles enjoyed the delicious concoction, even more creamy than he originally expected. The flavor slicked across his tongue as he went in for a few more indulgent bites, more than he thought his stomach could handle. All the while, however, Miles barely noticed the dextrous fingers slowly unbuttoning his black pants and hooking around his fly, opening it up.
"P-Psi!"
"Hush, Miles," the ferret cooed in his beloved's ear in a near-whisper. "Tonight is all about you, so let me show you my appreciation..."
It was a few hours before the two left the table, only to head for the couch. Even then the couple retired to their bedroom and shut the door behind them, having fun as lovers do all along the way. And, in the soft glow of just four lit candles around their mattress, the scent of musk, love, and the sweet perfume of nature filling the atmosphere, Psi lay his thin, tall frame right on top of Miles's own.
He had shown him his adoration by making his entire day off focus around his exhausted, drained, struggling love of his life. And now all Psi wanted to do was to please him physically, from perky ears to toes, leaving no muscle of Miles's free from his loving embrace.
And Miles wanted only the same...
*******
By the time 2 AM struck Miles was curled up around his ferret, both in the nude, with his cheek resting upon Psi's chest as he churred along. His blue rudder hung off of the side of the bed, swaying and wriggling enthusiastically as his boyfriend worked on correcting the otter's lesson plans.
"Do you see this circle here, love?" Psi pointed to one on the side of the page, "You just want to make sure to include one or two more in the state standards, since you are covering them in the lesson. Just be sure to put them in since you have an impressive amount already. More doesn't hurt!"
"Mmhhmm, Mr. Psi Agapeto..."
With a bit of a loving pull upward, the ferret leaned his own cheek along the top of Miles's head fur while his right arm continued cuddling his beau all along his shoulders and down his back. "Sounds like you're about ready for bed, my little linguist-pedagogue-to-be. I'll blow out the candles on the nightstands..."
As Psi started to lean over to go for the nightstand behind Miles he felt the unmistakable rumble of a snore pulsing through his torso. The ferret just paused and looked downward to see the loveo f his life slumbering peacefully, now gripping around his waist so tightly he knew that there was no way e would let go, as if he would even want that.
Resigning himself to his loving fate, Psi picked up the folder next to him, slid Miles's corrected work for tomorrow within, and used it to fan out the candles from afar without and issue. Pulling up a pillow to his head so he could savor this position and get some sleep himself, he curled around his fellow mustelid dream and churred at a silent rumble.
It was a beautiful day, from sun up to sun down, as they joined each other in their dreams. Thankfully, there were thousands upon thousands of days left to come for them both to spend in bliss.