FSE

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The summer cool air of a summer night filled Xander's nostrils as he trod along the beach. His barepaws sunk into the sand, soft from the tides, as the shouts of excited pups and adults echoed through his ears. He clutched a single root beer float in his right hand, and a fake rose in his mouth. He had wrangled the latter off the guy at the snack-bar upon seeing it hanging up next to a framed picture of Elvis in all his beagle glory. Xander continued to trod along, letting the soft sand soak between his toes as he approached his destination.

Sprawled on a beach towel was a thin Dalmatian by name of Rerue. Clad in nothing but a tank top and swim trunks, he had buried himself deeply in a book that Xander had bought him a few weeks before. A tacky romance novel about a headstrong city-slicker and a rustic ranch owner who found love in each other. For some reason beyond Xander's understanding Rerue devoured these works like popcorn, and Xander couldn't help but indulge in his love's whims. "For when I'm not around." he had joked as he purchased Wrangling Love, very sure to make sure the cashier understood that it was for Rerue. "Wow you really took that 'for when I'm not around' thing to heart?" Xander teased.

"Well you know how busy those snack-bars can get today, and people watching is no fun without you." Xander could see his boyfriend's rump wiggling with excitement. Xander tossed the fake rose onto Rerue's chest. "Is this really a fake rose?" Xander nodded. "That's so cheesy!" Rerue teased, but he smiled regardless.

"It was a gift from Elvis, and you love it!" Xander retorted, taking a seat next to his dalmatian and setting the book aside. The adventures of Carly and Tex could wait for now.

"Yeah, I do." Rerue said as he kissed Xander's cheek sweetly then began to sip at the root beer float as the two started pointing out interesting people along the beach.

It was late in the evening now, but the Fourth of July always drew big crowds late into the night in this town. A beach full of pups screaming in delight, teenagers tasting their first beers, greymuzzles reliving old days. It seemed so picturesque to Xander and Rerue sometimes, and they loved it. It was why they made the trek to this small coastal town. The smells and the sights awoke something nostalgic in them both. Rerue lay his head on Xander's shoulders as the pair pointed out interesting townies over their root beer float.

The first was a chubby raccoon cub who would waddle into the water, get about to his knees before sprinting out due to the cold. Then a few minutes later he was waddling back in to rinse and repeat. Xander and Rerue weren't the only ones who smiled at his antics, the boy's father was laughing as well from his spot a few feet away, and a few teenage girls were fawning how cute the cub was. "Bet he likes the attention." Rerue said, and he wasn't wrong. Upon hearing the cheers of the girls he waddled over to them, slicking his headfur back as if he was trying to emulate James Dean. The girls, looking to be early high school age, couldn't help but swoon further as the cub leaned on a beach chair and called them "babes." Xander and Rerue couldn't help but grin widely at the sight. "That's some lady killer you got there sir!" Rerue called over to the cub's father with a bubbly grin. The cub's father, a similarly chubby man with a scruffy beard smiled.

"He sure is, those girls better be careful!" He called back "I think I have a little heart breaker on my hands." Xander and Rerue smiled and wished him and his cub a happy fourth. The pair got up to walk further along the beach, leaving their beach towel and tacky romance paperback vulnerable to theft, not that either would be stolen.

"Joys of a small town." Xander said with a grin as the pair walked, hand in hand, along the beach. To the right of them were a group of greymuzzles, all with prominent beer bellies and an honest to God ghetto blaster, playing music from a forgotten era. A German Shepard in the group waved to them before walking over.

"What brings you boys to our sleepy little town this year?" He asked with the same shit eating grin he had every year he asked.

"We got lost on our way to the big city fireworks show Sheriff, figured we'd stay here for the Fourth." Xander replied coyly as ever.

"Damn it boy, you're not supposed to know I'm the sheriff yet!" the German Shepard responded laughing "You're going off script."

"Do you want Rerue to call cut, Tom?" Xander teased squeezing his boyfriend's hand. The German Shepard laughed, placing his hands on his belly as some forgotten rock band from the sixties drizzled from the ghetto blaster behind them.

"Well we don't get many city slickers down here." Tom hopped right back on script "But y'all are welcome to stay so long as you don't stir up any trouble, ya hear?" Xander never got why Tom slipped into a southern accent during this part of their play, but he always let it slide because it made him smile.

"No trouble at all sir." Xander replied.

"That's good, and boy, you best treat that man of yours right proper." Tom said grinning "We don't take to kindly to folks disrespecting their better halves round here."

"Don't worry sir, I treat Rerue like a lady every day." Xander replied, his grin eating even more shit than Tom's. Rerue gave him a light slap on the arm for that remark. "Hey!" Xander yelped "You're the one who reads romance novels!" Tom laughed a hearty laugh and sent the pair on their way.

"Happy Fourth Sheriff." Rerue called out as the continued on.

Xander and Rerue walked further on, the sweet sea-salt wind blowing through their fur when they heard an all too familiar voice. "Oh sailors!" They turned to see, Charles, an old fag of a wolf and the town's resident psychic.

"Charles!" Rerue said happily as he hugged the old black wolf. As always Charles was dressed in an overly elaborate costume that no sane person would ever wear to the beach or anywhere for that matter but Charles was Charles "and If I want feathers in my hair, bangles on my ankles and Persian vests on my body, well not even the spirits will stop me sweety!" He had told them once when they had first met. Xander shook Charles' hand, not being one for hugging anyone that wasn't his mom or his boyfriend.

"So you got a future to tell us Charles?" Xander asked right on script with a grin. Charles grinned and did a few exaggerated psychic moves before saying

"Oh I see horrible horrible things! I see you both getting married! Oh Lord! And and.... I see.... you....buying a house! And oh darlings that color is just horrid! And what's this... kids? Oh my!" Charles said the same thing every year, and they always loved to hear it. "And Rerue, enjoy Wrangling Love, but skip her next book, I see dreadful things in THAT future dearest." Charles said with a grin "Now you too better hurry, the fireworks are starting soon!"

"Is that a psychic prediction?"

"Xander when we get old and boring and loaded down with kids can we move here?" Rerue asked tugging playfully on his fox's arm.

"That depends hon, I'll have to consult Charles to make sure we paint the house the right color." Rerue laughed and kissed Xander on the cheek.

"So do you think we'd make good parents?" The dalmatian asked.

"That depends, you know Wrangling Love isn't a good bedtime story right?"

"Sure it is, it's romantic, it's heart warming, it's..."

"You'll get lost in the flaming passion of this novel, and in the flaming loins of it's leading man!" Xander replied quoting one of the blurbs from the back of the book.

"Ok FINE! Proper stories it is, scout's honor." Rerue responded holding up his hand with three fingers up.

"You were never a scout!" Xander replied.

"Only cause I was too awesome for it!" Rerue grinned as the pair got back to their spot to find everything in order. Book and towel untouched. The young raccoon cub had waddled back to his father and the pair were gorging on hot dogs waiting for the fireworks.

"Glad to see you back neighbor, was worried you two were going to miss the fireworks!" The raccoon father called to them with a wave. The pair waved back before settling back onto their towel, Rerue's head buried in Xander's chest, their eyes skyward, hungry with anticipation.

The first firework shot up, squealing as it ascended into the sky before finally exploding in a mass of light. The raccoon cub's eyes were ablaze with awe as he saw it, and before he could fathom it another one shot up, and another. "Daddy, this is so cool!" He shouted, throwing his hands in the air. All through the sky fireworks blazed in an orgy of light and sound, and the people were all too happy to get lost in them. Xander ruffled Rerue's hair playfully. "

"I love you puppy!" the fox said at near whisper, yet to Rerue the words drowned out all of the fireworks.

"I love you too." he said lifting his head from his chest and leaning into kiss Xander.

"Boys can kiss boys? Dad! This like doubles my chances!" The raccoon cub yelled excitedly when he saw Rerue and Xander leaning in for a kiss. The father laughed.

"Great, now I have a man-killer on hands as well!"