FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

The knocking of the door became so insistent, so perversely annoying, it disrupted the young male's sleep. With a loud groan he got up and sleepily walked towards the bathroom. It had been a short night, a heavy day at work the day before... His mind wanted more sleep, but whoever was at the door knocking didn't share that goal with him.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Ugh... Coming..." He said as he washed his face a little bit with cold water, trying to wash away his sleepiness. He gave his reflection in the mirror a couple glances, as if the essence behind that sleepy face would change if he looked at it enough. His fur wasn't brushed, and his eyes looked heavy and tired.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"I said, I'm coming!!" He said a bit more exasperated. It was Friday, and he had the day off. He would've loved to sleep in, but apparently that wasn't an option anymore. The heater rumbled as it tried to fend off the cold air from a February morning that was trying to sneak in.

"I swear, if it's that vacuum salesman again..." He groaned. His hands made a motion as if he was snapping someone's neck, obviously an exaggeration but nonetheless an indication of his current frustration. He walked to his room again and got his naked furry butt into a pair of old jeans and a shirt that was in dire need of a pressing. He didn't care, he only needed to look decent enough to drive whoever was out there out so he would return to his delicious slumber...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Grumble mumble..." He made out beneath his breath, as he finished up with his clothes and headed towards the door. He paused for a second, collecting himself before opening the front door slowly, hissing softly at the rush of gelid air that rushed inside once he did. Without giving whoever was at the door a look, he began to talk.

"I already have a vacuum cle-" he began, before he was greeted by a massive hug from a fur in an equally massive trench coat.

"LUCKY!!!!!" Came the voice. It took him a couple extra seconds to really get who the fur beneath that massive coat was. His anger dissipated at once, now that he knew who this mysterious and unannounced visitor was.

"Dani! What are you...?" He said quickly, returning the hug.

"That can wait, I'm fucking freezing out here, care to let me in?" Dani asked.

"Uh? Y-yeah! Yeah, no, yeah, absolu... Sure!" Lucas said, still a bit sleepy and groggy as he got out of the way for his friend to come in.

"Sorry for almost tearing your door down with the knocking, I was just too cold..." Dani apologized.

"It's fine, don't worry about it" Lucas said softly as he closed the door and upped the thermostat a couple extra degrees.

"Thanks... So, how've you been? I heard that the business meeting yesterday went like shit..." Dani said softly, reveling in the feel of warmth inside the house.

"Oh, don't even mention that... Fuck, I thought that gross-berg and associates wanted to merge, but apparently they wanted to buy us out of the competition for the new litigation process... I had to spend five hours just convincing our rep team that we would most definitely go bankrupt if we took the deal..." He began, moving towards the kitchen. "But I don't want to bore you with the details. Hot cocoa?" He asked as he got some chocolate and a small bag of marshmallows.

"That would be nice, thanks"

"Sure... But yeh, I was gonna just take the day off. Not that I don't like you being here though" he said with a chuckle as he prepared a couple of mugs full of delicious hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows on it. Both paused to take a sip, and moaned softly at the warm sweetness of the drink.

"I've always loved how you make these..." Dani said softly. "Does the fireplace in your living room work?"

"It does. I keep it burning most of these nights, since the central heater usually needs a bit of help in heating up the place when it's this cold..." Lucas said with a chuckle.

"I thought as much... It's the part I love most about this house. That, and the big ass fluffy rug you have in front of it... I'd sleep there every single night of my life" Dani said with a giggle and another sip of the chocolate. "I'm sure I've said this like, a million times, but you have a great house to live on..."

"Thanks... So, what brings you here on this cold morning?" The male asked, yawning softly.

"Well, it's Valentine's Day, you silly...!" Was the reply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the entire world. At once Lucas remembered that that was one of the reasons he had the day off.

"Oh! Right, I forgot it was today... It's so nice of you to swing by to wish me happy valentines..." He said with a smile as he took a sip and set the mug down.

"Oh, I didn't come here to wish you a happy valentine's day" Was the reply. Lucas looked at Dani with a weird gaze.

"Wait, then... Why...?" He began to ask, but then noticed that Dani's trench coat buttons were being undone.

"Lucky, silly silly Lucky..." The fur said as the trench coat fell to the floor. Lucas' jaw dropped as well. All traces of sleepiness were taken away from him in that very instant, his hands shaking. Had he not placed the mug on the counter it would've shattered on the floor.

"You don't really...?" Lucas asked. His voice wasn't nearly as confident as it sounded when he thought he was going to confront the vacuum salesman.

"Lucky oh lucky... I'm here to MAKE it a happy Valentine's Day" Dani said with a teasing smirk.

--

Lucas looked over at what the fallen trenchcoat had revealed - and he had to admit, despite his lack of sleep, despite all the crap that happened yesterday, he was sure that his face had all but lit up the moment he saw them.

"Dani, you crazy bastard... where the hell did you find fireworks this time of year?"

Under the trenchcoat, Dani was wearing what you would expect for the season: thick snow pants, and a puffy down jacket. Dani was the type who liked clothes with pockets, however, and every single one was bursting with distinctive colored rockets. Judging from the type, Lucas knew that they weren't just the cheap roadside-stand low-impact crap that you'd see around the Fourth. They weren't exactly pro-grade ones, as those were actual, modified artillery shells fired out of a purpose-built mortar, but they were the type that would go up a fair ways and light up the sky when they went off.

"Hey, you know me... I always find a way. Just as long as you don't ask what that way is, specifically..." Dani plopped down on the couch and started offloading handfuls of rockets onto the coffee table as Lucas hurriedly swept a handful of books off of it. "Now, we just have to pray it doesn't start snowing..."

Lucas grinned, turning the rockets over in his hand. True, they still had silly names, like "Pyromaniac" and "The Sassy Spiraller," but he knew by the striped color codes on their fins what kind each represented. Blue over black represented the most basic, a pure white starburst, while other patterns represented different shapes and color mixtures. True to the holiday, Dani had managed to get several that would produce a pink heart shape when they went off. "I know how passionate you sounded when you said you wanted to start a new tradition, back in December, but I didn't think you were actually gonna try and pull it off."

"Hey, why not? C'mon, man, you have to have a little more faith in me." Dani winked in his direction, then shook his head quickly to free a few stray bits of ice from his brown canine fur. "After all, remember why - and who - we're doing this for. It's not like we're the only sad sacks who want this day to be about something more than just gawking jealously at the parade of lovebirds wandering by. Besides, it's not just the fireworks I have in store..."

Lucas grinned, trying to somehow acquire Dani's enthusiasm through osmosis, but it did little to stifle the yawn that escaped his muzzle. "Yeah, yeah, I remember it all now, what we pledged to do, but... Dani, I'm beat. I'm beat into the fucking ground here. I didn't exaggerate about yesterday, and I've barely slept. You sure you can't spread the love without me?"

"It wouldn't be the same without you, man. Look, you don't have to go all out, okay? Just, I dunno, hang out in the car, accompany me to some stuff, and I'll find you another nice fireplace to lounge by while I set it up. In fact, if I remember how the place is set up, I might have just the spot for you..."

Lucas shook his head, although more to clear it than anything else, and Dani knew it. When his friend was this enthusiastic about something, Lucas knew he'd keep coaxing him until, tired or not, he finally gave in. "All right, all right. Let me just grab something to-"

"Already sorted. Breakfast burritos in the car, already cooling, so get your butt into something warmer and let's get rolling!" He grinned, looking down at the array of fireworks on the table. "Oh yeah, you got a box I can use for these?"

"Check in the cupboard." Lucas shuffled back to his bedroom to pull on some more appropriate clothes, and by the time he returned, the fireworks were nicely boxed up and good to go.

They walked outside, bundling into Dani's old clunker of a station wagon. It wasn't like he couldn't afford something better, Lucas knew - Dani had a job that was a little better than his own, and while he wasn't exactly rich, he certainly wasn't struggling. For some reason, though certainly not one Lucas could fathom, he kept pouring money into the old thing. Its paint was faded, with two of the door panels a different shade than the rest, and rust eating its way out from the wheel wells, but the thing still ran, and as long as it did, Dani seemed happy with it. The inside, at least, had been reupholstered with some decently nice leather, and the heater rumbled reassuringly as the car cranked back to life.

They drove through town, Lucas looking out the window at the icicle-lined trees and the patches of alternating snow and ice on the ground. Dani tossed him a paper bag that landed in his lap, quickly reaching in to grab one of the wrapped burritos and holding the steering wheel steady with his elbows as he ate. The aroma of the food was at least attractive, though, and Lucas unwrapped the other one, eating it in a daze and looking half-surprised when he woke up a bit further to find it suddenly gone.

"All right! Feeling better, man?" Dani glanced over at him, grinning, with bits of rice still stuck to his muzzle.

"Yeah, I guess, but..."

"But what?"

"Oh, um... well, we never really did talk about it any more since that night we got kinda buzzed and thought it up, so I kinda thought you just dropped it, and... long story short, I have no idea where we're even going."

"Ah, point. Well, you like surprises, right? Seriously, though, it's nowhere bad." Dani paused for a second, then let a cheeky grin spread across his muzzle as he continued.

"You know... I think this is gonna be fun, but if you ever want to spend a Valentine's Day a little more traditionally, my offer's still open..."

Lucas actually managed to laugh a little at that. "Dani, I know you mean well and all, but you just aren't quite my type."

Dani pouted a little, but Lucas knew from experience that it was for dramatic effect - after all, it was a conversation they'd had many times over the years, and both knew where they stood on it. "Aw, c'mon... why not?"

"Well, for one thing, you don't have any breasts..."

"Oh, yeah? What about that one time I showed up with tennis balls stuffed in my shirt?"

"You mean, when you showed up at my office dressed in a rainbow skirt and cheerleading pom-poms claiming you were there to give an "oral telegraph" to my boss?"

"Hey! I'll have you know, I sang a beautiful song for him! It's not my fault if anyone misinterpreted what I was going to do with my mouth!"

"Well, luckily my boss knows you well enough to laugh along with it instead of firing my ass, but seriously, you've gotta watch it sometimes..."

"Yeah, yeah... what can I say? Why go through life being bored when you can choose each day to make it interesting, right? Oh yeah, speaking of oral, you know that, ah... other offer still stands, too. Any time, any reasonably private place, no strings attached. Or an unreasonably public place, that works too, and there's nothing quite like the thrill of getting away with it..."

Lucas sighed. "Heh, forgot about that one..."

"You forgot? How could anyone forget something like that? I mean, you do have a cock, right? Heck, if you've been lying to me all these years and are hiding a pussy in there... it's not as much up my alley, but I like you enough to give you a nice tongue bath from time to time, sure!"

"Jeez, Dani! Yeah, I have a cock, all right? And so do you! You know what I like in terms of a partner, and it includes some parts that, cuddly little bastard that you are, you just don't have."

"I get it, man. You want some eye candy to look at while it's happening, and I can't give you that. Seriously, though, guy or girl, they've both got the same damn mouth. And since I've actually got a cock, I know all sorts of things you can do with it that feel oh so good. I mean, way more than some random chick has got figured out, that's for sure." Dani brought the car around a curve, and then across the road into a long, paved driveway. "Hey, I've got it! I'll printout a pinup shot of that chick you like - what was it, Betty Barcelona? - and I can tape it to my chest when we do it. Best of both worlds, right?"

Lucas couldn't help but chuckle as he imagined the sight of that. "Dani, you've gotta stop going through my porno drive when I let you use the computer."

"Yeah, I know, right? Waaay too many naked women in there for me. And those guys? Definitely not my type." He grinned, glancing over at Lucas. "You, on the other hand..."

"You're really still on about this?"

"Hey, it is Valentine's Day, after all. A man can dream, can't he?"

Lucas looked over at him. It was hard to tell under the winter clothing, but he knew that, as far as guys went, Dani looked pretty decent, although he didn't really know what gay guys actually found attractive. Lucas was sure that he'd fit whatever type that was supposed to be far less - he was fit enough, in actual fact, but that didn't really translate beneath a somewhat doughy appearance, and a gut that, while not hugely prominent, was also hard not to notice. Then again, given his ursine roots, it was a look he wasn't exactly unhappy about. Even if he had been gay, Dani probably wouldn't have reliably been his type anyway - he had some muscle, sure, but was still a little on the thin side. When it came to women, at least, Lucas liked the type that had some meat on their bones, especially the pelvic one, and the kind of women who didn't look like they'd break if you showed them a good time. Dani, well... Lucas didn't really want to think about the mechanics of it, but he was pretty sure if it somehow came down to that, oral would, in fact, probably be it - after all, Lucas wasn't exactly the kind of guy who was eager to be penetrated, and if it went the other way around, he was pretty sure that it just plain wouldn't fit.

Still, it was Valentines' Day, Dani was the only friend he could really, solidly rely on, and it had been several months since he'd been with anyone - hence the idea they'd hatched up, since Dani had been in the same boat. Still, though, trying to imagine the two of them doing stuff with their pants off seemed almost surreal. The fact was, while he could probably say he loved his friend in certain ways, none of them were the kind of love that made a certain part of him want to stand up and salute. Even so, the stuff Dani had said about a mouth being a mouth did make him wonder, at least a little bit...

"All right, smartass. Tell you what - let's get this done, and then, if I feel like it, I'll give you a Valentines' Day kiss."

"Ohh, really? Where?" Dani glanced meaningfully down at his lap. Lucas just laughed and tapped him on top of his muzzle."

"Where do you think? Right smack dab on this mouth that doesn't know when to shut up..."

"I will totally hold you to that," Dani replied, pulling the car into a parking space in front of what looked like a giant manor house. "Anyway, we're here, so let's go about getting unpacked."

Lucas got out and walked over to the wagon's hatchback, which Dani was already swinging open. In addition to the fireworks, there were several cake boxes, a few pie tins covered in foil, and several pink backs of Valentine-themed candy.

"Wow - didn't realize we were actually catering something," Lucas said, looking down at it all.

"Well, it's not catering per se, but... yeah, I guess it kind of is. Anyway, they should have the hall partly set up already, so let's get to it."

Lucas helped him bring the boxes up the steps and into the building, which had a plaque on the front that read "Shady Hills Manor." Inside, they walked down a short, wood-paneled hallway and into a sort of greatroom off to one side. One of the walls was a giant window assembled out of several different panes, looking out onto a landscape of snow-covered fields. True to the promise, there was a fireplace built into an adjacent wall, a warm fire crackling near a semicircle of plush leather armchairs.

The rest of the room, though, was filled with folding chairs and tables, decked out with pink paper tablecloths and bouquets of red and white carnations. Several more were set end-to-end on a raised stage on the other side of the room, making up what looked to be a narrow buffet. There were already several warming trays set up at one end, and Dani and Lucas set the assembled desserts around at the other.

"Aw, yeah! This is gonna be great!" Dani said, rubbing his gloved paws together in anticipation.

"Heh, if you say so. Level with me, though - just who're we helping out here, exactly?"

"Well, I think you'll see in just a second..." Dani replied, cocking his head towards the door, and Lucas could make out a faint rumbling sound, like dozens of feet thumping their way downstairs...

A moment later, several dozen children burst into the room, clad in plain, black school uniforms. They were mostly canine with a few felines here and there, both boys and girls, and they quickly dispersed through the room, gasping in wonder at the view and in awe at the pile of desserts.

"In case you're wondering, this is my boss's boss's place. He likes to reach out now and again, so when I told him about the idea, he was all for it. He even had the perfect recipients - back when he was in school himself, they had some thing where they visited a state boarding school for kids no one wanted, and it always stuck with him. So, he had 'em all bussed in here, and I do think it's kind of perfect. I mean, yeah, maybe we're single, but it's not like we've had lives where love has always been absent, where there's been no one who really cares. If this day is gonna be about love, I can't think of people of more deserving to have some than these guys."

"Wow, that's... actually pretty deep for you, I have to admit. When we talked about it, I thought you were talking about just having a party for us singletons so we could feel happy and together for the holiday, but... y'know, I think this is probably an even better idea."

"Yeah, no kidding! I mean, you really want to sit around and hear our friends commiserate about their recent breakups? Besides, what's better than the look in a kid's eyes when he gets to see something as cool as a fireworks show? Way more enthusiasm than adults, I can tell you that. Plus, we're far enough out that city laws don't apply, so I can set them off here without anyone complaining."

Tired or not, Lucas was beginning to feel his enthusiasm return. True, the premise was a bit on the clichéd side, but Lucas knew Dani well enough to know that this wasn't just some manipulative move to impress him. Say what you wanted about Dani, but he was very true to what he was, and while some of his impulses were on occasion disruptive or bizarre, he also had a habit of spontaneously doing nice stuff out of the blue for people who he thought needed it. So, as trite as it felt, it was hard to fault him on it. Besides, after the day he'd had yesterday, maybe some food, fun, and playing around would do him some good.

They finished setting up, as one of the kids' minders went around, distributing new winter coats, apparently provided by their wealthy host, out of a big box. Some of the kids actually cheered as they put them on, and for a moment Lucas felt bad about even feeling cynical at all about it. Within a few minutes, though, there wasn't any emotional discord at all, as he and Dani split the kids up into teams and had them quickly get to work assembling snow forts on either side of the field. Some of the snow had iced up, but there was enough soft stuff to work with, and they quickly had their emplacements constructed and came together in an epic snowball battle. Then, a little worn out and a little damp, they'd helped the kids build several large snowmen that towered above them, decorating them with branches and some of the carnations from inside.

By the time they finished up, the angle of the sun in the still-clear sky indicated late afternoon, and they all headed inside to eat. By now, the warming trays were stacked full of sliced turkey and honey-baked ham, ready to go on piles of fresh-baked rolls, along with other kid-friendly bites. The kids, despite their earlier boisterousness, lined up somberly in strict order in front of the buffet - play was one thing, but eating was serious business. They were all soon gorging themselves, and Lucas and Dani sat at a table with several of the children as some of his coworkers began to trickle in - including the host of the party, a dapper white feline dressed up in an actual tuxedo. He stood out a bit amongst everyone else in more casual dress, but he quickly settled in, and once the main meal was done Lucas found him sitting in one of the armchairs by the fire, a child on each knee, reading a picture book to them and looking like the happiest guy in the world.

"Can you believe he's never had kids?" Dani said, popping up next to him. "I guess he gets whatever he needs doing stuff like this, but I guess it goes to show, even being filthy rich doesn't mean you can find someone. I hear his last relationship lasted all of about three months. Maybe he should have brought her here - one look at that and there's no way there's a woman out there who's not gonna think 'husband material.'"

"I guess," Lucas replied, but Dani was already scampering off, being almost towed by a cute canine girl who wanted to go play some more in the snow. Lucas and a few other kids joined them, and they made snow angels and played around until the sun was almost at the horizon, and it was cold enough that they had to go back inside.

It was time for dessert, anyway, and Lucas had to admit that he ended up gorging himself on quite a bit of it - it was all so good, though, and it was a special occasion. Then, true to his word, Dani helped him tilt the armchairs towards the window, and he settled into one of them and enjoyed the warmth of the fire on his fur. Of course, he hadn't quite imagined the scenario involving a couple of canine kids curled up happily in his lap, and another one one lounging on the thick back of the armchair and draping his tail down to tickle Lucas' shoulder, but under the circumstances, he supposed it was all right. Somehow, it brought back memories of cold winter nights with his own father, snuggled up with him on the couch with a blanket draped over them, but not enough to hinder the mug of hot chocolate that he'd carefully held in both hands, sipping slowly as they watched something completely inconsequential on TV. If these kids didn't have a chance to experience that... well, he didn't know what a state-run boarding school was like, but he doubted it involved anything like that. If they could remember what happened today as happily as the memories of his own that he still treasured, well, it would be worth the slight inconvenience.

The show, as it was, started abruptly. There was a faint whooshing sound from outside, and then a sparkling dot shot up from the ground and into the sky, bursting in a cascade of scintillating sparks that lit up a small fraction of the sky. Others soon followed, stars, hearts, discs and starbursts, making the night sky seem to glow with a much-needed warmth against the winter's long darkness. True, the launches were a bit more scattered than a professional show, and the bursts of light dimmer and smaller, but they were still quite nice, and to the children it didn't seem to make any difference. They seemed to be enraptured by it, oohing and ahhing at each subsequent burst. The rockets were small enough that the pops they made when they went off barely rattled the windows, which meant that none of the kids seemed to get scared, as Lucas' brother had during a show many years ago. Instead it was just nice, and as unlikely and unexpected as it had seemed, Lucas was glad to have seen it.

That had been the initial idea, after all, when they'd had that first discussion about it: a display of love that everyone could see and enjoy, and that no one had to feel depressed or jealous about. He'd really thought it had just been an offhand thing, something that they both would have forgotten all about later - and yet, there he was, watching the night sky light up in a way that it perhaps never had, at least not in the trailing end of winter. It was even worth watching when the last firework had exploded, and their eyes adjusted enough to the night to see the pinpoints of stars blink and shine in the unseasonably clear sky.

Finally, though, the evening was over, and dozens of sleepy children either walked or were carried out to the bus that had pulled up in front of the mansion. Lucas carried the child who had fallen asleep on the armchair cradled against his shoulder, setting him down gently into one of the seats before heading back to the station wagon. There was a part of him that thought he was supposed to somehow treasure this, that it should be an emotionally defining moment of kindness in his life like it would be in a movie, but he couldn't really look at it that way. He would go back to his life, the children would go back to theirs, and unless Dani, and his boss, really were intending to make this an actual tradition, he'd probably never see them again. That being said, though, he did value the day for what it had been, at its core: nice, simple fun, a few moments of freedom from his job and responsibilities and other attendant craziness. It was moments like this that he really did appreciate Dani's tendency for random serendipity - if it had been up to him to plan, he knew, it probably wouldn't have happened at all.

He settled back down into the car seat, as Danny got back behind the wheel. He didn't start the car up just yet, though; instead, he turned over to Lucas, his teeth shining in the dim light as he grinned.

"Man, that was awesome! I tell ya, sometimes you get into the world, doing your stuff, and you forget just how much fun it is to be a kid. I mean, really, when was the last time you built a snowman? An actual freakin' snowman?"

Lucas shook his head. "Longer that I can remember, probably. Certainly not since high school."

"Yeah, me neither. I mean, yeah, I like to say that I do fun stuff, and sometimes I can do something cool or pull a nice prank or two, but... how can we forget about this kinda stuff? Well, that settles it - we're doing weekly snowball fights until the snow melts, work or no work! Whaddya say?"

"Sure... why not? As long as the snow doesn't get too iced over..."

"Great!" Dani kept grinning, but after a moment it seemed to fade, and he went uncharacteristically silent.

"Um... Dani boy? You okay?"

"Well..." Dani replied, and strangely enough, his voice was almost nervously tremulous. "That stuff you said earlier... it wasn't a prank, was it? I mean, I know I went after you kinda hard, teasing you with the gay stuff and all, and I know you're not... that way, really, and I know I should just let it drop, but... I like you. I mean really, really like you. I don't want to say love you because I know that would actually freak you out, and I know that you're probably never going to like me in the way I like you, but... I mean, you're my best friend. You know that. But you're also the best freakin' person in my entire life. And I just, I want to be... I just want to share one close moment with you. I promise I'll shut up about you going out with me, or about blowjobs, at least for a while, but if you were serious before, when you said you'd kiss me... I'd really like to share that one small thing with you."

Lucas looked back at him in the darkness. What he said wasn't exactly a huge surprise, as he hadn't been subtle - at all - about his attraction, even back when they'd first met. Still, it was the first time he'd really come out and honestly said what he felt, without any of the teasing, joking pretense that had always meant those feelings were kept at a safe distance between them. Now, though, sitting together in a car on Valentines' Day, and hearing what Dani was saying, what he was feeling... while it was true that Dani wasn't really attractive to him in that way, and probably never would be, in a certain sense there was a part of him that felt closer to Dani than ever. Deep down, despite his erratic nonsense, Dani really was a good guy, and not like some people who just try to look like one. That was just who he was, deep down, and Lucas thought Dani probably couldn't be any other way. From anyone else, his words might have rung hollow, might have been some sort of ploy, but Lucas knew that he meant every word. And because of it, for that one, fleeting moment, Lucas didn't care about what Dani had between his legs, or on his chest. It wasn't even because his friend was asking, or because his friend needed it. In that brief, honest moment, he had to admit that it was something that he needed, that he wanted, too.

Dani, perhaps worried by his silence, began to ask him something, but Lucas put a finger to his muzzle to silence him.

"No words, Dani. Right now, I don't want to say anything at all." Then he leaned forward, and joined Dani's muzzle with his own.

Perhaps it wasn't the best kiss in the world - Lucas had never been all that good at it, and he knew that it wasn't the sort that made sparks fly or worlds move. There was no tongue, no exotic technique, just an act of closeness between two people. Somewhere in the middle of it, Lucas felt Dani embrace him, and he returned it gladly, enjoying a moment of closeness and warmth that had been lacking in his life for too long.

Eventually, though, they pulled back, and Dani looked almost stunned.

"You... You really..."

"Yeah." Lucas hesitated for a second, as whatever had inspired him a moment ago flitted away, and the implications of what they had done, or what message he might have sent to his friend, began to settle in. "Look, I don't want you to read anything into this, I mean-" he stopped when Dani shushed him instead.

"I know. I know this doesn't change anything between us, and... I'm not sure I want it to. I know it wasn't about sex or attraction, or anything like that. What it was about was the fact that you care for me, and that you were there for me when I was maybe a little too honest. I would have been fine if you'd said no, even, but you didn't flinch or turn away, or get angry, or storm off into the snow and leave me alone. That's what was important, that even when I fucked up and said something that could have wrecked what we do have together, that you stuck with me." He paused again, his characteristic smile beginning to reappear. "Although the kiss was really nice, too..."

"Hey, no problem. That's what real friends do, right? Just don't bank on it being a regular thing."

"Yeah, don't worry, I know that too." He leaned back against the seat, shivering a little. "Damn, guess we should have turned the car on before we did that. I mean, you kept me warm there for a moment, don't get me wrong, but I could really use that heater about now..."

He cranked the ignition, and the car roared to life as they got back onto the road. They drove for a while in silence, apparently having said just about all there was to say... but eventually, Lucas spoke up.

"Dani?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. I mean, for today, and everything. I really needed it."

"Even the kiss?"

"Hey, don't push your luck, buddy! Although... yes, even the kiss. Probably not in the way that you did, but I think I did kinda need it somehow."

"So... I was right about it, yeah? A mouth is a mouth is a mouth..."

"Okay, now you're really pushing your luck..."

"Heh, I guess I am. But it's kinda hard not to when you're right here, isn't it, Lucky?"

"Fair enough..."

"Oh, and Lucky... thank you, too." He leaned over briefly, just long enough to give Lucas a quick kiss on the forehead. "I kid you not, I don't think I've ever had a Valentines' Day that was as nice as this one."

"Well, maybe for you... I can think of a few others I liked a bit more, but then again, they ended up in the arms and... other parts... of some very buxom women..."

Dani laughed. "Yeah, you got a point there. I can't quite say the same, though there have certainly been some interesting escapades here and there. This one I'm still gonna hang on to, though. Although, if you really do want to finish things off with a night of passion-"

"Quick to forget our promise, aren't we?" Lucas said, chuckling.

"Oh, yeah... sorry about that. Old habits, you know... although if you ever want anything like that, anything at all, you need only to ask."

"Eh, give me another few months with no pussy, and who knows, I might get back to you on that. Although... you want to watch a movie or something?"

"Sure... yeah, I'd like that."

"Cool."

They ended up back at Lucas' place, and he fired up a packet of microwave popcorn while Dani dug up an old Z-grade horror movie that had been languishing on the DVR. Then they sat down, two good friends enjoying an evening together - and while maybe it wasn't more, maybe it wasn't everything it could have been had he felt a different way, Lucas had to admit that it was still very, very nice indeed.