City & Country
Copyright © 2017 story and illustration by: Daniel C. Aaron “Rale the Otter”
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Paul was jolted awake when the bus hit a particularly nasty pothole, nearly tumbling out of the seat he was in. A young and handsome stallion, with a mane that was slightly sun bleached in places from long days in the unrelenting heat, Paul was a farmer who had spent pretty much his whole life out in the rural countryside, working since a young age to help out his mother and do what he was able to in order to make their simple lives as comfortable as possible. Last year his mother had passed away, and this year only very recently the farm he had worked on had been incorporated into a larger farming chain and he had been let go. Feeling that there was not really much left for him out in the countryside, he decided to gather up what small sentimental belongings he cared about and any necessary clothes and accessories and bought his bus ticket to a neighboring city he had heard much about but never before visited. 

It had been a long trip, with a good portion of the view being uninteresting fields dotted periodically by a small collection of trees. When he’d gotten bored of the scenery, he had laid back in the cushioned seat and closed his eyes, mainly just to enjoy the feel of motion while he contemplated the course of action he would need to take when he arrived in the city. Apparently at some point he had been lulled to sleep by the not exactly gentle but nonetheless constant and reassuring rocking of the bus as it hopped along the lengthy stretch of highway. It was on the very fringes of the city that the bus had hit the pothole, so Paul had missed the view of entering the city that he had wanted to see. He sighed a little at the thought but it was quickly pushed out of his mind as he stared at the tall and impressive buildings reaching up to the clouds far above. Impressive too was the large quantity of vehicles that darted to and fro. Though he had never been to this particular city, he wasn’t totally unfamiliar with cities and smaller towns, having gone to a few in his time on supply runs and similar errands for the farm he worked on. There had also been a couple of books he’d read about on city life, and magazines. One of the most inspirational, informative, and favorite of his had been the autobiography of a gay film director, whose personal story and trials within the context of city life had welled up dreams of an exciting city life within the heart of a young teenage farmhand in the process of accepting his homosexuality.

He had worked out a small plan for his arrival in the city and the first main steps he knew he needed to take in order to get properly settled. The first of course would have to be to find an apartment or other suitable living space, and he figured the best, most affordable thing to do would be to find someone who had an extra room to let, someone who already had their apartment and who maybe just needed a roommate to lighten the financial load. Barring that, he would have to lease a small apartment himself and to that end he had already looked up a few potential places and called around in advance, though finding someone already established to room with was the more preferred route for him. Beyond the financial ease that would lend he would also feel less alone in this new place and be able to get useful information from someone who already knew the area. Paul imagined that potentially the bus station might have a message board or similar where people or companies might post offers or personals so that out-of-towners might see them. Beyond an apartment, he also would need a job, though that was basically settled, but Paul felt it best still to keep his eyes open for any other potential, better offers than the jobs he had already applied for and given a call to before making the trip to the city. In the meanwhile, he had a fair amount saved up so he had time to look, worst-case scenario.

Stepping off the bus and taking a few steps forward, Paul gazed around a moment in awe at the towering buildings around him before catching himself, not wanting to look like a naive tourist or some kind of starry eyed country bumpkin. He moved forward to enter the bus stop, his eyes adjusting to the light as he stepped over the threshold while the automatic doors pulled apart at his presence. Inside, people were going here and there-departing and arriving, some saying goodbye and others being greeted by heartfelt hugs. A tiger who looked like an important business executive gave his wife or girlfriend a goodbye kiss, perhaps heading off on a business trip; A world weary coyote was kneeling as he embraced his two young daughters, his wife with a hand on his shoulder. And over in one corner a dog and cat were having what looked like a slightly heated argument, vague hints of conversation coming through as one or the other would raise his voice periodically. Paul started seeking out the notice board, finding it eventually a little ways farther down along the left side wall from where he’d entered, but he couldn’t quite pull his eyes off the arguing dog and cat couple. Now he saw both their eyes wet as tears began to form, now the cat was weeping openly, and now they were embracing, holding each other tightly. Paul smiled a sad smile, empathizing with them, and in his heart wished them the best of luck, but had of course his own affairs to see to.

Having arrived at the bulletin board, Paul’s eyes scanned the postings listed. It appeared that the staff or someone at any rate had done their best to organize the board into sections going from left to right. At the top of each section was a differently colored placard headlining the various sections: ‘Job Postings’, ‘Personals’, ‘Community Events’, ‘Housing’. Paul wasn’t concerned about the Personals or any community events, the latter at least not for the time being, but he did get out his smartphone and type in a few of the job listings in his notebook app. After that, he moved to the ‘Housing’ section of the board and gave it a thorough look.

Here, he found one or two possibly promising entries, but nothing inherently better than what he’d already looked in to. Most posts were for actual houses or ritzier apartment complexes than he could or would care to afford, or they were in neighborhoods not exactly ideal from what he’d researched of the city or weren’t in close enough proximity to his possible jobs or to any reasonable shopping areas to have any real benefits to them. He was about to call it quits and go with the options he’d already previously looked into when he took a step back to give one last survey of the board and nearly collided with a smaller raccoon male who had been making his way to go around behind and to the board to the right of where the stallion had been standing.

“Whoa! Easy there, big feller!” the raccoon said as he instinctively reached out to put a paw on the stallion’s left shoulder, to steady himself and to alert the horse to his presence.

“S-Sorry”, Paul replied, shaken from his concentration on the notice board.

Coming around to his right side, the raccoon flashed Paul a quick, easy-going smile.

“Eh, it’s no worries! See! No harm done,” said the raccoon as he stood off to the side and back a little ways, facing the horse and presenting himself as a specimen of perfect health, arms and legs stretched out just a little ways apart from his body and tail erect behind him, his pale-colored blue eyes shining brightly. He seemed a little younger than Paul but not by much, wearing loose and comfortable-looking clothing-shorts and a light t-shirt.

Paul was actually momentarily entranced by the sight of the handsome, humbly elegant raccoon before him, but quickly recovered and smiled pleasantly back.

“Yep, sure seems like it.”

The raccoon smiled bigger and did a long blink of his eyes before continuing to face the board, holding a light blue sheet of paper with bold black ink writing on it in one paw and a tack in the other paw, which he promptly used to puncture through the paper and the backing of the notice board in one sure, smooth action. Paul, not fully conscious of his doing so, stood transfixed watching the raccoon perform this action, watching his lithe and thin body move in subtle graceful gestures until the raccoon was done and took a step back to admire his own handiwork. At this point Paul shook himself out of his stupor and looked at the paper the raccoon had put up, blushing a little and hoping he hadn’t been noticed staring.

Wanted: Roommate
Room to Let
2 Bedroom Apartment
$500 a month

The very last rows contained an address and phone number, and a name, Ethan, to ask for. The location and price was ideal, and was exactly the kind of place he’d been hoping for.

“Oh! That’s Perfect!”, Paul exclaimed aloud.

This caught the attention of the raccoon, who swiveled his head towards Paul. 

“Hmm?! Oh! Are you looking for a room?,”

“Yes sir, I am,” Paul said politely.

The raccoon waved his hand dismissively, “Pfft! Please, none of that ‘sir’ shit, call me Ethan”, he said as he held a paw out to Paul, who shook it with his own hoofed-ended hand.

“I’m Paul.”

“Well Paul, glad to meet you, and so soon after posting the flyer, hadn’t thought I’d have an interested party so soon. I...guess I should take this down for now then?”

Paul found him rather quirky and upbeat, and he had a cool, confident attitude, though it was unclear how genuine this was, or if it was just a way the raccoon dealt with nervousness or meeting new people. For Paul’s own part, he was a bit on the nervous side presently, not least because he found the raccoon attractive and was trying not to stare weirdly as to be off-putting. Though at the fearful thought that he was staring his eyes went wide and he started speaking quickly and overmuch, realizing the raccoon, Ethan, had asked him a question.

“Yes yes, I am interested. I-I just moved here, between jobs of course but have a few good offers I’ll be looking into…” He stopped himself short and inwardly cursed himself for talking so quickly and likely making himself look the blubbering fool he felt like presently.

But the raccoon either didn’t notice or ignored, it, continuing to give off a warm and welcoming smile, though there seemed a certain softening in his look which suggested perhaps he had noticed but perhaps had found it endearing.

“Great! Why don’t we discuss it a little bit first and if it sounds agreeable to both of us, I’ll show you the place and we can go from there. Do you like coffee? You look like someone who takes his black?”

“No, I like mine fairly sweet, lot of cream and sugar; but I do like coffee, yes.” Paul was getting over his short bout of nervousness, acting a little more like his usual self, he felt, though he wasn’t sure how confident he sounded.

The raccoon, Ethan, nodded, his smile beaming wider. “Perfect!, I’ll lead the way then, do you need help with your luggage?”

Paul only had one massive suitcase he was carrying, mainly with clothes and a few other odds and ends, but he knew it was likely far heavier and bulkier than the smaller, less muscular raccoon would be able to carry anyway, though he did appreciate the offer-it was very kind of him.

“No, I’m good, it’s just the one,” Paul said, briefly hoisting up the suitcase in confirmation. “Please...lead on,” he concluded with.

Ethan smiled big and nodded, then headed past the stallion towards the exit of the bus station, his slightly feminine-looking hips swaying subtly but noticeably due to the exaggerated motions of his animated tail. Paul tried to focus on the raccoon above the shoulder blades, but he couldn’t stop his eyes periodically from dropping down lower, following the line between the raccoon’s shoulder blades made by the folds of his shirt down the length of his back to the base of the tail, the gently swaying hips, and the round, adorable little ass on the lithe, energetic raccoon. He found himself wondering more about the person who could be maybe in a few short hours his new roommate, and wondering what his new life here in the city was going to be like. As he was almost out the door, he was shaken out of his current contemplations by the memory of the dog and cat couple he had seen earlier. He looked in the direction they had been before but they were now no longer there, and he didn’t remember when they had left or if they had left together or separately or had maybe gone to some other part of the station. As he left the bus station he put it out of his mind, though in his heart he quickly wished them the best of luck, knowing he’d probably never know the full details of their situation and how it had played out. 

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Having arrived at the coffee shop, Ethan and Paul ordered their drinks and then stood to the side a moment till they were completed,afterwards grabbing them and making their way to one of the small tables just outside the coffee shop. It was a cool, slightly breezy afternoon, and what little wind there was travelled into and through the channel created by the rising buildings on either side of the street. It was the perfect weather to enjoy a piping hot cup of coffee. Paul, who opted for a dark roast, was quite enjoying himself while he sat and sipped his coffee, talking over the details of the apartment with Ethan and convincing him of his qualities as a suitable roommate. The raccoon, as far as his drink selection went, had opted for something cold instead of hot, in the form of a frappucino, which he would sip periodically with visual and audible pleasure, which Paul found adorable.

They had been talking at some lengths already, conversing about the city and a few other matters of small talk, before Paul, at Ethan’s urging, began talking a little about himself and his personal history. He told Ethan a little about spending the majority of his life in the countryside, about his work on the farm and how that had recently come to an end, and his decision to move to the city. Ethan remarked about how he had basically lived always in the city or very similar urban areas, but that when he was younger there were some weekends during the summers that his family would stay with some of their cousins in the country. Paul nodded at Ethan and prompted him to talk further about his life in the city, about where he worked and other similar information. This led ultimately to conversation about the apartment in greater detail, with Ethan giving further details about the place.

“It’s sort of cozy and with a sense of spaciousness, despite it’s being from what I’ve discovered not any much bigger to other apartments with similar floorplans and pricing. I moved in about 6 months past when me and my boyfriend decided to get an apartment together…”

He paused a moment after saying this and gave an embarrassed or uncertain look before blushing and looking down at the table for a moment, his arms still folded across his chest as they had been through most of their conversation at the coffee shop.

“Oh yeah...I forgot to mention, I’m gay by the way. I don’t know if that’s a problem?”

One of Paul’s ears swivelled back and a puzzled, almost offended look crossed his face, but Ethan was looking down a little still and didn’t see this.

“That’s perfectly fine, I’m gay too.”

Ethan looked up, swivelling his own ears back in surprise.

“Oh!? I don’t know why but I thought you were straight, I guess you just seem very masculine is all, I probably shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions though.”

He blushed a little and stopped talking. Paul thought it a little random and odd and he didn’t know if Ethan was perhaps had been the victim of gay bashing in the past and was suddenly worried about that or if perhaps he was merely subtly trying to determine the stallion’s own sexual orientation. Either way, Paul brushed it off and gave Ethan a reassuring smile.

That’s alright, no worries. Anyway, you said you moved in initially to the apartment with your boyfriend?”

Ethan nodded, but then got a very sad look on his face. “Yes. but that didn’t quite work out in the end. I suppose things were kind of rocky before we moved in, and the apartment together I think I thought would help things but it didn’t. He left a couple of months back, and I’ve been getting along alright financially without him, but there’s a lot more empty space now, I could use the little bit of extra money that will come with having a roommate to help pay on the rent, and I’m not always good with being alone.”

Paul frowned sympathetically, “I see. And I’m sorry.”

Ethan’s smile returned. “It’s alright, but thank you, Paul”

Paul smiled back and nodded. “I can’t say I have too much experience with any real long term relationships, never really had a steady boyfriend per se, just a few guys I’ve hung out with in the past and at times have had sex with, but nothing ever serious romantically came out of those. Still, I can certainly understand loss, but, I don’t imagine you want to talk about this further, let’s get back to the apartment details.

Ethan nodded, a gentle smile still on his face, surely glad to be off the topic.

“Thank you”, he said, and Paul continued.

“Do you want the initial $400 up front, or at a later time?”

Ethan thought a moment. “As soon as possible would probably be best”.

Paul pulled a wallet out of his bag and counted out $400, handing it to Ethan, who, at Paul’s insistence to double-check it, recounted it, confirmed that it was $400, then put it away in his own wallet.

Ethan chuckled a little “You know, I haven’t actually agreed to letting you the room, and you haven’t even seen the apartment yet.”

Paul smiled a sly smirk, “Yes you did, you accepted the money. And no, it’s true I haven’t of course, but you’ve described it pretty well, it’s location is ideal, and I have a good intuition regarding other people, and I have a very good feeling about you, so I’m not worried.”

Ethan’s smile widened a little bigger, “Well then, my home is your home now then. Should we discuss the house rules here, or go to the apartment and talk about them there, I do have a very nice little table set up in the kitchen. I could go for some tea as well, this frap was good but I've finished it off and don't particularly want to spend more money on another drink, especially when I have some very good tea at home.

Paul nodded. “Yes, sounds like a good idea to me, and it’s getting a little bit warmer now, there’s less of that pleasant breeze then there was before.”

Ethan agreed, and made to get up, “Alright then, let’s get going,” he said, and Paul likewise got up from his chair, putting it back underneath the small table and throwing away his now empty cup of coffee into the outside trash receptacle. The two walked down the street in the direction of Ethan’s  apartment, chatting lightly as they made their way.
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The key to the apartment turned easily in the lock, light flooding into the place from outside as the pair walked inside. Ethan groped along the right side wall in the dark till his paw found the light switch. He flicked it on, illuminating the small hallway and living room area that was immediately connected to the front door. He entered the living room with Paul following then turned around to face the stallion, stretching his arms out in a form of greeting and presentation, a big grin on his face.

“Welcome to my humble abode-now our humble abode!” He proclaimed with enthusiasm.

Paul smiled back, he found the raccoon’s enthusiastic manners adorable. As he watched him, Ethan lowered his arms and placed a singular finger to his bottom lip and gave an expression of being momentarily in deep thought, then went back to the previously large, beaming smile.

“Well, I suppose we should go over a few house rules,” said the raccoon. “Don’t worry they won’t be anything too unreasonable and on one or two I’d like your thoughts on them.”

Paul nodded. “Sounds good,” he said.

“Okay! Well first of all, I need your rent by about two days before the end of each month, though of course if you want to give it to me sooner than that and get it out of the way then that’s perfectly fine as well.”

He thought again for a moment, before continuing on.

“By the way, I’ll take on any extra rent charges that might come with adding you to the lease agreement, unless you want to help out once you get more settled in. I’ve told the landlord I’m looking to add a new roommate, so we can add you to the lease later hopefully without any hiccups, though for now of course you can stay here as a ‘guest’.”

Paul knew, or thought he knew, the implication and meaning of the way Ethan had said ‘guest’, referring to his status as an occupant of the apartment for the time being, but the sly smile and the look he gave the horse seemed to hint at something more. From what Paul could tell, it was the first blatant hint the raccoon had given that he found the horse attractive, well maybe the second, if Ethan’s disclosure of his orientation could be counted. Paul didn’t mind, of course, he himself found the raccoon physically attractive, as well as liking his personality, but it took him a little by surprise that the raccoon might feel similarly.

Ethan lowered his head slightly in thought, “You know, you didn’t have to give me the money in advance like you did.”

Paul nodded and smiled, “I know, but I had a good feeling about you and felt an up front approach to paying would also be a sign of good faith and allay any concerns you might have about my financial situation.”

Ethan raised his head back up, smiling. “Well I appreciate it certainly. And it’ll be helpful in adding you to the lease that you already gave me first month’s rent portion up front.

Ethan crossed his arms while further explain any remaining ‘house rules.’ He ultimately counted off the last few on one of his fingers. They were mostly details on cleaning duties and responsibilities, and other things of that nature. Also discussed were having guests over, the basic rules of that, including giving fair warning in advance to each other. This led to Ethan’s last question, but he paused for a moment apparently in thought about how to phrase it before sending it out in the open.

“Okay...so since I’ve been alone for a good while, or with my boyfriend before that, I’m used to a fair amount of the time walking around the apartment naked, and I’d prefer to be able to keep doing that, as I find it comfortable. So I need your thoughts on that, whether you agree to it so or not. And of course, if you wish, you’ll be welcome to walk around naked too.”

Paul saw the raccoon blush a little, but he quickly tried to hide it by looking skyward and pretending he had an itch on his chin that he needed to scratch while he was waiting for Paul’s response. Paul wondered again about the raccoon being physically attracted to him. For his part, he knew he sure wouldn’t have minded seeing what Ethan looked like minus the clothes. And he didn’t mind if the raccoon saw him naked.

“That’s fine by me, I find it usually quite comfortable to be naked, especially on hot days. I’ve often done some of the chores on the farm naked, and usually many of the other workers. We’d be typically in separate stations, but occasionally another guy would come by to borrow a tool he needed or be on some such similar errand, or need a quick hand lifting something heavy. So I’m fairly used to being naked around other guys.”

Ethan chuckled a little, his paw stifling it some as he covered his muzzle with it.

“Oh wow, well I guess you would be pretty comfortable with walking around the apartment without clothes on then. Okay, good. There are some mornings, particularly on off days, that it just feels too much a bother to me to put on clothing, so I’m glad to hear that.”

Paul smiled back, then began browsing the apartment in a little more detail with his eyes. The hallway from the front door led at its far end to the living room area, where the kitchen, a little cut-away alcove, could be entered via turning right just before the living room proper. From the kitchen, where they currently were standing, Paul could see the living room through a long rectangular hole with basically a bar cut out of the middle of the left side wall off the kitchen. Behind Paul who was standing more in the entrance to the kitchen, and a little off to his right was a closed door, assumedly one of the bedrooms. Further down the hallway, closer to the front door, was another door that Paul assumed to be the bathroom based on his location and what he could tell from the size of it. The second bedroom was along the same wall as the first, just farther off to Paul’s left, nearer the farthest end of the living room and the front door. Paul, wishing to set his bag down in his own room as opposed to where it rested presently in the hallway, and wanting to see what the space was like, asked the raccoon which one was his.

“Ah, the one directly accessing the living room, off to the right there. So happily if it’s something you enjoy you’ll be able to wake up on an off day and plop down naked on the couch to watch the TV.”

“You won’t mind if I plop down naked on your couch?” Paul asked with a slight smirk, feeling more certain that his impressions were correct and Ethan very much wouldn’t mind seeing the stallion plopped down naked on the couch.

Ethan shook his head slightly, “Nah! Just be sure to vacuum up any hairs you leave behind every once in a while, though I’ll likely be doing that, as probably most of it will be my hair then yours based on the longer fur coat that I have compared to yours.” Here he stroked his cheek fur casually for emphasis, where easily Paul could see a few lengthy hairs fall out. One Ethan managed catch between two of his fingers and he showed it to the stallion, the light peering through the curtains of the living room catching it and making it shine a little.

“See?” Ethan said.

Paul nodded, and smiled.

“Sure, that could be a fun way to start an off day.”

Ethan smiled also, “Alright, let’s show you the room, then.”
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Ethan opened the door wide and gestured to the horse to step inside. Paul entered and gazed about the room, eyes slightly wide-eyed as he took it in. The stallion had imagined the room was going to be smaller than he was now seeing. From the looks of it, and the adjoining bathroom, this appeared to be the master bedroom. It was a little surprising that this was the room the raccoon was letting; but maybe Ethan simply preferred a smaller living space. Paul felt like there was more to it than that, at least a little bit. He imagined this may have previously been where Ethan had stayed when with his boyfriend when they were together, and that maybe after they had broken up Ethan had switched to the smaller room. But this was all just speculation on Paul’s part, and it could go further, but there was no need to dwell on it. If Ethan cared to tell Paul any of the real details behind his letting out the master bedroom instead of the other, likely smaller room, then surely he would. 

For now, Paul’s thoughts were more so on the connecting bathroom and the shower he assumed it housed. It had been a long trip on that bus, and more than a little hot at times, so a nice shower sounded like the best of ideas at present. Ethan was looking at him admiring the room, Paul noticed, smiling pleasantly. Having just been looking at the open bathroom door he swiveled back around to Ethan and returned the raccoon’s look with a small nod and smile and began removing his clothes. Apparently the raccoon was taken aback a bit and as Paul began unbuttoning his pants he spoke up.

“Wh-What are you doing?” he asked.

“Taking a shower, I need one, and I noticed there’s one here in the bedroom, so I figured I’d take one then unpack the rest of my clothing. It works alright doesn’t it?”

By this point, Paul had pulled down his pants and had his hooved fingertips on the waistband of his boxers. Ethan hadn’t quite heard what he had said.

“What?” he asked.

Paul gave him a puzzled look, pausing his motions. “The...shower. It works okay I assume, right?”

Ethan blinked, finally realizing what he said. “Oh! Yes, quite well. Um, do you want me to go and give you some privacy…”

By this point, though, Paul had pulled off his underwear and kicked it off to the side a little, his hands akimbo as he faced Ethan. Ethan’s eyes were wide and focused on the stallion’s large genitals, which Paul found amusing and flattering more than anything else, and he doubted the raccoon quite realized he was staring. He smiled again at the raccoon, and decided to tease him a little. 

“Unless you want to join me?” He said, in response to Ethan’s stunted question about privacy.

This brought the raccoon back to his senses and he shook himself out of his mesmerized gaze, blushing terribly, Ethan stuttered and nearly stumbled as he attempted to make a polite but hasty exit.

“No, no, I’m going to go...I, I, need to eat something anyway, I’m starting to get hungry. Are you hungry, I can fix you something if you’d like...a sandwich maybe, yeah...I’ll fix you a sandwich.”

He headed towards the door and fumbled for the doorknob.

“Hey.” Paul said in a calm, serious and sympathetic tone. He hadn’t really meant to fluster the raccoon so, and wasn’t quite sure how he had. Perhaps the raccoon was less comfortable around other naked guys then he had let on? Maybe he just hadn’t seen a naked stallion before, Paul knew his own package was an impressive size certainly, and maybe it was a bit overwhelming for the little raccoon. At any rate, Paul walked over slowly to him, the raccoon’s eyes darting periodically for the stallion’s face to between his legs. When he was a couple feet from him, Paul put a gentle hand on Ethan’s shoulder as a means of trying to calm him down before speaking to him.

Paul spoke quietly and as gently as possible. “Did I make you uncomfortable? I didn’t mean to. I figured since we agree we were fine being around each other naked I could go ahead and ditch my clothing and hop in the shower right away without much fuss. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Ethan averted his eyes. “No, I’m sorry, I made things awkward. I didn’t mean to stare”

Paul chuckled gently. “It’s alright if you stare, I don’t mind. I’m aware I have quite the impressive equipment, I’d almost be offended if you didn’t. But I guess I did get naked rather suddenly, in hindsight, I was just really excited about that shower”

Ethan seemed to perk up at this and looked Paul in the eyes, smiling gently back. Paul smiled bigger and with his hand still on the raccoon’s shoulder he could feel the tension leave Ethan’s body and with it also the tension in the room as well. Paul wasn’t sure it was a good idea or not, but the impulse to do so was too strong and he gently but firmly pulled Ethan into a big hug. The raccoon’s body again tensed very briefly but then just as quickly relaxed fully and after a brief second he returned the hug by wrapping his arms around the stallion.

The embrace only lasted a few moments but it felt like a lot longer than that. It was meant to be only a friendly, tension-easing hug of course, but it felt like so much more. Paul couldn’t quite read what was going on in the raccoon’s thoughts, of course, but he could feel him totally relaxed and truly enjoying the embrace. For Paul’s own part, he had had no idea how strong a sensation the embrace was going to be for him, but he knew only a very short span into it that it somehow meant immediately more to him than just a friendly embrace. He wasn’t sure what it was, exactly. All he knew was that he felt it very keenly and was very focused on all the sensations he felt while he held the raccoon in his arms. And when they eventually parted from the embrace, it was much harder than it should have been for Paul to pull away.

“Say, do you think we should clear the air a bit more than this even?” Ethan asked, smiling and chuckling a little to himself.

Paul raised a puzzled brow, “What do you mean?”

Ethan pointed towards the bathroom door. “Take your shower, then just leave your clothes off, unless you have somewhere to go this evening? I’m free tonight too, we could both just hang out naked chatting and getting to know each other better.”

He smiled while saying this then seemed to start to become self-conscious again, and his smile started to fade.

“Unless you think that’s a weird or terrible idea?”

Paul smiled back at him and raised an eyebrow slightly. “No. I think that sounds like a fun idea. But you’ll have to take your clothes as well.”

Ethan chuckled a little but then promptly did as he was bidden, removing his shirt and letting it fall to the ground, then undoing his shorts and letting them drop, and finally pulling down his briefs. He stretched his arms out in an exaggerated manner, as if showcasing himself.

“Ta-Da!” He exclaimed.

Paul chuckled and smiled big as he looked the raccoon over from head to toe. He was slender and good-looking, his fur a shimmering gray that caught the light nicely, and he had some solid muscle definition in his body. Paul definitely found him attractive, his whole body, and of course his eyes lingered a bit on the raccoon’s very attractive bits, the soft but firm and very roundish balls, hanging down a good bit and pretty large, and his slender but still decently girthy shaft and head of his penis, with a good length of foreskin on it, the underside hanging down a good bit past the end of his penis.

“Very nice! You seemed quite ready to be out of those restrictive clothes, do you feel more comfortable now?” he asked.

Ethan nodded and did seem much more relaxed now than he had before. “I do, actually,” he said with a big smile.

“Alright, I’m going to take my shower now, you should head to the kitchen. I’m looking forward to that sandwich.”

“Okay!” said Ethan, smiling as he left the room, gathering up his clothes and leaving the door open. Paul chuckled again to himself and stood a moment staring a moment after him before he made for the shower. He had definitely enjoyed watching Ethan’s naked, furry ass as it walked away and that swishing tail, and the slight boner he felt as he walked towards the bathroom door was definite physical proof of that.
_________________________

Several minutes later, Paul walked out of the bedroom as Ethan was placing the two plates of sandwiches, two for each of them, on the small table in the living room area close to the kitchen, near the opening in the wall that viewed into the kitchen. Paul stood a moment in the doorway, leaning against the frame as he finished drying out an ear with his towel. Ethan saw him and smiled at him, watching the slightly perturbed expression on the stallion’s face as he worked with the towel, and Paul caught his eye and smiled back.

“Sandwiches ready?” he asked.

Ethan nodded a confirmation, and Paul tossed the towel into the bedroom, commenting that he’d pick it up properly later on. He made his way over to the table and pulled out the wooden chair closest to him, opposite to the side of the table where Ethan was standing. The raccoon did likewise and the both of them sat down, Paul casually watching Ethan as he sidestepped to position himself in front of the chair, maneuvering his tail to be able to fit through the gap in the back of the chair, which made his smallish but handsome penis sway in a wide arc to the right before going back in a similar but shorter arc the other way then settle more comfortably down in the crook of his ball sack as the raccoon finished sitting down. Ethan hadn’t seemed to noticed the horse looking, seemingly paying most of his attention to how he maneuvered himself to sit down. Paul wasn’t even sure now if the raccoon knew or guessed that he found him attractive, though it was clear that Ethan was attracted to or at least allured by the stallion’s body, or at least his genitals.

At this time Ethan looked up at the horse and smiled, and Paul felt a kind of connection in that moment. He knew at least that the raccoon was looking forward to and expecting a pleasant relationship between the two of them, at least as hopefully agreeable roommates and good friends as well, but Paul also read in that smile that Ethan did indeed find him attractive, that the raccoon found it pleasant to look at the stallion’s face too and not just at his cock and balls. The attraction was equally reciprocated by Paul, who found the all of the raccoon’s body attractive and sexually stimulating, but the horse found that above all he was mesmerized and enchanted by Ethan’s face and personality. It was a bit odd and surprising to Paul, as Ethan wasn’t really the type he went for, usually preferring the more muscular and gruff in the guys he tended to be attracted to. Ethan had some muscles too, of course, he saw earlier in observing the raccoon’s naked body, but he had a more lithe body that he carried with a finesse and grace that was still very distinctly masculine. His personality, from what Paul had observed, was cheerful and energetic, but at times uncertain, jovial and happy, but with a hint of an underlying sadness to it, which the horse guessed came from a less than perfect past with things in it that still haunted him.

In that look and in that smile that Ethan gave him across the table, Paul knew a couple of things with certainty about his feelings towards the raccoon. Namely, that he found Ethan very attractive and that he really wanted to fuck him. He almost wanted to outright bluntly say so, but given the earlier awkwardness and that it might seem to come out of left field at this particular moment, since Paul wasn’t fully aware of how Ethan felt about him, it seemed the wrong time to say anything. Instead, Paul looked down at his plate and commented on the sandwiches, breaking the momentary silence and starting a conversation going.

“These look really good. Is this oat bread?” The stallion asked, picking up a sandwich in his hands.

Ethan shook his head, “Nah, just wheat with grains in them, well, I guess there could be oats in them, I’m not sure what all grains and such there are.”

Paul took a bite, only briefly commenting on the taste before politely chewing with his mouth closed afterwards.

“It’s really good.”

Ethan smiled, “Thanks, I tried to make something you might like, that would be suited to your taste, or what I guess your taste would be, as a horse, that is.”

Paul nodded. “I think you fairly well succeeded,” he said, washing down a bit of the sandwich with the glass of water that the raccoon had kindly provided as well.

Ethan smiled big and continued eating his own sandwich. The two sat in relative silence as they ate, but would periodically ask questions of one another, mostly some basics on their past or current lives, most of the questions coming from Ethan about Paul’s life on the farm. The horse told him more about rural living and his life on the farm, a little bit more about his work and how he spent his personal time. He divulged a little bit in this way his personal sexcapades, mostly telling the more humorous stories, which they both chuckled at. During these stories, the raccoon’s eyes were lit up and he had a broad smile on his face, his whiskers periodically twitching, Paul guessed as possibly a sign of arousal, and at least once he thought he heard a dull thud from the underside of the table almost directly in front of Ethan, which the horse wondered if it was the raccoon’s erection hitting the table as he squirmed a little in his seat trying to get more comfortable. During this time the raccoon also coughed but it didn’t sound quite authentic, which seemed to confirm Paul’s suspicions, coupled with the fact that he had heard a similar thud come from his own end as the memory of the past events caused an erection of his own and resulted in his penis hitting the low table. Shortly after this Ethan picked up the conversation for a bit, telling a few brief anecdotes about his own sexual past before moving on to some general details of his city life experience and even giving Paul a few tips on good and nearby places to go for groceries, other essentials, and various entertainment shopping, which the horse was indeed very grateful for.

Paul enjoyed hearing the raccoon talk, and he could see by his eyes that Ethan also was enjoying Paul’s stories and the overall conversation. For his own part, the more he talked with the raccoon, the more attracted with Ethan he was becoming, and the more he hoped that the smiling and bright-eyed raccoon was also becoming with him. After a while, Ethan excused himself for a moment to put the plates away and refill both their water glasses. Paul couldn’t help himself but to again stare at the raccoon’s ass as he walked around him and into the kitchen area, his tail swaying in a clearly pleased and happy manner as he walked. An idea poured into the stallion’s mind, and, after a brief moment of debating about it with himself, he quietly got up from his seat, deciding to take the risk.

Ethan had set the plates with the two glasses on top of the countertop, away from the kitchen entrance, and had just removed the two glasses from the top of the plate to the countertop when Paul placed his hand very gently on his right shoulder. Ethan jumped a very small amount, his fur bristling slightly, and he turned around slowly to look at the stallion. Ethan’s brows furrowed slightly in confusion, unsure what was going on for the moment.

“What?” Ethan asked.

Paul said nothing, but after a very brief moment pulled the raccoon closer to him in a gentle but strong embrace, his left arm set just above where the raccoon’s tail was, and his right arm wrapping itself underneath the raccoon’s armpit and his hand resting on right shoulder. Ethan tensed for a moment at the sudden and unexpected embrace, then gave way to it, relaxing into the embrace. 

It was a long embrace. Longer than the intended friendly embrace they had had earlier, or seemed like it. But in a single moment or very short, instantly grouped together moments, Paul could feel everything. He felt the fur of his neck pushed against by the longer strands of fur of Ethan’s face as he rested his head on the horse’s shoulder. The warmth and feeling of fur brushing against fur where their two chests rested against each other, one of their nipples each touching the other’s. He felt the sensation of the slender but taut muscles of the raccoon’s lower back underneath his hand as he rubbed it slowly up and down, sometimes brushing his tail, ultimately resting gently for a moment on his ass cheek, sending a shiver through the raccoon’s body. Most of all he felt their two abdomens pressed together, the warmth from that like a central heat source, followed by below that a brief gap in their embrace where the curve of their bodies dipped down towards their genital regions, allowing just the smallest amount of cool air from the air condition to find its way through.

Most  pronouncedly, in the sensitive parts of his body, he felt the pressing of their genitals together. Snaked slightly together as if in their own little embrace apart from and at the same time a part of the same embrace as the rest of their bodies-their cocks intermingled with one another. Paul’s cock, slightly heavier and just to the right of Ethan’s, snaked down and curved to the left to come to rest in the crook of Ethan’s ball sack, pushing his balls slightly apart from each other, a gentle pressure on each, with the stallion’s large yet shorter glans holding ever so slightly up Ethan’s smaller and narrower one. And similarly Paul’s larger and lower hanging ball sack slightly lifted up and allowed Ethan’s balls to rest on the stallion’s own. The whole of the experience was safety and security and longing and comfort. Paul wanted Ethan, maybe needed him, and Paul was sure that Ethan wanted him, and it was wonderful, and it was painful the very next moment when Ethan spoke ever so quietly.

“I can’t…” Ethan whispered slightly.

Paul held him at arm’s length, giving him a slightly puzzled and sad look. Ethan continued.

“I know I should be moving on, but it’s hard, and I’m scared, and I don’t know if I’m ready for another relationship just yet.”

Paul felt a deep hurt by this, stronger he thought in the back of his mind than he should be feeling. He wanted to express this to the raccoon but instead he just smiled his warm, comforting smile, still with his arms wrapped around Ethan..

“I understand. Though you know it doesn’t have to be a relationship, we can have sex with no strings attached, relieve a bit of this sexual tension, make it just another fun activity we can do together as roommates.”

Ethan sighed. “I know, but...even that may be too much for me right now.” He put his head down slightly, staring at Paul’s massive chest.

The stallion took his right hand and gently lifted the raccoon’s head with it, bringing his eyes upwards to stare into Paul’s. The stallion then put his muzzle to the divot just between and above Ethan’s eyes, exhaling a bit of warm breath from his nostrils that gently parted the fur of the raccoon’s forehead.

“I understand,” Paul began, “And I’m sorry I rushed things or if I made you uncomfortable.”

Ethan stammered a little as he was choked up with emotions. he wasn’t sure he was prepared for that, he explained to Paul.

“Don’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with,” Paul replied. “I wouldn’t enjoy the sex anyway if you felt bad or unhappy afterwards, we should both want and enjoy it.”

Ethan smiled and held the horse more tightly and Paul reciprocated. Ultimately after a time they ended their embrace and a little after that each of them went to their separate beds, exchanging pleasant “good nights” with smiles as each were at their own respective doorways. Lying on his bed, Paul felt happy even though perhaps things hadn’t gone as he’d hoped, but as he thought about it, maybe it had gone better than he’d hoped. If Ethan had had sex with him on this night, from either feeling that slight bit of unintended pressure from Paul or done so from giving in to his desires without any caution, and had felt bad about it afterwards, then Paul’s words to him, which was indeed how he felt and not just coddling the raccoon, would have rung true, and maybe ruined something beautiful. Paul still very much desired the raccoon sexually but there was also something deeper there. Ethan seemed like a more sensitive guy then most the other guys he’d been with, when it had really only been about having fun sex and a good time, and not really anything deeper or more romantic except maybe for one or two short-lived experiences.

As he thought of it, he realized that no, the two of them likely wouldn’t be able to just have sex with no strings attached. All of his interaction with the raccoon had suggested that their was no way that Ethan would be able to have sex with him and not mentally and emotionally establish or attempt to establish a deeper connection with Paul. Quite possibly Paul had inadvertently falsified the idea in Ethan’s mind that sex with no strings attached could happen, but after sex Paul knew the raccoon would want more than just the sex and otherwise if there was nothing more afterwards then he would feel bad or regretful about the decision to have sex with the stallion, and that he might even blame Paul for pressuring him into having sex with him.

He shouldn’t have done it, Paul knew in that instant, he should have read the room better, as it were. Why had he done it? It was almost out of character for him, truth be told. Paul reflected on this, could it be that he was truly falling for the raccoon, that this time, with this guy, he didn’t want just a one-time fling or just a friend or acquaintance he could occasionally have sex with? Even so, how could he ask for a more serious relationship, having been the one to bring up the idea of their relationship and sex being of a more casual, friend-only nature. And would the raccoon even be ready for a more serious relationship at this time, he certainly didn’t seem like he was there yet, even though he was trying to be, but the last relationship he had been in seemed to have hurt him pretty badly.

The thought made him angry momentarily. How could anyone break Ethan’s heart so, and so thoroughly. Maybe it wasn’t particularly the ex-boyfriend’s fault, Ethan was certainly very sensitive and put a lot of emotional weight into his relationships. Still, how could he have left him? Throughout the day Paul had picked up on some of Ethan’s potential flaws, and some Paul could probably hazard a guess about based on what he’d seen of his personality, and they certainly didn’t seem damning enough to outweigh the good things he had already seen about the raccoon. Still, Paul knew that sometimes personalities clash and didn’t always get along despite everyone’s best efforts, so he couldn’t put all the blame on just the ex-boyfriend.

Still, the thought of it all, and the aftermath of its effects on Ethan made Paul’s heart hurt for the guy. And when he coupled all this protective instinct towards the raccoon along with everything else: his attraction to the raccoon’s personality and body, the ease and comfortableness he felt around him, how well the two of them seemed to connect and the chemistry that seemed to be there, and most notably, though on the surface seemingly a minor thing, how good Ethan felt in his arms, Paul knew that he was legitimately falling for the raccoon, and wanted to be able to hold the raccoon whenever possible in his arms for always. It stunned the stallion with the weight of its certainty, like he’d been hit by something as solid as a rock, and he stayed awake a long time afterwards trying to figure out what course of action he should take. Ultimately he decided that he needed to let Ethan be to make up his own decision about things, and certainly Paul wasn’t going to bring up again the two of them having sex until the raccoon did, if he ever did. Somehow, though, he knew, he would have to tell him about his feelings for him. Who knows, Paul thought to himself, maybe I’m wrong anyway and these feelings are merely physical attraction after all and nothing more. Paul thought that, but he didn’t really believe his own lies to himself.

A short while later, Paul, unable to fall asleep with the thoughts buzzing in his head and being alone in the large, still unfamiliar room, opened the door to his bedroom and stood outside in the hallway. The apartment was quiet, but there were still various random sounds from the city streets below, filling the night with their clamor. The stallion looked at the windows with their shades drawn, a soft dull orange radiating from the slits and edges of the blinds from the outside street lamps, then turned his gaze to his right and down the main hallway of the apartment. He saw the other door along the same wall as his own, sighing deeply and staring at the dark floor below him, lost deeply in thought. After long moments, he made a decision and, after taking a deep breath, slowly plodded down the hallway, being as quiet as possible. He made it to Ethan’s door, which Paul was surprised to find cracked open a bit. The stallion tilted his head slightly and his ears swivelled back, curious but a little bit encouraged by the sight. Had the raccoon left it opened on purpose? Was he expecting or hoping for Paul to come to his door, and why exactly? Paul could only guess, but he turned his attention from the knob to the door itself, pushing it open a little more, which let in a little bit of light from the hallway. 

Ethan didn’t stir from the small shaft of light pouring through or the slight creak of the door as it opened farther, he was still sleeping soundly, as far as Paul could tell. He was laying on his left side, hugging one of two large pillows tightly to his head, curled up a little with his tail curved upwards slightly and partially hidden between his legs. Paul also could hear him snoring a little, and the sound made him hesitate. He’d almost wished the raccoon had wakened when Paul opened the door, but as he hadn’t done so, and since the stallion felt still encouraged by the door left cracked open in the first placel, he made his way inside and to the left side of the bed before gently sitting down on that side, still staring eyes immovable from the form of the beautiful raccoon. After a moment longer, Paul lay down on the bed, staring at the dark ceiling above, then turned his head to the left to see Ethan’s long and slender but ever so slightly muscular back, coated in silver fur. He sighed deeply again, then, turning onto his left side, Paul positioned his body right up next to the raccoon’s, holding him tightly, with his chest and abdomen against the raccoon’s back and his genitals nestled against Ethan’s right butt cheek, one of his balls resting in the fur of the raccoon’s tail.

Still for the most part asleep or at least deeply groggy, Ethan must have surely felt the stallion’s body pressed up against his own, as Paul felt him stir slightly and heard a sleep-filled groan escape the raccoon’s throat, but gave no other protest and on the contrary Paul felt him shift back a little against his own body as if trying to sink deeper into the stallion’s embrace. After a few brief moments later, though, he heard Ethan breathe in a quick intake of breath and clear his throat, followed by a short, small cough.

“What’s wrong?” asked Ethan in a groggy voice, partially muffled by the pillow his head was half-buried in.

“Couldn’t sleep” Paul said.

Ethan didn’t say anything that was clearly intelligible, but only made a sort of growl of a nice that sounded a little bit like “okay”, but Paul couldn’t be sure. Certainly, the raccoon made no kind of noise of protest and seemed to fall back asleep, comfortably settled in the stallion’s mighty arms. Paul felt himself give way to sleep slowly but surely, his heart feeling at peace and no longer feeling alone as the heavy but rhythmic breathing of the raccoon drowned out the noise from the city outside and the louder sound of his own thoughts. 
____________________________

The morning came and as sunlight filtered through the blinds of the window it fell upon the eyes of the sleeping stallion, who gradually surfaced to consciousness out of his deep slumber. A moment’s disorientation as he woke, raising his head up slightly to glare at the sunlight, before resting it again on the pillow, eyes half open. The events of the previous day gradually filled his mind and replayed themselves back to him, along with all their gravity. As they did so, he became more aware of his surroundings and his own body, and found that he and Ethan had each shifted their sleeping positions during the course of the early morning and now the stallion was lying on his back with his right hand resting on his lower chest area and his left awkwardly above his head. Ethan was now lying on his right side, facing the stallion, one leg draped over Paul’s, with his right hand underneath muzzle, resting against Paul’s chest slightly, and his left hand gently but firmly wrapped around the stallion’s morning wood. Paul smiled amused as he noticed this, also noticing the raccoon’s own erection, which he hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing on the previous day, standing firmly attention but resting on Paul’s left leg, some of the foreskin pulled back a little exposing a portion of the shiny, moist glans.

Ethan was still snoring loudly, and Paul was loath to wake him, but he himself was now pretty well awake and wanting coffee, and didn’t want to leave Ethan alone in the bed to maybe wonder where the stallion had run off too. Plus he was pretty sure Ethan would want coffee too and either way he didn’t know where the raccoon kept all the coffee-making stuff so he thought it’d be probably best to ask though he doubt it would be terribly hard to find. So very gently he reached out with his right hand to grab Ethan’s shoulder and shook him a little, asking him to wake up.

The raccoon roused after a moment and yawned deeply, rubbing his eyes with his right paw and confusedly and a little painfully for Paul clenching and unclenching his left, which was still wrapped around Paul’s very erect cock. Realization seemed to dawn on the raccoon and he jerked his hand away in surprise, looking into Paul’s eyes and bushing greatly, but paul gently stroked the bottom of Ethan’s muzzle with his right hand and gave him a gentle snort to the fur on the raccoon’s forehead, which mostly seemed to relax him but he still had a somewhat puzzled look in his eyes. He looked down at both his own and Paul’s body and each one’s hard-on and spoke in a slightly uncertain tone.

“Did we…” He began, then trailed off.

Paul chuckled slightly, “We passed out. Well...I passed out after crawling into bed with you but you were already asleep I think, though you either talk in your sleep or maybe I woke you very slightly before you passed out again.”

“Oh,” Ethan said, sounding a little disappointed. Paul’s smile faded a little as well, but at the same time he felt deep inside that the response was kind of telling of Ethan’s inner thoughts and feelings, which fortunately sounded like they coincided with Paul’s own.

“Hey, do you want some coffee, I’ll make it however you like it, and we can drink it and talk a bit, I think we may need to,” Paul said.

Ethan smiled at this prospect, and responded. “Yeah, I could use some coffee...and I need to pee I think” he added, looking at his morning wood.

Paul smiled at this and got out of bed, stretching the stiffness out of his body, he went to pee himself, after a moment’s waiting for his morning wood to subside, then made his way to the kitchen to prepare coffee, having enquired from Ethan where everything was that he needed. The raccoon was still in the bathroom while Paul was getting started, but by the time the coffee was beginning to brew, Ethan had made his way to the dining table and was yawning hugely and loudly, one hand resting adorably on his cheek, Paul noticed from the corner of his eye. A few minutes later and the coffee was brewed and cream and sugar added to it, and Paul came to the table with two piping hot cups and set them down before seating himself.

“Thank you,” Ethan said, sipping gingerly at the coffee.

Paul himself took a sip as well, relishing the taste of the hot cup, letting it fall into his belly and warm his mouth and bones and soul. He was letting himself wake up more fully, as well as gathering his thoughts and allowing Ethan the time to also wake up and any time he needed for thoughts. The stallion stared at the light streaming through the blinds, momentarily lost in thought as he attempted to figure out the best way to say what he wanted to say, as well as in the first place trying to figure out what he wanted to say, but in the end, Ethan beat him to the punch.

“Thank you, Paul, for sleeping in the bed with me last night...it felt good to not sleep alone, and to wake up beside somebody…” He trailed off a little, staring into his coffee mug.

Paul smiled, “You’re very welcome, I think I needed it too, honestly. It was harder than I thought, being alone in an unfamiliar place for the first night, with all the unfamiliar sounds of the city outside.”

Paul paused a moment and took a sip of his coffee. He could feel Ethan’s eyes on him, then shying away for a moment, uncertain. Once he had finished taking his sip, however, Paul continued.

“But that I could get used to. And it wouldn’t have made as much a difference, or I wouldn’t have even thought of lying next to you, if I didn’t already feel a strange but definite familiarity with you. But the truth is, it was more than comforting to be beside you in the night. I don’t know if I believe in anything like love at first sight, but I’m definitely attracted to you and I feel as though you may be attracted to me as well and if you’re willing I’d like to try to be something more than just friends or roommates.

Ethan looked away a moment, seemingly confused, before responding:

“I thought that you said we could just have a bit of fun between friends or roommates, just sex with no strings attached.”

“Well,” the stallion began, “No, we both know it won’t be a singular moment, a single, fun but meaningless bit of sex between us, or am I wrong? That is, do you think it could only be that for you?”

Ethan thought a moment, then shook his head, looking down.

“Don’t feel bad for that, it couldn’t be that for me either, which is strange and different for me, but I’m for some reason smitten with you, though I know it’s a fast development and I didn’t plan for it nor I imagine you did either.”

Ethan looked up at Paul, slight hints of moisture surrounding his eyes.

“Well, not exactly, though I think maybe I may have had an ulterior motive or perhaps rather a hope that I might get lucky enough to find a roommate that could be more, but that was really more just wishful thinking in the back of my mind. I didn’t expect to quite literally run into someone like you there at the bus stop. It’s weird but, I feel like I fell in love with you in that moment, but I’ve been partly terrified the whole time that I’d let my feelings run away with me.”

He paused a long moment, and Paul was looked down at his coffee cup, thinking what he should say next, when Ethan continued suddenly.

“Then, well, I couldn’t tell if you were being serious or not entirely, if you did just want a bout of sex or something more. Not until you came into my room, and held me the way you did, like I meant everything to you. 

Paul nodded, “I am, too, serious about all this, I mean, though this is almost completely a new feeling for me. It’s almost like I already had sex with you, like my mind and heart did without my body having done so, it doesn’t make sense to me, and it frightens me, but I’m more terrified of your rejection, that you would say no again, and not to sex, but to an actual romantic relationship, which is why I don’t know if I can bring myself to ask it from you, not least because it seems terribly unfair to you.”

Again Ethan made to speak, but no words came, not for a long time. The both of them sat again in silence, now not looking at each other. Paul sighed heavily before speaking again.

“Maybe I should go, this isn’t working, I didn’t expect this and it’s no one’s fault really I don’t think.”

He stood up and the chair was pushed back, squeaking loudly against the floor.

“You can keep the money, if it’s helpful, I don’t need it,” Paul mentioned.

Tears started welling up freely in Ethan’s eyes. While he had been speaking, Paul hadn’t noticed, but now as one rolled down the left cheek of the raccoon’s face the stallion saw it and his own eyes became a little wet as the resolve that had been on his face the moment before melted away. He walked slowly but purposefully over to where the raccoon was sitting and placed his hands on Ethan’s cheeks, touching his forehead to his own, smiling gently as he attempted to comfort him.

“Hey hey, shhh!” Paul said softly. He could feel Ethan trembling a little and continued to hold the raccoon’s face in his hands and touch foreheads as he spoke further.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Paul began. “You’re one of the more sensitive guys I’ve met, but look at me, I’m tearing up too a bit.”

He said this with a light and heartfelt chuckle, pulling his face away for Ethan to see. The raccoon smiled big through his tears, and a second after that they were embracing warmly.

“I’m being an ass, and in a bad way,” Paul said.

The parted from embracing a moment, but Paul placed his hands on Ethan’s upturned paws as the raccoon rested them in his lap.

“I’ve placed too much pressure on you the whole time, and I think if anyone’s at fault for the awkwardness of the situation it would have to fall on me. But you know what, I’m not afraid anymore. This is all a bit strange to me, but I mean what I said, I’m smitten with you, I want you, and not just for a moment, for longer than that. I don’t know for how long it might last, but I think it might be worth it…”

Paul was feeling himself ramble on a bit, and not sure if he was communicating what he was trying to say. He stopped talking, his lips closing together, but he watched as Ethan smiled, and then suddenly kissed him. He kissed him long and hard, and Paul practically melted in front of him, surprised at first, then kissing Ethan back, and the two of them wrapped each other’s arms around one another, holding each other tightly while still kissing, until Paul picked Ethan bodily up and carried him into the nearby bedroom.

He laid Ethan down on the bed, still on top of him, still kissing him passionately, before moving down to the raccoon’s neck, kissing and sucking on him there. Ethan moaned with pleasure as the stallion continued to kiss and bite and suck on his neck, trailing his hooved hands down the raccoon’s slender body, trailing gently over a nipple hidden only slightly below the fur, poking out a bit now as it had hardened some from the arousal. Ethan squirmed with pleasure as the hooved hand moved further down to trace the curves of his torso down to his belly, resting a moment holding his hips while the stallion’s mouth and tongue travelled further down to the lower parts of his neck then his chest and the raccoon’s left nipple, which he nibbled at and sucked, while the stallion’s hand moved further down.

Finally the hooved hand moved from Ethan’s hips to his crotch and the stiff member standing alert. Paul grasped the now thick shaft of the raccoon’s cock and gently and slowly pulled down on the skin till his hand reached the base and the plump, full balls below, gradually exposing Ethan’s glans as the foreskin rolled back and over to tuck itself momentarily behind the exposed head for a moment, until Paul pulled moved his hand back up again, the foreskin moving back up and over the glans again and then back down again in rhythmic motion as Paul’s hand continued to move down then up again. The stallion then moved his body further down till his head was in front of the raccoon’s stiff cock. He gave it a teasing lick, and he felt Ethan shudder then gasp and a moan as the horse took the raccoon into his mouth fully, sucking up and down in a similar rhythmic motion to what his hand had been doing a moment ago, every once in a while nibbling on Ethan’s foreskin or teasing it with his tongue, moving it in a circular motion just underneath the skin to tease the raccoon’s glans.

Paul was enjoying himself immensely. Following the teasing of his cock, Paul moved to teasing the raccoon’s plump little balls, first exploring every inch of them with his tongue, juggling them a little and curling his tongue under and around each one as well as sending them to opposite sides as his tongue snaked up the center of Ethan’s sack. The little raccoon squirmed from the stallion’s tongue work but Paul was just getting started. He placed his hands just below the raccoon’s thighs with his palms on the top of where legs met ass and parted the buttcheeks exposing Ethan’s tight and adorable little asshole. It wouldn’t be tight or little for much longer, as Paul instantly began to gently lick at it, adding as much saliva to the cute tailhole as he could, then stuck his tongue deeply into it, swirling it around inside, producing the loudest moan yet from the squirming raccoon. He did this for several moments, till the tailhole was good and wet, then stuck a hooved finger into it.

Ethan cried out again in pleasure, then moaned again softly as Paul felt around and found the raccoon’s prostate, stroking it several times with the inserted finger. Then the stallion inserted another finger, pushing in and pulling out a little but not completely with those two, before putting in a third and doing the same. The raccoon was still pretty wet inside, but for good measure, Paul again went back to the use of his tongue for several more moments, until the raccoon was good and thoroughly opened up and lubricated. At that point, Paul removed his tongue, grabbed Ethan’s legs and lifted them up to rest them on his shoulders a bit, then positioned his rock hard and massive cock rest right in front of the raccoon’s opened tailhole, and slid himself inside.

The stallion gave him just the narrower front half of his thick glans, pushing in slowly, but even that was enough to make Ethan moan deeply with pleasure but also grunt a little bit no doubt to the slight stinging sensation of being opened up even further. The stallion backed off a brief moment before pushing in just a little bit more of his thick glans, then pulled out again, and back in again, teasing the raccoon with the sensation. They locked eyes for a moment, Ethan with an almost begging look on his face and Paul smiled before closing his eyes again and pushing in deeper than before, the full of his glans, including the large, flared ridge, pushing its way into and past Ethan’s tight tailhole.

 A surprised “yip” escaped Ethan’s mouth, as the massive head and first part of Paul’s shaft push into him. The raccoon closed his eyes and his face tensed momentarily, no doubt from the sting of being opened up further. Paul could feel how tight he was, even though he was quite wet inside, the raccoon’s body squeezing tightly against the stallion’s large cock before gradually opening up more. At about the same time Ethan opened his eyes again, and he looked at Paul, who had paused briefly, and gave the stallion a big smile, which sent the signal to Paul that he wanted him to continue. Paul complied and it was now smoother sailing, he plunged in again, Ethan’s eyes rolling back in ecstatic pleasure as the stallion’s cock pulled out to just the tip inside him then plunged back in again, each time a little deeper. Paul pushed his massive throbbing cock deep into the little raccoon’s now wide open and more than willing hole time and time again in steady, rhythmic fashion, causing many moans to escape his throat. Over time, Paul sped up his thrusting, making Ethan moan more loudly by the force and intensity of it, and causing the raccoon’s own cock to become fully hard and his foreskin to roll back exposing the shining glans.

Paul had trouble restraining himself, but he wanted it to last for as long as possible. At points he varied the rhythm of his thrusting, going from full speed to something a little bit slower, giving the little raccoon a brief respite, but not too long, before thrusting again deep and hard and faster. As he did so, his balls slammed hard constantly against the raccoon’s soft fuzzy butt cheeks, and the swishing of Ethan’s tail tickled Paul’s knees ever so slightly, an overall pleasant feeling that intensified the moment. Finally, it came to a point where Paul couldn’t take it any longer, and he thrusted in and out harder and faster than any time before, and didn’t let up, not till Ethan’s moans intensified to a higher volume and frequency before, and Paul, unable to control his own contributions, moaned loudly as well as he reached his orgasm and soon after was right on the edge of climaxing. He didn’t hold out much longer after that and his body shuddered and cock throbbed as his muscles tensed and and relaxed in rapid succession, releasing his cum deep inside the raccoon. All he could do in that moment was plunge deep inside one last time and hold there while his seed spilled out of him, Ethan moaning loudly with pleasure. The raccoon also had at that time taken hold of his own cock and rubbed it several times over, and just as Paul’s cock was shooting its final jets of cum into him Ethan came as well, hot sticky cum erupting violently out of his hard cock and wetting the fur of his belly with the sticky liquid and a couple of shots hitting all the way up to the raccoon’s chin and edge of his mouth, which he eagerly opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out to grab and swallow down. Paul felt the raccoon’s asshole contract and relax around his own cock, further intensifying the sensations to an almost painful feeling that was nonetheless pure ecstasy.

Finally, both had finished cumming, each releasing one or two last weak spurts before their cocks relaxed. Paul’s cock was still throbbing slightly, so he waited a moment, then gingerly pulled out of Ethan, both of them giving a little soft moan at the sensation of the large horse cock emerging wet and sticky from the raccoon’s open asshole. It was a mess, but Paul was exhausted, and so laid down beside the equally exhausted looking raccoon. They both were panting heavily, and Paul placed a hooved hand on Ethan’s chest, who clasped it in his own paw. They lie there enjoying the warm sensation of afterglow, smiling in contented pleasure and staring deeply into each other’s eyes..

Paul felt happier than he could ever remember feeling, and all the good feelings remained long after they had finished their sexual escapade. He felt like he had never felt before about anyone else until Ethan. It was the first time they’d had sex, but he knew it wouldn’t be the last. He wanted many countless days with the raccoon, he wanted to be able to return home from his long days with the raccoon there, or soon to be there, and he wanted it for the rest of his days.

Ethan smiled bigger, “I-I think I love you.”

Paul smiled big as well. “I think I love you too.”

They both kissed, long and hard and passionately, then Ethan, laughing, said, “Well, I guess we should probably get cleaned up. Paul looked down, his belly and cock still looking sticky and a little wet, and Ethan’s whole lower half looking much, much more so, and chuckled a little as well.

“Yes, I suppose we should.”